Fairy tales have their own special structure - stable plots and motives are constantly used in its composition, heroes of fairy tales meet with their invariable functions and abilities. We all remember popular folk tales with their triple repetitions, with repeated formulas “Once upon a time ...”, “In a certain kingdom, in a certain state ...”, “A fairy tale is a lie, but there is a hint in it ...”. The space in a fairy tale is conditional and distant from reality.
The heroes of fairy tales are distinguished by such bright human qualities as nobility, kindness, courage, resourcefulness, and good forces in fairy tales always prevail. Among the positive heroes of Russian folk tales there are brave princes, and epic heroes, and simple peasants, and a number of female images.
Bogatyrs were originally heroes of Russian epics, but over time they also penetrated into folk tales. The most famous hero of fairy tales is Ilya Muromets. He embodies the ideal of a hero-warrior, who is famous not only for his remarkable physical strength, but also for the special moral qualities inherent in a real hero: calmness, stamina, good nature. In epics and fairy tales, this hero is a people's intercessor. Let us recall, for example, such a work as "Ilya Muromets and the Nightingale the Robber". Also worth mentioning is the noble, but little-known ancient hero of Russian fairy tales Ruslan Lazarevich. The plots and adventures in which he appears are close to the well-known plots with Ilya Muromets.
Dobrynya Nikitich, like the hero of fairy tales, acts as a reliable assistant to the prince, whom he, surely, has been serving for many years. He carries out personal assignments for the prince, for example, to save his daughter or niece. Dobrynya is distinguished by special courage - he himself decides to carry out tasks that the rest of the heroes refuse. Often this is the hero of a fairy tale about snake fighting, as well as Alyosha Popovich. Their adventures and the plots of fairy tales in which they appear are extremely similar to each other. Let us recall, for example, such plots as “Dobrynya Nikitich and the Serpent Gorynych” and “Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin the Serpent”.
All these three epic heroes are in close interaction with each other, and in different tales they manifest their strong and noble qualities in different ways. Everyone knows these names of the heroes of folk tales. Alyosha Popovich is a collective image of a hero in Russian folklore. In the character of this hero of a fairy tale, we see a mixture of various features. First of all, Alyosha is distinguished by courage, but he is also very perky and cunning. His image reflected the whole breadth of the soul of a Russian person, all its versatility.
Favorite hero of folk tales - Ivan Tsarevich. This is a well-known positive character who fights evil, helps the weak and offended. Often this is the youngest of the three sons of the king. In some stories, Ivan does not even know about his royal origin, but, nevertheless, personifies the nobility and good qualities of the soul. For example, he fights with Koshchei, overcomes him, saves his wife or a beautiful princess. And for his heroic behavior and good deeds, this hero of folk tales receives the kingdom that is due to him or someone else's half of the kingdom, and the king's daughter, and other magical skills.
Ivan the Fool is also a very important hero of fairy tales, standing on the side of good and light forces. Ivan the Fool is just a peasant's son, and he does not at all resemble a noble fairy-tale hero. His peculiarity is that outwardly he is not at all the same as other positive heroes of Russian fairy tales. He does not shine with intelligence, but it is thanks to his irrational behavior and non-standard thinking that he passes all the fabulous tests, defeats his opponent and receives wealth.
It is important to note that Ivan the Fool has a special creative skill - he plays musical instruments (harp or pipe), and in fairy tales great importance is often attached to his wonderful singing. This is its peculiarity, because not always the positive heroes of fairy tales are able to create something beautiful on their own, without resorting to the help of magical animals or objects.
Among women's fairy-tale images, the type of the Wonderful Bride is especially outstanding. This extraordinary hero of fairy tales is distinguished by intelligence and special female cunning. Often she owns some magical items or knows how to use miraculous powers. We all know the heroines corresponding to this type: Vasilisa the Beautiful, Vasilisa the Wise and the Frog Princess. This is the female version of the strong hero of folk tales.
This kind heroine is a reflection of the bright side, the personification of goodness and peace, but at the same time, in many stories, the wonderful bride is the daughter of the enemy of the protagonist of the tale. The kind hero of folk tales goes through severe trials and solves difficult riddles, and a wonderful bride helps him with these tasks. Thus, sometimes in one fairy tale we meet not one, but two, or even three characters who help each other in the fight against evil.
As we can see, the positive characters of folk tales are very diverse. They reveal different sides of the national character: here are nobility, and selflessness, and ingenuity, and cunning, and special heroism, straightforwardness, and female wisdom. The heroes of fairy tales overcome all obstacles in their path thanks to these positive qualities. Indeed, in Russian folklore, fairy-tale characters strive for the light, and good forces always prevail.
