Topic: “Plots of Russian epics in various forms of art. Definition of epics: what is special about this original Russian genre of folklore

The content of the article

EPICAL- folk epic song, a genre characteristic of the Russian tradition. The basis of the plot of the epic is some heroic event, or a remarkable episode of Russian history (hence the popular name of the epic - “old man”, “old woman”, implying that the action in question took place in the past). The term “epic” was introduced into scientific use in the 40s of the 19th century. folklorist I.P. Sakharov (1807–1863).

Means of artistic expression.

Over the course of many centuries, unique techniques have been developed that are characteristic of the poetics of epics, as well as the method of their execution. In ancient times, it is believed that storytellers played along with themselves on the harp, and later epics were performed in recitative. Epic poems are characterized by a special pure-tonic epic verse (which is based on the commensurability of the lines by the number of stresses, which achieves rhythmic uniformity). Although the storytellers used only a few melodies when performing epics, they enriched the singing with a variety of intonations and also changed the timbre of their voices.

The emphatically solemn style of presentation of the epic, which tells about heroic and often tragic events, determined the need to slow down the action (retardation). To do this, a technique called repetition is used, and not only individual words are repeated: ... this braid, braid, …from far, far away, wonderful wonderful(tautological repetitions), but also an intensification of synonyms: fight, tribute duties, (repetitions are synonymous), often the end of one line is the beginning of another: And they came to Holy Rus', / To Holy Rus' and to the city of Kyiv..., it is not uncommon for entire episodes to be repeated three times, with enhanced effect, and some descriptions are extremely detailed. The presence of “common places” is also characteristic of the epic; when describing similar situations, certain formulaic expressions are used: thus (and in extremely detailed manner) the saddling of a horse is depicted: Ay, Dobrynya comes out into the wide yard, / He saddles the bridle of a good horse, / He puts a braid bridle, / He puts sweatshirts on sweatshirts, / He puts felts on felts, / On the top he puts a Cherkassy saddle. / And he pulled the girths tightly, / And the girths were made of overseas silk, / And the overseas silk of Sholpansky, / Buckles of glorious copper from Kazan, / Pins of Siberian damask iron, / Not beautiful bass, brothers, well done, / And for the fortification it was heroic. “Commonplaces” also include a description of a feast (mostly at Prince Vladimir’s), a banquet, and a heroic ride on a greyhound horse. The folk storyteller could combine such stable formulas at his own discretion.

The language of epics is characterized by hyperboles, with the help of which the narrator emphasizes the character traits or appearance of the characters that are worthy of special mention. Another device that determines the listener’s attitude to the epic is the epithet (mighty, Holy Russian, glorious hero and filthy, evil enemy), and stable epithets are often found (violent head, hot blood, frisky legs, flammable tears). Suffixes also play a similar role: everything related to heroes was mentioned in diminutive forms (hat, little head, dumushka, Alyoshenka, Vasenka Buslaevich, Dobrynyushka, etc.), but the negative characters were called Gloomy, Ignatisch, Tsarishma Batuisch, Ugarishch filthy. A significant place is occupied by assonance (repetition of vowel sounds) and alliteration (repetition of consonant sounds), additional organizing elements of verse.

Bylinas, as a rule, have three parts: a chorus (usually not directly related to the content), the function of which is to prepare for listening to the song; the beginning (within its limits the action unfolds); ending.

It should be noted that certain artistic techniques used in the epic are determined by its theme (for example, antithesis is characteristic of heroic epics).

The narrator's gaze never turns to the past or the future, but follows the hero from event to event, although the distance between them can vary from several days to several years.

Plots of epics.

Satirical epics or epic parodies stand apart ( Duke Stepanovich, Competition with Churila).

The main epic heroes.

Images of heroes are the people's standard of courage, justice, patriotism and strength (it is not for nothing that one of the first Russian aircraft, which had an exceptional carrying capacity at that time, was named by its creators “Ilya Muromets”).

Svyatogor

refers to the oldest and most popular epic heroes. His very name indicates a connection with nature. He is tall and powerful; the earth can hardly bear him. This image was born in the pre-Kiev era, but subsequently underwent changes. Only two stories have come down to us, initially associated with Svyatogor (the rest arose later and are fragmentary in nature): the story of Svyatogor’s discovery of a saddlebag, which, as specified in some versions, belonged to another epic hero, Mikula Selyaninovich. The bag turns out to be so heavy that the hero cannot lift it, he strains himself and, dying, finds out that this bag contains “all earthly burdens.” The second story tells about the death of Svyatogor, who meets on the road a coffin with the inscription: “Whoever is destined to lie in a coffin will lie in it,” and decides to try his luck. As soon as Svyatogor lies down, the coffin lid jumps up on its own and the hero cannot move it. Before his death, Svyatogor transfers his strength to Ilya Muromets, thus the hero of antiquity passes the baton to the new hero of the epic who comes to the fore.

Ilya Muromets,

undoubtedly the most popular hero of epics, the mighty hero. The epic does not know him as a young man, he is an old man with a gray beard. Oddly enough, Ilya Muromets appeared later than his epic younger comrades Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich. His homeland is the city of Murom, the village of Karacharovo.

The peasant son, the sick Ilya, “sat sitting on the stove for 30 years and three years.” One day, wanderers came to the house, “walking kaliki.” They healed Ilya, giving him heroic strength. From now on, he is a hero who is destined to serve the city of Kyiv and Prince Vladimir. On the way to Kyiv, Ilya defeats the Nightingale the Robber, puts him in a Toroki and takes him to the princely court. Among other exploits of Ilya, it is worth mentioning his victory over the Idol, who besieged Kyiv and forbade begging and remembering God's name. Here Elijah acts as a defender of the faith.

His relationship with Prince Vladimir is not going smoothly. The peasant hero does not meet with due respect at the prince’s court, he is treated with gifts, and is not given a place of honor at the feast. The rebellious hero is imprisoned in a cellar for seven years and doomed to starvation. Only the attack on the city by the Tatars, led by Tsar Kalin, forces the prince to ask for help from Ilya. He gathers the heroes and enters the battle. The defeated enemy flees, vowing never to return to Rus'.

Nikitich

- a popular hero of the Kyiv epic cycle. This hero-snake fighter was born in Ryazan. He is the most polite and well-mannered of the Russian heroes; it is not for nothing that Dobrynya always acts as an ambassador and negotiator in difficult situations. The main epics associated with the name Dobrynya: Dobrynya and the snake, Dobrynya and Vasily Kazemirovich, Fight between Dobrynya and the Danube, Dobrynya and Marinka, Dobrynya and Alyosha.

Alesha Popovich

– originally from Rostov, he is the son of a cathedral priest, the youngest of the famous trinity of heroes. He is brave, cunning, frivolous, prone to fun and jokes. Scientists belonging to the historical school believed that this epic hero traces his origins to Alexander Popovich, who died in the Battle of Kalka, however, D.S. Likhachev showed that in reality the opposite process took place, the name of the fictional hero entered the chronicle. The most famous feat of Alyosha Popovich is his victory over Tugarin Zmeevich. The hero Alyosha does not always behave in a dignified manner; he is often arrogant and boastful. Among the epics about him - Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin, Alyosha Popovich and Petrovich's sister.

Sadko

is also one of the most ancient heroes, in addition, he is perhaps the most famous hero of the epics of the Novgorod cycle. The ancient plot about Sadko, which tells how the hero wooed the daughter of the sea king, subsequently became more complicated, and surprisingly realistic details appeared regarding the life of ancient Novgorod.

The epic about Sadko is divided into three relatively independent parts. In the first, guslar Sadko, having impressed the sea king with the skill of his playing, receives advice from him on how to get rich. From this moment on, Sadko is no longer a poor musician, but a merchant, a rich guest. In the next song, Sadko bets with Novgorod merchants that he can buy all the goods of Novgorod. In some versions of the epic, Sadko wins, in some, on the contrary, he is defeated, but in any case he leaves the city due to the intolerant attitude of the merchants towards him. The last song tells about Sadko's journey across the sea, during which the sea king calls him to himself in order to marry his daughter and leave him in the underwater kingdom. But Sadko, having abandoned the beautiful princesses, marries Chernavushka the mermaid, who personifies the Novgorod river, and she brings him to his native shores. Sadko returns to his “earthly wife”, leaving the daughter of the sea king. V.Ya. Propp points out that the epic about Sadko is the only one in the Russian epic where the hero goes to the other world (underwater kingdom) and marries an otherworldly creature. These two motifs indicate the antiquity of both the plot and the hero.

Vasily Buslaev.

Two epics are known about this indomitable and violent citizen of Veliky Novgorod. In his rebellion against everyone and everything, he does not pursue any goal other than the desire to riot and show off. The son of a Novgorod widow, a wealthy city dweller, Vasily from an early age showed his unbridled temper in fights with peers. Having grown up, he gathered a squad to compete with all of Veliky Novgorod. The battle ends in complete victory for Vasily. The second epic is dedicated to the death of Vasily Buslaev. Having traveled with his squad to Jerusalem, Vasily mocks the dead head he encounters, despite the ban, swims naked in Jericho and neglects the requirement inscribed on the stone he found (you cannot jump over the stone lengthwise). Vasily, due to the indomitability of his nature, begins to jump and gallop over it, catches his foot on a stone and breaks his head. This character, who embodied the unbridled passions of Russian nature, was M. Gorky's favorite hero. The writer carefully saved up materials about him, cherishing the idea of writing about Vaska Buslaev, but upon learning that A.V. Amphiteatrov was writing a play about this hero, he gave all the accumulated materials to his fellow writer. This play is considered one of the best works of A.V.Amphiteatrov.

Historical stages in the development of epics.

V.Ya. Propp believed that the most ancient are the plots associated with the hero’s matchmaking and with snake fighting. Such epics are characterized by elements that are also significant for a fairy tale, in particular: tripling the plot components (Ilya, at a crossroads, runs into a stone with an inscription foreshadowing one fate or another, and sequentially chooses each of the three roads), prohibition and violation of the prohibition (Dobrynya is forbidden swim in the Puchai River), as well as the presence of ancient mythological elements (Volkh, born from a snake father, has the gift of reincarnation in animals, Tugarin Zmeevich in different options the epic appears either as a snake, or as a serpent endowed with anthropomorphic features, or as a creature of either human or serpentine nature; Likewise, the Nightingale the Robber turns out to be either a bird or a man, or even combines both features).

The largest number of epics that have come down to us dates back to the period from the 11th to the 13th–14th centuries. They were created in the southern Russian regions - Kyiv, Chernigov, Galicia-Volyn, Rostov-Suzdal. The most relevant during this period was the theme of the struggle of the Russian people with the nomads who raided Kievan Rus, and later with the Horde invaders. The epics begin to group around the plot of the defense and liberation of the Motherland, brightly colored with patriotic feelings. People's memory has preserved only one name for the nomadic enemy - Tatar, but researchers find among the names of heroes of epics the names of not only Tatar, but also Polovtsian military leaders. In the epics there is a noticeable desire to raise the people's spirit, to express love for the native country and fierce hatred of foreign invaders, the exploits of powerful and invincible folk heroes are praised. At this time, the images of Ilya Muromets, the Danube Matchmaker, Alyosha Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich, Vasily Kazemirovich, Mikhailo Danilovich and many other heroes became popular.

With the formation of the Moscow state, starting from the 16th century, heroic epics gradually fade into the background, buffoons become more relevant ( Vavila and the buffoons, Birds) and satirical epics with their acute social conflicts. They describe the exploits of heroes in peaceful life, the main characters confront princes and boyars, and their task comes down to protecting their own family and honor (Sukhman, Danilo Lovchanin), while the buffoon epics ridicule the ruling strata of society. At the same time there arises new genre- historical songs, which tell about specific historical events that took place from the 13th to the 19th centuries, there is no fiction and exaggeration characteristic of epics, and in battles several people or an entire army can act as heroes at once.

In the 17th century epics are gradually beginning to supplant translated knightly romances adapted for Russian audiences, meanwhile they remain popular folk entertainment. At the same time, the first written retellings of epic texts appeared.

Historical reality and fiction in epics.

The relationship between reality and fiction in epics is by no means straightforward; along with obvious fantasies, there is a reflection of the life of Ancient Rus'. Behind many epic episodes one can discern real social and everyday relations, numerous military and social conflicts that took place in ancient times. It is also noteworthy that in epics certain details of everyday life are conveyed with amazing accuracy, and often the area where the action takes place is described with amazing accuracy. It is also not without interest that even the names of some epic characters are recorded in chronicles, where they are narrated as real personalities.

Nevertheless, folk storytellers who sang the exploits of the princely squad, unlike chroniclers, did not literally follow the chronological course of events; on the contrary, folk memory carefully preserved only the most striking and remarkable historical episodes, regardless of their location on the timeline. The close connection with the surrounding reality determined the development and change of the system and plots of epics, according to the course of the history of the Russian state. Moreover, the genre itself existed until the middle of the 20th century, of course, undergoing various changes.

Cyclization of epics.

Although, due to special historical conditions, a coherent epic never took shape in Rus', scattered epic songs are formed into cycles either around a hero or according to the community of the area where they lived. There is no classification of epics that would be unanimously accepted by all researchers; however, it is customary to single out the epics of the Kyiv, or “Vladimirov”, Novgorod and Moscow cycles. In addition to them, there are epics that do not fit into any cycles.

Kyiv or “Vladimirov” cycle.

In these epics, heroes gather around the court of Prince Vladimir. The prince himself does not perform feats, however, Kyiv is the center that attracts heroes called upon to protect their homeland and faith from enemies. V.Ya. Propp believes that the songs of the Kyiv cycle are not a local phenomenon, characteristic only of the Kyiv region; on the contrary, epics of this cycle were created throughout Kievan Rus. Over time, the image of Vladimir changed, the prince acquired features that were initially unusual for the legendary ruler; in many epics he is cowardly, mean, and often deliberately humiliates heroes ( Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin, Ilya and Idolishche, Ilya's quarrel with Vladimir).

Novgorod cycle.

The epics differ sharply from the epics of the “Vladimirov” cycle, which is not surprising, since Novgorod never knew the Tatar invasion, but was the largest trading center of ancient Rus'. The heroes of Novgorod epics (Sadko, Vasily Buslaev) are also very different from others.

Moscow cycle.

These epics reflected the life of the upper strata of Moscow society. The epics about Khoten Bludovich, Duke and Churil contain many details characteristic of the era of the rise of the Moscow state: the clothes, morals and behavior of the townspeople are described.

