Which of the Russian heroes was a giant. Little-known Russian heroes. Ilya Muromets. Bogatyr and man

Foreword

about times long past, into a very special world - the world of knights and heroes, unheard-of heroic deeds, mighty forces that do not know how to restrain, we are transferred by ancient songs sung by the people, the so-called epics.

The people themselves, in time immemorial, composed these amazing songs-tales about Russian heroes and heroes of hoary, distant antiquity.

And these legends passed from mouth to mouth, from old people to children, artlessly passing on to each new generation the ancient ones. There were - because the people believe in the existence of heroes in the past, believe that everything that is told really happened. Much has been preserved in historical records and annals, indicating that some events that turned into epics really happened, only the people remade these legends in their own way, embellished them and exaggerated them.

Epics tell us about the outlandish "old woman", when the people did not yet know the limit of their "power" and did not yet know how to use it for the benefit of their homeland. But time passed: the people, like a child, grew up and learned to think; he arranged his life, made friends and enemies, and the silushka found an outlet for herself in serving for the benefit of her relatives, for the benefit of her homeland; and the people began to sing about other heroes who stood guard over Russia, at the outpost.

Bylina is the people themselves with all its dark and light sides; the epic is the very life of Russia, and this life is drawn in songs from all sides, with all the details of the home, military and court environment. And this gives the epic a special value: it resurrects before us the old Russian way of life with the smallest details.

Each nation has its own poetry, similar to our epics, its own, as they say, epic, depicting the life of one or another people, and our epics are among the most poetic and beautiful epic songs.

For a long time, folk songs-tales, known as epics, did not attract attention and remained unrecorded until the scientists Rybnikov and Hilferding (and many others) became interested in them. When the epics were collected and printed, everyone was surprised to learn about the new wealth of Russian poetry, about the new beauties that these “fairy tales” hid in themselves, as they were previously considered. And behind these “fairy tales”, in addition to their deep poetry, they recognized a tremendous pedagogical significance, recognized that epics teach us to love our homeland and the people who created them, the strength, valor, remarkable mind and good qualities of which are revealed in the legends he created.

But in its original form, in the form in which the people "said" them, the epics are too voluminous and inconvenient for reading to an unprepared reader. Here we need a retelling that is accessible for general understanding, but one that would preserve all the main forms of the epic, the spirit and images of the originals, eliminating everything that is inappropriate, contradictory or too often repeated at the expense of clarity of content.

To satisfy this requirement is the purpose of this publication, which contains all the most outstanding epics about Russian heroes and knights.

What is given by the mighty imagination of the people is supplemented in this edition by the drawings of the artist, who was completely imbued with the heroic spirit of epics and tried, accordingly, to reproduce the wondrous episodes of heroic deeds and embody the majestic images of mighty Russians. epic heroes and knights.

Volga Svyatoslavich

The red sun set behind the blue seas, behind the high mountains, a bright moon rose into the sky and brought a cheerful round dance of clear, frequent stars behind it ... On that night, a mighty hero, young Volga Svyatoslavich, was born in Kyiv.

At the hour of his birth, the earth trembled and the blue sea stirred; the animals all fled: deer and tours climbed into their holes, foxes and hares hid in the forest thickets, wolves, bears huddled in the spruce forests, the birds climbed high into the sky, the fish went into the depths of the sea: everyone felt that a thunderstorm had come upon them: a mighty hero.

Volga grows by leaps and bounds, speaks loudly, like thunder; says to his young mother Marfa Vseslavievna such speeches:

Empress Mother! Don’t swaddle me in expensive diapers, don’t put silk belts on me - swaddle me in strong damask armor, put a golden helmet on my violent head, put a heavy, heavy lead stick in my hands, weighing three hundred pounds!

The mighty Volga has grown up; his mother gave him seven years to study; science went to him for the future: he learned all sorts of sciences and tricks, but this learning seemed to him not enough. Volga left home for high mountains, dark forests, to the old wise men, and Volga learned from them various tricks: Volga learned to wrap himself in a clear falcon, and a gray wolf, and a bay tour with golden horns.

At the age of twelve, Volga began to clean up his squad: for three years good fellows came to him, they came from noon, and from the north, and from the east, and from the west: there were seven thousand squads, all brave and strong fellows.

And Volga went with his retinue to an open field to get fame and wealth for himself.

My brave friend! - says Volga, - wind silk ropes, set snares on damp ground, catch martens and foxes, wild animals and black sables.

The squad obeyed Volga: they twisted ropes, set snares; Good fellows spent three days and three nights at work: only no animal is caught, as if on purpose, - the squad returned to Volga empty-handed.

Then Volga turned into a mighty lion, ran into the forests, stuffed every animal, fed his retinue like a king, dressed a black sable in fur coats.

For the second time, Volga sends good fellows:

My brave friend! wind silk ropes, set snares on the branches of trees: catch geese, swans, bright falcons, small birds!

Volga's squad spent three days and three nights hunting: not a single bird got tangled in the snares; came to Volga empty-handed.

Volga turned into a nauy-bird, soared like an arrow into the sky; I caught, stuffed all kinds of birds, brought them to my squad.

Volga says for the third time:

My brave friend! Take steel hatchets, build a strong oak ship, throw silk nets into the sea, catch all kinds of fish: salmon and whitefish, and pikes, and small fish, and expensive sturgeons.

The knights spent three days and three nights at sea; We didn't even catch one small fish! They don't know how to show themselves to Volga.

Volga sees that things are bad, he will have to go for prey himself. Here Volga turned into a pike fish, sank to the deep seabed, caught all kinds of fish; fed his druzhinushka sugar dishes, but all the variables. They live for themselves, they live, they don’t know any care, they don’t know.

Russian heroes: who are they? - prototypes, cartoons and audio fairy tales

What do we (and our children) know about Russian heroes?

Fragments from literature and cartoons ...))

Three heroes is the collective name of heroes from Russian epics.

The names of the heroes were Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich.

Each hero had one wife and a horse... xD

In general, the wives were called Alyonushka, Nastasya Filippovna and Lyubava.

Well, the horses had names - Julius, Burushka and Vasya.

Well, what really happened?