The characters invented in Russia are symbols of the childhood of each of us, while in different countries of the world they are perceived in a completely different way. For example, if in Russian mythology Baba Yaga is evil spirits, then among the Scandinavians a similar character is the goddess of the kingdom of the dead, Hel.
Female images: "my light, mirror, tell me ..."
Vasilisa the Wise, Elena the Beautiful, Mary the Artisan, the Frog Princess, the Snow Maiden, Alyonushka are female images that possessed not only stunning female logic, but also kindness, wisdom, beauty, sincerity. The brightest of them are:
1 A fragile, little girl, Santa Claus's helper is a favorite New Year's guest, a role model for naughty children. From the middle of the 19th century, the image of a little granddaughter was replaced by a young beauty, with an obligatory kokoshnik or a fur hat, the preferred headwear of Russian women.
No country in the world can boast such a magical and romantic biography as the Russian Snegurka. In Italy, this is the fairy Befana, an old woman with a hooked nose, who flies to the kids on a broomstick, giving gifts. A kind of "Santa Claus" in a skirt. The Mongols call their Snow Maiden Zazan Ohin, the girl Snow. The heroine, by tradition, makes riddles and gives gifts only after she hears the answer. In the USA, Santa has only deer from his assistants, but there is no Snow Maiden.
It is curious that if you try to translate the word Snow Maiden into English using the Google translator service, the result will always be different. Yesterday, the Snow Maiden was translated as "Snow - boy" (literally - a snow boy). Today, the Snegurochka in the database of the service is translated as Snow-maiden (Made of snow).
2 Masha, a restless companion of the Bear, a naughty character of a 3D cartoon breaking all records.
The green-eyed fidget is fluent in hand-to-hand combat, loves to be capricious and hooligan, asks questions that are difficult to answer. The prototype of the animated series was the folklore heroine of the Russian folk tale. Director O. Kuznetsov borrowed character traits from the hero of O. Henry's story "The Leader of the Redskins". The team of creators of the series does not adapt native Russian characters for broadcast in various countries.
3 baba yaga- a witch, the heroine of Slavic mythology, endowed with magical powers. A negative character lures good fellows into his hut on chicken legs, without fail gives the heroes a fairy-tale horse and a magical navigator of those times - a ball of thread. The Russian witch is not always friendly, but if you are gifted with eloquence, she can help.
4 Firebird, a fabulous bird that heals the sick and restores sight to the blind, is the sister of the Western European bird Phoenix, which knew how to revive from the ashes. The father of the two fiery heroines, most likely, was Peacock.
Each heroine is an individual, embodying good or evil, her actions and deeds are directly related to her character and mission.
Male images: “the heroes have not yet died out on the Russian land!”
The top of positive male images is no less colorful, vividly conveying the spirit of a Russian person. The main images are always antagonistic: in contrast to the beautiful, there is sure to be a bad one. Without which male images Russian fairy tales are inconceivable:
1 Father Frost.
In the Russian version - Morozko, Studenets, the mighty lord of the winter blizzard. The character, adored by the children, rides on a troika of horses, fetters reservoirs and rivers with the sound of a staff, sweeps cities and villages with cold breath. In the New Year, together with the Snow Maiden, she gives gifts. During Soviet times, Grandfather was dressed in a red coat, the color of the country's flag. The image of the popular Grandfather, who "wanders through the forests and meadows" is played in different ways in different countries: Santa Claus, Joulupuki, Jouluvana.
This is interesting:
According to the most conservative estimates of scientists, Santa Claus is more than 2000 years old. For two thousand years, Santa Claus has repeatedly appeared in different images. First - in the guise of the pagan god Zimnik: an old man of small stature, with white hair and a long gray beard, with an uncovered head, in warm white clothes and with an iron mace in his hands. And in the fourth century, Santa Claus was reminiscent of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, who lived in Asia Minor in the city of Patara.
Grandfather began to come to the house with gifts with the beginning of the celebration of the New Year in Rus'. Previously, he gave gifts to the obedient and smart, and beat the mischievous with a stick. But the years made Santa Claus more compassionate: he replaced the stick with a magic staff.
By the way, Santa Claus first appeared on the pages of books in 1840, when Vladimir Odoevsky's "Children's Tales of Grandpa Iriney" were published. In the book, the name and patronymic of the winter wizard, Moroz Ivanovich, became known.
In the twentieth century, Santa Claus almost disappeared. After the revolution, it was considered that celebrating Christmas is harmful for the people, because this is a real “priestly” holiday. However, in 1935, the disgrace was finally removed, and soon Father Frost and Snegurochka first appeared together for the Christmas tree holiday at the Moscow House of Unions.