Unfortunately, the Russian heroic epic did not fully develop; this is what distinguishes it from the epics of other peoples. The poet N.A. Zabolotsky at the end of his life tried to make an unprecedented attempt - to create a single poetic epic on the basis of disparate epics and epic cycles. Death prevented him from carrying out this bold plan.

Collection and publication of Russian epics.

The first recording of Russian epic songs was made at the beginning of the 17th century. Englishman Richard James. However, the first significant work on collecting epics, which had enormous scientific significance, was done by the Cossack Kirsha Danilov around 40–60 of the 18th century. The collection he collected consisted of 70 songs. For the first time, incomplete records were published only in 1804 in Moscow, under the title Ancient Russian Poems and for a long time were the only collection of Russian epic songs.

The next step in the study of Russian epic songs was made by P.N. Rybnikov (1831–1885). He discovered that epics were still performed in the Olonets province, although by that time this folklore genre was considered dead. Thanks to P.N. Rybnikov’s discovery, it was possible not only to study the epic epic more deeply, but also to get acquainted with the method of its performance and with the performers themselves. The final set of epics was published in 1861–1867 under the title Songs collected by P.N. Rybnikov. Four volumes contained 165 epics (for comparison, let us mention that in Collection of Kirsha Danilov there were only 24 of them).

This was followed by collections by A.F. Hilferding (1831–1872), P.V. Kireevsky (1808–1856), N.E. Onchukov (1872–1942) and others, the material for which was collected mainly in Siberia, in the Middle and Lower Volga region, on the Don, Terek and Ural (in the Central and Southern regions, the epic epic has been preserved in very small quantities). The last recordings of epics were made in the 20th–30th centuries. Soviet expeditions traveling across northern Russia, and from the 50s of the 20th century. The epic epic practically ceases to exist in live performance, surviving only in books.

For the first time, K.F. Kalaidovich (1792–1832) tried to comprehend the Russian epic as an integral artistic phenomenon and understand its relationship with the course of Russian history in the preface to the second edition of the collection he undertook (1818).

According to representatives of the “mythological school”, to which F.I. Buslaev (1818–1897), A.N. Afanasyev (1826–1871), O.F. Miller (1833–1889) belonged, epic songs were nothing more than derived from more ancient myths. Based on these songs, representatives of the school tried to reconstruct the myths of primitive peoples.

“Comparatist” scientists, including G.N. Potanin (1835–1920) and A.N. Veselovsky (1838–1906), considered the epic an ahistorical phenomenon. They argued that the plot, after its inception, begins to wander, changing and enriching itself.

Representative of the “historical school” V.F. Miller (1848–1913) studied the interaction between epic and history. According to him, the epic recorded historical events, and thus the epic is a kind of oral chronicle.

V.Ya. Propp (1895–1970) occupies a special place in Russian and Soviet folklore. In his innovative works, he combined a historical approach with a structural approach (Western structuralists, in particular C. Levi-Strauss (b. 1909), called him the founder of their scientific method, to which V. Ya. Propp sharply objected).

Epic stories and heroes in art and literature.

Since the publication of Kirsha Danilov’s collection, epic stories and heroes have firmly entered the world of modern Russian culture. Traces of acquaintance with Russian epics are easy to see in the poem by A.S. Pushkin Ruslan and Ludmila and in the poetic ballads of A.K. Tolstoy.

The images of Russian epics are also reflected in music in many ways. Composer A.P. Borodin (1833–1887) created a farce opera Bogatyrs(1867), and gave the title to his 2nd symphony (1876) Bogatyrskaya, he used images of the heroic epic in his romances.

A.P. Borodin’s colleague in the “mighty handful” (an association of composers and music critics) N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov (1844–1908) twice turned to the image of the Novgorod “rich guest”. First he created a symphonic musical picture Sadko(1867), and later, in 1896, the opera of the same name. It is worth mentioning that the theatrical production of this opera in 1914 was designed by the artist I.Ya. Bilibin (1876–1942).

V.M. Vasnetsov (1848–1926), is mainly known to the public for his paintings, the subjects of which are taken from the Russian heroic epic, suffice it to name the canvases Knight at the crossroads(1882) and Bogatyrs (1898).

M.A. Vrubel (1856–1910) also turned to epic stories. Decorative panels Mikula Selyaninovich(1896) and Bogatyr(1898) interpret these seemingly familiar images in their own way.

Heroes and plots of epics are precious material for cinema. For example, a film directed by A.L. Ptushko (1900–1973) Sadko(1952), for which the original music was written by composer V.Ya. Shebalin, partly using the classical music of N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov in the musical design, was one of the most spectacular films of its time. And another film by the same director Ilya Muromets(1956) became the first Soviet widescreen film with stereophonic sound. Animator director V.V. Kurchevsky (1928–1997) created an animated version of the most popular Russian epic, his work is called Sadko is rich (1975).

Berenice Vesnina

Literature:

Epics of the North. Notes from A.M. Astakhova. M. - L., 1938–1951, vols. 1–2
Ukhov P.D. Epics. M., 1957
Propp V.Ya., Putilov B.N. Epics. M., 1958, vol. 1–2
Astakhova A.M. Epics. Results and problems of the study. M. – L., 1966
Ukhov P.D. Attribution of Russian epics. M., 1970
Ancient Russian poems collected by Kirsha Danilov. M., 1977
Azbelev S.N. Historicism of epics and specificity of folklore. L., 1982
Astafieva L.A. The plot and style of Russian epics. M., 1993
Propp V.Ya. Russian heroic epic. M., 1999

He incurred the wrath of Vladimir Monomakh and was drowned for robbing two citizens of Novgorod; another version of the same chronicle says that he was exiled. Danube Ivanovich is often mentioned in the chronicles of the 13th century as one of the servants of Prince Vladimir Vasilkovich, and Sukhman Dolmantyevich (Odikhmantyevich) was identified with the Pskov prince Domant (Dovmont).

Origin of epics

There are several theories to explain the origin and composition of epics:

Mythological theory sees in epics stories about natural phenomena, in heroes - the personification of these phenomena and their identification with the gods of the ancient Slavs (Orest Miller, Afanasyev).
Historical theory explains epics as a trace of historical events, sometimes confused in people's memory (Leonid Maikov, Kvashnin-Samarin).
The theory of borrowings points to the literary origin of epics (Theodor Benfey, Vladimir Stasov, Veselovsky, Ignatius Yagich), and some tend to see borrowings through the influence of the East (Stasov, Vsevolod Miller), others - from the West (Veselovsky, Sozonovich).

As a result, one-sided theories gave way to mixed ones, allowing in epics the presence of elements of folk life, history, literature, and borrowings from Eastern and Western. Initially, it was assumed that the epics, which are grouped according to the place of action into the Kyiv and Novgorod cycles, were mainly of southern Russian origin and only later transferred to the north; according to other epics, the phenomenon is local (Khalansky). Over the centuries, epics have undergone various changes, and have constantly been influenced by books and borrowed much from medieval Russian literature and oral tales of the West and East. Adherents of the mythological theory divided the heroes of the Russian epic into older and younger; later a division was proposed (by Khalansky) into the pre-Tatar, Tatar and post-Tatar eras.

Reading epics

The epics are written in tonic verse, which may have a different number of syllables, but approximately the same number of stresses. Some stressed syllables are pronounced with the stress removed. At the same time, it is not necessary that all verses of one epic have an equal number of accents: in one group there can be four of them, in another - three, in the third - two. In epic verse, the first stress, as a rule, falls on the third syllable from the beginning, and the last stress on the third syllable from the end.

How Ilya galloped off the good horse,
He fell to mother damp earth:
How the damp earth mother knocks
Yes, under the same as the eastern side.

Epics constitute one of the most remarkable phenomena of Russian folk literature; in their epic calm, richness of detail, vivid color, distinct characters of the persons depicted, and the variety of mythical, historical and everyday elements, they are not inferior to the German heroic epic and the epic folk works of all other peoples.

Bylinas are epic songs about Russian heroes; It is here that we find a reproduction of their general, typical properties and the history of their lives, their exploits and aspirations, feelings and thoughts. Each of these songs speaks mainly about one episode in the life of one hero, and thus a series of songs of a fragmentary nature are obtained, grouped around the main representatives of Russian heroism. The number of songs also increases due to the fact that there are several versions, more or less different, of the same epic. All epics, in addition to the unity of the subject described, are also characterized by the unity of presentation: they are imbued with an element of the miraculous, a sense of freedom and (according to Orestes Miller) the spirit of community. Miller has no doubt that the independent spirit of the Russian epic is a reflection of the old veche freedom, preserved by free Cossacks and free Olonets peasants who were not captured by serfdom. According to the same scientist, the spirit of community, embodied in epics, is an internal connection connecting the Russian epic and the history of the Russian people.

Stylistics

In addition to the internal, the external unity of the epics is also noticeable, in verse, syllable and language: the verse of the epic consists either of trochees with a dactylic ending, or of mixed trochees with dactyls, or, finally, of anapests; there are no consonances at all and everything is based on the musicality of the verse; in that the epics are written in verse, they differ from the “visits”, in which the verse has long been decomposed into a prose story. The style in epics is distinguished by a richness of poetic turns; it abounds in epithets, parallelisms, comparisons, examples and other poetic figures, without losing its clarity and naturalness of presentation. The epics retain a fairly large number of archaisms, especially in the typical parts. Hilferding divided each epic into two parts: one - changing according to the will of the “storyteller”; the other is typical, which the narrator must always convey with possible accuracy, without changing a single word. The typical part contains everything essential that is said about the hero; the rest appears only as a background for the main picture.

Formulas

Epics are composed on the basis of formulas, constructed either using a stable epithet, or as narrative cliches of several lines. The latter are used in almost any situation. Some formulas:

He quickly jumped as if on quick legs,
He threw the marten's fur coat over one shoulder,
A sable hat for one ear.

He shot geese, swans,
Shot small migratory gray ducks.

He began to trample the strong woman with his horse,
He began to trample with a horse, stab with a spear,
He began to beat that great strong woman.
And he hits with force - as if he was mowing grass.

Oh, you wolf's fill, you sack of grass!
You don’t want to walk or you can’t carry it?

He comes to a wide yard,
Places his horse in the middle of the yard
Let him go to the white-stone chambers.

One more day after another, just like the rain it will rain,
And week after week, as the grass grows,
And year after year, like a river flows.

Everyone at the table fell silent:
The lesser is buried for the greater.
The greater one is buried behind the lesser one,
And from the least the answer lives.

Number of epics

To give an idea of the number of epics, let us note their statistics given in Galakhov’s “History of Russian Literature.” Some epics of the Kiev cycle have been collected: in the Moscow province - 3, in Nizhny Novgorod - 6, in Saratov - 10, in Simbirsk - 22, in Siberia - 29, in Arkhangelsk - 34, in Olonets - up to 300. All together there are about 400, not counting epics of the Novgorod cycle and later ones (Moscow and others). All epics known to us, according to their place of origin, are divided into: Kyiv, Novgorod and all-Russian (later).

Chronologically, in first place, according to Orest Miller, come the epics telling about the matchmakers' heroes (see the article Bogatyrs). Then come those called Kyiv and Novgorod: apparently, they arose before the 14th century. Then there are completely historical epics, dating back to the Moscow period of the Russian state. And finally, epics related to the events of recent times.

The last two categories of epics are not of particular interest and do not require extensive explanation. Therefore, until now, they have received little attention at all. But the epics of the so-called Novgorod and, in particular, the Kyiv cycle are of great importance. Although one cannot look at these epics as stories about events that really once took place in the form in which they are presented in the songs: the element of the miraculous completely contradicts this. If the epics do not seem to be a reliable history of people who actually once lived on Russian soil, then their content must certainly be explained differently.

Studying epics

Scientific researchers of the folk epic resorted to two methods in these explanations: historical and comparative. Strictly speaking, both of these methods in most studies are reduced to one comparative one, and it is hardly correct to refer here to the historical method. In fact, the historical method consists in the fact that for a known, for example linguistic, phenomenon, through archival searches or theoretical identification of later elements, we look for an increasingly ancient form and thus arrive at the original, simplest form. This is not at all how the “historical” method was applied to the study of epics. Here it was impossible to compare the new editions with the more ancient ones, since we do not have these latter ones at all; on the other hand, literary criticism noted in the most general terms only the nature of the changes that B. underwent over time, without touching on individual particulars. The so-called historical method in the study of epics, strictly speaking, consisted of comparing the plots of the epics with those in the chronicles; and since the comparative method was the one in which the plots of epics were compared with the plots of other folk (mostly mythical) or foreign works, it turns out that the difference here is not at all in the method itself, but simply in the material of comparison. So, in essence, only on the comparative method are the four main theories of the origin of epics substantiated: historical-everyday, mythological, theory of borrowings and, finally, a mixed theory, which now enjoys the greatest credit.

Epic stories

Before moving on to outline the theories themselves, a few words should be said about the meaning of epic stories. Any literary work can be decomposed into several main moments of the described action; the totality of these moments makes up the plot of this work. Thus, the plots are more or less complex. Several literary works can be based on the same plot, which even, due to the variety of secondary changing features, for example, motives of action, background, accompanying circumstances, etc., may seem completely dissimilar at first glance. One can even go further and say that every plot, without exception, always forms the basis of a larger or smaller number of literary works, and that very often there are fashionable plots that are processed almost at the same time on all ends of the globe. If now we find a common plot in two or more literary works, then three explanations are allowed here: either in these several localities the plots were developed independently, independently of each other, and thus constitute a reflection of real life or natural phenomena; or these plots were inherited by both peoples from common ancestors; or, finally, one people borrowed the plot from another. Already a priori we can say that cases of independent coincidence of plots should be very rare, and the more complex the plot, the more independent it should be. This is mainly the basis of the historical-everyday theory, which completely loses sight of the similarity of the plots of Russian epics with the works of other peoples or considers it a random phenomenon. According to this theory, heroes are representatives of different classes of the Russian people, while epics are poetic and symbolic stories of historical incidents or pictures of phenomena in folk life. The mythological theory is based on the first and second assumptions, according to which similar plots in the works of Indo-European peoples are inherited from common ancestral Aryan ancestors; the similarity between the plots of unrelated peoples is explained by the fact that in various countries people looked at the same natural phenomenon, which served as material for similar plots, in the same way and interpreted it in the same way. Finally, the theory of borrowing is based on the 3rd explanation, according to which the plots of Russian epics were transferred to Russia from the East and West.