Slavic history is rich in events, knowledge of which is passed down from generation to generation not only orally, but also in writing. Oral traditions are, as a rule, epic, including songs, legends, that is, everything that was composed directly by the people.

The basis of ancient Russian legends is, as a rule, heroes.

If we talk about the etymology of the word "hero" itself, then it is interpreted as a demigod man, or a man endowed with the power of a god. The origin of this word has long been a subject of intense debate. Versions were put forward about borrowing it from the Turkic languages, and even from Sanskrit.

It is now generally accepted that the word "bogatyr" was borrowed from the Tatar language.

Russian scientists distinguish two main categories of heroes - older and younger.

It is customary to rank among the senior heroes

Svyatogor, Mikulu Selyaninovich, Volga Svyatoslavich, Sukhan.

This group, according to scientists, is the personification of various natural phenomena, in most cases - formidable phenomena, hostile to the common man.

The group of junior heroes includes

the famous "Vasnetsov" trinity of Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich. They are also the personification of natural phenomena, but only favorable for humans.

It's written in great detail here.

At the same time, another hero lived with Ilya Muromets,

whose name was Dobrynya Nikitich.

He was born in Ryazan, but like Muromets, he was in the service in Kyiv.

The heroic history of Dobrynya begins from the moment when he defeated the Serpent Gorynych. The prince instructs him to engage in a fierce battle with the Serpent, on the way the hero is overcome by small snakes, but Dobrynya manages to fulfill the prince's order and free the girls and princes from the dragon caves.

In Kievan Rus, he carried out more important assignments, presenting himself to readers as a brave, wise warrior, who, among other things, is also the first assistant to Ilya Muromets.

The name "Dobrynya" means "heroic kindness". Epic Dobrynya also has the nickname "young", he is strong, is the protector of "unfortunate wives, widows and orphans." In addition, he is creative - he plays the harp and sings, he is passionate - he does not avoid playing tavlei. In speeches, Dobrynya is reasonable, knows the intricacies of etiquette. It is obvious that he is not a commoner. At least - the prince-combatant.

The prototype of Dobrynya Nikitich is often called the annalistic Dobrynya, the maternal uncle of the real Saint Vladimir.

The epic Dobrynya is compared by philologists (Khoroshev, Kireevsky) with the chronicle Dobrynya, the uncle of Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich.

Historically, Nikitich is not a patronymic, the patronymic of the real Dobrynya is quite Hollywood - Malkovich. And there were Malkovichi from the village of Nizkinichi. It is believed that "Nikitich" is just "Nizkinich" transformed by the people.

The chronicle Dobrynya played a big role in the history of Russia. According to The Tale of Bygone Years, it was he who advised the Novgorod ambassadors to invite Vladimir to reign, and he also assisted in the marriage of his nephew to the Polovtsian Rogneda. For his deeds, Dobrynya, after the death of his brother Vladimir Yaropolk, became a Novgorod mayor and participated in the baptism of Novgorod.

According to the Chronicle of Joachim, the baptism was painful, "The putyata baptized with a sword, and Dobrynya with fire", the houses of obstinate pagans had to be burned. Excavations, by the way, confirm the great Novgorod fire in 989.

But there is another namesake, the hero of the XII-XIII centuries. , described in the Abridged Chronicle of 1493:

“In the summer of 6725 (1217). There was a battle between Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich and Prince Konstantin (Vsevolodovich) of Rostov on the river on Where, and God helped Prince Konstantin Vsevolodovich, his elder brother, and the truth came (defeated) him. And there were two brave (heroes) with him: Dobrynya the Golden Belt and Alexander Popovich, with his servant with Torop.

And further...

In the epics about Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich, the bogatyrs fight the Serpents. It should be said that the monsters of Russian epics differ from Western European dragons in that they always attack from above and never appear from the forest or from the water.

There is a version according to which the Serpents mean the Polovtsian tribes who came to the Northern Black Sea region in 1055.

The name of the tribe "Kai", which was at the head of the union of the Kipchaks (as the Polovtsians were called in Central Asia), translated into Russian means "snake". The proverb related to the Polovtsy "the snake has seven heads" (according to the number of main tribes) was widely known in the steppe, it is cited in their writings by Arab and Chinese historians.

In the annals after the victory over the Polovtsians in 1103, it is said that Vladimir Monomakh "twist the heads of the serpents", and the Polovtsian Khan Tugorkan, under the name Tugarin Zmeevich, entered the epics.

The name of another Polovtsian khan - Bonyak (a contemporary of Tugorkan), who terrified the population of Byzantium, Bulgaria, Hungary and Kievan Rus, preserved Western Ukrainian songs and legends in the plot about the head of Bunyaka Sheludyvy, which, severed, rolls on the ground, destroying everything in its path.

The khan of the eastern association of the Polovtsy Sharukan in epics is called Kudrevanko the king or Shark the giant.

Later, the Tatar khans Baty and Kalin-tsar (possibly Mengu-Kaan) appear in the epics.
It can, of course, be pointed out that later the heroes were called Dobrynyas in honor of the first prototype, but then it will be necessary to explain why the “feats” of the real boyar of the 10th century were not reflected in the epics.

Another famous hero - Alyosha Popovich, according to legend, was from the city of Rostov.

He ended up in Kyiv quite by accident. In an open field, the hero found a stone on which three roads were indicated: one led to Chernigov, the other to Murom, and the third to Kyiv. He also begins to serve at the court of Prince Vladimir. Perhaps the most famous story associated with Popovich is the legend of his duel with Tugarin (this, according to the epic, is a fictional character, so occasionally he is nicknamed Zmeevich and appears as a monster). Tugarin is a foreign invader who can swallow a whole swan at a time, and the servants carry him on a golden stand. And Alyosha Popovich is always a young, brave and sometimes even reckless warrior.

There is always a connection between Ilya Muromets, Alyosha Popovich and Dobrynya Nikitich. Between them there is also a great similarity not only in characters, but also in adventures and some life events.

Alyosha Popovich is the youngest of the trinity of epic heroes. He looks the least belligerent, his appearance is not formidable, rather bored. This is understandable - he is bored without scolding, without adventures, to which he was prone, since he defeated enemies rather not by force, but by ingenuity and cunning. He is the most atypical of all heroes, not too virtuous, boastful, greedy for the weaker sex.

