Volga Svyatoslavovich - famous epic hero, which reflected the features of both historical and primitive communal system. A feature of the character is that, according to the legends, he was able to understand the language of animals and birds, and also turn into animals. In science, there is a point of view that in the face of this character the features of several real-life ancient Russian princes were combined.
Origin opinions
In historiography, there are several opinions about who Volga Svyatoslavovich is. Some researchers see in his image features of the primitive communal way of life. They refer to the following plot points in the epics: the description of thunder and lightning at his birth, as well as the mythological fact that, according to fairy tales, his father was a serpent.
Some scientists see in this the echoes of ancient Slavic cults and pagan beliefs. However, other authors trace in this character real historical roots. For example, there is a version that Volga Svyatoslavovich was the prototype of Prince Vseslav of Polotsk. There is a point of view that the features of the famous Prophetic Oleg, who, according to legend, died from a snakebite, in which parallels are found with the history of this fairy-tale character.
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Birth
Several stories are associated with the name of the hero, and the first of them is dedicated to his birth. As mentioned above, its origin is shrouded in various kinds of mythological layers. At the moment of his birth, according to the legend, there was thunder, lightning flashed, and all the animals were frightened. Like many other Russians folk tales, Volga Svyatoslavovich grew by leaps and bounds, intensively gaining strength. He quickly learned to read and write, as well as understand the language of animals. In this version of its origin, the influence of the pagan totemic ideas of the ancient Slavs about the connection between people and animals is clearly expressed.
Wars
Volga Svyatoslavovich, an epic about which is dedicated to his campaigns in overseas countries, was one of the most popular folklore heroes of the Old Russian epic. His difference from other characters is that he does not achieve victory. physical strength, like other knights, but by cunning, magic and sorcery. This is shown in a work dedicated to his campaign in India.
According to the legend, he recruits a squad and goes to fight in foreign lands. Unknown author writes how he turns into a wolf, then into a falcon, getting his warriors game for food. Before the siege, according to the myth, he turns the vigilantes into ants, and after taking the fortress, he again returns them to their human form. After the victory, he marries the wife of the deceased ruler, and his soldiers take local women as their wives.
Historical motives
Many scientists find in this episode one more important difference character stories from traditional stories about knights. The fact is that usually the epic Old Russian warrior did not stay in place, but continued to travel around the Russian lands, protecting them from enemies. The fact that the hero remained in the conquered city allows many authors to assert that in this legend there are echoes of a distant time of migration and enmity between the tribes, when the conquerors settled in the conquered territories and married local residents.
Meeting with Mikula Selyaninovich
On the reflection of many archaic features in myths about the hero says them summary. Volga Svyatoslavovich not only travels to overseas lands, but also travels across Russian lands. One of the legends tells how he received three cities as governorship, where he intended to collect tribute. He gathered his squad and set out on his journey. On the way, he met with a peasant plowman who cultivated the land with a plow.
The work gives a lengthy description of this new hero, a simple peasant peasant Mikula, who could lift a heavy plow with one hand, which neither the combatants nor Volga himself could pull out of the furrow. According to the story, main character gave these cities to Mikula after he put things in order in the collection of tribute. The fact is that before the tax collectors abused their powers, collecting more money than it was supposed to.
Historical realities
The main idea of the epic "Volga Svyatoslavovich" is that it shows not only the feats of arms of soldiers, but also a simple peasant labor, as well as the occupations of the ancient Slavs. In the legend of the Indian campaign, hunting is shown, for example, as the main occupation of the people. If in other works this species classes were portrayed as fun for princes and their combatants, it is shown here that forestry provided people with a livelihood. The work reflected those times when the population did not yet know either agriculture or cattle breeding, and was mainly an appropriating economy. So, it is precisely at the expense of prey that the squad of the character eats on a campaign.
Influence of foreign legends
The second part, according to the general recognition of researchers, is less historical, since it reflects several cultural layers, for example, the motives of writings about Alexander the Great, who also made a trip to India. In addition, there are a number of references to fairy tales of other Eastern peoples. This affected, first of all, in folklore moments associated with the transformation of a character into animals. However, in the epic there is a reference to an event from ancient Russian history: we are talking about the campaign of Prophetic Oleg against Byzantium. This prince built ships on wheels to guide the army. Volga also resorts to various tricks to achieve the capture of the city.