All of the above theories were distinguished by their extremes; so, for example, on the one hand, Orestes Miller in his “Experience” argued that the comparative method serves to ensure that in the compared works belonging to different peoples, the differences become clearer and more definite; on the other hand, Stasov directly expressed the opinion that epics were borrowed from the East. In the end, however, scientific researchers came to the conclusion that epics constitute a very complex phenomenon in which heterogeneous elements are mixed: historical, everyday, mythical and borrowed. A. N. Veselovsky gave some instructions that can guide the researcher and protect him from the arbitrariness of the theory of borrowings; namely, in the CCXXIII issue of the Journal of the Ministry of Public Education, the learned professor writes: “In order to raise the issue of transferring narrative plots, it is necessary to stock up on sufficient criteria. It is necessary to take into account the actual possibility of influence and its external traces in one’s own names and in the remnants of alien life and in the totality of similar signs, because each individual can be deceptive.” Khalansky joined this opinion, and now the study of epics has been put on the right point of view. At present, the main desire of scientific researchers of epics is aimed at subjecting these works to the most thorough analysis possible, which should finally indicate that it is in the epics that constitutes the indisputable property of the Russian people, as a symbolic picture of a natural, historical or everyday phenomenon , and what is occupied by other nations.

Time for folding epics

Regarding the time of origin of the epics, Leonid Maikov expressed himself most definitely, writing: “Although among the plots of the epics there are those that can be traced back to the era of prehistoric affinity of Indo-European legends, nevertheless, the entire content of the epics, including these ancient legends, is presented in such an edition , which can only be dated to a positive historical period. The content of the epics was developed during the 12th centuries, and was established in the second half of the appanage-veche period in the 13th and 14th centuries.” To this we can add the words of Khalansky: “In the 14th century, border fortresses and forts were built, border guards were established, and at that time the image of heroes standing at the outpost, protecting the borders of the Holy Russian land, was formed.” Finally, as Orestes Miller notes, the great antiquity of epics is proven by the fact that they depict a defensive policy, not an offensive one.

Place of origin of epics

As for the place where the epics originated, opinions are divided: the most widespread theory assumes that the epics are of South Russian origin, that their original basis is South Russian. Only over time, due to the massive resettlement of people from Southern Rus' to the Russian North, were the epics transferred there, and then in their original homeland they were forgotten due to the influence of other circumstances that caused Cossack thoughts. Khalansky spoke out against this theory, condemning at the same time the theory of the original all-Russian epic. He says: “The all-Russian ancient epic is the same fiction as the ancient all-Russian language. Each tribe had its own epic - Novgorod, Slovenian, Kiev, Polyan, Rostov (cf. the instructions in the Tver Chronicle), Chernigov (legends in the Nikon Chronicle).” Everyone knew about Vladimir as a reformer of all ancient Russian life, and everyone sang about him, and there was an exchange of poetic material between individual tribes. In the 14th and 15th centuries, Moscow became a collector of Russian epic, which at the same time was more and more concentrated in the Kiev cycle, since the Kyiv epics had an assimilating effect on the rest, due to the song tradition, religious relations, etc.; Thus, at the end of the 16th century, the unification of epics into the Kiev circle was completed (although, however, not all epics joined it: the entire Novgorod cycle and some individual epics belong to these, for example, about Surovets of Suzdal and about Saul Levanidovich). Then the epics spread from the Muscovite kingdom to all directions of Russia through ordinary transmission, and not through emigration to the north, which did not happen. These are, in general terms, Khalansky’s views on this subject. Maikov says that the activities of the squad, expressed in the exploits of its representatives-heroes, are the subject of epics. Just as the squad adjoined the prince, so the actions of the heroes are always connected with one main person. According to the same author, the epics were sung by buffoons and gudoshniks, playing the ringing spring harp or gudk, and they were mainly listened to by the boyars, the squad.

The extent to which the study of epics is still imperfect and to what contradictory results it has led some scientists can be judged by at least one of the following facts: Orestes Miller, an enemy of the theory of borrowings, who tried to find a purely folk Russian character in epics everywhere, says: “If reflected some kind of eastern influence on Russian epics, but only on those that differ in their entire everyday style from the Old Slavonic style; These include epics about Solovy Budimirovich and Churil Plenkovich.” And another Russian scientist, Khalansky, proves that the epic about Nightingale Budimirovich is in the closest connection with Great Russian wedding penalties. What Orest Miller considered completely alien to the Russian people - that is, the self-wooing of a girl - according to Khalansky, still exists today in some places in Southern Russia.

Let us present here, however, at least in general terms, more or less reliable research results obtained by Russian scientists. That the epics have undergone many and, moreover, strong changes, there is no doubt; but it is currently extremely difficult to indicate exactly what these changes were. Based on the fact that the heroic or heroic nature itself is everywhere distinguished by the same qualities - an excess of physical strength and rudeness inseparable from such excess, Orest Miller argued that the Russian epic at the first stages of its existence should have been distinguished by the same rudeness; but since, along with the softening of folk morals, the same softening is reflected in the folk epic, therefore, in his opinion, this softening process must certainly be allowed in the history of Russian epics. According to the same scientist, epics and fairy tales developed from the same basis. If an essential property of epics is historical timing, then the less noticeable it is in an epic, the closer it comes to a fairy tale. Thus, the second process in the development of epics becomes clear: confinement. But, according to Miller, there are also epics in which there is no historical reference at all, and, however, he does not explain to us why he does not consider such works to be fairy tales (“Experience”). Then, according to Miller, the difference between a fairy tale and an epic is that in the first the mythical meaning was forgotten earlier and it is confined to the earth in general; in the second, the mythical meaning underwent changes, but not oblivion.

On the other hand, Maikov notices in epics a desire to smooth out the miraculous. The miraculous element in fairy tales plays a different role than in epics: there, miraculous performances form the main plot of the plot, but in epics they only complement the content taken from real life; their purpose is to give a more ideal character to the heroes. According to Wolner, the content of epics is now mythical, and the form is historical, especially all typical places: names, names of places, etc.; epithets correspond to the historical, and not the epic, character of the persons to whom they refer. But initially the content of the epics was completely different, namely truly historical. This happened by transferring epics from the South to the North by Russian colonists: gradually these colonists began to forget the ancient content; they were carried away by new stories that were more to their taste. Typical places remained untouched, but everything else changed over time.

According to Yagich, the entire Russian folk epic is thoroughly imbued with Christian-mythological tales of an apocryphal and non-apocryphal nature; Much in content and motives was borrowed from this source. New borrowings have pushed ancient material into the background, and epics can therefore be divided into three categories:

to songs with obviously borrowed biblical content;
to songs with originally borrowed content, which, however, was processed more independently
the songs are completely folk, but contain episodes, appeals, phrases, names borrowed from the Christian world.

Orestes Miller does not entirely agree with this, arguing that the Christian element in the epic concerns only appearance. In general, however, one can agree with Maykov that the epics were subject to constant revision, according to new circumstances, as well as the influence of the singer’s personal views.

Veselovsky says the same thing, claiming that epics seem to be material that was subjected not only to historical and everyday use, but also to all the accidents of oral retelling (“South Russian epics”).

Wolner even sees the influence of the latest sentimental literature of the 18th century in the epic about Sukhman, and Veselovsky says this about the epic “How the Heroes Were Extinct”: “The two halves of the epic are connected by a common place of a very suspicious nature, showing, as if, outside the epic was touched by an aesthetically correcting hand.” Finally, in the content of individual epics it is not difficult to notice layers of different times (the Alyosha Popovich type), the mixing of several initially independent epics into one (Volga Svyatoslavich or Volkh Vseslavich), that is, the unification of two plots, the borrowing of one epic from another (according to Volner, the beginning of the epics about Dobrynya taken from the epics about Volga, and the end from the epics about Ivan Godinovich), accretion (the epic about Solove Budimirovich by Kirsha), greater or lesser damage to the epic (Rybnikov’s widespread epic about Berin’s son, according to Veselovsky), etc.

It remains to be said about one side of the epics, namely their current episodic, fragmentary nature. Orestes Miller speaks about this more thoroughly than others, who believed that initially epics made up a whole series of independent songs, but over time, folk singers began to link these songs into large cycles: in a word, the same process took place as in Greece, India, Iran and Germany led to the creation of integral epics, for which individual folk songs served only as material. Miller recognizes the existence of a united, integral Vladimirov circle, kept in the memory of the singers, who at one time formed, in all likelihood, closely knit brotherhoods. Now there are no such brothers, the singers are separated, and in the absence of reciprocity, no one between them is able to store in their memory all the links of the epic chain without exception. All this is very doubtful and not based on historical data; Thanks to a thorough analysis, one can only assume, together with Veselovsky, that “some epics, for example Hilferding 27 and 127, are, firstly, a product of isolating epics from the Kiev connection and a secondary attempt to bring them into this connection after development on the side” (“ South Russian epics").

Notes

Collections

The main collections of epics:

Kirshi Danilova, "Ancient Russian Poems" (published in 1804, 1818 and 1878);
Kireevsky, X issues, published in Moscow 1860 and onwards; Rybnikov, four parts (1861-1867);
A. F. Hilferding, ed. Giltebrant under the title: "Onega epics recorded by Alexander Fedorovich Hilferding in the summer of 1871." - St. Petersburg. : Type. Imperial Academy of Sciences, 1873. - 732 p.;
Avenarius, “The Book of the Kyiv Heroes” (St. Petersburg, 1875);
Khalansky (1885).
A complete set of Kyiv epics. Literary treatment by A. Lelchuk. http://byliny.narod.ru The epics are arranged chronologically and meaningfully into a complete heroic story. The language is modern, but the rhythm and style of the original is preserved as much as possible. Characters and plots have been sorted, duplicates and repetitions have been removed. A conventional map of Epic Rus' has been compiled.

In addition, variants of epics are found:

in Shane’s collections of Great Russian songs (“Readings of the Moscow Society of History and Antiquities” 1876 and 1877 and others);
Kostomarov and Mordovtseva (in Part IV of “Chronicles of Ancient Russian Literature by N. S. Tikhonravov”);
epics printed by E.V. Barsov in the “Olonets Provincial Gazette” after Rybnikov,
and finally Efimenko in 5 books. "Proceedings of the Ethnographic Department of the Moscow Society of Natural History Lovers", 1878.

Editions

Epics: Collection / Intro. art., comp., prepared. texts and notes. B. N. Putilova. - Ed. 3rd. - L.: Soviet writer, 1986. - 552 p. - (Poet's Library. Large series).

Research

A number of works devoted to the study of epics:

Article by Konstantin Aksakov: “About the heroes of Vladimirov” (“Works”, vol. I).
Fyodor Buslaev, “Russian heroic epic” (“Russian Herald”, 1862);
Leonid Maykova, “On the Epics of the Vladimir Cycle” (St. Petersburg, 1863);
Vladimir Stasov, “The Origin of Russian Epics” (“Bulletin of Europe”, 1868; cf. criticism of Hilferding, Buslaev, V. Miller in “Conversations of the Society of Amateurs” Russian literature", book. 3; Veselovsky, Kotlyarevsky and Rozov in “Proceedings of the Kyiv Theological Academy”, 1871; finally, Stasov’s answer: “Criticism of my critics”);
Orest Miller, “An Experience in Historical Review of Russian Folk Literature” (St. Petersburg, 1865) and “Ilya Muromets and the Heroism of Kiev” (St. Petersburg, 1869, criticism of Buslaev in the “XIV Uvarov Awards” and “Journal of the Ministry of Public Education”, 1871);
K. D. Kvashnina-Samarina, “On Russian epics in historical and geographical terms” (“Conversation”, 1872);
His, “New sources for the study of the Russian epic” (“Russian Bulletin”, 1874);
Yagich, article in “Archiv für Slav. Phil.";
M. Carriera, “Die Kunst im Zusammenhange der Culturentwickelung und die Ideale der Menschheit” (second part, trans. E. Corsham);
Rambaud, "La Russie épique" (1876);
Wolner, “Untersuchungen über die Volksepik der Grossrussen” (Leipzig, 1879);
Veselovsky in “Archiv für Slav. Phil." vol. III, VI, IX and in the “Journal of Min. People's Enlightenment" (December 1885, December 1886, May 1888, May 1889), and separately "South Russian epics" (parts I and II, 1884);
Zhdanov, “On the literary history of Russian epic poetry” (Kyiv, 1881);
Khalansky, “Great Russian epics of the Kyiv cycle” (Warsaw, 1885).

Melnikova Kristina, Artamonova Olga (7th grade)

Folk culture, also called traditional, still lives in the Russian outback.

Why was Russian traditional culture able to cross the threshold of the third millennium? Doesn’t this prove the enormous importance of knowledge about the world preserved by folk culture, which results in a high degree of stability of folk traditions? It is in traditional culture that specialists from various fields of knowledge are still looking for ways to recreate a holistic idea of the universe and man, to restore harmonious relations between people and nature, as well as achieving peace of mind in modern society.

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Topic: “Plots of Russian epics in various forms of art”

Artamonova Olga

Relevance of the topic

This school year in history lessons we talked about epics. We got acquainted with the main plots of epics, with the heroes of the Russian epic. We became interested in learning more about the epics, about the main characters of the epics - the heroes, and to see how epic plots were manifested in various forms of art.

Goal of the work:

identify how Russian epics are reflected in various forms of art

Tasks:

analyze available theoretical sources about epics,
summarize the results of the work;
collect the received data into a single whole.

Research methods:

analysis of theoretical sources;
method of systematization;
social interviews;
method of summarizing the obtained data.

Introduction

Folk culture, also called traditional, still lives in the Russian outback.

Why was Russian traditional culture able to cross the threshold of the third millennium? Doesn’t this prove the enormous importance of knowledge about the world preserved by folk culture, which results in a high degree of stability of folk traditions? It is in traditional culture that specialists from various fields of knowledge are still looking for ways to recreate a holistic view of the universe and man, restore harmonious relationships between people and nature, as well as achieve peace of mind in modern society.

From the history of the epic

All forms and texts of oral tradition are called epic. However, in different cultures, among different peoples, the meaning of this concept is different. It is believed that mythological the epic corresponds to the era of tribal relations; heroic the epic takes shape at the stage of development of early states. INRussian traditional culture andfolklore is a classic heroic epic - epics.