Traditionally, Alyosha Popovich is associated with Rostov boyar Alexander Popovich , about which there is more than one mention in the Nikon Chronicle.

He participated in the Battle of Lipetsk, and died in 1223 in the battle on the Kalka River.

However, just as you cannot throw out words from a song, so you cannot throw out a feat from an epic. Alyosha Popovich became famous for two main feats - the victory over Tugarin the serpent and over the filthy Idolishche. The version of comparing the epic hero with Alexander Popovich does not explain any of these achievements, since the victories over the filthy Idolishch and over the Tugarnin serpent were won two centuries before the battle on Kalka.

Another version of who was the prototype of Alyosha Popovich was told by art critic Anatoly Markovich Chlenov. He believes that it is more correct to compare Alyosha Popovich with the son of a boyar and an ally of Vladimir Monomakh Olberg Ratiborovich.

According to The Tale of Bygone Years, it was he who killed in 1095, on the orders of the prince, the Polovtsian Khan Itlar, who had come to negotiate in Pereyaslavl, by shooting him with an arrow through a hole in the roof. Boris Rybakov, in particular, wrote that the name Idolishche, in all likelihood, is a distortion of Itlar through the form "Itlarishe is filthy." It is characteristic that in the whole epic tradition, it is the murder of the filthy Idolish that is the only example of killing the enemy in the palace, and not in the "open field".

The second feat of Alyosha Popovich is the victory over Tugarin the serpent. Philologists found the prototype of the "snake" back in the 19th century; at the beginning of the 20th century, Vsevolod Fedorovich Miller voiced the version. Tugarin Serpent is the Polovtsian Khan Tugorkan from the Shurakanid dynasty. Sharukan among the Polovtsy meant just "snake".
So everything adds up. According to Boris Rybakov, the name Olberg eventually transformed into the Christian Olesha, and the comparison of Alyosha Popovich with the historical governor Alexander Popovich, according to Dmitry Likhachev, is later.

And in conclusion, it is necessary to say a few words about such heroes as Vasily Buslaev and Nikita Kozhemyaka. All of them were real people.

Vasily Buslaev was from Novgorod.

By nature, this man has always been a rebel and even a drunkard. He inherited his heroic strength from his father. However, the young man does not use it in the same way as the rest of the heroes do.

On the contrary, he violates the laws of the city in every possible way, gaining a squad from the same as him (the main selection criteria are the ability to drink a bucket of wine or withstand a blow to the head with a club). Together with the retinue, Vasily does not enter into a fight with enemies and invaders, but only gets drunk in taverns, fights.

According to the legends, he died as recklessly as he lived - on the way back from Jerusalem, he hit his head on a stone, falling from his horse (and it was written on the stone that you couldn’t ride over it ...).

Unlike Vasily, Nikita Kozhemyaka - was a real warrior who served the Kyiv prince Vladimir. Together with him, Kozhemyaka went to battle against the Pechenegs, fighting one on one with a strongman and defeating him.

This victory was the beginning of the victory of the Russian army over the invaders. In different periods, Nikita Kozhemyaka is presented either as a simple craftsman, or as a real hero who is in the service in Kyiv. Kapochka Capa

If you ask any Russian person in our country to name the names of Russian heroes, then they will surely name Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich. But then - a hitch. Thanks to popular culture, only these three have become widely known. Meanwhile, there were much more heroes in Russia, but not everyone knows about them. Let's try to rectify the situation and tell in this collection about the "unknown" Russian heroes.

Svyatogor

One of the most ancient heroes of the Russian epic epic. Svyatogor - the giant hero is so big and strong that even Mother Earth Cheese could not withstand him. However, Svyatogor himself, according to the epic, could not overcome the “earthly pull” contained in the bag: trying to raise the bag, he went to the ground with his feet.

Mikula Selyaninovich

The legendary plowman-hero, with whom you can not fight, because "the whole family of Mikuls loves Mother - Cheese Earth." According to one of the epics, it was Mikula Selyaninovich who asked the giant Svyatogor to pick up a bag that had fallen to the ground. Svyatogor could not do this. Then Mikula Selyaninovich raised the bag with one hand and said that it contained "all the burden of the earth." Folklore says that Mikula Selyaninovich had two daughters: Vasilisa and Nastasya. And they became the wives of Stavr and Dobrynya Nikitich, respectively.

Volga Svyatoslavich

Volga is one of the most ancient heroes in Russian epics. His distinguishing features were the ability to shapeshift and the ability to understand the language of birds and animals. According to legend, Volga is the son of a snake and Princess Marfa Vseslavievna, who miraculously conceived him by accidentally stepping on a snake. When he saw the light, the earth trembled and a terrible fear fettered all living beings. An interesting episode of the meeting between Volga and Mikula Selyaninovich is described by epics. During the collection of taxes from the cities of Gurchevets and Orekhovets, Volga met the plowman Mikula Selyaninovich. Seeing a mighty hero in Mikul, Volga called him with him to the squad to collect taxes. Having driven off, Mikula remembered that he had forgotten the plow in the ground. Twice Volga sent combatants to pull out that plow, on the third time he himself and his squad did not overcome the whole. Mikula pulled out that plow with one hand.

Sukhman Odikhmantievich

Hero of the Kyiv epic cycle. According to legend, Sukhman goes to get a white swan for Prince Vladimir. During the trip, he sees that the Nepra River is fighting the Tatar force, which is building Kalinov bridges on it in order to go to Kyiv. Sukhman beats the Tatar force, but during the battle he gets wounds, which he covers with leaves. Sukhman returns to Kyiv without the swans. Prince Vladimir does not believe him and orders him to be imprisoned for boasting in the cellar, and sends Dobrynya Nikitich to find out if Sukhman told the truth, and when it turns out that the truth is, Vladimir wants to reward Sukhman; but he removes the leaves from the wounds and bleeds. The river Sukhman flowed from his blood.