2 Three heroes. Strong, courageous, cheerful heroes have long become a symbol of Russia, thanks to a series of full-length adventures by Alyosha Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich and Ilya Muromets. In fact, the brave fellows never met in life, according to epics, they even lived in different centuries.
This is interesting:
In 2015, the 6th part of the saga, “Three Heroes: The Knight’s Move”, which was released on the screens, collected 962,961,596 rubles. Almost 1 billion rubles! Thus, the picture became the highest grossing animated film of the year. Although it all started modestly: the box office of the first part - "Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin the Serpent" (2004) - amounted to 48,376,440 rubles. Since then, fees have steadily increased.
3 Ivan the Fool(third son) - a character who embodies a special "magic strategy": the hero acts contrary to common sense and always succeeds! The fool perfectly solves riddles, defeats evil spirits and valiantly saves the main character.
Pinocchio, Crocodile Gena, Dr. Aibolit, Barmaley, Winnie the Pooh, Leopold the Cat and Matroskin the Cat are also some of the most popular and beloved heroes of Russian cinema, who rightfully occupy high positions in the rating of fairy-tale characters.
Undead: guardians of forests, swamps and houses
The largest group of Russian folk epic is made up of mythical creatures. Vodyanoy, Kikimora, Goblin, mermaids, Brownie, Baba Yaga are magical images that appeared along with inexplicable forces of nature. By their actions and character, these are more negative characters, but at the same time, they are charming and charismatic in modern films and cartoons, these include:
1 Koschei the Deathless. A character with supernatural powers. According to legend, this is an insidious old man who kills pets. The sorcerer often kidnaps the protagonist's bride in the hope of "mutual love".
This is interesting:
In Soviet cinema, Koshey was brilliantly played by actor Georgy Millyar. Basically, he played all sorts of evil spirits and had to put on complex makeup. But for the role of Koshchei the Immortal, makeup was practically not needed, since the actor himself resembled a living skeleton (after suffering from malaria, the actor's weight was only 45 kg).
Koschey the Immortal - Georgy Millyar - Article
They create the mythical reality of folklore: these heroes are an important part of the life of our ancestors. The description of the magical power that each of the heroes owned and believed in in antiquity has come down to our time practically unchanged, although now it is not entirely clear to us. Children's fairy-tale characters are familiar to us from a very early age, but gradually their images fade from memory. Let's recall some of them.
Male fairy tale characters
Ivan Tsarevich, he is also Ivan the Fool, he is also Ivan the peasant son. The main qualities of this character are nobility and kindness. In any of the tales, Ivan helps and saves, which ultimately leads to a successful resolution of the situation, and to his own happiness. teaches the reader to listen to his heart, to intuition, to maintain honor in any situation and not to lose his presence of mind. Ivan is often accompanied by a faithful horse or a Gray Wolf. The horse is a symbol of devotion and fidelity, but the Wolf is a symbol of cunning: they help Ivan in all his endeavors. The antipode of Ivan is often Koschey the Deathless - a negative character in Russian folk tales, an evil sorcerer. His death is hidden in several nested objects and animals. In fairy tales, Koschey kidnaps the heroine and hides her at the end of the world in his castle, and Ivan usually saves her. Less commonly, Koschey acts as a symbol of wisdom and the keeper of knowledge.
Female fairy tale characters
Vasilisa the Beautiful, she is Vasilisa the Wise. The main qualities of the character are wisdom, beauty, fidelity. She is not just a heroine, she is a faithful assistant to Ivan, who must free her from imprisonment with Koshchei, or a harsh father, or the Serpent Gorynych, or any other villain. Vasilisa does not helplessly wait to be rescued, but helps the hero in every possible way, gives him advice, turns to her friends among people and animals. Vasilisa is a symbol of wisdom and virtue; the reader learns from her to be responsive and patient. Another female character found in Russian fairy tales is Baba Yaga, she is also Yaga-Yaginishna. This is perhaps the most ancient character and the most versatile. Yaga usually lives in and is famous for her bad temper - it is better to bypass her hut on chicken legs. She tells fortunes and conjures, but nevertheless more often helps than harms the heroes. Baba Yaga sometimes acts as a symbol of wisdom and the keeper of ancient knowledge.