Novgorod roots
The story of the hero's meeting with Mikula, according to most experts, is connected with Novgorod realities. This is evidenced by the description of nature, which resembles the northern regions of the country. In these places, the soil was very difficult to plow, there really were stones in it, as it is said in the epic. In addition, salt and pennies are mentioned in the work, which, according to a number of authors, is due to the fact that Novgorod, having plenty of its own salt, nevertheless bought it from German merchants, for which they paid a large tribute. Related to this is the mention of unjust tax collectors. The city of Orekhovets is also mentioned in the epic, in which many historians see a reference to ancient city Nut.
Another curious point that the authors point to regarding this epic is how the relationship of the character with simple peasant. Mikula clearly surpassed his Volga in strength and agility. His mare turned out to be faster and more enduring than Volga's horses. In this, the authors see references to that distant time, when the Varangian squads and the local Slavic population were at enmity with each other.
Peculiarities
Epics dedicated to this character are distinguished by the fact that they reflect many archaic features inherent in ancient Russian society. Therefore, in his image he combined several cultural traditions Volga Svyatoslavovich. The cartoon, filmed in 2010, however, did not at all reflect the ancient Russian motifs characteristic of these works. But the legends have shown transition period in the making ancient Russian state with the preservation of elements of the communal system, but with the emergence of the political power of the rulers. This is the difference between legends and traditional epics, which show the already established social structure. But none of these features was shown by the cartoon "Volga Svyatoslavovich", which was filmed in modern style regardless of historical realities.
Volkh Vseslavievich - an epic hero named after his son.
PEDIGREE: mother - Marfa Vseslavovna
NAME: Where did the name Volkh come from? According to an ancient Novgorod legend, the prince had an eldest son, a great sorcerer - Volkh. On the banks of the Mutnaya River, which was named Volkhov in his honor, he built a large fortress for himself and robbed there mercilessly, turning into water monsters like a hippopotamus, a crocodile or a terrible snake, blocking the path of all ships and frightening honest sailors. That fortress was erected on a place that was called Peryn - there Volkh erected an idol Slavic god. The people both feared and revered the Volkh, honored him as for God, for a god, called among themselves both Thunder and Perun. And then all the sorcerers who lived after him began to be called not just anything, but the Magi.
PROTOTYPE. But they say that Volga Svyatoslavovich had another prototype: Vseslav Bryacheslavovich (aka Vseslav the Prophetic or Vseslav the Enchanter). He reigned in Polotsk for 57 years (from 1044 to 1101). Known as the hero of "The Tale of Igor's Campaign", as well as in East Slavic folklore, where he appears as a sorcerer and hero. Folklore ascribes to him the ability to turn into a forest beast.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
- Who was Volkh's teacher?
Wizard and sorcerer
- How was Volkh's training going? How old and what did he learn?
At the age of seven, he learned to read and write, and at ten he learned to turn into animals: a clear falcon, a gray wolf, and a tour that "golden horns." In addition, Volkh could turn into an ant and into an ermine.
- What city did Tsar Saltyk want to conquer?
Tsar Saltyk Stavrulievich wanted to capture Great Kyiv-grad, as well as Chernigov and Novgorod
- The main theme of the epic about Volkh Vseslavovich - about the Motherland or about magic?
The true value, the meaning of life, the most important and most important thing for all Russian heroes was the defense of the Fatherland. And magic is just a tool, help, a nice bonus.
********
What unusual thing did you notice at the very beginning of the epic? What can the white cloud symbolize?
Middle of the sky?
Storm?
Rainbow?
Remember fairy tales, is there any similarity, if so,
then in what?
And the birth of a hero, his growth (in a fairy tale: not according to
days, but by the hour ...) - similarity with a fairy tale
coy.
How do you understand the phrase "Swaddle me in strongdamask armor » (Hard Steel Armor)
What do you think a club is? (ancient weapon - a heavy club with a thickened end.
What do you think, who is the old wizard? (Wizard)
How do you understand the phrase: "He taught the Magus to magic" - does this mean what to do? (conjure)
Why do you think the magician helps our hero?
Do wizards help everyone in fairy tales? - no, it’s right not for everyone, but for one of the heroes who does good.
Again we observe a resemblance to a fairy tale.
What does the number 30 symbolize?
Why do you think Magus decided to visit neighboring kingdoms-states? What was the purpose of our hero? (the hero decided to see what was happening in each kingdom)
How does this characterize him?