Dunay Ivanovich

One of the most popular heroic images in Russian epics. Unlike the three main characters of the epic (Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich), Danube Ivanovich is a tragic character. According to legend, during the wedding, Danube and Nastasya Korolevichna, who was also a hero, begin to brag, Danube - courage, and Nastasya - accuracy. They arrange a duel and Nastasya shoots the silver ring lying on the head near the Danube three times. Unable to recognize the superiority of his wife, Danube orders her to repeat the dangerous test in the reverse version: the ring is now on Nastasya's head, and Danube shoots. The arrow of the Danube hits Nastasya. She dies, and the Danube finds out, “spreading her womb”, that she was pregnant with a wonderful baby: “knee-deep legs in silver, elbow-deep little hands in gold, frequent stars on her braids.” The Danube rushes to his saber and dies next to his wife, the Danube River originates from his blood.

Mikhailo Potyk

One of the minor heroes. He is known only in northern Russian epics as a handsome man and snake fighter. There are several legends about him. According to one of them, while hunting, Mikhailo met a swan who turned into a girl - Avdotya Lebed Belaya. They got married and took an oath that if someone dies earlier, then the survivor will be buried with the deceased in the same grave. When Avdotya died, Potyk, along with her corpse, was lowered into the grave, on a horse in full armor. A snake appeared in the grave, which the hero killed, and with his blood he resurrected his wife. According to other epics, the wife drugged Potyk and turned him to stone, and she herself fled with Tsar Koshchei. The comrades of the hero - Ilya, Alyosha and others, save Potyk and avenge him by killing Koshchei and quartering the unfaithful White Swan.

Hoten Bludovich

A hero in Russian epics, acting in one epic as a matchmaker and groom. The story of Khoten and his bride is almost an old Russian story of Romeo and Juliet. According to legend, the Mother of Khoten, a widow, at one feast wooed her son to the beautiful China Sentinel. But the girl's mother answered her with an insulting refusal, which was heard by all the feasters. When Khoten found out about this, he went to the bride and she agreed to marry him. But the girl's mother was categorically against it. Then Khoten demanded a duel and beat the nine brothers of his bride. China's mother asks the prince for an army to deal with the hero, but Khoten also defeats him. After that, Hoten marries the girl, taking a rich dowry.

Nikita Kozhemyaka

Formally, he does not belong to the heroes, but he is a snake-fighter hero. According to legend, the daughter of the prince of Kyiv was carried away by a serpent and kept in captivity. Having learned from the serpent himself that he is afraid of only one person in the world - Nikita Kozhemyaku, she sends a letter with a dove to her father with a request to find this hero and encourage him to fight the serpent. When the envoys of the prince entered the hut of Kozhemyaki, who was busy with his usual business, out of surprise he rips through 12 skins. At the prince's first request to fight the snake, Nikita refuses. Then the prince sends the elders to him, who also could not persuade Nikita. For the third time, the prince sends children to the hero, and their crying touches Nikita, he agrees. Wrapped in hemp and smeared with resin to become invulnerable, the hero fights with the snake and frees the prince's daughter. Further, as the legend says, the snake, defeated by Nikita, begs him for mercy and offers to share the land equally with him. Nikita forges a plow of 300 pounds, harnesses a snake into it and draws a furrow from Kyiv to the Black Sea; then, starting to divide the sea, the serpent drowns.

Vasily Buslaev

Also formally not a hero, but a very strong hero, representing the ideal of valiant and boundless prowess. From childhood, Vasily was a daredevil, did not know any constraints and did everything just the way he liked. At one of the feasts, Vasily bets that he will fight at the head of his squad on the Volkhov bridge with all the Novgorod peasants. The battle begins, and Vasily's threat to beat all opponents to the last is close to being carried out; only the intervention of Vasily's mother saves the Novgorodians. In the next epic, feeling the weight of his sins, Basil goes to pray for them in Jerusalem. But the pilgrimage to holy places does not change the character of the hero: he defiantly violates all prohibitions and dies in the most ridiculous way on the way back, trying to prove his youth.

Duke Stepanovich

One of the most original Kyiv epic epic. According to legend, Duke arrives in Kyiv from “Rich India”, which, apparently, was the name of the Galicia-Volyn land. Upon arrival, the Duke begins to brag about the luxury of his city, his own wealth, his clothes, which his horse brings daily from India, and finds the wine and rolls of the prince of Kyiv tasteless. Vladimir, in order to test Duke's boasting, sends an embassy to Duke's mother. As a result, the embassy admits that if you sell Kyiv and Chernigov and buy papers for an inventory of Dyukov's wealth, then that paper will not be enough.

The names of the first three most famous ancient knights are still on everyone's lips - Ilya Muromets, Alyosha Popovich and Dobrynya Nikitich. We remembered what exactly they deserved their status, and what other Russian main Russian heroes were

Where did the heroes come from?

For the first time, Russian epics were recorded by famous scientists of the 19th century P. N. Rybnikov (four-volume book with 200 epic texts) and A. F. Hilferding (318 epics). And before that, legends were transmitted orally - from grandfathers to grandchildren, and, depending on the grandfather - with a variety of additions and details. "Modern science of heroes" divides them into two groups: "senior" and "junior".

"Elders" - older, older, belong to the pre-Christian period, sometimes they are supernatural beings, werewolves with incredible power. “Was it - wasn’t it” - this is just about them. Tales about them passed from mouth to mouth, and many historians generally consider them to be myths or ancient Slavic deities.

The so-called "younger heroes" already have a completely human image, they have great, but no longer titanic, not elemental strength, and almost all live during the time of Prince Vladimir (980-1015). Much has been preserved in the historical annals, indicating that events that turned into epics really took place. Bogatyrs stood guard over Russia and were its super-heroes.

The main representatives of the epic super-heroism in the next order.

1. Svyatogor. Bogatyr-Mountain

The terrible giant, the Elder bogatyr, the size of a mountain, whom even the earth does not hold, lies on the mountain in inactivity. Epics tell about his meeting with earthly cravings and death in a magical grave. Many features of the biblical hero Samson have been transferred to Svyatogora. It is difficult to determine exactly the ancient origin of Svyatogor. In the legends of the people, the ancient warrior transfers his strength to Ilya Muromets, the hero of the Christian age.