Among the various epic songs and tales in the works of many peoples, a special place is occupied by legendary heroic narratives about the distant historical past, the characters of which are heroes - heroes, bearers of the best traits of the people. The treasury of world literature includes the ancient Greek poems of Homer “Iliad” and “Odyssey”, Russian epics, Scandinavian sagas. In terms of the depth of ideological content, beauty and artistic power of images, Russian epics occupy one of the outstanding places among the folk epic creations of world literature.

EPIC is a folk epic song, a genre characteristic of the Russian tradition. The basis of the plot of the epic is some heroic event or a remarkable episode of Russian history. The term “epic” was introduced into scientific use in the 40s of the 19th century. folklorist I.P. Sakharov (1807–1863). V nIn Russia, epics were called “starinki” or “stariny”, that is, songs about antiquity.

Epics are an epic genre of Russian musical and poetic folklore. According to the generally accepted typology, epics belong to the heroic epic; they reflect historical reality and the historical ideals of the people in artistic generalizations.

The number of epic stories, despite the many recorded versions of the same epic, is very limited: there are about 100 of them. There are epics based on the matchmaking or struggle of the hero for his wife (Sadko, Mikhailo Potyk, Ivan Godinovich, Danube, Kozarin, Solovey Budimirovich and later ones - Alyosha Popovich and Elena Petrovichna, Khoten Bludovich); fight with monsters (Dobrynya and the snake, Alyosha and Tugarin, Ilya and Idolishche, Ilya and the Nightingale the Robber); the fight against foreign invaders, including: repelling Tatar raids (Ilya’s quarrel with Vladimir, Ilya and Kalin, Dobrynya and Vasily Kazemirovich), wars with the Lithuanians (Bylina about the Lithuanian raid).
Many epics are dedicated to the patriotic exploits of heroes and the national liberation struggle. It is no coincidence that these epics are called heroic or heroic. An example of such epics are: “Dobrynya and the Serpent”, “Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin the Serpent”. “Ilya Muromets and Kalin - Tsar.”

Numerous epics are dedicated to the social life of the country, filled with various events. They are usually called social household ones. These are such epics as: “The Marriage of Prince Vladimir”, “Sadko”.

2. The main epic heroes

Representatives of the Russian “mythological school” divided the heroes of epics into “senior” and “younger” heroes. In their opinion, the “elders” (Svyatogor, Danube, Volkh, Potyka) were the personification of elemental forces; epics about them uniquely reflected the mythological views that existed in Ancient Rus'. The “younger” heroes (Ilya Muromets, Alyosha Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich) are ordinary mortals, heroes of a new historical era, and therefore are endowed with mythological features to a minimal extent. Despite the fact that serious objections were subsequently raised against such a classification, such a division is still found in the scientific literature.
Images of heroes are the people's standard of courage, justice, patriotism and strength (it is not for nothing that one of the first Russian aircraft, which had an exceptional carrying capacity at that time, was named by its creators “Ilya Muromets”).
Svyatogor refers to the oldest and most popular epic heroes. His very name indicates a connection with nature. He is tall and powerful; the earth can hardly bear him. This image was born in the pre-Kiev era, but subsequently underwent changes. Before his death, Svyatogor transfers his strength to Ilya Muromets, thus the hero of antiquity passes the baton to the new hero of the epic who comes to the fore.
Ilya Muromets , undoubtedly, the most popular hero of epics, a mighty hero. The epic does not know him as a young man, he is an old man with a gray beard. Oddly enough, Ilya Muromets appeared later than his epic younger comrades Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich. His homeland is the city of Murom, the village of Karacharovo.
The peasant son, the sick Ilya, “sat sitting on the stove for 30 years and three years.” One day, wanderers came to the house, “walking kaliki.” They healed Ilya, giving him heroic strength. From now on, he is a hero who is destined to serve the city of Kyiv and Prince Vladimir. On the way to Kyiv, Ilya defeats the Nightingale the Robber, puts him in a Toroki and takes him to the princely court. Among other exploits of Ilya, it is worth mentioning his victory over the Idol, who besieged Kyiv and forbade begging and remembering God's name. Here Elijah acts as a defender of the faith.
His relationship with Prince Vladimir is not going smoothly. The peasant hero does not meet with due respect at the prince’s court, he is treated with gifts, and is not given a place of honor at the feast. The rebellious hero is imprisoned in a cellar for seven years and doomed to starvation. Only the attack on the city by the Tatars, led by Tsar Kalin, forces the prince to ask for help from Ilya. He gathers the heroes and enters the battle. The defeated enemy flees, vowing never to return to Rus'.
Nikitich - a popular hero of the Kyiv epic cycle. This hero-snake fighter was born in Ryazan. He is the most polite and well-mannered of the Russian heroes; it is not for nothing that Dobrynya always acts as an ambassador and negotiator in difficult situations. The main epics associated with the name of Dobrynya: Dobrynya and the serpent, Dobrynya and Vasily Kazemirovich, Dobrynya’s fight with the Danube, Dobrynya and Marinka, Dobrynya and Alyosha.
Alesha Popovich - originally from Rostov, he is the son of a cathedral priest, the youngest of the famous trinity of heroes. He is brave, cunning, frivolous, prone to fun and jokes. Scientists belonging to the historical school believed that this epic hero traces his origins to Alexander Popovich, who died in the Battle of Kalka, however, D.S. Likhachev showed that in reality the opposite process took place, the name of the fictional hero entered the chronicle. The most famous feat of Alyosha Popovich is his victory over Tugarin Zmeevich. The hero Alyosha does not always behave in a dignified manner; he is often arrogant and boastful. Among the epics about him are Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin, Alyosha Popovich and the Petrovich sister.
Sadko is also one of the most ancient heroes, in addition, he is perhaps the most famous hero of the epics of the Novgorod cycle. The ancient plot about Sadko, which tells how the hero wooed the daughter of the sea king, subsequently became more complicated, and surprisingly realistic details appeared regarding the life of ancient Novgorod.
The epic about Sadko is divided into three relatively independent parts. In the first, guslar Sadko, having impressed the sea king with the skill of his playing, receives advice from him on how to get rich. From this moment on, Sadko is no longer a poor musician, but a merchant, a rich guest. In the next song, Sadko bets with Novgorod merchants that he can buy all the goods of Novgorod. In some versions of the epic, Sadko wins, in some, on the contrary, he is defeated, but in any case he leaves the city due to the intolerant attitude of the merchants towards him. The last song tells about Sadko's journey across the sea, during which the sea king calls him to himself in order to marry his daughter and leave him in the underwater kingdom. But Sadko, having abandoned the beautiful princesses, marries Chernavushka the mermaid, who personifies the Novgorod river, and she brings him to his native shores. Sadko returns to his “earthly wife”, leaving the daughter of the sea king. V.Ya. Propp points out that the epic about Sadko is the only one in the Russian epic where the hero goes to the other world (underwater kingdom) and marries an otherworldly creature. These two motifs indicate the antiquity of both the plot and the hero.

3. Historical stages of development of epics

Researchers disagree on when epic songs appeared in Rus'. Some attribute their appearance to the 9th–11th centuries, others to the 11th–13th centuries. One thing is certain - having existed for so long, passed on from mouth to mouth, the epics did not reach us in their original form; they underwent many changes, as the political system, the domestic and foreign political situation, and the worldview of listeners and performers changed. It is almost impossible to say in what century this or that epic was created; some reflect an earlier, some a later stage in the development of the Russian epic, and in other epics researchers distinguish very ancient subjects under later layers.
The largest number of epics that have come down to us dates back to the period from the 11th to the 13th–14th centuries. They were created in the southern Russian regions - Kyiv, Chernigov, Galicia-Volyn, Rostov-Suzdal. The most relevant during this period was the theme of the struggle of the Russian people with the nomads who raided Kievan Rus, and later with the Horde invaders. The epics begin to group around the plot of the defense and liberation of the Motherland, brightly colored with patriotic feelings. People's memory has preserved only one name for the nomadic enemy - Tatar, but researchers find among the names of heroes of epics the names of not only Tatar, but also Polovtsian military leaders. In the epics there is a noticeable desire to raise the people's spirit, to express love for the native country and fierce hatred of foreign invaders, the exploits of powerful and invincible folk heroes are praised. At this time, the images of Ilya Muromets, the Danube Matchmaker, Alyosha Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich, Vasily Kazemirovich, Mikhailo Danilovich and many other heroes became popular.
With the formation of the Moscow state, starting from the 16th century, heroic epics gradually faded into the background, buffoons (Vavila and the buffoons, Birds) and satirical epics with their acute social conflicts became more relevant. They describe the exploits of heroes in peaceful life, the main characters confront princes and boyars, and their task comes down to protecting their own family and honor (Sukhman, Danilo Lovchanin), while the buffoon epics ridicule the ruling strata of society. At the same time, a new genre is emerging - historical songs, which tell about specific historical events that took place from the 13th to the 19th centuries, there is no fiction and exaggeration characteristic of epics, and in battles several people or an entire army can act as heroes at once.
In the 17th century epics are gradually beginning to supplant translated knightly romances adapted for Russian audiences, meanwhile they remain popular folk entertainment. At the same time, the first written retellings of epic texts appeared.
By the end of the 19th century, epics almost disappeared and were preserved only in the north of our country, in villages located around Lake Onega, on the coast of the White Sea, along the Pinega, Mezen and Pechora rivers. The best, most artistic texts of epics were written down in these places. Many epics were composed in the lands of Novgorod Rus', many originated in the medieval principalities of Southern Rus' (Kiev, Galicia-Valyn), some were created in the central lands - in Rostov-Suzdal, Tver, Ryazan and other principalities.

4. The musical side of epics. Singers - storytellers

An epic is a work of song; it has poetic meter, musical intonation, and rhythm. At the moment of performance, the narrator often uses words and particles that are not needed to reveal the content (various types of particles ay, de, ko, etc.). However, in order to understand the artistic value of epics, it is necessary to perceive them as they are performed in a musical and poetic melody.

Every repetition, every exclamation is filled with musical content in the narrator’s speech and acquires a special meaning. Repeated prepositions, conjunctions, and even entire lines of poetry stretch the content of the plot “to infinity” for an epic length of time.

The tune of the epic, like the action of the plot, has a slow, monotonous character, with a noticeable difference in declamatory epic-dramatic speech. The slowness of the story is caused by the elevated tone of the narrator, as well as the improvisational nature of the narrative. The text varies during performance.

Northern epics are characterized by: predominantly solo, solitary singing; recitative - declamatory chant; improvisational - varied repetition of motives; detailed plot; the limitations of tunes - formulas performed on different subjects.

Listening to the epic performed by a talented storyteller, you can experience the fullness of the emotional impression it produces.

Singers who perform epics are usually called storytellers. The storytellers, adopting the epic from their predecessors, tried in the process of singing only to “understand” the epic, that is, to adopt it, remember the main episodes, their sequence, and most importantly, to understand the character of the images.

The narrator sings Russian epics, or rather says them, in a solemn, measured recitative. When the storyteller, skillfully highlighting the main thing in the story with intonations, begins to tell the epic, images of heroes appear alive before the listeners.

The folk heroic epic is deeply patriotic in nature. That is why the epics have survived and survived to this day.

Epics represent the result complex process, when fantastic plots were added to the historical basis. Singers-storytellers not only poetically created a narrative plot, but rethought the text to certain historical events. These stories have been passed down from generation to generation, subject to a variety of influences.

The tradition of epic professional performance comes from the image of the legendary singer - storyteller Bayan - a musician who was the keeper of historical and tribal traditions. His image is vividly captured in the ancient legend “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”:

Bayan had prophetic things

If he started singing and cola,

Thought, like a gray wolf in the steppe, ran,

Rising to the clouds like an eagle...

But not ten falcons took off,

And Bayan put his fingers on the strings,

And the living strings rumbled

Glory to those who did not seek praise.

(translated by N. Rylenkova)

The epics of talented storytellers are distinguished by their high ideological content and perfection of artistic form.

Outstanding master storytellers enjoyed universal honor and recognition among the people. The performing creativity of singers and storytellers contributed to the living existence of the heroic epic, which had general cultural significance for the development of subsequent Russian art.

5. Epics in classical art, in the works of Russian composers

Epics created in the distant past have retained and continue to retain great importance in the spiritual life of our people.

Embodying the greatness of the national character of the people, they are one of the means of transmitting the best patriotic traditions of the past from one generation to another.

In terms of their artistic power, epics can be placed on a par with the greatest masterpieces of verbal art.

Passion for national Russian traditions was characteristic of the Russian intelligentsia of the 19th century.

Many were fond of collecting and studying Russian folk songs, including epics, proverbs, sayings, and musical folklore. In science, literature, and fine arts, “the most amazing treasures of the ancient Russian artistic world, the beauty and greatness of the spiritual powers of the people…” were revealed. Love for the native antiquity, for the life, feelings and views of the people captured wide public circles.

Epics had a great impact on our fiction. Writers of the 18th century turned to the genre of epics: G.R. Derzhavin’s play “Dobrynya”, I.A. Krylov’s magic opera “Ilya the Hero”, N.M. Karamzin’s poem “Ilya Muromets” and other works created based on the use of Russian epic epic.

Since the 19th century, Russian writers began to turn more widely to the epic works of their people. It is difficult to name at least one major poet who would not, to one degree or another, experience the influence of the epic epic. V.A. Zhukovsky writes the comic opera “Alyosha Popovich”. The image of Ruslan in A.S. Pushkin’s poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila” is inspired by the characters of Russian heroes. “Song about the merchant Kalashnikov” by M.Yu. Lermontov is a poetic adaptation of the folk epic, conveyed in a historical song about the brother-in-law of Ivan the Terrible. He was interested in epics and processed them by L.N. Tolstoy. The number of examples of the impact of epics on Russian fiction can be continued many times over.

Epics have occupied a special place in cinematography. The image of Vasily Buslaev in the film “Alexander Nevsky” was created on the basis of the epic hero. The films “Sadko”, “Ilya Muromets”, “Prince Vladimir” and others are dedicated to the military exploits of Russian heroes in defense of their homeland.

Many Russian composers of the 19th century were also inspired by epics; just remember the works that used the authentic musical epic of epics. These include the operas: “Sadko” by N.A. Rimsky - Korsakov.

Here is what composer Rimsky-Korsakov wrote about the opera “Sadko”: “Many speeches are borrowed entirely from various epics, songs, charms, lamentations.”