And how do you imagine Tsar Saltyk?
How are his actions described? Comment.
What do you think of the queen? Her behavior? Draw her portrait in words, what personal qualities belong to her?
What do you think the word "Tour" means? (i.e. will come as a wild bull with big horns)
- In the guise of whom did Volkh appear in the third kingdom of Tsar Saltyk? (falcon)
- what stopped the tsar from going to the Russian lands? Find this confirmation in the text.
Who dissuaded the tsar from the war with the Russian lands? (queen)
Did Tsar Saltyk listen to the tsarina's appeal to him? (No)
- What happened to the queen of this field? Find this confirmation in the text?
How did Volkh manage to avert trouble from the Russian land?
Did he manage to cope with Tsar Saltymak and free the queen and the dungeons?
How did he do it? How do you understand the word:
What about a friend?
What unusual gift do you think Volkh was endowed with?
What conclusion did you draw?
What thought is trying
Give us an epic storyteller?
Good always triumphs over evil! Good always comes back
good, and evil, evil.
THE MIRACLE OF BIRTH: In the epic about the hero Volkh, which has come down to us in the texts of the 18th-19th centuries, everything breathes deep antiquity and riddled with ancient mythological motifs. Like many characters in world mythology, Volkh owes his birth to fantastic circumstances.
Through the garden, the green garden
The young princess walked and walked
Marfa Vseslavievna.
She jumped from a stone to a fierce snake,
Wrapped around a fierce snake
Around the chabot green morocco,
About a silk stocking,
The trunk beats on the white quilt,
And then the princess suffered diarrhea,
And she suffered diarrhea and gave birth to a child:
And in the sky, enlightening the bright moon,
- A mighty hero was born in Kyiv.
So, Volkh was born from a fantastic snake and inherited from him the abilities that to an ordinary person are not characteristic. What was born great hero who will have miraculous deeds - nature immediately recognized this:
Hood..G.Yudin
The damp earth trembled ...
And the blue sea swayed
For the sake of the birth of a heroic ...
The fish went into the depths of the sea,
The bird flew high into the sky
Tours and deer went over the mountains,
Hares, foxes in thickets,
And wolves, bears in spruce forests,
Sables, martens on the islands.
The animals were also afraid because they knew:
Volkh will be a great hunter and there will be no salvation from him.
MIRACLE OF GROWING UP: The second miracle with Volkh after birth was his incredibly fast growth and maturation. He was not yet one and a half hours old, and he had already asked his mother to swaddle him in strong damask armor, put a golden helmet on his head and put him “by right hand” a “heavy lead club” weighing “three hundred pounds”.
MIRACLE OF WISDOM: And, finally, the third miracle that completed the formation of the hero is the speed with which Volkh mastered the sciences - literacy and magical wisdom:
And I learned the first wisdom -
Wrap yourself in a clear falcon,
To another wisdom he studied, Volkh, -
wrap around gray wolf,
Volkh studied for the third wisdom -
Wrap around bay tour -
golden horns.
So the name that was given to him was justified: Volkh, that is, the sorcerer - a magician, sorcerer, sorcerer. But also a priest in a pagan temple. From birth, our Volkh was supposed to be a great warrior - it was not for nothing that he already demanded military equipment and weapons as a baby. In ancient times - before princely - he was destined for the role of the leader of the tribe. But in Kievan Rus there were no longer leaders, they were replaced by princes.
Volga Svyatoslavovich, K.Vasiliev
EPIC PRINCE: And now the epic makes Volkh prince of Kyiv: he recruits a squad and at the head of it accomplishes his feats. Let's pay attention to his patronymic: Vseslavievich. The chronicle preserved the name of the Polotsk prince Vseslav Bryachislavich: in the 60-70s of the XI century, he took an active part in the princely civil strife, and he was considered a magician prince. It was about him that he was mentioned in the "Word of Igor's Campaign" as a prince, who roamed the Russian land like a wolf at night, managed "to the roosters" to overcome the distance from Kiev to Tmutarakan, crossing the path of the sun like a wolf, for a moment captured the Kiev princely table and then jumped off him with a "fierce beast" ... Of course, Volkh Vseslavievich is a fictional character who came to history from ancient mythology. But, perhaps, the resemblance of his patronymic with the name of the real prince, who was credited with the ability of a magician, is not accidental ... 