2. Mikula Selyaninovich. Bogatyr-Plug

It is found in two epics: about Svyatogor and about Volga Svyatoslavich. Mikula takes not even strength, but endurance. He is the first representative of the agricultural life, a powerful peasant plowman. Its terrible strength, comparison with Svyatogor indicate that this image was formed under the influence of myths about titanic creatures, which were probably the personification of the earth or the patron god of agriculture. But Mikula Selyaninovich himself no longer represents the elements of the earth, but the idea of ​​a settled agricultural life, in which he puts his enormous strength.

3. Ilya Muromets. Bogatyr and man

The main defender of the Russian land, has all the features of a real historical character, but all his adventures are still compared with the myth. Ilya sits in jail for thirty years; receives strength from the hero Svyatogor, performs the first peasant work, goes to Kyiv, on the way captures the Nightingale the Robber, liberates Chernigov from the Tatars. And then - Kyiv, the heroic outpost with the "cross brothers", battles with Polenitsa, Sokolnik, Zhidovin; bad relations with Vladimir, the attack of the Tatars on Kyiv, Kalin, Idolishche; battle with the Tatars, three "trips" of Ilya Muromets. Not all points are equally developed in the literature: comparatively many studies have been devoted to certain campaigns, while almost no one has yet studied in detail others. The physical strength of the hero is accompanied by moral: calmness, steadfastness, simplicity, silverlessness, paternal care, restraint, complacency, modesty, independence of character. Over time, the religious side began to get the upper hand in his characterization, so that at last he became a saint. After a quite successful military career and, apparently, as a result of a serious wound, Ilya decides to end his days as a monk and is tonsured at the Theodosius Monastery (now the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra). It should be noted that this is a very traditional step for an Orthodox warrior - to change an iron sword for a spiritual sword and spend days in battle not for earthly blessings, but for heavenly ones.

The relics of the Monk Elijah resting in the Anthony Caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra show that for his time he really had a very impressive size and was a head taller than a man of average height. The relics of the monk no less clearly testify to a bright military biography - in addition to a deep rounded wound on the left arm, the same significant injury is visible in the left chest area. It seems that the hero covered his chest with his hand, and she was nailed to the heart with a blow of a spear.

4. Dobrynya Nikitich. Bogatyr-Lionheart

It is compared with the chronicle Dobrynya, the uncle of Prince Vladimir (according to another version, a nephew). His name embodies the essence of "heroic kindness". Dobrynya has the nickname "young", with great physical strength "he won't hurt a fly", he is the protector of "widows and orphans, unfortunate wives." Dobrynya is also "an artist at heart: a master of singing and playing the harp." He is a representative of the highest Russian society, such as a warrior prince. He is a prince, a rich man who received higher education, an excellent archer and wrestler, knows all the subtleties of etiquette, is reasonable in speeches, but he is easily carried away and not very persistent; in private life he is a quiet and meek person.

5. Alyosha Popovich. Bogatyr - Robin

Closely associated with Ilya Muromets and Dobrynya Nikitich: he is in constant relationship with them. He is, as it were, the “youngest of the younger” heroes, and therefore his set of qualities is not so “supermanly”. Vice is not even alien to him: cunning, selfishness, self-interest. That is, on the one hand, he is distinguished by courage, but on the other, he is proud, arrogant, quarrelsome, perky and rude. In battle, he is nimble, cunning, impudent, but, in the end, by the later development of the epic, Alyosha turns out to be a woman's mockingbird, a malicious accuser of female honor and an unsuccessful womanizer. It is difficult to understand how the hero survived such degeneration, perhaps the natural trait is to blame for everything - boastfulness.

6.Mikhail Potyk - Bogatyr Like A Rolling Stone

He fights with the allegorical snake of evil, according to the Bible, a reflection of the primordial enemy of man, “who took on the form of a snake, became hostile between the first husband and first wife, seduced the first wife and led the first people into temptation.” Mikhail Potyk is a representative of the Zemstvo service force, he is a fidget, perhaps his name originally sounded like Potok, which meant "wandering, nomadic." He is the ideal nomad..

7.Churila Plenkovich - Visiting Bogatyr

In addition to the old and new bogatyrs, there is a separate group of visiting daredevils. Surovets Suzdalets, Dyuk Stepanovich, Churila Plenkovich - just from this series. In the nicknames of these heroes, a direct indication of their native area. Crimea in ancient times was called Surozh or Sugdaey, so the hero who came from there was called Surovets or Suzdal. Churilo Plenkovich also came from Sourozh, whose name “deciphers” as Cyril the son of Plenok, Frank, Frank, that is, the Italian Sourozh merchant (the Turks and Tatars used this name Felenk, Ferenk to designate the Genoese in the Crimea). Churila is the personification of youth, audacity and wealth. The fame of him went ahead of him - he arranged his acquaintance with Prince Vladimir as follows: he instilled fear in the boyars and nobles, intrigued the prince with his audacity and prowess, invited him to the estate - and ... modestly agreed to serve the prince. However, he became a hostage to his insolence - he fell in love with the young wife of an old boyar. The old boyar returned home - he chopped off Churile's head, and his young wife herself rushed to the sharp pitchfork with her breasts.

The ideas of the Russian people about the beauty of a person, his honor and dignity are embodied in the images of epic heroes - Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich, Alyosha Popovich, Mikul Selyaninovich, Svyatogora, Sadko, Vasily Buslaev. Epics are composed about each of them.

By times long gone, in a very special world - world heroes and bogatyrs, unheard of heroic deeds, mighty forces that do not know how to restrain, we are carried by epics sung by the people.

The people themselves, in time immemorial, composed these amazing songs-tales about Russian heroes and heroes of hoary, distant antiquity. They were a live response to real events. Much has been preserved in historical records and annals, indicating that some events that turned into epics really took place, only the people remade these legends in their own way, embellished them and exaggerated them. Actions in epics were sung brightly, colorfully, impressively!

Who are they, the Russian heroes, in the name of what did they perform feats and what did they defend? Finding an answer to this question has become the main goal of my work.

