My 4yo inadvertedly explained it to me with a simple follow-up question to my playful comment after he was able to lift something (a box? I forget now):
me: Силач Бамбула! (Strongman Bambula!)
4yo: Who is Bambula?
me: He was a strongman and there's a Russian nursery rhyme about him being able to lift four chairs at once.
4yo: Oh, wow. So what monsters did he defeat?
me: Hmmm, you know, I don't think I ever heard of him fighting any monsters.
4yo: So then why was he strong?
I was enlightened.