HIKING: So, having recruited a squad, Volkh sets off on a campaign to a foreign kingdom. In epics recorded in XVIII-XIX centuries, it is called Indian. We don’t know what it was called in ancient Russian epics, but it doesn’t matter, because it’s not about a real event that took place in history, but about a fictional, fantastic one. It is important that this kingdom is hostile, Volkh wants to attack it in order to rob it or prevent the campaign of the Indian king against Rus'.
WELFARE: The most interesting thing is in the description of the campaign and in the story of the victory. On the way to a foreign country, the squad does not tolerate any difficulties: at night, while she sleeps, Volkh, turning into a “gray wolf”, hunts animals, feeds the squad with meat and dresses it in sable coats; and for the sake of change, it turns into a “clear falcon” and beats geese, swans, ducks on the blue sea. When it is necessary to reconnoiter the enemy forces, he first turns into a bay tour and reaches a foreign kingdom in several leaps, and then turns into a falcon and, sitting on the window, overhears the conversation between the king and the queen; finally, turns into an ermine, sneaks into the royal arsenals and spoils all the weapons.
When his army approaches the city, a stone wall with iron gates appears in front of him, and then Volkh turns the entire squad into ants, and they easily overcome the obstacle. And only in the city itself, the squad, having returned the appearance of good fellows, shows its military abilities. After a complete victory, Volkh becomes king. We repeat again: nothing historical - in the sense of events, annalistic - the epic about Volkh does not conclude. It could be considered a fairy tale, if not for one very important circumstance: the people themselves treated both its hero and those described in it with complete confidence. And in this sense, Volkh is a historical person, he is a character of a folk oral history. The image of Volkh clearly shows that in Ancient Rus' kept living memory about pagan times, that the heroes of pagan traditions occupied their place in this memory. But they did not remain as the popular fantasy of pagan times created them. Volkh combines the features of a mythological and historical hero. Note that there are no traces of influence Christian doctrine. A fusion of early mythology and late history(already of princely times) is characteristic of the people's consciousness of Ancient Rus'; it manifested itself in different forms. In this case, in the transfer of a character from pagan times to the era of Kievan Rus, in the transformation of an ancient sorcerer (tribal leader) into a prince - the leader of the squad
DEATH OF THE WEREWOLF OF THE VOLKH: For his manifold miracles, the sorcerer Navi, the forces of darkness, called. Once he did not get along with them - they strangled the Volkh, throwing his body into the river. It floated up the river (against the current!) and was thrown out by the waves in front of the fortress, where the priests and servants buried the Volkh. A barrow was poured over the grave, but three days later "the earth shed tears and devoured the vile body" of the werewolf, and the grave fell "to the bottom of hell."
In memory of this werewolf Volkh, the cunning Vseslavich was named, who accomplished many miraculous feats. In later epics, he is already called Volga Svyatoslavich and competes with the plowman Mikula Selyaninovich.
IN LITERATURE: ... Volga hit the ground, turned into a gray wolf, ran into the forests. He drove the beast out of its holes, hollowed out, out of the deadwood, drove foxes, martens, and sables into nets. ... Young Volga guessed, turned into a small midge, turned all the fellows into goosebumps, and goosebumps crawled under the gate. And on the other side they became warriors. VOLGA VSESLAVIEVICH. Russian epic
(222) Information found on the Internet and partially edited.
the red sun rolled over the high mountains, frequent stars scattered across the sky, a young hero, Volga, was born at that time in Mother Rus'. His mother swaddled him in red swaddling clothes, tied them with golden belts, put him in a carved cradle, and began to sing songs over him.
Volga slept for only an hour, woke up, stretched - the golden belts burst, the red diapers were torn, the bottom of the carved cradle fell out. And Volga stood up and said to his mother:
Madam mother, do not swaddle me, do not twist me, but dress me in strong armor, in a gilded helmet, and give me right hand club, so that the weight was a club of a hundred pounds.
The mother was frightened, and Volga is growing by leaps and bounds, but by minutes.
Volga has grown up to five years. Other guys in such years only play chocks, and Volga was already learning to read and write - to write and count and read books. When he was six years old, he went for a walk on the ground. The earth shook from his steps. The animals and birds heard his heroic steps, got scared, hid. Deer tours ran away to the mountains, sable-martens swam away to the islands, small animals huddled in the thicket, fish hid in deep places.
Volga Vseslavievich began to learn all sorts of tricks.