The belief that powerful people, heroes, lived in the distant past, was preserved among the people even at the turn of the 19th - 20th centuries. In general, the word hero entered our lives as a measure of people's evaluation in the boundless manifestation of their capabilities and best qualities.

The hero is the hero of a special, epic world, around whose life and exploits the entire narrative of the epic is built. Bogatyrs are mentioned both in Russian chronicles and in other Slavic chronicles that tell about Ancient Russia. Each hero has his own name and his own “biography”, his exploits and death, but at the same time “they have so much in common, even coinciding, that we can talk about a single artistic, historical type of hero - the hero of the epic.

A characteristic feature of this type: for the time being, the bogatyr acts as an ordinary person, in the Old Russian class row he is “lower” than princes, boyars, merchants. But the moment comes, and the unusualness of the hero is revealed, his superhuman strength is revealed, fantastic abilities are manifested that elevate him above everyone. If the hero falls asleep, then he snores, as the threshold makes noise (meaning the Dnieper rapids); his heart was heated - as if boiling in a cauldron; he destroys the enemy army as if he were cutting grass.

The characterization of heroes as exceptionally strong physically people is true, but it is incomplete. Most epic heroes have an all-destroying power, but the power itself, which does not find application in useful activities, does not receive approval from the people. No matter how attractive Svyatogor is, he is dying, there is nowhere to apply his gigantic strength. Nothing is known about the physical strength of Sadko Novgorodsky, but his playing on the harp shakes the sea and lake.

The Russian hero is inherent in the consciousness of duty - to the people, to Russia, to the Orthodox faith. His power, as a rule, is directed to good deeds. He feels his predestination to the most dangerous and important matters for the Russian land. He is destined to do his deeds. Therefore, the heroes of epics show their heroic qualities in military exploits in the name of protecting their native land.

The epic enemy attacking Russia is always cruel and ruthless, he intends to destroy the people, their statehood, culture, shrines. So, Sokolnik, heading to Kyiv, threatened:

I will lower the cathedral churches into smoke,

I'll print more books in the mud,

Wonderful images-icons on the float of water,

I will boil the prince himself in a cauldron,

I myself will take the princess for myself.

Kalin-king-

He wants to ruin the capital city of Kyiv,

Black-men, he will knock them all out

And Tugarin, who settled in Kyiv, -

He denounced the Orthodox churches,

He slandered the girls, young widows,

He trampled all the little children with his horse,

Tugarin captivated all the guest merchants.

But the bogatyrs stand guard over Kyiv, the Russian land, its independence and honor. Dobrynya Nikitich eliminates the constant threat to Kyiv from the serpent monster that has been raiding the city and taking many people into captivity. Alyosha Popovich liberates the capital city from Tugarin, who rampaged in it. A similar feat is performed by Ilya Muromets, cracking down on the filthy Idolishche who was in charge in Kyiv.

The activity of the heroes is aimed not only at protecting Kyiv, the Russian land from the encroachments of the enemy at the moment, its significance is great for all future times: defeated opponents, if they are not destroyed, become tributaries of the Kyiv prince or are forced to swear that forever and ever they, nor their children and grandchildren, will dare to attack Russia.

Ilya Muromets, having destroyed foreign troops near Chernigov, releases their leaders, three princes, with the following order:

You will go to your places

You repair such a word everywhere,

That Holy Russia is not empty,

In Holy Russia there are mighty heroes.

The boundless possibilities of a hero are best revealed when he, alone or with several friends, opposes enemy hordes, which are "black-black, like black ravens." The duel of two heroes begins - it’s not two mountains that collided together, - Two heroes gathered together and then gathered.

Such is Ilya Muromets, such are other heroes - Dobrynya Nikitich, Alyosha Popovich, Dunaisvat, Vasily Kazemirovich. The people themselves compare the heroes with a falcon - a bird that has long been revered in Russia.

Russian heroes were distinguished by special courage

Yes, Ilya sat on a good horse,

He rode across the open field

And drove up to the troops, the Tatars;

The falcon is not clear, it attacks geese, swans

Yes, cute migratory gray ducks -

The holy Russian hero is launched

On thulia on the power of the Tatars!

He let the heroic horse

Yes, did you go along that Tatar silushka,

He began to trample on the horse,

He began to trample on a horse, prick with a spear,

He began to beat that great powerhouse,

And he beats the force, as if mowing the grass!

Ilya Muromets alone wins the Tatar army, he accomplishes a feat for the glory of the Russian land. The people believed that “Whoever is strong in muscles will defeat one, and whoever is strong in mind will defeat an entire army”

Tugarin-Snake attacked our land, but Alyosha Popovich stood up to defend his homeland.

Yes, Tugarin rides across the open field,

He screams, yells yes at the top of his head:

“Do you want to, Alyosha, I will stop with a horse?

Do you want, Alyosha, I'll cut off with a spear?

Do you want, Alyosha, I will swallow alive?

On that de Aleshenka, after all, there was a helicopter, -

Tucked under the horse's mane.

Let the dog look across the open field:

“But where is Alyosha stoptan lying?”

Yes vtapory Aleshenka Popovich-from

Jumps out from under the horse's mane,

He waves a roadside shalyga

According to Tugarinova and a violent head.

Head rolled off his shoulders like a button

A corpse fell on the damp ground.

There were also such heroes in Russia that they could turn into animals: into a falcon, into a wolf, into a tour, into an ermine.

Volkh turned into an ermine,

And he ran through the basements, through the cellars,

What about those high towers,

I bit the bowstrings of tight bows,

He took out the glands from the red-hot arrows,

What do those fiery guns have

Flint-ramrods pulled out

And yet he dug into the ground!

Every battle of the hero ends with his victory over the enemy, a long series of epics shows the continuity of such battles and the emergence of more and more new heroes - the defenders of their native land.

The heroes were great, they took the strength from the mother earth, but Svyatogor was the strongest among them. The hero is as big as a mountain. It is so heavy that Mother Earth cannot stand it, so it is tied to the Holy Mountains:

I'm not given here to travel to Holy Russia,

I am allowed to ride here in the mountains and high.

The image of Svyatogor came to epics from ancient mythology: ideas about mountain giants embodying the greatness of the mountains were associated with it.