Sadko is a hero who strives to achieve his goal - to visit distant countries, to glorify Veliky Novgorod throughout the land:

In the glorious Nove Grad

How Sadko was - a merchant, a rich guest.

And before Sadok had no property:

Some were vernal goslings;

I went to feasts and played Sadko.

Sadko, with the help of art - singing and playing the harp - charms the Sea Princess, who helps him win the bet. For the sake of serving his native land, Sadko conquers the sea kingdom with his musical talent and returns to the trading city of Novgorod.

The composer spent a long time studying various versions of epics about the Novgorod guslar and the navigator Sadko.

The image of a heroic plowman is very popular in epics. Mikula Selyaninovich - plowman. Mikula had remarkable strength. In the episode with the plow, the efforts of ten warriors to pull it out of the ground are in vain; but Mikula himself easily, with one hand, raised his bipod and threw it behind the willow bush. In the competition scene, Prince Volga's war horse is unable to keep up with the working mare of the plowman Mikula. Through the appearance of a simple peasant, ready to perform a feat to defend his country, the firmness of spirit of the Russian people and the desire for moral ideals are conveyed. The famous composer M.P. Mussorgsky wrote: “I understand the people as a great personality, animated by a single idea.”

6. The image of heroes in painting

Russian artists were inspired by the power of heroes. Their paintings amazingly accurately convey the majestic heroism of ancient epics, heroism as a national image and idea.

Russian artist V.M. Vasnetsov (1848 - 1926) turned to the plot of epics in his work. In 1898, he painted the painting “Bogatyrs,” which, according to the famous singer F.I. Chaliapin, “resurrected the very atmosphere of Ancient Rus'.”

The artist, having lived his childhood in the village of Ryabovo - Vyatka province, communicated a lot with wandering musicians and wanderers who visited their house, where they told leisurely stories about their travels. Vasnetsov wrote: “I think I will not be mistaken when I say that the stories of wandering people, who have seen a lot in their lifetime, made me fall in love with the past and present of my people for the rest of my life.”

In Vasnetsov’s painting, the hero Ilya Muromets is the folk embodiment of Russian character, heroism, and selflessness. In the 12th century, in the village of Karacharovo near Murom (border fortress), according to legend, there lived a peasant who possessed mighty force, kindness and justice. Subsequently, his exploits in protecting the borders of Ancient Rus' received epic glory:

I am going to serve for the Christian faith,

And for the Russian land,

Yes, for the capital Kyiv - a city,

For widows, for orphans, for poor people...

For his selfless service to the Motherland and the Russian people, he was canonized by the church and canonized in the 16th century.

The name of the Russian hero was associated with the power, independence of our homeland, justice in the fight against foreign invaders. In the city of Murom there is a monument - a pedestal - the battleship “Ilya Muromets” - named in honor of the hero and who defended our country from fascism during the Great Patriotic War.

In the painting by the artist Vasnetsov, Dobrynya Nikitich, a faithful comrade and “brother of the cross,” is depicted next to Ilya Muromets. He is also endowed with extraordinary strength and shooting accuracy. At the same time, he plays excellent chess and the gusli, an ancient folk instrument.

In the Horde, where the hero Dobrynya Nikitich goes to pay tribute, he won the golden treasury of Khan Botiyar in chess and won back his “good horse” from him. Dobrynya competes with Khan Botiyar in archery and defeats him. He turned out to be a more accurate shooter, although the task was not simple: to hit long distance through the ring into the knife blade so that the arrow splits into two parts.

The hero defends the truth and therefore hates pretense, cunning and lies. Historian researchers believe that, according to the chronicles of 970 - 985, the prototype of Dobrynya was the uncle and associate of Prince Vladimir in his campaigns, the brother of his mother Malusha.

Alyosha Popovich is the third hero in the painting by artist Vasnetsov. He is an associate of Ilya and Dobrynya in the defense of the Fatherland. Alyosha - a hero - has positive qualities - strength, youth, beauty, he honestly serves his native land.

The painting “Alexander Nevsky” by artist P. Korin (1892 - 1967) was painted during the Great Patriotic War. The artist painted this monumental canvas during a difficult time of war for the country. He said that he wanted to embody in her “the rebellious spirit of the Russian people.”

In the center of the picture is Alexander Nevsky - a symbol of Russian power, a symbol of heroism. He performed feats of arms to defend our Fatherland back in the 13th century, defeating the Swedes on the Neva River and defeating (two years later) the Teutonic knights in the Battle of the Ice on Lake Peipsi. For his victory in the first battle, he received the honorary nickname Alexander Nevsky, preserving the independence of his native land.

In Korin's painting there is a collected, formidable and majestic figure of the prince. He leans on his sword, ready at any moment to strike anyone who attacks his native land. And the people on this land stand “stern, beautiful in their determination” to defend their Motherland.

Alexander Nevsky is a Russian hero, and now his name evokes admiration, a courageous appeal, and patriotic pride.

7. Epics and modern animation

As a revival of Russian folklore, they are used different ways, including animation. We conducted a survey among fifth- and sixth-grade students, the results of which revealed that 92% Children were first introduced to the plots of epics and their characters through cartoons.

Epics are the memory of our people, their heritage, their shrine. And it is no coincidence that a careful and sensitive attitude towards them. When making feature or animated films based on epics, Soviet directors kept the plot, or even the text, intact. Recently, the Melnitsa studio released new cartoons dedicated to Russian heroes.However, the heroes in them are more reminiscent of farce buffoons, and the epics are more like clownery. In general, an epic is a heroic epic with peculiar language means: solemnity and melodiousness of the narrative, diminutive words, constant epithets. The epics depict strong heroes, brutal fights, and unusual situations. Therefore, the technique of hyperbolization is often used, comparisons and anaphora (single speech) are used.

The epic heroes have very real historical prototypes. The hero of the first issue, Alyosha Popovich, is considered a folklore reflection of the image of the Suzdal boyar Alexander (Olesha) Popovich, who faithfully served Prince Vsevolod the Big Nest and his son Konstantin. After the death of Constantine (1218) as a result of an internecine feud with his brother Yuri, Alexander went to the Grand Duke of Kiev Mstislav the Old and died with him in the Battle of Kalka (1223), when the Russian princes, united with the Polovtsians, tried to stop the procession Mongol hordes

Dobrynya Nikitich has a prototype in the person of his uncle (mother’s brother) Prince Vladimir the Saint, who played such an important role in his reign and subsequent reign.

The prototype of the main Russian hero, Ilya of Muromets, is considered to be the Murom strongman Chobotok, who became a monk in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra with the name of Ilya (XII century). In 1643 he was glorified by the Church as Venerable Elijah of Murom. In 1988, the Interdepartmental Commission of the Ministry of Health of the Ukrainian SSR conducted an examination of the relics of St. Elijah. With a height of 177 cm (truly heroic for those times), Ilya Muromets was found to have signs of spinal disease (according to epics, the hero was motionless from birth to 33 years old) and traces of numerous wounds. The cause of death was a blow to the chest from a sharp weapon (spear or sword), death occurred at the age of about 40-55 years. Presumably, Ilya Muromets died during the capture of Kyiv by Prince Rurik Rostislavovich in 1204, when the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra was defeated by Rurik’s Polovtsian allies.

To say that modern cartoons are based on epics would be to sin against the truth. The plots of the cartoons are very reminiscent of American ones, and the types of main and secondary characters are also based on them. From the lips of Dobrynya Nikitich you can hear the phrase “I work alone, and I don’t need any partner for nothing,” and Alyosha Popovich may have a talking horse, almost indistinguishable from the donkey from the American cartoon “Shrek.” But if the American donkey is a typical Hollywood clown type of a cowardly and talkative black man, who is constantly played and voiced by comedian Eddie Murphy, then it is not clear where such a creature came from in Rus'.

So, the main difference between the ancient Russian epic and the modern cartoon is that the heroes of the epic and the cartoon bear the imprint of the time in which they were created, which makes them different from each other. The purpose of creating texts is also different.

Conclusion

The epics concentrated in artistic images the best character traits of the Russian people, their moral ideals. The perfection of the artistic form and intonation structure of epics, which developed over many centuries, has firmly entered the musical language of Russian classics.

The brightness of the images of heroes, the greatness of their exploits in all the diversity of artistic and figurative content laid the foundation for the further development of the patriotic traditions of Russian art, maintaining the sustainability of this trend to this day.

Own research

We conducted a survey among students in grades 5-11 to find out what the children know about epics and received the following results:

General quantity respondents	do you know you, what are epics	Where and how did you meet? with epics	Which epic heroes You know	You watched modern cartoons based on epic stories?	Do you want to know more about epics?
				What comments can you give to them?
320	a) yes - 75%, b) no - 20%, c) find it difficult to answer - 5%	a) at school during lessons -70%, b) in kindergarten -15%, c) parents read at home – 5%, d) I don’t remember - 10%	a) Ilya Muromets – 79%, b) Alyosha Popovich – 11%, c) Nightingale the Robber -4%, d) find it difficult to answer – 6%	a) yes-97% b) no -3%	a) yes-72%, b) no-18%, c) don’t know -8%, d) I don’t care – 2%
				a) good entertainment -99%, b) instructive stories – 1%

Bibliography

Bialik V. Russian artists of the 19th century. M., 2007.
Zhirmunsky V. Folk heroic epic. N.-L. 2004.
Musical encyclopedic dictionary. M., 2008.
Propp V. Russian heroic epic. M. 1999.
Azbelev S.N. “Historicism of epics and the specificity of folklore.” L., 1982

Epics created tonic(it is also called epic, folk) verse. In works created in tonic verse, the poetic lines may have a different number of syllables, but there should be a relatively equal number of stresses. In epic verse, the first stress, as a rule, falls on the third syllable from the beginning, and the last stress on the third syllable from the end.

Epic tales are characterized by a combination of real images that have a clear historical meaning and are conditioned by reality (the image of Kyiv, the capital Prince Vladimir), with fantastic images (the Serpent Gorynych, the Nightingale the Robber). But the leading images in epics are those generated by historical reality.

Often the epic begins with lead singer. It is not related to the content of the epic, but represents an independent picture that precedes the main epic story. Exodus- this is the ending of the epic, a short conclusion, summing up, or a joke (“then the old days, then the deeds”, “that’s where the old times ended”).

The epic usually begins with the beginning, which determines the place and time of action. Following it is given exposition, in which the hero of the work stands out, most often using the technique of contrast.

The image of the hero is at the center of the entire narrative. The epic greatness of the image of the epic hero is created by revealing his noble feelings and experiences; the qualities of the hero are revealed in his actions.

Triplicity or trinity in epics is one of the main depiction techniques (there are three heroes at the heroic outpost, the hero makes three trips - “Three trips of Ilya”, Sadko is not invited to the feast three times by the Novgorod merchants, he casts lots three times, etc. ). All these elements (threefold persons, threefold action, verbal repetitions) are present in all epics. Hyperboles used to describe the hero and his feat also play a large role in them. The description of the enemies (Tugarin, Nightingale the Robber), as well as the description of the strength of the warrior-hero, are hyperbolic. There are fantastic elements in this.

In the main narrative part of the epic, the techniques of parallelism, stepwise narrowing of images, and antithesis are widely used.

The text of the epic is divided into permanent And transitional places. Transitional places are parts of the text created or improvised by narrators during performance; permanent places– stable, slightly changeable, repeated in various epics (heroic battle, hero’s rides, saddling a horse, etc.). Storytellers usually assimilate and repeat them with greater or less accuracy as the action progresses. The narrator speaks transitional passages freely, changing the text and partially improvising it. The combination of permanent and transitional places in the singing of epics is one of the genre features of the Old Russian epic.

The work of the Saratov scientist A.P. is devoted to elucidating the artistic originality of Russian epics and their poetics. Skaftymov “Poetics and genesis of epics”. The researcher believed that “The epic knows how to create interest, knows how to excite the listener with anxiety of expectation, infect the listener with the delight of surprise and capture the winner with the ambitious triumph.” 1

D.S. Likhachev in his book “The Poetics of Old Russian Literature” writes that the time of action in epics refers to conditional era of the Russian past. For some epics it is the idealized era of Prince Vladimir of Kyiv, for others it is the era of Novgorod freedom. The action of the epics takes place in the era of Russian independence, glory and power of Rus'. In this era, Prince Vladimir reigns “forever”, the heroes live “forever”. In epics, the entire time of action is assigned to the conventional era of Russian antiquity. 2

)Problems of the historical study of folklore in the works of Propp “Russian heroic epic”, Rybakov “Ancient Rus'. Tales, epics, chronicles"

Folklore and history are inseparable from each other. The historical school dealt with the connection between Russian folklore and national history and the preservation of historical memory in folklore. I.sh. was one of the most influential movements in the 19th and 20th centuries. This is actually a Russian direction. Even in the preface to the collection of Kirsha Danilov (1818), we see a comparison of folklore heroes with those from the chronicles (Sadko and V. Buslaev - with the heroes of the Novgorod chronicles). At a time when the myth school dominated folklore, Maykov’s book “On the epics of the Vladimir cycle” was published. 1885 – Khalansky’s work “Great Russian epics of the Kyiv cycle”, where he proved that these epics date back to the 15th-16th centuries. Veselovsky’s “South Russian epics” are a lot from the historical school. The principles of the school were finally formed by V. Miller in “Essays on Russian Folk Literature.” 1) The difference from migration theory is nationalization, not universalization of subjects. Rarely uses the comparative method. 2) He insisted on a deep study of the names of the characters - he believed that they could not be introduced by chance, there is always a connection between the epic name and the historical name. “Names are stronger than stories.” 3) conclusion about that. that the epics were created in the princely squad and 4) the epics were carefully developed and transmitted among professional singers and preserved through training. 4 questions about the epics: where? when was it created? in connection with what? what poetic sources? The result is the systematization of epics, the creation of “historical. Geography" of the Russian epic. The traditions of the Miller School continued to evolve in the 20th century. There was often controversy between representatives of different schools. The representative, Rybakov, insisted on clarifying the connections with the history of Dr. Rus' and widely used. chronicles, facts of history and archeology.

