Russian heroes 4. Start in science. Mikhail Potyk - Bogatyr Like A Rolling Stone

WITH Ilya Muromets rocks at full speed. Burushka Kosmatushka jumps from mountain to mountain, jumps over rivers and lakes, flies over hills.

Ilya jumped off his horse. He supports Burushka with his left hand, and with his right hand he uproots oak trees and lays oak floorings through the swamp. Ilya laid out a road for thirty miles - good people still drive along it.

So Ilya reached the Smorodina River.

The river flows wide, turbulent, and rolls from stone to stone.

Burushka neighed, soared higher than the dark forest and jumped over the river in one leap.

The Nightingale the Robber sits across the river on three oak trees and nine branches. Not a falcon will fly past those oak trees, not a beast will run, not a reptile will crawl past them. Everyone is afraid of the Nightingale the Robber, no one wants to die.

Nightingale heard the gallop of a horse, stood up on the oak trees, and shouted in a terrible voice:

TO So Ilya grabbed the horse with his whip, Burushka Kosmatushka took off, jumped a mile and a half. Where the horses' hooves struck, there flowed a spring of living water. Ilyusha cut down a damp oak tree at the key, placed a frame over the key, and wrote on the frame the following words: “A Russian hero, the peasant son Ilya Ivanovich, rode here.”

A living fontanel still flows there, the oak frame still stands, and in the night a bear beast goes to the icy spring to drink water and gain heroic strength.

And Ilya went to Kyiv.

He drove along a straight road past the city of Chernigov. As he approached Chernigov, he heard noise and din under the walls: thousands of Tatars besieged the city. From the dust, from the steam of the horse, there is a darkness over the ground, and the red sun is not visible in the sky. The gray bunny cannot slip between the Tatars, and the clear falcon cannot fly over the army. And in Chernigov there is crying and groaning, funeral bells are ringing. The Chernigovites locked themselves in a stone cathedral, crying, praying, waiting for death: three princes approached Chernigov, each with forty thousand forces. Ilya’s heart burned. He besieged Burushka, tore out a green oak from the ground, with stones and roots, grabbed it by the top and rushed at the Tatars. He began to wave the oak tree, and began to trample his enemies with his horse. Where he waves, there will be a street, and where he waves, there will be an alley.

Ilya galloped up to the three princes, grabbed them by their yellow curls and spoke to them these words:

IN In ancient times, the peasant Ivan Timofeevich lived near the city of Murom, in the village of Karacharovo, with his wife Efrosinya Yakovlevna.

They had one son, Ilya. His father and mother loved him, but they only cried, looking at him: for thirty years Ilya had been lying on the stove, not moving his arm or leg. And the hero Ilya is tall, and bright in mind, and sharp-eyed, but his legs do not move, as if they were lying on logs, they do not move.

Lying on the stove, Ilya hears his mother crying, his father sighing, the Russian people complaining: enemies are attacking Rus', fields are being trampled, people are being killed, children are being orphaned. Robbers prowl along the roads, they do not allow people either passage or passage. The Serpent Gorynych flies into Rus' and drags the girls into his lair.

Gorky Ilya, hearing about all this, complains about his fate:

- Oh, you, my weak legs, oh, my weak hands! If I were healthy, I would not give my native Rus' offense to enemies and robbers!

So the days went by, the months rolled by...

M Who knows, how much time has passed, Dobrynya married the daughter of Mikula Selyaninovich - young Nastasya Mikulishna.

Dobrynya and his wife lived in a quiet house for only a year, when Prince Vladimir sent for him and said to him:

“It’s enough for you, Dobrynya, to sit at home, you need to manage the prince’s service.” Go, clear a direct path to the Golden Horde to Beket Beketovich. An evil black raven flies along that path, preventing Russian people from passing or passing. And then go to White-Eyed Chud, receive tribute from it for ten years, and on the way back visit the stubborn Saracen kingdom, so that the Saracens do not dare to go against Kyiv.

Dobrynya was sad, but there was nothing to do.

He returned home, went to Mother Mamelfa Timofeevna and began to complain bitterly to her:

- Why did you give birth to me, mother, the unfortunate one? She would have wrapped me in a linen rag and thrown me like a pebble into the blue sea. I would lie at the bottom, I would not travel to distant countries, I would not kill people, I would not grieve other people’s mothers, I would not orphan little children.