Animals - fairy tale characters
Serpent Gorynych - a symbol of the evil inclination, representing a dragon with three, six, nine or twelve heads. Often the Serpent kidnaps the heroine and keeps her imprisoned, from where Ivan must release her. Gorynych also often acts as a guard of the gates to the underworld or Koshchei's house. Kot-Bayun is an insidious character, lulling with his voice. He knows many songs and legends, but often acts on the side of evil. It is often the pet of Yaga or Koshchei. Of the most neutral characters of the animal world of Russian fairy tales, one can name the Firebird. She has great healing power. Often becomes the object of desire of kings, kings and Koshchei himself, so the hero often goes in search of her. Catching the Firebird is not so easy, because it blinds with its light and burns.
The characters of Russian fairy tales are diverse, and the fairy tales themselves are fraught with great wisdom...
Boyan is an epic poet and singer in East Slavic mythology.
Brownie
They say that the brownie still lives in every village hut, but not everyone knows about it. They call him grandfather, master, neighbor, homeowner, demon-horizon, but that's all he is - the keeper of the hearth, the invisible helper of the owners.
The brownie sees every little thing, tirelessly cares and fusses so that everything is in order and ready: he helps the hard worker, corrects his mistake; he is pleased with the offspring of domestic animals and birds; he does not tolerate unnecessary expenses and is angry with them - in a word, the brownie is inclined to work, thrifty and prudent. If he likes housing, then he serves this family, as if he went into bondage to her.
For this fidelity in other places they call him that: homemade.
But for the lazy and negligent, he willingly helps to run the economy, torments people to the point that he crushes at night almost to death or throws them out of bed. However, it is not difficult to reconcile with an angry brownie: one has only to put snuff, to which he is a great hunter, under the stove, or make any gift: a multi-colored rag, a crust of bread ... If the owners of their neighbor love, if they live in harmony with him, then they won’t want to part with it for no reason, even moving to a new house: they will scrape under the threshold, collect garbage in a scoop - and sprinkle it in a new hut, not noticing how the “owner” moves with this garbage to a new place of residence. Just do not forget to bring him a pot of porridge for a housewarming party and say with all possible respect: “Grandfather brownie, come home. Come live with us!"
A rare person can boast that he has seen a brownie. To do this, you need to put on a horse collar on Easter night, cover yourself with a harrow, teeth on yourself, and sit between the horses all night. If you are lucky, you will see an old man - small, like a stump, all covered with gray hair (even his palms are hairy), gray from antiquity and dust. Sometimes, in order to avert a curious gaze from himself, he will take on the appearance of the owner of the house - well, like a spitting image! In general, the brownie likes to wear the master's clothes, but always manages to put them back in place as soon as a person needs things.
Before the plague, fire and war, brownies come out of the village and howl in pastures. If there is a big unexpected disaster, grandfather announces its approach, ordering the dogs to dig holes in the yard and howl at the whole village ...
kikimora
Kikimora, shishimora - in East Slavic mythology, the evil spirit of the house, a little invisible woman (sometimes considered the wife of a brownie). At night, she worries small children, confuses yarn (she likes to spin or weave lace - the sounds of K. spinning in the house portend trouble): the owners can survive from the house; hostile to men. May harm pets, especially chickens. The main attributes (connection with yarn, damp places, darkness) Kikimora is similar to Mokush, an evil spirit that continues the image of the Slavic goddess Mokosha. The name “Kikimora” is a difficult word. the second part of which is the ancient name of the female character mara, pestilence.
Kikimora is a character known mainly in the Russian North. Appears in the form of a small, hunched, ugly old woman, dressed in rags, slovenly and eccentric. Her appearance in the house or in outbuildings (on the threshing floor, in the barn or bathhouse) was considered an unkind omen. It was believed that she settled in houses. built on an “unclean” place (on the boundary or where the suicide was buried). There is a legend that a Kikimora started up in a newly built house, which none of the residents saw, but a voice was constantly heard demanding that the household members who sat down to dine should leave the table: she threw naughty pillows and scared at night until then. until the whole family survived from the house (Vyatka province.).
Bannik
Bannik, baynik, baynik, bainushko, etc., Belarusian. laznik - among Russians and Belarusians, the spirit is an inhabitant of the bath. Lives behind a heater or under a shelf. It can be invisible (according to some beliefs, it has an invisibility cap) or is shown as a man with long hair, a naked old man covered with mud and leaves from brooms, a dog, cat, white hare, etc. There is a belief that BANNIK first appears in a bath after the woman in labor has been there. It is believed that BANNIK washes in a bath and he should leave water, soap and a broom, otherwise he splashes with boiling water, throws hot stones, and blows up. Entering the bath, it was customary to say: “Baptized on the shelves, unbaptized from the regiment” (Smolensk province.).
Anchutka
Anchutka is one of the most ancient names for the devil, the demon. Anchutkas are bath and field. Like any evil spirits, they instantly respond to the mention of their name. It's better to keep quiet about them, otherwise this fingerless, fingerless one will be right there. Anchutka is heelless because one day a wolf chased him and bit off his heel.