The problem of historicism of the Russian heroic epic was posed in the collective work “Russian folk poetic creativity” (vol. I, M., 1953) in articles by D. S. Likhachev, V. P. Adrianova-Peretz and other scientists who drew attention to the reflection of folk consciousness of historical reality, on the ideological content of epics. Decisive rejection of the principles of the historical school given by V. Ya. Propp in the work “Russian Heroic Epic”, where the author deeply substantiated the position that the Russian people didn't reproduce as much in his epic historical reality, how much he expressed his aspirations and ideals, and the epics themselves arose long before the beginning of the Kievan state. The relationship between myth and heroic epic was examined in the works of E. M. Meletinsky “The Origin of the Heroic Epic” (M., 1963) and V. M. Zhirmunsky “Epic creativity of the Slavic peoples and issues of comparative study of the epic” (M., 1953).

B.A. Rybakov, taking as a basis the thesis of B.D. Grekov “Epic is a story told by the people themselves,” in his famous book “Ancient Rus'. Tales. Epics. Chronicles" (Moscow, 1963) considers epic tales as the first form of historical storytelling. The purpose of the epic is to educate young people and prepare them for real trials. The author emphasizes the progressive orientation of the epics, the celebration of something fundamentally new. However, B. A. Rybakov sees a bifurcation in the process of development of the heroic epic: one direction glorifies the princes, the other remains popular. According to the author, epics do not restore the actual outline, but in their totality they provide a reliable story. “Being historically comprehended,” writes B. A. Rybakov, “the Russian epic can become invaluable historical source, but, of course, not to restore the outline of events, but to study popular assessments certain periods individual events and persons".

In the monograph “Ancient Rus'. Tales. Epics. Chronicles" Rybakov held parallels between epic stories and Russian chronicles. B. A. Rybakov, in his analysis of Russian chronicles (“Ancient Rus'. Legends. Epics. Chronicles”), drew attention to the subjectivism of the chroniclers - the authors of “The Tale of Bygone Years.” Along with his careful attitude to the source, the chronicler, who was simultaneously the author, compiler, compiler and editor, was strongly influenced by church and princely circles. It is their involvement that explains the contradictions in the chronicle text and some deliberate omissions of the Tale, in which one can see attempts to justify the existing system and its representatives. If epics give a folk tale, then the chronicle gives a court assessment of events. B. A. Rybakov sees in “The Tale of Bygone Years” a desire to smooth out life’s contradictions through broad social demagoguery in the church spirit. In some cases, the “Tale” reaches the topicality of the depiction of events, in particular in the stories about the rivalry between the older and younger squads, in the polemic against Svyatopolk and in the idealized image of Monomakh. A number of important observations and historiographical conclusions were made by B. A. Rybakov in his later works: “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” and its contemporaries (Moscow, 1971), “Russian chroniclers and the author of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”” (M., 1972), etc.

PROPP

Primitive communal system. V.Ya. Propp is convinced that the heroic epic began to take shape long before the start of feudal relations. Since there are no direct traces of the existence of such a phenomenon, he cites as an example the numerous peoples who inhabited the territory of the USSR, who were delayed in development at the level of decomposition of the primitive communal system. They all have heroic epics. Using the comparison method, the scientist reveals in the epic songs of the peoples of Siberia and the Far North the development of the epic from mythology; the transition of heroic deeds from the fight for the family unit (lyrical feelings do not play a role) to defense native people or battles against oppressors; transformation of elemental hosts into hostile monsters; common to all heroes is a high moral spirit and a willingness to forget their interests for the common good (often they are leaders); hyperbolic appearance and actions of heroes and their enemies. The epic testifies to the beginning of the struggle for a new social order: the family is a factor that destroys tribal relations, and the hero’s knighthood is not a sign of the past, where support was implied by itself, but a reaction to the emergence of class inequality and exploitation.

Kievan Rus and the period of feudal fragmentation. The epic of Kievan Rus is not considered as a continuation of the epic that developed during the era of the tribal system. State relations required not the development of previous ideas, but the approval of new ones, therefore the epic does not trace the remnants of the old in the new, but the conflict of worldviews belonging to these two always opposing times. In new and revised old songs, the people reflected the intense struggle against foreign invaders and created images of heroic defenders of the homeland. The epics of the Kyiv or Vladimirov cycle are united by a common center - Kiev, the head of which, Prince Vladimir (“Red Sun”), is served by heroes. The image of Vladimir is twofold. From the period of progressive development of the state, he inherited the role of the people's leader, while class stratification later creates social conflict between the heroes and the prince, who became the head of his class. The secondary image of Vladimir’s wife, Princess Eupraxia (Opraxa), changes somewhat differently. From the clan system, she, as a woman, may get the role of the enemy’s helper, as, for example, in the epic about Alyosha and Tugarin, later she is endowed with the features of a heroic woman, in particular, saving Ilya Muromets from her husband’s wrath. Epic Kyiv served the people as a banner of unity, although it was not one. Bogatyrs from various regions become heroes of the epic only from the moment they arrive in Kyiv. They serve the Motherland and always come to the Stolno-Kyiv prince voluntarily. Specific wars are not reflected at all in the Russian epic, because they were not popular. The service of heroes to appanage princes is also not reflected.

The period of the centralized state. With the creation in the 10th century. of the new powerful state, the people's aspirations for unification and national independence came true. Previous epics began to receive the name “old”, but they are not forgotten, but belong to the realm of the heroic past. Military functions are transferred to historical song. With the increase in class antagonism, epics about social struggle come to the fore. We have encountered such songs before, but now they are losing their monumentality, while gaining in realism, they more broadly describe life and classes, class conflicts become the main theme. Women begin to play a new role, and new positive images of them emerge. The types of mighty heroes stop in their development, ceasing to enter into new songs. The epic begins to move closer to the ballad, but its spirit remains heroic.

Soviet time. The expeditions of Soviet scientists showed not only the existence of the epic in its last stronghold, the Russian North, but also the gradual cessation of the epic tradition [see. details: pp. 546-548]. Nevertheless, we can talk about a new epic epic. The author discusses this problem using the example of the famous singer M.S. Kryukova. Her talent was discovered in 1934. In Soviet times, she was actually the only performer who consciously devoted herself not only to preserving the existing heritage, but also to creating songs with qualitatively new content. Kryukova herself creates new themes based on the material of old epics and fairy tales, and draws from fiction, popular science literature and the media. She overcame the isolation of the old epic, but the life of her contemporaries never became the subject of glorification. The new content did not fit well into the old forms, often affecting the transmitted information. The epic form of the epic has become obsolete; it has become part of the heritage of national culture. The epic continues to exist in a different form, its best achievements influence the heroic poetry and literary traditions.

(from ready-made tickets)

Historical periodization, specifics:

1) mythological period(on the basis of the collision of epics and mythology, epic stories are born) - the time of the spread and initial development of epic songs. The end of this period falls on the 9th century. Ancient: epics about Svyatogor (the embodiment of gigantic clouds in the minds of people; an epic about the adventure of Ilya Muromets with Svyatogor’s wife (and she cheats on him too) - a parallel with the Arabian fairy tales “One Thousand and One Nights”; Svyatogor was deprived of power after cutting his hair (parallel with the story of the Old Testament Samson and Delilah); the appearance of Svyatogor could reflect ideas about mountain giants (Ilya Muromets saw him asleep on a horse among the mountains)), about Volkh Vseslavyevich ((werewolves, sorcerers, wizards) the epic Volkh - a warrior-hero, has prophetic knowledge and the ability to transform into various animals and birds, he is the son of a snake and a woman, his birth is accompanied by menacing phenomena - the earth shook; he can turn into a gray wolf; in later adaptations Volkh was turned into Prince Volga, the defender of Kievan Rus, a connection with Oleg), the Danube and Potyka .

2)Kyiv period– from the 9th century until the middle of the 12th century (epic songs focused the action around Kyiv and the capital Kyiv prince). Epic songs that existed separately received an impetus for unification (cyclization - the unification of plots around individual characters and places of action); in their generalizations, epics gradually acquired historical specificity (changes in historical consciousness in the conditions of modern times); the concept of the significance of the great Kyiv power (in the face of the threat of attack); they sang about Kyiv as the center of Russian glory; the epic made the social life of Rus' the object of depiction - historicization (traditional generalizations with a specific

assessment of his era); almost all epics are about Vladimir, Dobrynya Nikitich. (Epic about the battle between Dobrynya and the Danube); the main feature of epics is historicism; heroes do not seek personal gain; the gradual conversion of epics into a purely historical genre.

3) Vladimir-Suzdal period – from the middle of XII to the end of XIII. (at this time epics with Ilya Muromets at the head were formed) (connected with the development of the North-East.). In the north and north-west there are Novgorod epics. After Kiev lost its power, a new state formation emerged in the north-east of Rus' - in the Rostov, Murom and Vladimir-Suzdal lands. In the minds of the people of North-Eastern Rus', the idea that they are the successor of the history of Kievan Rus is growing stronger. This view determined the originality of the epic. North-Eastern Rus' introduces its heroes into the epic - people from these lands - Ilya Muromets (from the city of Muromets) (replacing Dobrynya Nikitich in the main role). The epics of the formative era include epics about matchmaking: epic songs about Sadko, about Mikhail Potyk, Kozarin, Ivan Godinovich, the Danube, Solove Budimirovich, they are associated with songs about getting a wife in the other world or in foreign lands (Sadko goes to the underwater world; in In the epic about Potyka, the hero meets, but does not get his wife; the struggle for the bride is replaced by the struggle against the bride (“Dobrynya and Marinka”); the real hero is only Kozarin, who saves the girl from kidnappers). These include epic songs about the fight against monsters (epics about Dobrynya the snake fighter - it is characteristic that now the hero becomes the liberator of the entire Russian land, and not only fights the snake for the liberation of a woman, about Alyosha and Tutarin, about Ilya and Nightingale). The heroes in these epics have a real appearance, and their antagonists have zoomorphic and hyperbolic combinations. This also includes epics of a fairy-tale nature (“Dobrynya and Alyosha”, “Ilya Muromets and Son”), epics about the struggle of the Russian people against the Mongol-Tatar invasion (this is a new formation). Regarding the latter: concrete realities are increasingly penetrating traditional forms, as the narrative increasingly corresponds to history. reality - a historical reflection of the ancient Russian faith in signs, a picture of city walls with coal towers, a clear organization of the enemy army (the name of the invader is most often Kalin, which can be replaced by Batu and Mamai), the tactics of the Tatars are historical - a long siege of the city; the tradition of single combat between the hero and the enemy is overcome by including the realities associated with organizing resistance to the historical enemy (Muromets identifies the number of troops, determines the nature of the danger, asks for a postponement of the surrender of the city). However, the epic has not yet developed the means to describe the actions of large military operations and their command; they will appear only in history. songs in the 16th century BUT the epic still diverges from history (it has a single state, the storytellers sing about a victory that has not yet happened, in fact).

4) from the 14th – early 17th centuries. Almost no new epics were created during this period. Creative processing of old epics in relation to the historical conditions of Moscow Rus'. The function of the old military epic passes to the historical song, which, having originated in the 14th century, reached its peak by the 16th century. After the 13th century, epics entered a state of conservation: the epic plot is based on a story about some grandiose event; the epic begins with a chant that is not directly related to the plot action, but precedes the general tone of the epic. The opening has an ornamental function, the epic ends with outcomes in the same ornamental function (Now the old days, now the deed), the plot situation is reproduced in the beginning, the main character is introduced, its resolution is given in the ending, common places– stylistic formulas for the usual depiction of repeating situations (a hero jumping over a wall) (the formula for the passage of time: like day after day - like rain, week after week - like grass growing, and year after year - like a river running), numerous repetitions, slowness of action – retardation is carried out through the repetition of individual episodes, through the use of synonymy (song nature), tonic versification (the same number of stresses), conversational intonations, the first

scientific collection of epics - a collection of epics appeared in 1804 - the collection of Kirsha Danilov “Ancient Russian Poems” (Kirsha Danilov wrote them down in the Urals in the middle of the 18th century).

The epics were created in tonic (also called epic, folk) verse. In works created in tonic verse, the poetic lines may have a different number of syllables, but there should be a relatively equal number of stresses. In epic verse, the first stress, as a rule, falls on the third syllable from the beginning, and the last stress on the third syllable from the end.

In the main narrative part of the epic, the techniques of parallelism, stepwise narrowing of images, and antithesis are widely used.

The text of the epic is divided into permanent And transitional places. Transitional places are parts of the text created or improvised by narrators during performance; permanent places - stable, slightly changed, repeated in various epics (heroic battle, hero’s rides, saddling a horse, etc.). Storytellers usually assimilate and repeat them with greater or less accuracy as the action progresses. The narrator speaks transitional passages freely, changing the text and partially improvising it. The combination of permanent and transitional places in the singing of epics is one of the genre features of the Old Russian epic.

The work of the Saratov scientist A.P. Skaftymov, “Poetics and Genesis of Epics,” is devoted to elucidating the artistic originality of Russian epics and their poetics. The researcher believed that “the epic knows how to create interest, knows how to excite the listener with anxiety of expectation, infect the listener with the delight of surprise and capture the winner with ambitious triumph.” 1

D. S. Likhachev in his book “The Poetics of Old Russian Literature” writes that the time of action in epics refers to the conventional era of the Russian past. For some epics it is the idealized era of Prince Vladimir of Kyiv, for others it is the era of Novgorod freedom. The action of the epics takes place in the era of Russian independence, glory and power of Rus'. In this era, Prince Vladimir reigns “forever”, the heroes live “forever”. In epics, the entire time of action is assigned to the conventional era of Russian antiquity. 2

3. The epic "Ilya Muromets and the Nightingale the Robber"

Ilya Muromets - the main character Kyiv cycle epic The most important of them: “The Healing of Ilya of Muromets”, “Ilya and the Nightingale the Robber”, “Ilya and Sokolnik”, “Ilya in a quarrel with Prince Vladimir”, “Ilya and Kalin the Tsar”, “Ilya and the Foul Idol”. The most ancient epics are considered to be about the battle of Ilya Muromets with the Nightingale the Robber and about the battle with Sokolnik (his son).

Back in the 19th century, scientists wondered who was behind the epic image of the enemy of the Russian hero - Nightingale the Robber. Some saw him as a mythical creature - the personification of the forces of nature, the tree-climber, while others expressed the opinion that this image was borrowed from the folklore of other peoples. Still others were of the opinion that Nightingale was an ordinary person engaged in robbery. For his ability to whistle loudly, he was nicknamed Nightingale. In the epic narrative, the Nightingale the Robber is depicted as a creature living in the forests with his entire brood.