Mamelfa Timofeevna answers him:

AND Once upon a time there was a widow, Mamelfa Timofeevna, near Kiev. She had a beloved son - the hero Dobrynyushka. Throughout Kyiv, fame spread about Dobrynya: he was stately, and tall, and learned to read and write, and was brave in battle, and cheerful at the feast. He will compose a song, play the harp, and say a clever word. And Dobrynya’s disposition is calm and affectionate. He will not scold anyone, he will not offend anyone in vain. No wonder they nicknamed him “quiet Dobrynyushka.”
Once on a hot summer day, Dobrynya wanted to swim in the river. He went to his mother Mamelfa Timofeevna:

“Let me go, mother, to go to the Puchai River and swim in the chilly water—the summer heat has exhausted me.”

Mamelfa Timofeevna got excited and began to dissuade Dobrynya:

- My dear son Dobrynyushka, don’t go to the Puchai River. The river is furious and angry. From the first stream the fire shoots out, from the second stream sparks fall, from the third stream smoke pours out in a column.

“Okay, mother, at least let me go along the shore and get some fresh air.”

Mamelfa Timofeevna released Dobrynya.

IN In the glorious city of Rostov, the Rostov cathedral priest had one and only son. His name was Alyosha, nicknamed Popovich after his father.

Alyosha Popovich did not learn to read and write, did not sit down to read books, but learned from an early age to wield a spear, shoot a bow, and tame heroic horses. Alyosha is not a great hero in strength, but he prevailed with audacity and cunning. Alyosha Popovich grew up to sixteen years old, and he became bored in his father’s house.

He began to ask his father to let him go into an open field, into a wide expanse, to travel freely throughout Rus', to reach the blue sea, to hunt in the forests. His father let him go and gave him a heroic horse, a saber, a sharp spear and a bow with arrows. Alyosha began to saddle his horse and began to say:

- Serve me faithfully, heroic horse. Don’t leave me either dead or wounded to be torn apart by gray wolves, to be pecked by black crows, to be desecrated by enemies! Wherever we are, bring us home!

He dressed his horse like a prince. The saddle is from Cherkassy, ​​the girth is silk, the bridle is gilded.

Alyosha called his beloved friend Ekim Ivanovich with him and on Saturday morning he left home to seek heroic glory for himself.

IN The Holy Mountains are high in Rus', their gorges are deep, their abysses are terrible. Neither birch, nor oak, nor aspen, nor green grass grow there. Even a wolf can’t run there, an eagle can’t fly by, and even an ant has nothing to profit from on the bare rocks. Only the hero Svyatogor rides between the cliffs on his mighty horse.

The horse leaps over chasms, jumps over gorges, and steps from mountain to mountain.
An old man rides through the Holy Mountains.
Here the mother of cheese earth sways,
Stones crumble in the abyss,
The streams flow quickly.

The hero Svyatogor is taller than a dark forest, he props up the clouds with his head, he gallops through the mountains - the mountains shake under him, he drives into the river - all the water from the river splashes out. He rides for a day, two, three - he stops, pitches his tent, lies down, gets some sleep, and again his horse wanders through the mountains.

Svyatogor the hero is bored, sad, old: in the mountains there is no one to say a word with, no one to measure strength with.