Bathing anchutes are shaggy, bald, frighten people with moans, darken their minds. But they are very good at changing their appearance - as, indeed, the rest of the undead. Field sprouts are very tiny and more peaceful. They live in every plant and are called according to their habitat: potato, hemp, flax, oat, wheat, horn, etc.
However, they say that the water also has its own anchutka - an assistant to the water or swamp. He is unusually ferocious and nasty. If a swimmer suddenly has a cramp, he should know that this is a water anchutka who grabbed him by the leg and wants to drag him to the bottom. That is why, since ancient times, every swimmer has been advised to carry a pin with him: after all, the evil spirit is afraid of iron to death.
Goblin
Goblin, forester, leshak, forest, forester, forester - the spirit of the forest in Slavic mythology. Goblin lives in every forest, especially loves spruce. He is dressed like a man - a red sash, the left half of the caftan is usually wrapped behind the right, and not vice versa, as everyone wears. The shoes are mixed up: the right bast shoe is put on the left foot, the left one is on the right. The goblin's eyes are green and burn like coals.
No matter how carefully he hides his impure origin, he fails to do this: if you look at him through the right ear of a horse, the goblin casts a bluish color, because his blood is blue. His eyebrows and eyelashes are not visible, he is short-eared (there is no right ear), the hair on his head is combed to the left.
The goblin can become a stump and a tussock, turn into an animal and a bird, he turns into a bear and a black grouse, a hare, and anyone, even a plant, because he is not only the spirit of the forest, but also his essence: he is overgrown with moss, sniffs, as if the forest is noisy, it is not only shown as spruce, but also spreads with moss-grass. Leshy differs from other spirits by special properties inherent in him alone: if he walks through the forest, then his height is equal to the tallest trees. But at the same time, going out for walks, fun and jokes to the forest edges, he walks there like a small blade of grass, below the grass, freely hiding under any berry leaf. But, in fact, he rarely goes out to the meadows, strictly observing the rights of a neighbor, called a field worker, or a field worker. The goblin does not enter the villages, so as not to quarrel with the brownies and b penniks - especially in those villages where completely black roosters sing, “two-eyed” dogs (with spots above their eyes in the form of second eyes) and three-haired cats live near the huts.
But in the forest, the goblin is a full and unlimited master: all animals and birds are under his control and obey him unrequitedly. Hares are especially subject to him. He has them on full serfdom, at least he even has the power to play them at cards to the neighboring devil. The herds of squirrels are not exempt from the same dependence, and if they, moving in innumerable hordes and forgetting all fear of man, run into big cities, and jump on roofs, break into chimneys and even jump into windows, then the matter is clear: it means , goblin with a whole artel were gambling and the defeated side drove the loss into the possession of a happy opponent.
Kikimora marsh
Kikimora - Evil swamp spirit in Slavic mythology. A close friend of the goblin is a swamp kikimora. Lives in a swamp. He likes to dress up in moss furs and weave forest and marsh plants into his hair. But she rarely shows herself to people, because she prefers to be invisible and only screams from the swamp in a loud voice. A little woman steals little children, drags careless travelers into a quagmire, where she can torture them to death.
Mermaid
In Slavic mythology, mermaids are a kind of mischievous evil spirits. They were drowned women, girls who died near a reservoir, or people bathing at inopportune hours. Mermaids were sometimes identified with "mavki" - from the Old Slavonic "nav", dead man) - children who died without baptism or were strangled by their mothers.
The eyes of such mermaids burn with green fire. By their nature, they are nasty and evil creatures, they grab bathing people by the legs, pull them under water, or lure them from the shore, wrap their arms around them and drown them. There was a belief that the laughter of a mermaid could cause death (this makes them look like Irish banshees).
Some beliefs called mermaids the lower spirits of nature (for example, good “shores”), which have nothing to do with drowned people and willingly save drowning people.
swamps
Bolotnitsa (wilderness, shovel) is a drowned maiden living in a swamp. Her black hair is tossed over her bare shoulders and trimmed with sedge and forget-me-nots. Disheveled and unkempt, pale-faced with green eyes, always naked and ready to lure people to her only to, without any particular guilt, tickle to death and drown them in a quagmire. Swamplands can send crushing storms, heavy rains, destructive hail to the fields; steal threads, canvases and canvases from women who fell asleep without prayer.