How far, far away, in an open field,

Here the dust rises like a pillar:

A good fellow is going to the field,

The mighty Russian Svyatogor-bogatyr is riding;

Svyatogorov is a horse and like a fierce beast,

The hero has shoulders and a sazhen in a braid,

He rides in the field, making fun:

He throws a damask club,

Above the forest throws yes standing,

Below the cloud throws yes a walker,

The club flies high in the sky,

When that club goes down,

He picks it up with one hand!

Unlike another hero, Volkh Vseslavich, whose image is also associated with ancient mythology, Svyatogor did not find his place in the new life, did not stand next to the Kyiv heroes who defended Russia from external enemies. Therefore, he is lonely, and he has nothing to do, as soon as he boasts of his strength. He has no home, no relatives, no friends, comrades, because of this he is doomed to death. Almost all epics about Svyatogor are epics about how he parted with his life, for example, from a “small saddle bag”

In the epic “Svyatogor the Bogatyr” there is a change of generations of heroes: the old heroism in the person of Svyatogor is gone forever - not yet truly connected with the world of folk life, far from the interests and concerns of the Russian land, ponderous, not knowing what to apply exorbitant force to; he is replaced by young heroes, whose strength is aimed at serving people, protecting justice, and defending the earth.

Such is Mikula Selyaninovich. Mikula - in modern Nikolay, and Selyaninovich means that he is a peasant, that is, he lives in the village. He just emphasizes this: de, I am a simple peasant plowman (oratay), not a prince, not a combatant and not a hero. Mikula is the image of an ideal plowman.

A fair-haired Russian handsome man yells (plows the land). Plows cheerfully, provocatively, masterfully. With what love his beauty and magnificent attire are described:

And the orata's curls sway,

What if the pearls are not downloaded, they crumble,

In the orata's eyes, yes, the falcon is clear,

And his eyebrows are black sable,

The orata's boots have green morocco:

Here is the awl of the heel, the noses are sharp,

Here a sparrow will fly under the heel,

Near the nose, at least roll an egg.

The orata's hat is downy,

And his caftan is black velvet.

Of course, it is impossible in such an outfit - in high-heeled boots with curved toes, in a downy hat and a “black velvet” caftan - to do hard, dirty work, to plow the earth in dust and sweat. But the work of the plowman-breadwinner is so noble that, out of deep respect for him, the people dressed up the plowman in epics. Worthy indeed!

The plowman has a heroic strength, and he does his work "easily".

Usually in the epics next to Mikula, Prince Volga is mentioned (the epic “Volga and Mikula Selyaninovich”), who, seeing the exorbitant power of the plowman, admire the glorious work of the plowman and invites him to join his squad to go collect tribute with them. The plowman agrees. Just let the combatants remove his bipod behind the willow bush, from the robbers. And "a whole dozen" and "the whole squad of brave" bipods, not only "for the willow bush", cannot move from their place, they cannot pull the "bipod out of the ground"!

And the plowman took the bipod with one hand,

He pulled the bipod out of the ground,

He shook out the land from the ploughshares,

He threw a bipod behind a willow bush.

To the surprised prince, the plowman boasts of his wealth, obtained by hard, honest peasant labor:

I’ll plow something like rye and put it in stacks,

I'll put it in stacks and drag it home,

I’ll drag you home and thresh at home,

And I'll make beer and drink the peasants.

And then the men will praise me:

"Young Mikula Selyaninovich!"

So in the epics about Mikul Selyaninovich, the heroic nature of free peasant labor, the beauty of a simple peasant life, the dignity of a doer, a worker are glorified.

Mikula is a new hero, personifying not a divine, mythical beginning, but peasant Russia. Svyatogor is a descendant of ancient pagan deities; Mikula Selyaninovich is a peasant son and a peasant himself, not seeking to get away from his simple peasant duties. Svyatogor is a mythical hero; Mikula Selyaninovich is a more “real” hero, who obviously had a prototype in life.

The fates of the heroes of the world epic are often similar, their distinguishing feature is the presence of a Miracle at significant moments in life: it can be a miraculous birth of a hero (a half-deity - a half-man or a miracle child born of a maiden who was bitten by a snake (Volkh Vseslavevich), an ermine, a mysterious creature), unprecedented rapid growth and maturation of the hero, his exorbitant strength (Hercules), invulnerability or immortality, miraculous healing or prediction of exploits and death.

The favorite hero of the Russian heroic epic - Ilya Muromets - is also marked with the sign of a miracle. Like most heroes, he was born a simple child, and nothing foreshadowed his heroic glory. Moreover, Ilya was weak from birth and could not help his parents even with household chores:

And Ilya did not have a walker at the feet,

And Ilya the owner did not have in his hands,

His thirty years was a long century.

And then a miracle happens: “passable kaliks” appear - three elders, wanderers going to pray. In some records of epics they ask for alms, in others they drink water. Ilya is polite and helpful with them, tells everything about his life and explains in detail why he himself cannot give water to the old people: “I have neither arms nor legs.”

The pilgrims looked strange (according to one version, there are two of them, according to another - three): they are like messengers of some unknown force, testing the spiritual strength of Elijah himself, his upbringing, the strength of his humility before fate, which sent such an ailment. “Kaliki passers-by came, they lay the cross according to the written one, they bow according to the scientist”, - not ordinary guests, magical. And only from their words rises the peasant son who never got up, and only from their words goes to open the gates the cripple who never walked.

For the Middle Ages, thirty years is a very respectable age: in battles with numerous enemies and in the struggle with nature, few lived to be forty years old. Many at the age of thirty have already accomplished their feats, and got married, and gave birth to children, and some gave their souls to God, and the path of Ilya Muromets is just beginning.

Whether from that city from Murom,

From that village and Karacharova

A remote, burly, kind fellow was leaving.

His good horse and heroic

From mountain to mountain began to jump,

From hills to hills began to jump,

Small rivers, let a small lake between my legs.

Ilya Muromets honors his parents, rising to his feet, asking them for a “blessing” for good deeds

The life path of Ilya Muromets is the path of overcoming dangers and obstacles, challenging the forces of evil and fighting them. Realizing this, he never leaves the fight and from the three paths he chooses the one "where to be killed."