Svyatogor is older than many gods. Many are familiar with this mighty giant from the epic where he meets Ilya Muromets and hides him and his horse in his pocket.
There is a lot of mystery in the image of Svyatogor. Why, for example, does he live in a mountainous place, get stuck in the ground, as if in a marshy swamp, and cannot lift his bag, where all the “earthly cravings” are hidden? Why doesn’t he guard the borders of Holy Rus', like Ilya and other heroes, or plow the land, like Mikula Selyaninovich? For what reason does he live alone, and not with other giants - Gorynya, Dubynya and Usynya? What does the mention in one of the versions of the epic mean about his “dark” father? And how did it happen that he, powerful and invincible, suddenly loses his strength in a stone coffin he accidentally found?
Svyatogor, in Slavic mythology, is the son of Rod, the brother of Svarog, and the Svarozhichi were his nephews.
His father is called “dark,” that is, blind, erroneously: Rod is primordial, omnipresent, all-seeing. Svyatogor was born in order to stand guard over the world of Reveal and not to let dark monsters from Navi come here. The entrance there was at the foot of the pillar on which the sky was supported. The pillar itself (or the World Tree) was located in the holy mountains, where the giant’s name comes from. It is not an easy task to stand on the border of Light and Darkness. Other giants, the Gorynychi - Gorynya, Dubynya and Usynya - were born by the dark, blind ruler Viy out of envy and in opposition to Svyatogor. Viy, partially familiar to us from Gogol’s story, appointed his three sons to guard the exit from Navi so that the souls of the dead could not escape from there. So, standing on the other side of the border, they were enemies of Svyatogor.
The enormous weight of Svyatogor prevented him from leaving his post and moving to other places. Yet one day, according to Mokosh’s prediction, he was forced to leave the Holy Mountains. The goddess predicted to the giant that he would marry the serpent maiden. The giant was upset, but decided to find his betrothed - maybe she’s not so scary after all? He went to distant seas, moved from one island to another. And finally I saw a snake. Svyatogor decided that it was better to die a bachelor than to marry such a monster. He turned around and hit her with his sword. Then he threw a golden altyn to atone for what he had done and, bursting into burning tears, wandered away.
Meanwhile, Svyatogor’s blow had a magical effect on the snake: it freed itself from the spell cast on it and became, as before, the beautiful girl Plenka. The beauty raised the golden altyn. It turned out to be irredeemable, and she gave it to the townspeople. They put the coin into circulation and soon became incredibly rich. They did not forget their benefactress - they generously gifted Film, and she used the money she received to equip a caravan and set off in search of a savior. Whether she wandered long or short, she found Svyatogor and told him her story. The giant did not immediately believe that this beautiful girl was the same snake that he had killed. Then he waved his hand: you never know what miracles happen in the world! He married Plenka, as Mokosh predicted, and soon their daughters were born - Plenkini.
This story also became known in Greece: either it was brought there by the Aryan people of the Dorians, or by the Balkan Slavs. Only the Greeks began to call Svyatogor, in their own way, Atlas (or Atlas). His wife Plenka was considered the oceanid Pleione. Their daughters were named Pleiades. These girls became stars, and Perseus, showing their father the head of Medusa the Gorgon, turned Atlas into a rock. These mountains in Africa are still called Atlas.
There are many more stories about Svyatogor, it’s impossible to tell them all. Let us recall just one of them. The giant got tired of defending the gods, whom he had not really seen, and he decided to build a stone staircase to heaven and look at them himself. Rod did not deprive him of strength and Svyatogor coped with the work: he reached the very throne of the Most High in heaven.
God did not scold him for his self-will, but praised him for his work and said that he would fulfill any desire of the giant. Svyatogor asked for immeasurable strength and more wisdom than any of the gods. Eh, if I knew that any desire also has a downside, I would probably be careful not to ask for intelligence and strength. “You will be stronger than the Svarozhichi, but the stone itself will overpower you,” the Most High answered him. “You will become wiser than the gods, but man will deceive you!” The giant just grinned in response, not believing what was said. Surely he, who built a staircase to heaven from rocks, should be afraid of some pebble! Well, what about the small human race, the bugs under our feet, what can they do to them?
And everything turned out according to the word of the Almighty. And the stone coffin, in which Svyatogor jokingly lay down, became his last refuge, and the hero Ilya Muromets outwitted the giant. Or maybe it’s for the better: the time of the giants has passed, the era of people has begun. And Svyatogor was tired of eternal life, it was time for him to rest. Only with his last breath did he manage to transfer part of his strength to his hero.
It is known about Ilya that he performed many feats for the glory of Holy Rus', and in his old age he came to the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery and became a monk there. He spent days and nights in his cell, atonement for his sins, voluntary and involuntary. That’s why he didn’t notice how the killer sneaked up on him and dealt a treacherous stab in the back. However, there is not a word about this in the epics. Scientists-anthropologists who examined the remains of Ilya Muromets learned about this. They determined that since childhood the hero’s left leg was shorter than his right - that’s why he lay “thirty years and three years” on the stove until the wandering magicians breathed mighty strength into him.

The main characters of the epics are the heroes who single-handedly defended the Russian land from hordes of enemy forces. The world depicted in epics is the entire Russian land. This is a world of opposition between good and evil, light and dark forces. In it, heroes fight against the manifestation of evil and violence; without this struggle, the epic world is impossible.

Ilya Muromets. Represents strength

Ilya Muromets is canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church; he is the main Russian hero. Ilya Muromets is a hero not only of Russian epics, but also, for example, of German epic poems of the 13th century. In them he is also called Ilya, he is also a hero, yearning for his homeland. Ilya Muromets also appears in the Scandinavian sagas, in which he is the blood brother of Prince Vladimir.

Nikitich. Bogatyr-diplomat

Dobrynya Nikitich is often compared to the chronicle Dobrynya, the uncle of Prince Vladimir (according to one version, nephew). His name personifies the essence of “heroic kindness.” Dobrynya has the nickname “young”, with enormous physical strength “he wouldn’t hurt a fly”, he is the protector of “widows and orphans, unfortunate wives.” Dobrynya is also “an artist at heart: a master of singing and playing the harp.”