Brodnitsa
Maidens - Beauties with long hair, guardians of the fords. They live together with beavers in quiet backwaters, correct and guard fords paved with brushwood. Before an enemy attack, wanderers imperceptibly destroy the ford, directing the enemy into a swamp or pool.
famously one-eyed
The spirit of evil, failure, a symbol of grief. There is no certainty about Likh's appearance - it is either a one-eyed giant, or a tall, thin woman with one eye in the middle of her forehead. Famously, they are often compared with the Cyclopes, although apart from one eye and high growth, they have nothing in common.
The saying has come down to our time: “Do not wake Likho while it is quiet.” In the literal and allegorical sense, Likho meant trouble - it became attached to a person, sat on his neck (in some legends, the unfortunate man tried to drown Likho by throwing himself into the water and drowned himself) and prevented him from living.
However, it was possible to get rid of Likh - to deceive, to drive away by force of will, or, as it is occasionally mentioned, to transfer to another person along with some kind of gift. According to very gloomy prejudices, Likho could come and devour you.
Ghoul
Ghouls are lower spirits, demonological beings. The "Word about idols" speaks of the ancient veneration of ghouls by the Slavs. In popular beliefs, these are evil, harmful spirits. Ghouls (like vampires) suck blood from people and animals. They were identified with the dead, coming out of the graves at night, watching and killing people and livestock. author of the encyclopedia Aleksandrova Anastasia
According to popular beliefs, people who died an "unnatural death" became ghouls - those who were forcibly killed, drunkards, suicides, etc., as well as sorcerers. It was believed that the earth does not accept such dead people and therefore they are forced to wander around the world and harm the living. Such dead people were buried outside the cemetery and away from housing. Such a grave was considered a dangerous and unclean place, it should have been bypassed, and if you had to pass by, you should have thrown some object on it: a chip, a stick, a stone, or just a handful of earth. In order for the ghoul not to leave the grave, he had to be "calmed down" - to dig out the corpse from the grave and pierce it with an aspen stake.
And in order for the deceased, who did not live his life, not to turn into a ghoul, his knee tendons were cut so that he could not walk. Sometimes coals were poured on the grave of the alleged ghoul or a pot of burning coals was placed.
Semik was considered a special day of obedience to the dead among the Eastern Slavs. On this day, all untimely deceased relatives were also commemorated: unbaptized children, girls who died before marriage. In addition, in Semik they took special measures against the pledged dead, who, according to legend, could harm a person. Aspen stakes or sharp metal objects were hammered into their graves.
In Semik, burials were arranged for those who, for one reason or another, remained unburied. They dug a common grave for them and buried them with a prayer service and a funeral service. It was believed that otherwise the pledged dead could take revenge on the living, sending them various disasters: drought, storm, thunderstorm or crop failure.
Baba Yaga
Baba Yaga (Yaga-Yaginishna, Yagibikha, Yagishna) is the oldest character in Slavic mythology.
Baba Yaga is a more dangerous creature, possessing much more power than some kind of witch. Most often, she lives in a dense forest, which has long inspired fear in people, since it was perceived as the border between the world of the dead and the living. It is not for nothing that her hut is surrounded by a palisade of human bones and skulls, and in many fairy tales Baba Yaga eats human flesh, and she herself is called “bone leg”.
Just like Koschey the Immortal (koshchey - bone), it belongs to two worlds at once: the world of the living and the world of the dead. Hence its almost limitless possibilities.
In fairy tales, she acts in three incarnations. Yaga-bogatyrsha has a sword-treasury and fights on equal terms with heroes. Yaga the kidnapper steals children, sometimes throwing them, already dead, on the roof of her native house, but most often taking them to her hut on chicken legs, or into an open field, or underground. From this outlandish hut, children, and adults, are saved by outwitting Yagibishna. And, finally, the Yaga-giver greets the hero or heroine affably, treats him deliciously, soars in the bathhouse, gives useful advice, gives a horse or rich gifts, for example, a magic ball leading to a wonderful goal, etc.
This old sorceress does not walk, but travels around the wide world in an iron mortar (that is, a scooter chariot), and when she walks, she forces the mortar to run faster, striking with an iron club or pestle. And so that, for reasons known to her, no traces could be seen, they are swept up after her by special ones, attached to the mortar with a broom and a broom. She is served by frogs, black cats, including Cat Bayun, crows and snakes: all creatures in which both threat and wisdom coexist.
Koschei the Immortal (Kashchei)
One of the old Slavic negative characters well known to us, usually represented as a thin, skeletal old man with a repulsive appearance. Aggressive, vindictive, greedy and stingy. It is difficult to say whether he was the personification of the external enemies of the Slavs, an evil spirit, a powerful wizard, or a unique kind of undead.