He learned to fly across the sky like a falcon, learned to wrap himself like a gray wolf, to ride a deer in the mountains.
Volga turned fifteen years old. He began to collect his comrades. He recruited a squad of twenty-nine people - Volga himself was the thirtieth in the squad. All fellows are fifteen years old, all mighty heroes. They have fast horses, well-aimed arrows, sharp swords.
Volga gathered his squad and went with her to an open field, to a wide steppe. Carts with luggage do not creak behind them, neither downy beds nor fur blankets are carried behind them, servants, stewards, cooks do not run after them ...
For them, a featherbed is dry earth, a pillow is a Cherkasy saddle, there is a lot of food in the steppe, in the forests - there would be a supply of arrows and flint and flint.
Here the fellows spread the camp in the steppe, made fires, fed the horses. Volga sends junior combatants to dark forests.
Take you silk nets, put them in dark forest on the ground itself and catch martens, foxes, black sables, we will store fur coats for the squad.
The warriors dispersed through the forests. Volga is waiting for them for a day, waiting for another, the third day is getting closer to evening.
Then the merry combatants arrived: they knocked down their legs on the roots, tore off their dress on the thorns, and returned to the camp empty-handed. Not a single animal caught them in the net.
Volga laughed:
Hey hunters! Return to the forest, stand up to the nets and look, well done, both.
Volga hit the ground, turned into a gray wolf, ran into the forests. He drove the beast out of its holes, hollowed out, out of the deadwood, drove foxes, martens, and sables into nets. He did not disdain even a small animal, he caught gray bunnies for dinner.
The combatants returned with rich booty.
I fed and watered Volga's squad, and even shod and dressed them. Vigilantes wear expensive sable fur coats, they also have leopard fur coats for a break. Do not praise Volga, do not stop admiring.
Here time is running Yes, he goes, Volga sends middle guards.
Set up snares in the forest on tall oaks, catch geese, swans, and gray ducks.
The heroes scattered through the forest, set snares, thought to come home with rich prey, but they did not even catch a gray sparrow.
They returned to the camp unhappy, hung their heads below their shoulders. They hide their eyes from Volga, turn away.
And Volga laughs at them:
That they returned without prey, hunters? Well, okay, you'll have something to feast on. Go to the snares and look vigilantly.
Volga crashed down to the ground, flew up like a white falcon, rose high under the very cloud, struck down on every bird in the sky. He beats geese, swans, gray ducks: only fluff flies from them, as if covering the ground with snow. Whom he did not beat, he drove into snares.
The heroes returned to the camp with rich booty. They lit fires, baked game, washed down the game with spring water, praised Volga.
How much, how little time has passed, Volga sends his combatants again:
You build oak boats, wind silk nets, take pure gold floats, you go out into the blue sea, catch salmon, beluga, stellate sturgeon.
The warriors caught ten days, but they did not catch even a small brush.
Volga turned into a toothy pike, dived into the sea, drove the fish out of deep pits, drove silk nets into the seine. The fellows brought full boats and salmon, and beluga, and baleen catfish.
Vigilantes walk around the open field, they play heroic games, they throw arrows, they ride on horseback, they measure their heroic strength ...
Suddenly Volga heard that the Turkish Tsar Saltan Beketovich was going to war against Rus'.
His valiant heart flared up, he called the vigilantes and said:
It’s full of your sides to lie down, it’s full of strength to work up, it’s time to serve native land, protect Rus' from Saltan Beketovich. Which of you will sneak into the Turkish camp, find out Saltanov's thoughts?
The fellows are silent, hiding for each other: the older one for the middle one, the middle one for the younger one, and the younger one closed his mouth.
Volga got angry:
Apparently I have to go!
He turned round - golden horns. The first time he jumped - he slipped a mile, the second time he jumped - they only saw him.
Volga galloped to the Turkish kingdom, turned into a gray sparrow, sat on the window to Tsar Saltan and listened. And Saltan walks around the room, clicks with a patterned whip and says to his wife Azvyakovna:
I decided to go to war against Rus'. I will conquer nine cities, I myself will sit as a prince in Kyiv, I will distribute nine cities to nine sons, I will give you shushun sable.
And Tsaritsa Azvyakovna looks sadly:
Ah, Tsar Saltan, today I bad dream I saw: as if a black raven was fighting in a field with a white falcon. The white falcon of the black crow clawed, feathers released into the wind. The white falcon is the Russian hero Volga Vseslavevich, the black raven is you, Saltan Beketovich. Don't go to Rus'. Do not take you nine cities, do not reign in Kyiv.