Alesha Popovich. Junior

“The youngest of the younger” heroes, and therefore his set of qualities is not so “Superman”. He is not even a stranger to vice: cunning, selfishness, greed. That is, on the one hand, he is distinguished by courage, but on the other, he is proud, arrogant, perky and rude.

Bova Korolevich. Lubok hero

Bova Korolevich was the most popular hero among the people for a long time. Popular folk tales about the “precious hero” were published in hundreds of editions from the 18th to the 20th centuries. Pushkin wrote “The Tale of Tsar Saltan”, partially borrowing the plot and names of the heroes of the fairy tales about the Boy Korolevich, which his nanny read to him. Moreover, he even made sketches of the poem “Bova,” but death would prevent him from finishing the work. The prototype of this knight was the French knight Bovo de Anton from the famous chronicle poem Reali di Francia, written in the 14th century. In this respect, Bova is a completely unique hero - a visiting hero.

Svyatogor. Mega-hero

Mega-hero of the “old world”. The giant, the elder hero the size of a mountain, whom even the earth cannot support, lies on the mountain in inaction. The epics tell of his meeting with earthly cravings and death in a magical grave. Many features of the biblical hero Samson were transferred to Svyatogor. It is difficult to determine exactly its ancient origins. In the legends of the people, the veteran hero transfers his strength to Ilya Muromets, the hero of the Christian century.

Duke Stepanovich. Bogatyr Major

Duke Stepanovich comes to Kyiv from conventional India, behind which, according to folklorists, in this case the Galician-Volyn land is hidden, and organizes a marathon of boasting in Kyiv, undergoes tests from the prince, and continues to boast. As a result, Vladimir finds out that Duke is indeed very rich and offers him citizenship. But Duke refuses, because “if you sell Kyiv and Chernigov and buy paper for an inventory of Dyukov’s wealth, there won’t be enough paper.”

Mikula Selyaninovich. Bogatyr Plowman

Mikula Selyaninovich is a bogatyr agrarian. Found in two epics: about Svyatogor and about Volga Svyatoslavich. Mikula is the first representative of agricultural life, a powerful peasant plowman. He is strong and resilient, but homely. He puts all his strength into farming and family.

Volga Svyatoslavovich. Bogatyr magician

Supporters of the “historical school” in the study of epics believe that the prototype of the epic Volga was Prince Vseslav of Polotsk. Volga was also correlated with the Prophetic Oleg, and his campaign in India with Oleg’s campaign against Constantinople. Volga is a difficult hero; he has the ability to become a werewolf and can understand the language of animals and birds.

Sukhman Odikhmantievich. Insulted hero

According to Vsevolod Miller, the prototype of the hero was the Pskov prince Dovmont, who ruled from 1266 to 1299. In the epic of the Kyiv cycle, Sukhman goes to get a white swan for Prince Vladimir, but on the way he comes into conflict with the Tatar horde, who are building Kalinov bridges on the Nepra River. Sukhman defeats the Tatars, but in the battle he receives wounds, which he covers with leaves. Returning to Kyiv without the white swan, he tells the prince about the battle, but the prince does not believe him and imprisons Sukhman in prison until clarification. Dobrynya goes to Nepra and finds out that Sukhman did not lie. But it's' too late. Sukhman feels disgraced, peels off the leaves and bleeds. The Sukhman River begins from his blood.

Danube Ivanovich. Tragic hero

According to epics about the Danube, it was from the blood of the hero that the river of the same name began. The Danube is a tragic hero. He loses to his wife Nastasya in an archery competition, accidentally hits her while trying to get even, finds out that Nastasya was pregnant and stumbles upon a saber.

Mikhailo Potyk. Faithful husband

Folklorists disagree on who should be associated with Mikhailo Potyk (or Potok). The roots of his image are found in the Bulgarian heroic epic, and in Western European fairy tales, and even in the Mongolian epic “Geser”. According to one of the epics, Potok and his wife Avdotya Lebed Belaya make a vow that whichever of them dies first, the second one will be buried alive next to him in the grave. When Avdotya dies, Potok is buried nearby in full armor and on horseback, he fights the dragon and revives his wife with its blood. When he himself dies, Avdotya is buried with him.