It is indisputable that Koschey owned very strong magic, shunned people and often engaged in the favorite thing for all the villains in the world - he kidnapped girls.
Dragon
Serpent Gorynych - in Russian epics and fairy tales, a representative of the evil inclination, a dragon with 3, 6, 9 or 12 heads. Associated with fire and water, flies through the sky, but at the same time correlates with the bottom - with a river, a hole, a cave where wealth is hidden from him, a stolen princess
Indrik is a beast
Indrik the Beast - in Russian legends “the father of all animals”, a character in the Pigeon Book. Indrik is a distorted name of the god Indra (variants “foreigner”, “inrok” may evoke an association with a unicorn, but INDRIK is described with two, not one horn). INDRIK was attributed the properties of other fantastic images of the medieval book tradition - the king of the waters, the opponents of the snake and the crocodile - the “onudra” (otter) and the ichneumon, the fabulous fish “endrop”.
According to Russian folklore, Indrik is an underground beast, “walks through the dungeon, like the sun in the sky”; he is endowed with the features of the owner of the water element, sources and wells. I. acts as an opponent of the snake.
Alkonost
Alkonost is a wonderful bird, a resident of Iriy - a Slavic paradise.
Her face is feminine, her body is birdlike, and her voice is sweet, like love itself. Hearing the singing of Alkonost with delight, he can forget everything in the world, but there is no evil from her to people, unlike her bird friend Sirin. Alkonost carries eggs "at the edge of the sea", but does not incubate them, but plunges them into the depths of the sea. At this time, the weather is calm for seven days - until the chicks hatch.
Iriy, Irye, Vyriy, Vyrey is a mythical country located on the warm sea in the west or southwest of the earth, where birds and snakes winter.
Gamayun
The Gamayun bird is the messenger of the Slavic gods, their herald. She sings divine hymns to people and proclaims the future to those who agree to listen to the secret.
In the old "Book of Cosmography" the map depicts a round plain of the earth, washed on all sides by a river-ocean. On the eastern side is marked “Makariysky Island, the first under the very east of the sun, near the blissful paradise; therefore it is so named because the birds of paradise Gamayun and Phoenix fly into this island and wear a wonderful fragrance. When Gamayun flies, a deadly storm comes from the east of the sun.
Gamayun knows everything in the world about the origin of the earth and sky, gods and heroes, people and monsters, animals and birds. According to ancient belief, the cry of the Gamayun bird portends happiness.
A. Remizov. Gamayun
One hunter tracked down a strange bird with the head of a beautiful maiden on the shore of the lake. She sat on a branch and held a scroll with inscriptions in her claws. It read: “You will go through the whole world with a lie, but you will not return back!”
The hunter crept closer and was already pulling on the bowstring, when the bird maiden turned her head and said:
How dare you, miserable mortal, raise a weapon against me, the prophetic bird Gamayun!
She looked into the hunter's eyes, and he immediately fell asleep. And he dreamed in a dream that he had saved two sisters from an angry boar - Truth and Falsehood. When asked what he wanted as a reward, the hunter replied:
I want to see the whole wide world. From end to end.
It's impossible, Truth said. - Light is boundless. In foreign lands you will sooner or later be killed or enslaved. Your wish is impossible.
It's possible, her sister objected. - But for this you must become my slave. And continue to live a lie: lie, deceive, prevaricate.
The hunter agreed. Many years later. Having seen the whole world, he returned to his native land. But no one recognized him and did not recognize him: it turns out that his entire native village fell into the open ground, and a deep lake appeared in this place.
The hunter walked along the shore of this lake for a long time, grieving for the loss. And suddenly I noticed on a branch the same scroll with ancient inscriptions. It read: “You will go through the whole world with a lie, but you will not return back!”
Thus the prophecy of the things of the Gamayun bird came true.
Sirin
Sirin is one of the birds of paradise, even its very name is consonant with the name of paradise: Iriy.
However, these are by no means bright Alkonost and Gamayun.
Sirin is a dark bird, a dark force, a messenger of the ruler of the underworld. From the head to the waist, Sirin is a woman of incomparable beauty, from the waist - a bird. Whoever listens to her voice forgets about everything in the world, but is soon doomed to troubles and misfortunes, and even dies, and there is no strength to make him not listen to Sirin's voice. And this voice is true bliss!
Firebird
Firebird - in Slavic mythology, a fire bird the size of a peacock. Her feathers shine with blue light, and her armpits crimson. author of the encyclopedia Aleksandrova Anastasia
You can easily get burned on her plumage. The fallen feather retains the properties of the plumage of the Firebird for a long time. It glows and gives warmth. And when the pen goes out, it turns into gold. The Firebird guards the fern flower.