Tsar Saltan got angry, hit the queen with a whip:
I am not afraid of Russian heroes, I will reign in Kyiv.
Then Volga flew down like a sparrow, turned into an ermine. It has a narrow body and sharp teeth. The ermine ran through the royal court, made its way into the deep royal cellars. There he bit off the bowstring of tight bows, gnawed the shafts of arrows, chipped his sabers, bent the clubs in an arc.
An ermine crawled out of the basement, turned into a gray wolf, ran to the royal stables - killed all the Turkish horses, strangled them.
Volga got out of the royal court, turned into a bright falcon, flew into the open field to his squad, woke up the heroes.
- Hey, my brave squad, now is not the time to sleep, it's time to get up! Get ready for a trip to the Golden Horde, to Saltan Beketovich!
They approached the Golden Horde, and around the Horde there was a high stone wall. The gates in the wall are iron, the bolt hooks are copper, the guards at the gate are sleepless - do not fly over, do not cross, do not break the gate.
The heroes became sad, thought: “How to overcome the high wall, the iron gate?”
Young Volga guessed, turned into a small midge, turned all the fellows into goosebumps, and goosebumps crawled under the gate. And on the other side they became warriors.
They struck at Saltanov's strength like thunder from heaven. And the sabers of the Turkish army are blunted, the swords are chipped. Here the Turkish army went on the run.
Russian heroes passed through the Golden Horde, all Saltanov's strength was finished. Saltan Beketovich himself ran away to his palace, iron doors closed, pushed the copper owls behind.
As Volga kicked the door, all the locks and bolts flew out, the iron doors burst.
Volga went into the room, grabbed Saltan by the hands:
Do not be you, Saltan, in Rus', do not burn - do not burn Russian cities, do not sit as a prince in Kyiv!
Volga hit him on the stone floor and smashed Saltan to death.
Do not boast, Horde, of your strength, do not go to war against Mother Rus'!
In Russian folklore, the bogatyr Volga, who is also a prince, the leader of the squad, the elder of the family, is one of the most ancient characters. Volga did not differ in special strength, his main "weapon" is the ability, like the god Veles, to turn into any living creature. He is a werewolf magician who inherited his magical properties from his father, a snake, from whom Princess Marfa Vsevlasyevna miraculously conceived. Her son Volga grew by leaps and bounds, he himself learned to read and write. And he made his first military campaign in the kingdom of the Turkish Sultan.
Before setting off on a campaign in Turkey, Volga gathered a squad. But his soldiers needed to eat well, undergo serious combat training. And then Volga turned into a wolf, then into a falcon and went hunting. He scoured the forests, procured animal meat for his warriors, he flew up into the sky like a falcon and looked for prey from a height. He taught his warriors a lot: how to make a bow, a bowstring for it, how to conduct hand-to-hand combat.
The epics do not provide information against which sultan Volga went to fight, whom he defeated, which cities he conquered. It is only known that Volga himself did not take a direct part in the battles against the troops of the Sultan. He turned into an ermine and spoiled the bowstrings of his enemies so that they could not shoot arrows, he became a wolf and attacked the horses, biting their throats. And his army quickly defeated the Turkish Sultan.
The Volga squad captured rich booty - a lot of gold, silver, precious stones. Volga himself took as his wife ex-wife Sultan, a beautiful Turkish woman, and his soldiers married local girls. But Volga did not stay in Turkey, but returned to his homeland, began to reign and collect taxes from his peasants.
Once, while collecting taxes, he heard someone plowing with great noise, loosening the earth so that it could be heard from three miles away. Volga decided to take a look at this plowman. He spurred his horse and, together with the squad, galloped to the sounds. But no one was in sight ahead.
For three days and three nights, Volga rode with his people until he saw this plowman. A simple peasant easily uprooted rhizomes, threw out huge boulders, and his furrow turned out to be clean, deep, and he had a good filly, both of them worked for their own pleasure, they cleared and plowed a huge field.
Volga spoke to the plowman, found out that his name was Miku-la Selyaninovich. He was good-looking, strong in stature, curly-haired. Mikula complained to the prince about the tax collectors who were tearing "three skins" from ordinary peasants.
And how did you deal with them? Volga asked him.