Khoten Bludovich. Bogatyr-groom

The hero Khoten Bludovich, for the sake of his wedding with the enviable bride Chaina Chasovaya, first beats her nine brothers, then an entire army hired by his future mother-in-law. As a result, the hero receives a rich dowry and appears in the epic as the hero “who married well.”

Vasily Buslaev. Zealous hero

The most daring hero of the Novgorod epic cycle. His unbridled temper leads to conflict with the Novgorodians and he desperately rages, bets that he will beat all the Novgorod men on the Volkhov Bridge and almost fulfills his promise - until his mother stops him. In another epic, he is already mature and goes to Jerusalem to atone for his sins. But Buslaev is incorrigible - he again takes up his old ways and dies absurdly, proving his prowess.

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

Where did the heroes come from?

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

“Elders” are older, ancient, date back to the pre-Christian period, sometimes they are supernatural creatures, werewolves with incredible strength. “It may have happened or it may not have happened,” this is just about them. Tales about them passed from mouth to mouth, and many historians generally consider them to be myths or ancient Slavic deities.

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

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

1. Svyatogor. Bogatyr-Gora

The terrible giant, the Elder Hero the size of a mountain, whom even the earth cannot support, lies on the mountain in inaction. The epics tell of his meeting with earthly cravings and death in a magical grave. Many features of the biblical hero Samson were transferred to Svyatogor. It is difficult to determine exactly the ancient origin of Svyatogor. In the legends of the people, the ancient warrior transfers his strength to Ilya Muromets, the hero of the Christian age.

2. Mikula Selyaninovich. Bogatyr-Plow

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

3. Ilya Muromets. The hero and the man

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

The relics of St. Elijah resting in the Anthony Caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra show that for his time he really had a very impressive size and was head and shoulders taller than a man of average height. The relics of the monk no less clearly testify to his vivid military biography - in addition to a deep round wound on his left arm, the same significant damage can be seen in the left chest area. It seems that the hero covered his chest with his hand, and it was nailed to his heart by a spear blow.

4. Dobrynya Nikitich. Bogatyr-Lionheart

Compares with the chronicle Dobrynya, the uncle of Prince Vladimir (according to another version, nephew). His name personifies the essence of the “heroic kindness.” Dobrynya has the nickname “young”, with enormous physical strength “he wouldn’t hurt a fly”, he is the protector of “widows and orphans, unfortunate wives”. Dobrynya is also “an artist at heart: a master of singing and playing the harp.” He is a representative of high Russian society, like a prince-commander. He is a prince, a rich man who has received a higher education, an archer and an excellent fighter, he knows all the subtleties of etiquette, he is intelligent in his speeches, but he is easily carried away and is not very persistent; in private life he is a quiet and meek person.

5. Alyosha Popovich. Bogatyr - Robin

He is closely connected with Ilya Muromets and Dobrynya Nikitich: he is in constant relations with them. He is, as it were, the “youngest of the younger” heroes, and therefore his set of qualities is not so “Superman”. He is not even a stranger to vice: cunning, selfishness, greed. That is, on the one hand, he is distinguished by courage, but on the other hand, he is proud, arrogant, abusive, perky and rude. In battle he is nimble, cunning, daring, but in the end, by the later development of the epic, Alyosha turns out to be a woman's mockingbird, a malicious slanderer of female honor and an unlucky ladies' man. It is difficult to understand how the hero survived such degeneration; perhaps it was all due to a natural trait - boastfulness.

6. Mikhail Potyk - Bogatyr Like A Rolling Stone

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

7.Churila Plenkovich - Visiting Bogatyr

In addition to the old and new heroes, there is a separate group of visiting daredevils. Surovets Suzdalets, Duke Stepanovich, Churila Plenkovich are just from this series. The nicknames of these heroes are a direct reference to their native area. Crimea in ancient times was called Surozh or Sugdaya, so the hero who came from there was called Surovets or Suzdal. Churilo Plenkovich also came from Surozh, whose name is “deciphered” as Cyril, the son of Plenk, Frank, Frank, that is, the Italian merchant of Sourozh (with this name Felenk, Ferenk the Turks and Tatars designated the Genoese in the Crimea). Churila is the personification of youth, audacity and wealth. His fame preceded him - he arranged his acquaintance with Prince Vladimir as follows: he instilled fear in the boyars and nobles, intrigued the prince with his audacity and daring, invited him to the estate - and... modestly agreed to serve the prince. However, he became a hostage to his insolence - he fell in love with the young wife of an old boyar. The old boyar returned home - he cut off Churila’s head, and his young wife threw herself onto a sharp pitchfork with her breasts.