A fairy tale is not only entertainment for kids. It contains instructive stories that reflect the beliefs of an entire people. The heroes are endowed with rather conditional exaggerated characters, their motives and actions are a reflection of ancient Slavic rituals.
baba yaga- the most famous character of Russian folklore. Meanwhile, this is not just a collective image of an ugly old woman with a quarrelsome character and ferocious deeds. Baba Yaga is essentially a conductor. The forest in which she lives is a conditional border between the worlds. She needs a bone leg so that the spirits consider her theirs. A prerequisite for “heating a bathhouse” is a ritual bath, a joint meal in one form or another - a feast, a commemoration among the Slavs. And the indispensable dwelling - a hut on chicken legs - is just the place of transition to the afterlife. By the way, chicken legs have nothing to do with the hut. "Smoke" means "to fumigate" - to pour smoke over a new haven of man "without windows, without doors." And in fact, Baba Yaga did not put children in the oven - this is again the image of the initiation of babies among the Slavs, during which the child was placed in the oven to protect him from evil spirits.
Water- an unpleasant-looking water spirit that lives in whirlpools and water mills. He has drowned girls in his wives, and fish in his servants. The waterman will not miss the chance to drag an unlucky diver to his muddy bottom. So that he would not act outrageously, they brought him gifts, especially the spirit of water rejoiced at the appetizing goose. The water man is always ready to protect his home, as soon as the fisherman recklessly encroach on his possessions.
Firebird- an analogue of the Phoenix reborn from fire and ashes. As a rule, she (or her pen) is the goal of the search and wanderings of the main characters. It is believed that she personifies light and warmth, so every autumn she dies, and reappears in the spring. Also found in fairy tales Sirin- half woman half bird. She has heavenly beauty and an angelic voice, but everyone who hears it is doomed to trouble and suffering.
Dragon- a fire-breathing dragon that can fly. In Slavic folklore, he guards the Kalinov Bridge - access to the underworld, where the path is ordered for the common man. The number of his heads is always a multiple of three (the sacred number of the Slavs), which indicates vitality, you cannot defeat him at a time.
Goblin- Forest spirit. He is either huge and powerful, then small and absurd, then clumsy, then dexterous. They try to avoid him, because Leshy has a harmful character and can lead him into the thicket of the forest - then get out of there. You can save yourself if you wear clothes inside out - so he does not recognize his victim. At the same time, they appease him, leaving gifts at the edge, because this is the Master of the forest, without whom human life is impossible.
- a good guardian of the house. He is born old and dies as a baby. He is happy to help in the household, if he is not offended and fed with milk, or he can misbehave and hide the necessary things. Its complete opposite is kikimora- the evil spirit of the deceased, tormenting the family. However, she does dirty tricks to those who do not keep their home in order, so it is quite fair. Another domestic prankster - Bannik. He is able to scare a person who has come to take a steam bath by throwing hot stones at him or scalding him with boiling water.
Koschei the Immortal- an evil sorcerer who kidnaps brides. This is a prototype of the powerful priest Koshchei Chernobogovich, the son of Chernobog. He owned the kingdom of Navi (the underworld, the underworld among the Slavs).
Well, what is a fairy tale without Ivan the Fool? This is a collective positive image, which is destined for a long way, but he passes it with valor and at the end receives the princess as his wife. So the Fool is not a curse, but a kind of amulet from the evil eye. Ivan solves the tasks set by life thanks to his own ingenuity and non-standard approach.
Listening to stories from heroes of Russian folk tales, children from childhood learned to be persistent in spirit, fair, courageous, revering and recognizing the power of good (after all, it always wins). The Slavs believed that any fairy tale is a lie only for our visible world, but true for the world of spirits. And no one will argue that it contains a lesson that everyone has yet to learn during their lives.
_
ETHNOMIR, Kaluga region, Borovsky district, Petrovo village
_
ETNOMIR is the largest ethnographic park-museum in Russia, a colorful interactive model of the real world. Here, on an area of 140 hectares, architecture, national cuisine, crafts, traditions and life of almost all countries are presented. Each country is assigned a kind of "cultural reserve" - an ethno-yard.
- complex exposure. It is formed by the building of the largest Russian stove in the world and nine huts from different regions of the European part of Russia.
In its planning, the architectural ensemble recreates the structure of ancient Slavic settlements, when residential buildings surrounded the central square.
The main expositions of the Museum are located in the huts - these are stoves of various structures, shapes, designs, and household items of the 19th-20th centuries, and an exhibition of irons, and a collection of traditional Russian patchwork dolls, and various wooden toys...