“It’s very simple,” Mikula answered him, “for greed, I tore them off with a whip, removed “three skins” from them. They will remember for a long time and will no longer dare to offend the peasants.
He also told Volga that robbers had settled on the straight road along which he had recently been driving, so he scattered them in different directions.
Volga immediately realized that this plowman was not an ordinary person, but a brave hero who could stand up for himself. And he invited Mikula to join his squad, to become a tax collector. Mikula thought for a moment and agreed.
They set out on their journey together. We drove off not far from the field, when Mikula decided to test the strength of the Volga warriors, said that he remained in the furrow of his plow. It would be necessary to pull it out of the ground, shake it and throw a bush behind the willows so that evil people did not covet his goodness. Volga sent five of his warriors to the field. They went to the field, found a furrow, tried to pull the plow out of the ground, but could not. They returned, confessed their impotence. Volga sent along with them ten more warriors. And they could not pull the plow out of the ground.
Then Volga, Mikula and his squad had to return to the field. The combatants tried to pull out the plow again, but they could not. Mikula jumped from his horse to the ground, went up to the plow and with one hand easily pulled it out of the ground, shook it off and threw a bush behind the willows.
So a simple peasant, a plowman Mikula Selyaninovich, put to shame the heroes of Prince Volga Svyatoslavovich.
The heroic epic of Ancient Rus', in which they are reflected historical events Russian state, is called an epic. The epics glorify the heroism of the people, and reveal their moral and aesthetic values. In these works, reality is significantly supplemented by fiction.
Heroes and the language of epic epics
The main characters of Russian epics are brave heroes who boldly enter into an unequal struggle with the enemy. Some heroes of epics are semi mythological characters Mikhailo Potyk, Svyatogor and Volkhv Vyacheslavovich.
In more late period the replacement of such heroes became more real characters Alyosha Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich, Ilya Muromets, Mikula Selyaninovich. feats of arms these heroes were sent to protect the state, the prince and all the Slavic people.
The world of Rus' in epics is sunny and filled bright colors, however, with the advent of negative heroes, thunderstorms and fogs suddenly approach, symbolizing danger.
"Ilya Muromets and the Nightingale the Robber"
The hero Ilya Muromets is one of the most popular and beloved peoples of the heroes of Russian epics. The story of the struggle of Ilya Muromets with the insidious Nightingale the robber is considered the most ancient epic from the Kyiv cycle.
The prototypes of the Nightingale the Robber were people who committed regular robberies and hid in dense forests throughout Russia. At the beginning of the epic, we get acquainted with the main character, the hero Ilya, who goes to the capital to serve Prince Vladimir.
On the way to Kyiv, Ilya Muromets helped the Chernihiv regiment to defeat the Pechenegs. As a token of gratitude, the governor warned good fellow about the fact that in the forests through which he has to pass, lives a Nightingale, possessing magic power from his singing trees and flowers wither and people die.
However, the danger did not frighten Ilya, on the contrary, he hurried to meet with the Nightingale the Robber in order to neutralize him and thereby save the lives of his compatriots. No sooner had the young man reached the road than he heard the ominous singing of the Nightingale.
Without hesitation for a long time, he took out his bow and struck down the enemy with a single shot. He took the wounded bird with him to show Prince Vladimir that the danger for the people of Rus' had passed. However, the king did not believe that an ordinary nightingale could harm people so much.
As a sign of proof, Ilya asked the Nightingale to sing his song. From the sounds that were heard, everyone present in the princely palace began to run away, and the prince himself covered himself with a skin so as not to hear the birds singing. After that, Ilya Muromets cut off the head of the insidious bird, thereby freeing people from the tormentor.
"Volga and Mikula Selyaninovich"
The protagonist of the epic is Volga Svyatoslavovich, a hero who wants to possess powerful strength and wisdom. Volga gathered an army of thirty heroes and set off on his way to the capital city. On the way, the fellow and his army heard the sounds of a plow, but for three days they could not get to the plowman himself.
When they finally met the peasant, he asked the fellows where they were going. Volga replied that he was going for taxes, which must be paid by the inhabitants of cities donated to him by the prince himself. The plowman warned Volga that robbers lived in these cities: once he himself almost became their victim, but managed to fight them off.
The good fellow decided that he would need a plowman if he needed to fight the robbers and invites him into his army. As it turned out, the peasant was a famous hero who had long become famous in heroic battles, and his name was Mikula Selyaninovich.