The epic tells about the military exploits of Ilya. He leaves home, from the village of Karacharovo, near Murom, to the capital city of Kyiv to serve Prince Vladimir. Along the way, Ilya accomplishes his first feat. At Chernigov he defeats the enemy army that besieged the city.

Is it near the city of Chernigov?

The forces are caught up in black and black,

And he is black and black, like a black crow.

So no one walks here like infantry,

No one rides here on a good horse,

The black raven bird does not fly,

Let the gray beast not prowl.

And Ilya, “a burly, good fellow,” began to trample this great force with his horse and stab him with a spear. And he defeated this great force. For this, the Chernigov men invited him to Chernigov as a governor, but the hero did not agree, since he was going to serve the entire Russian land.

He is warned that the road to Kyiv is turbulent and dangerous:

The path has been blocked up, walled up,

Like that one of Gryazi or Black,

Yes, whether it’s near the birch tree or the gag...

The Nightingale the Robber sits with oak cheese,

The Nightingale the Robber sits Odikhmantyev 1 son. 2

Ilya’s opponent is depicted in the epic in a hyperbolic way, his formidable power is exaggerated. This is a robber villain. He “whistles like a nightingale”, “shouts like an animal”. Because of this, “the ant grasses are entangled, all the azure flowers are crumbling, the dark forests are all bowing to the ground, and what people there are are all lying dead.”

However, Ilya was not frightened by the warning of the Chernigov men. He chooses the "straight road". Ilya’s good heroic horse, hearing the Nightingale’s whistle, “rests and stumbles on the baskets.” But the hero is fearless. He is ready to accomplish his second feat. The duel is described laconically, in the epic tradition. Ilya takes a tight “explosive” bow, pulls a “silk bowstring”, puts on a “hardened arrow” and shoots. He fastens the defeated Nightingale to a “damask stirrup” and takes him to Kyiv. This is the hero’s first visit to Kyiv; no one here knows him yet. The prince himself turns to Ilya with questions:

"Tell me, you're crazy,

Portly good fellow,

Somehow, well done, they call you by your name,

Call him, the daring one, after his fatherland?

The prince does not believe Ilya’s story, he doubts that it is possible to travel along that road where many forces have been gathered and the Nightingale the Robber rules. Then Ilya leads the prince to Nightingale. But the robber recognizes only the power of Ilya over himself, seeing in him a worthy opponent and winner, he honors him above the prince. To Vladimir’s order to demonstrate his art, Nightingale replies:

“It’s not with you today, Prince, that I’m having lunch,

It’s not you that I want to listen to.

I dined with the old Cossack Ilya Muromets,

Yes, I want to listen to him." 3

Then Ilya Muromets orders him to whistle “half the whistle of a nightingale” and “half the cry of an animal.” But the Nightingale disobeyed and whistled with all his might. “The poppies on the towers were crooked, and the knees in the towers scattered from him, Nightingale’s whistle, that there are little people, they are all lying dead.” And Vladimir the Prince “covers himself with a marten fur coat.” Only Ilya remained on his feet. With the words: “You are full of whistling and like a nightingale, you are full of crying and fathers and mothers, you are full of making widows and young wives, you are full of letting little children become orphans!” he chops off the Nightingale's head.

Ilya’s feat was filled with special meaning for his contemporaries, who advocated the unification of Russian lands, for the integrity of ancient Russian state. The epic affirms the idea of serving Rus', of performing a national feat in its name.

The epic "Ilya Muromets and the Nightingale the Robber" has features characteristic of the artistic originality of epics. This is a story genre. Events are depicted in development, characters in action. The epic is characterized by unique expressive and graphic means: triple repetitions (in the description of the silushka near Chernigov, the hero’s whistle), hyperbole (image of the Nightingale the Robber, the heroic horse of Ilya), similes, metaphors, epithets (dark forest, ant-grass, azure flowers), diminutive suffixes, etc. Fantastic and real images are intertwined in the epic (Nightingale - Ilya).

4. Epic "Dobrynya and the Serpent"

Dobrynya Nikitich - the second most important hero of epics Kyiv cycle. He replaced the ancient Danube, but he is not only a hero-snake fighter, but also a hero-diplomat. In a number of epics, Dobrynya carries out various diplomatic assignments for Prince Vladimir.

In the epic "Dobrynya and the Serpent" he performs a feat of arms - he defeats the Serpent, who brought a lot of grief to the Russian land. The plot of the epic comes from ancient fairy-tale folklore. The epic begins with a story about how her mother does not tell Dobrynya to go to the Puchai River to swim:

Mother told Dobrynyushka,

Yes, Nikitich’s mother punished him:

"Don't go too far into the open field,

To that mountain and Sorochinskaya,

Don't trample on the young snakes,

Don't help out the full Russians,

Do not swim, Dobrynya, in the Puchai River -

The Puchai River is very fierce,

The middle stream cuts like fire." 2

Fairy tales usually begin with this fabulous prohibition. Just like in the fairy tale, Dobrynya does not listen to her mother’s advice and swims far away. At this moment the Serpent swoops down on him:

There is no wind, but a cloud has blown over,

There are no clouds, but it’s like rain,

But there is no rain, but only thunder roars,

Thunder rumbles and lightning whistles.

How the Serpent Gorynishche flies

And you twelve about trunks. 3

The battle of the hero with the Snake is depicted briefly: Dobrynya hit the Snake, knocked off all his “trunks” and made him promise not to fly to Rus' anymore. Returning to Kyiv, Dobrynya learns that the Serpent again flew through Kyiv and carried away Prince Vladimir’s niece, Zabava Putyatichna.

Dobrynya sets off on a long journey to the caves of the Serpent. But, unlike the fairy-tale hero, who fights the monster for the sake of his personal interests (the liberation of the bride), he represents a new hero who stands for public interests in the struggle for the integrity of Rus' and its borders. The fairytale motive of the struggle for a woman becomes the motive of the struggle for the Russian Polonyanka. In the epic, Dobrynya is presented as the liberator of the Russian land. The epic sings the glory of the hero, who freed not only Vladimir’s niece, but also many other prisoners languishing in the Snake’s dungeon:

Then Dobrynya went into the hole,

In those holes and deep ones.

There sit forty kings, forty princes,

Forty kings and princes,

But simple power is of no use.

Then Dobrynyushka Nikitinich

He spoke to the kings and he to the princes

And to those kings and princes:

“You go there now, the church has been brought.

And you, young Zabava daughter Putyatichna,

For you, I have now wandered like this,

Let's go to the city of Kyiv,

And this is to the affectionate prince, to Vladimir." 4

Dobrynya expresses his heroic qualities in all epics, jealously guards the dignity of the Russian warrior, he is reasonable in his speeches, restrained, tactful, a caring son and a faithful husband. All epics reveal these features of his appearance.

5. Epic "Volga and Mikula"

The epic "Volga and Mikula" refers to Novgorod cycle epic Already the first researchers drew attention to the acute social resonance of the epic, where the image of the peasant plowman Mikula Selyaninovich is clearly contrasted with the image of Prince Volga Svyatoslavich, the nephew of the Kyiv prince Vladimir. At the same time, other assumptions were made according to which the epic recreated the images of not just a peasant and a prince, but two pagan gods: the god of agriculture - Mikula and the god of hunting - Volga. This is the interpretation of the famous 19th-century mythologist Orest Miller, who saw Mikul Selyaninovich as the “patron of agriculture in Rus'.” At the same time, Vsevolod Miller drew attention to everyday features in the epic, reflecting the characteristics of agricultural labor in the north:

Ratai yells in the field, urges,

The bipod of the ratai creaks,

The idiots are scribbling on the pebbles,

It turns out roots and stones,

Yes, he keeps throwing great stones into the furrow.

“This is an accurate picture of northern plowing,” wrote V.F. Miller. 2

The plot of the epic is based on the meeting of Prince Volga and his squad with the plowman-peasant Mikula. The epic opens with a story about Volga’s birth and his maturation:

How Volga began to grow and mature here,

Volga wanted a lot of wisdom:

He walks like a pike fish in the deep seas,

Like a falcon bird he can fly under the covers,

Gray wolf scour the open fields.

Volga gathered himself a brave squad. The nephew of the Kyiv prince received three cities as a gift from Vladimir: Gurchevets, Orekhovets, Krestyanovets. He goes to collect tribute and in an open field he sees the plowman Mikula, who, working in the field, shows remarkable strength: “he twists out stumps and roots, knocks large stones into the furrow.” The plowman asks the prince how far he is going, and having learned where he and his retinue are going, he tells him what kind of robber people live in these cities. Volga, seeing his strength, invites the plowman to go with him “as comrades.” The plowman agrees, his participation in the trip is necessary - the fight against robbery alone is beyond the strength of the princely squad.

Mikula asks the prince’s warriors to pull his plow out of the ground and throw it under a broom bush. However, it turns out that neither the squad nor Volga can do this work. And only Mikula’s heroic strength allows him to effortlessly, with one hand, pull the bipod out of the ground.

This is where some variants of the epic end. According to others, Volga and Mikula come to the cities in which the prince appoints Mikula as governor, the townspeople ambush Volga, and Mikula saves his life.

Mikula is a folk hero. He, like a heroic hero, expresses best qualities common man. The epic affirms respect for the hard work of the tiller, in which one must also show strength and heroism. Mikula’s strength is in connection with the land, the common people.

This epic is characterized by its own artistic features. The element of the folk language is amazing. It is characterized by repetitions and epithets. With the help of epithets, a special poetic world is created. For example, the unusual plow that Mikula plows with:

Orata's bipod is maple,

The damask boots on the bipod,

The bipod's snout is silver,

And the horn of the bipod is red and gold. 3

Using epithets, a portrait of the hero is created:

And Oratai’s curls are swaying,

What if the pearls are scattered;

The screaming eyes and clear eyes of a falcon,

And his eyebrows are black sable. 4

Storytellers describe the hero's clothes: boots made of green morocco, a feather hat, a caftan made of black velvet.

Mikula allegorically reveals his folk roots. To Volga’s question: “What is your name, do they call you after your fatherland?” Oratay-Oratayushko said:

Oh, Volga Svyatoslavovich!

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

I’ll put them in stacks and drag them home,

I’ll drag you home and thrash you at home,

And I’ll make beer and give the peasants a drink,

And then the men will begin to praise me:

Young Mikula Selyaninovich!" 5

Artistic media in epics are aimed at most vividly capturing the characters and their actions, the setting, and expressing the attitude towards them.

6. Epic "Sadko"

The events in the epic unfold in the city of Novgorod. It splits into two parts (Sadko receives wealth and Sadko from the Sea King). The main character is guslar Sadko. At the beginning of the epic, the Novgorod boyars neglected him and stopped inviting him to feasts. Offended, Sadko goes to Lake Ilmen, sits on the “white-flammable stone” and begins to play “Yarovchaty Guselki”. The Sea King liked his game:

How the water in the lake began to stir,

The king of the sea appeared,

I left the lake from Ilmen,

He himself said these words:

“Oh, you, Sadke Novgorodsky!

I don’t know how to greet you

For your joys for the great,

For your tender game." 1

The Sea King decided to help Sadko and give him untold wealth. He told him to make a bet with the Novgorod merchants that he would catch a fish in the lake - a golden feather. The king will send this fish to Sadko in the net.

Guslyar did just that and won three shops of red goods in a dispute with merchants, became rich, erected magnificent palaces, decorating them with marvelous paintings:

Sadka arranged everything like heaven:

There is sun in the sky and sun in the chambers,

There is a month in the sky and a month in the chambers,

There are stars in the sky and stars in the chambers. 2

Sadko “invited noble guests to his honorable feast,” who at the feast ate, got drunk and all boasted with boasts." Sadko boasted of buying up all the goods in Novgorod, argued with him about the wealth. But the bet lost: no matter how much he bought goods in Novgorod shops, in the morning more and more people brought from all over Rus' appeared in them. And Sadko realized that he was not the rich merchant of Novgorod - his glorious Novgorod was richer. And if at the beginning of the epic the people's consciousness was on the side of the poor guslar, then Sadko the merchant, who imagined , that he is richer and stronger than the entire trading city, deprived of the sympathy of the people. The epic forces him to recognize the victory of Novgorod. It clearly expresses the idea of \u200b\u200bthe trading power of the great city of northern Rus'.

In the second part of the epic, Sadko, a rich merchant, equips ships and sets off with his comrades to trade overseas:

The weather was strong on the blue sea,

The blackened ships stagnated on the blue sea:

And the wave hits, the sails are torn,

Breaks blackened boats;

But the ships do not move from their place on the blue sea. 3

This is how landscape is introduced into the epic. The ships are at sea - the Sea King does not let Sadko in and demands a ransom from him. First, the shipbuilders try to pay off with a barrel of pure silver, red gold, but the wave hits everything, tears the sails, and “the ships still do not move from their place on the blue sea.” Sadko guesses that the Tsar of the Sea demands “a living head in the blue sea.” They cast lots three times as to who should go to the Sea King. And no matter how hard Sadko tried, the lot fell on him. Taking only the harp, Sadko rushes into the depths of the sea.

The image of the underwater kingdom in the epic is real, the landscape is realistic:

In the blue sea at the very bottom.

Through the water I saw the red sun baking,

Evening dawn, morning dawn.

Saw Sadko: in the blue sea

There is a white stone chamber...

What we see here is not fantasy, but rather a certain amount of convention. The King of the Sea himself is also depicted. The epic gives only one detail of his portrait: “the king’s head is like a heap of hay.” The singers use the technique of hyperbolization: the king’s head is compared to a heap of hay, which indicates its significant size and introduces an element of comedy.

How Sadko began to play guselki yarovchaty,

How the king of the sea began to dance in the blue sea,

How the king of the sea danced.

Sadka played for a day, and others played too,

Yes, Sadke and others also played,

And still the king dances in the blue sea. 5

Grateful for the fun, the Sea King began to persuade Sadko to marry one of his thirty daughters. Meanwhile, in the blue sea, the waters shake, ships break, and righteous people drown.

Orthodox man in reality, in search of deliverance from misfortunes, he always turns to Christian saints, which is reflected in the epic: “the people began to pray to Mikola Mozhaisky.” It is no coincidence that the image of the Christian intercessor Mykola, the patron saint of all navigators and sailors, is introduced into the epic. This reveals the general Christian idea of Russian folklore:

The saint appeared before Sadko on the seabed:

He turned around and looked at Sadke Novgorodsky:

There's a gray-haired old man standing there.