Ilya alone defeats the hordes of Tatars who besieged Chernigov:

He somehow became this great powerhouse,

He began to trample on a horse and began to prick with a spear,

Ah, he beat this great power.

Ilya Muromets wins and the Nightingale the Robber, from whom the Russian land groaned, strapped him to the saddle and delivered him to the princely court

This seems impossible to Prince Vladimir, and he insults Ilya with distrust:

Ay, peasant peasant,

In the eyes, man, yes, you succumb,

In the eyes, man, you're laughing.

The hero does not serve the prince as such, but in the face of the entire Russian land, the Russian people. Therefore, with dignity and modesty, Ilya answers the prince that the Nightingale the Robber, "chained to a damask stirrup", is waiting for him in the courtyard. Then Ilya dealt with the Nightingale the Robber in the name of peace on Russian soil:

Ah, he was carrying the Nightingale and into the open field,

And he cut off his wild head,

Ilya said yes these are the words:

It’s enough for you to whistle like a nightingale,

You're full of screaming yes like an animal,

You are full of tears and fathers and mothers,

You are full of widows and young wives,

You are full of orphans and small children!

The main moral qualities of Ilya Muromets: a sense of justice, consciousness of one's own duty. Everywhere and always, Ilya “stands for the truth”: both in the battle with the enemy, and in conflicts with Prince Vladimir, and in disputes between heroes. He is a nationwide, all-Russian hero, not bound by any class ties:

I'm going to serve for the Christian faith

And for the Russian land,

Yes, and for the capital Kyiv-grad,

For widows, for orphans, for poor people.

Ilya Muromets is endowed not only and not so much with physical strength as with spiritual strength: he is extremely honest, completely devoid of bragging, self-interest, envy and selfishness, he is humble before the will of God, he silently and to the end bears his cross of a fighter for justice. That is why he became the ataman of the Koev bogatyrs.

Ilya Muromets, the defender of the Russian land, the intercessor for the weak and offended, is the most beloved hero of the people. And although there are other heroes in Russia, but

Like a red sun in the sky,

So one in Russia Ilya Muromets.

Scientists believe that in the XII century, when this epic appeared, in the village of Karacharovo near Murom lived a peasant with mighty power, kind and fair.

Subsequently, the exploits of him and other defenders of the borders of Russia (Murom was a border fortress) received epic glory. In the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra there is the tomb of Ilya Muromets, and he himself is canonized by the Church for his selfless service to the Motherland and people. Ilya's canonization (canonization) took place in the 16th century, his memory is celebrated annually on December 19, and the image of St. Ilya of Murom was made in the 17th century. But in the books about the life of the saints, Elijah is not even mentioned.

Planes, ships, icebreakers are named after this epic hero. In the city of Murom, on a high pedestal near green fir trees, the armored train "Ilya Muromets", a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, is laid up. And on the high bank of the Oka, the people of Murom erected a majestic monument to the famous countryman.

Bogatyr Ilya Muromets, as a folklore embodiment of the Russian character, conscientious and fair, powerful and kind, fascinated many poets, artists, composers, actors, historians. Poems and poems about him were written by N. M. Karamzin, A. K. Tolstoy, I. S. Nikitin. Composer V. Serov wrote the opera Ilya Muromets. The famous bass Fyodor Chaliapin performed the part of Ilya in it. A. P. Borodin. R. M. Glier created symphonies about Ilya Muromets, and the artist V. Vasnetsov immortalized the memory of Ilya Muromets and Russian heroes in the painting “Bogatyrs”.

In the painting by V. Vasnetsov, next to Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich, a faithful comrade and "cross brother", and Alyosha Popovich are depicted. - Companion of Ilya and Dobrynya in defense of the Fatherland.

Like all Russian heroes, Dobrynya is endowed with unusual strength. The people honored in Dobryn intelligence and resourcefulness. Dobrynya is an accurate shooter, he is polite, plays chess and the harp perfectly, hates pretense and rudeness, cunning, lies. Historians believe that the uncle of Prince Vladimir, the brother of his mother Malusha, was the prototype of Dobrynya. In the chronicles under 970, 980, 985 Dobrynya is mentioned as an uncle and associate of Prince Vladimir in his campaigns against the Bulgarians.

And Alyosha Popovich is young, stately and handsome. He doesn't care about strength. But Alyosha is shown in epics with good humor: he is painfully hungry for other people's wives, he can be cunning and will not miss his benefits. These moral qualities of his are ridiculed in epics as unworthy of a Russian hero. But he is forgiven for his honest service to his native land, he is also the defender of Russia and is merciless to her enemies.

“Knights heroes, resurrecting the very atmosphere of Ancient Russia, instill in me a feeling of great power and savagery - physical and spiritual. These stern, frowning knights are unforgettable on mighty horses,” the great singer and countryman Vasnetsov, Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin, recalled about his feelings from the picture.

3. Conclusion

So, most of the epic heroes are peculiar personalities: the wise, generous, calm, balanced, prudent Ilya Muromets and the unbelieving "neither in a dream, nor in a choch", beating the right and guilty Novgorod daring Vasily Buslaev. Famous for his "knowledge", the ability to settle international conflicts and disputes between the characters of the epic, the singer and harpist Dobrynya Nikitich and the arrogant, quick-tempered Danube Ivanovich.

I came to the conclusion that heroes are exceptional people, endowed with traits that an ordinary person does not have. However, in most cases, the extraordinary qualities of the heroes do not have a supernatural origin. Their monumental images and grandiose accomplishments are the fruit of artistic generalization, the embodiment in one person of the abilities and strength of a people or social group, an exaggeration of what really exists.

The epic heroes personify the common Slavic male type of behavior - a male warrior defending the Russian land, the Orthodox faith and the Kyiv prince from various enemies. They stand guard over Kyiv, that is, the Russian state, its independence and honor. This means that the Russian hero is the hero of a special, epic world, around whose life and exploits the entire narrative of epics is built.

And there are no such obstacles that the Russian heroes could not overcome. They can not only exterminate the huge enemy troops and fantastic monsters, but also deeds of a peaceful nature.