Sadka Novgorodsky said:

"My will is not my own in the blue sea,

It was ordered to play guselki yarovchaty."

The old man says these words:

"And you rip out the strings,

And you break off the pins.

Say: “I didn’t have any strings,

And the pins weren’t useful,

Nothing else to play:

The spring gooseneck broke." 6

Saint Mikola teaches the unlucky guslar how to return to Novgorod. He must choose as his bride the last daughter of the Sea King, the girl Chernavushka. Having listened to wise advice, the next morning Sadko found himself on land, and the girl he chose turned out to be a Novgorod river. In gratitude, Sadko built the cathedral church of Mykola Mozhaisky.

In the Novgorod Chronicle, under 1167, the name of a certain Sadko Sytinets is mentioned, who founded the church. The epic Sadko coincides with a real historical figure.

V. G. Belinsky wrote about Novgorod epics that all the rest of Russian fairy-tale poetry is visible in front of them. A new and special world is visible, which served as the source of the forms and very spirit of Russian life, and consequently of Russian poetry. About “Sadko” he writes: “The whole poem is imbued with extraordinary animation and is full of poetry. This is one of the pearls of Russian folk poetry.”

Test questions for self-preparation of students

History of Russian epics (a practical overview of opinions and the time of the composition of the epic).
Scientific schools in Russian folklore about the origins of epics (mythological school, borrowing theory, historical school).
The problem of historicism of Russian epics (to use the plots of the epics “Volkh Vseslavyevich”, “Ilya and Svyatogor”, “Dobrynya and Marinka”, “Ilya Muromets and the Nightingale the Robber”, “Ilya’s Quarrel with Vladimir”).
Socio-political structure, economy, culture and way of life of Rus' in the depiction of epics (work on texts).

a) main:

1. Anikin, V.P. Russian oral folk art [Text]: Textbook. / V. P. Anikin. – M.: Higher. school, 2009. – 735 p. (30 copies).

2. Karpukhin, I. E. Russian oral folk art [Text]: Educational and methodological allowance. / I. E. Karpukhin. – M., Higher. school, 2005. – 280 p. (75 copies).

3. Shafranskaya, E.F. Oral folk art [Text]: a textbook for higher education. Ped. educational institutions / E.F. Shafranskaya. – M.: Publishing center “Akadenmiya”, 2008. – 352 p. (1 copy)

b) additional:

1. Anikin, V. P. Theory of folklore. Course of lectures [Text] / V. P. Anikin. – M.: KDU, 2004. – 432 p. (1 copy).

2. Buslaev, F. I. Folk epic and mythology [Text] / F. I. Buslaev. – M.: Higher. school, 2003 – 400 p. (6 copies).

3. Zhirmunsky, V. M. Folklore of the West and East [Text] / I. M. Zhirmunsky. – M.: OGI, 2004. – 464 p. (1 copy).

4. Meletinsky, E. M. Hero of a fairy tale [Text] / E. M. Meletinsky. – M. – St. Petersburg. : Academy of Culture and Tradition Studies, 2005. – 240 p. (1 copy).

5. Morokhin, V. N. Methodology for collecting folklore [Text] / V. N. Morokhin. – M.: graduate School, 1990. – 86 p. (5 copies).

6. Pomerantseva, E.V. Russian oral prose [Text] / E.V. Pomerantseva. - M.: Education, 1975.- 271 p. (10 copies).

7. Propp, V. Ya. Russian fairy tale [Text] / V. Ya. Propp. – M.: Labyrinth, 2005. – 384 p. (3 copies).

8. Propp, V. Ya. Poetics of folklore [Text] / V. Ya. Propp. – M.: Labyrinth, 1998. – 352 p. (8 copies).

9. Propp, V. Ya. Morphology of a fairy tale [Text] / V. Ya. Propp. – Leningrad: Academia, 1928. – 152 p. Or any other publication (2 copies), or: [Electronic resource] – 1 electron. optical disk (CD-POM).

10. Propp, V. Ya. Historical roots of a fairy tale [Text] / V. Ya. Propp. – M.: Labyrinth, 2002. – 336 p. (5 copies).

11. Propp, V. Ya. Russian heroic epic [Text] / V. Ya. Propp. – M.: Labyrinth, 1999. – 640 p. Or any other publication (3 copies).

12. Putilov, B. I. Excursions into the theory and history of the Slavic epic [Text] / B. I. Putilov. – St. Petersburg. : Nauka, 1999. – 288 p. (1 copy).

13. Savushkina, N.I. Russian folk drama / N. I. Savushkina. - M.: Publishing house Mosk. state University, 1988. - 232 p. (2 copies)

c) Information support for the FEB discipline: Fundamental electronic library “Russian literature and folklore: http:///feb-web.ru/ Open Russian Electronic Library: http://orel/rsl/ru/ Student Electronic Library: yttp://studlib/ru/ Folklore and post-folklore: structure, typology, semiotics: www/ruthenia/ru/folrlore/avantext/html/ Russian folklore in modern records: http://www.folk.ru/

Topic 3. HISTORICAL SONGS

The purpose of the lecture is to familiarize future culturologists with oral folk art as one of the foundations of Russian national culture.

Course objectives:

1. To help the student understand the basic patterns of the functioning of folklore as part of the national spiritual culture in the process of its emergence and development.

2. To develop skills in working with scientific literature, to teach students to actively use the scientific apparatus in the process of theoretical understanding of the patterns of development of folklore.

3. Reveal the significance of folk poetry as one of the foundations of Russian national culture, its artistic and ethical value.

4. To promote awareness of the possibilities of using the moral potential of folk poetry in the subsequent cultural and educational activities of future specialists.

Plan

1. Song "Avdotya Ryazanochka".

2. Historical songs about Ermak and Ivan the Terrible. "Pravezh".

3. Songs about Stenka Razin. "Esaul reports on the execution of Razin."

1. Song "Avdotya Ryazanochka".

Historical songs depict events related to Russian history. In the 13th–15th centuries they were thematically connected with the Tatar-Mongol invasion and the people’s struggle against foreign yoke. These include songs about Avdotya Ryazanochka, Shchelkan, and Tatar captivity. They are patriotic in nature.

The song "Avdotya Ryazanochka" reflects an episode of the Tatar-Mongol invasion, the capture of Ryazan. Ryazan was destroyed, its inhabitants were killed and driven into slavery:

Yes, he ruined Kazan 1, a city under the forest,

Ruined Kazan city to nothing

He knocked out all the boyar princes in Kazan,

And the princesses and boyars -

I took all those alive.

He captivated many thousands of people,

He led the Turkish to his land... 2

The song tells how King Bakhmet of Turkey took all the surviving inhabitants away from the city. Avdotya was the only one left in Ryazan, and she went to Bakhmet to help her loved ones out of trouble. Her path was difficult and difficult. The conquerors left three great outposts on the roads:

The first great outpost -

He let rivers and deep lakes flow;

Another great outpost -

The open field is wide,

He became robber thieves;

And the third outpost is dark forests,

He unleashed fierce beasts.

And Avdotya went into the Turkish land.

She was not walking along the path, not the road,

Yes, the rivers are deep, the lakes are wide

She swam pilaf

And small rivers and wide lakes

She swam pilaf

And small rivers, wide lakes,

Yes, she wandered through the ford. 4

Finally Avdotya came to the king. He was amazed by the woman’s unheard-of courage, her love for her loved ones, her patriotic feeling of love for her native land. In Avdotya’s conversation with the king, elements of allegory, a kind of riddle, appear. Bakhmet says:

"Yes, she knew how to speak to the king,

Yes, know how to ask the king for a full head,

Yes, which little head will not be acquired for more than a century."

This sounds like a riddle, and Avdotya Ryazanochka answers him that she will have a husband, and a father-in-law, and a son, and a daughter-in-law, and a mother-in-law, but there will be no beloved brother. The king, amazed by her wisdom, not only presented her with a golden treasury, but also returned all the captured Ryazan residents. And everyone returned home and built the city of Ryazan in a new place. And this is a valid fact.

The plot of the song, and possibly the image of Avdotya, is fictional. Fiction is based on epic and fairy tale traditions. Associated with them are visual means, a hyperbolic depiction of the enemy (description of Avdotya’s path), and solving a riddle. In the song, the life story of Avdotya and her family appears as an expression of a folk national tragedy.

2. Historical songs about Ermak and Ivan the Terrible. "Pravezh"

Other songs tell about events in the personal life of Ivan the Terrible, his struggle with treason. One of these songs is the song about Grozny’s murder of his son.

These songs present the contradictory image of the king in different ways, which is also revealed in everyday life. So, in the song “Pravezh” (in Ancient Rus' this was the name for a trial accompanied by physical punishment), the tsar witnesses the reprisal in the square of a good fellow, who is beaten on the pravezh, placed on a “white flammable stone naked, barefoot and barefoot.” The description of the poor fellow is repeated three times, which intensifies the tragic moment of the massacre:

Well done, he won’t shake himself,

His russian curls won’t tangle,

There are only burning tears from the eyes.

This picture is seen by the king passing by. He stops and asks the question: “Why are you torturing the good fellow?” And, having received an answer, he does not agree with the court’s decision to punish the young man for the theft of a gold treasury and a “colored” dress, which he did not steal himself, but recaptured from robber thieves. The king believed the young man. He was also satisfied with the answer that he carried all this wealth to the drinking houses and gave water to all the tavern’s naked people: “And I gave all the tavern’s naked people to drink, and dressed all our barefoot people in colored clothes.” The king made a fair decision:

“Oh, you goy, kissing burghers!

Pay him fifty rubles for each blow,

And for dishonor, pay him five hundred rubles! ". 1

And this decision was truly fair, since the young man did not spend this wealth on himself, but gave it to the people. The Tsar was not only formidable, but also Orthodox (he judged truthfully). These epithets are repeated several times in the song.

3. Songs about Stenka Razin. "Esaul reports on the execution of Razin"

In the 17th century, songs told about the events of the Time of Troubles (foreign intervention) and about the peasant uprising led by Stepan Razin. The songs, first of all, reflect the image of Razin himself with the real features of the historical prototype. According to the traditions of oral poetry, he is depicted as a good fellow: light brown curls, a beautiful face with falcon eyes and sable eyebrows, a caftan belted with a wide belt, velvet pants, morocco boots. In songs, people call him a good fellow, a daring Cossack, a daring chieftain. Epithets emphasize the people's love for Razin. The songs of this cycle are characterized by the use of constant epithets: open field, dark forests, clear eyes, white hands. The image of Razin influenced contemporary folklore. These songs are filled with specific content. In the descriptions of individual episodes of the uprising, they are close to the truth of life. The songs tell about campaigns, about the capture of cities, about defeats and failures. The people mourn the death of Razin.

In the song "Esaul reports on the execution of Razin" one feels sympathy and heartache:

It was at dawn, brothers, at morning,

At the rising of the red sun,

At the end of the bright month.

It was not a falcon that flew across the sky

Yasaul was walking around the kindergarten...

We no longer have Ataman,

There is no Stepan Timofeevich,

Nicknamed Stenka Razin.

We caught a good fellow

Tied up white hands,

Taken to stone Moscow

And on the glorious Red Square

They cut off the riot's head. 1

A special place in Razin folklore is occupied by songs about Razin’s “son,” i.e. about his scout, the ataman's envoy. They were distributed everywhere, including in the Volga region, and were distinguished by artistic expressiveness, capacity and dynamism. It is believed that the historical basis of songs about “son” are real facts. Thus, in the song “Son” by Razin in Astrakhan” it is sung:

Like in the city in Astrakhan

A little unknown man appeared here.

Walks cleanly and carefully around Astrakhan,

Smur kaftan, black jacket wide open, walking,

Plat Persian sash in right hand carries...

This kid bows to no one,

He doesn’t hit either the headquarters or the officers,

He won't go to trial with the Astrakhan governor. 2

And even when they catch the “son” and bring him to the governor, he also behaves independently:

"I am not from St. Petersburg, not from Kazan and not from Astrakhan,

Tomorrow my father will visit you."

Historical songs about Peter I and Pugachev. "Peter I will be recognized in the Swedish city", "The trial of Pugachev. Panin"

Historical songs were also dedicated to the reformer of Russian life, Peter I. In the songs, Peter is shown as an outstanding commander. They express the sympathy of the people for his activities. In the songs, he is an ideal king, caring for the welfare of his subjects, a brilliant commander, and organizer of military victories. Thus, the song “Peter I is Recognized in the Swedish City” talks about one episode of the reign of Peter I. The Tsar secretly goes to the Swedish kingdom under the guise of a merchant. The song says that no one knows or knows about this. In order to appear as a rich merchant, he fills his ships with pure silver, decorates them with pure gold, and takes with him “very little money.” Peter orders to call himself not a sovereign, but an overseas merchant.

However, he is recognized in the “glass state” (Stockholm). The Swedish Queen shouts to her subjects:

"Oh, you goy, my Swedish generals!

Lock your gates tighter

You catch the white king quickly!"

Talking about this event, the song emphasizes Peter’s courage and resourcefulness:

He guessed all the Swedish plans,

He quickly rushed into the peasant’s yard:

"Take it, take it, peasant, plenty of money,

Take me to the edge of the blue sea."

On the ships the king escapes from pursuit. Enemies try to capture him, but to no avail. In an effort to catch the Russian Tsar, the Queen sends chases twice. And the pursuers ask Peter to take them with him, since there is no way back for them:

"Take us, take us, white king, with you,

Won't you take us with you, father?

We, the bitter ones, will never be alive in the world."

After the king’s refusal, “the whole pursuit was thrown into the blue sea.” 1

The people call Peter “our father.” This appeal shows the people's love for the autocrat.

There are significantly fewer historical songs about Pugachev, because in the minds of the people he was a legitimate king, and not a free Cossack robber. It was impossible to write robber songs about him. In Pugachev's songs, people idealized the image of Pugachev, saw him as a protector, a hero, portrayed him as rebellious and proud even in difficult life situations. This is shown in the song "The Trial of Pugachev. Panin", in which the ataman behaves proudly, independently, answering the question of the royal nobleman Panin:

Count Panin judged the thief Pugachev here:

Tell me, tell me, Pugachenko, Emelyan Ivanovich,

How many princes and boyars have you hung?

Outweighed your brothers seven hundred and seven thousand.

Thank you, Panin, for not getting caught:

I would add some rank,