Animals in fairy tales are certain human types: a cunning fox, a kind and defenseless hare, a strong but stupid bear. The relationship between such characters is a human relationship, a person as such is “superfluous” in this world, and people, as a rule, do not appear in such fairy tales.
On the other hand, animals that behave like humans (talk, make decisions, give advice, etc.) often appear in fairy tales about humans. They seem to become intermediaries between two fabulous "universes" - the world of animals and the world of people. Most often, either a horse or a wolf acts as such an “intermediary”. In fairy tales entirely devoted to animals, the wolf appears much more often than the horse.
It is noteworthy that the interpretation of the image of the wolf in Russian fairy tales practically does not differ from its embodiment in the folklore of other peoples, which indicates the antiquity of the plots associated with it. Therefore, speaking about the image of a wolf in Russian fairy tales, one cannot close oneself within the limits of Russian folklore proper.
The wolf as a negative character
In fairy tales about animals, the wolf most often appears as an aggressive, dangerous creature - a real robber who should be feared. One of the most famous examples of this kind is the fairy tale "Wolf and", known not only in the Russian tradition. Meeting with such a character does not bode well even for a person. It is no coincidence that in the story about Little Red Riding Hood, also taken by Charles Perrault from European folklore, it is the wolf that becomes the enemy of the main character.
If the wolf can be defeated, then this is done not by force, but by cunning. Most often this is done by the fox, to which this quality is traditionally attributed. Thus, it is argued that it is impossible to defeat force by force, aggression by aggression.
This perception of the wolf is not surprising. Fear of these animals arose long before the advent of cattle breeding, for which they became "enemies No. 1". There was nothing irrational in this guard: the wolf is a predator, quite capable of biting a person.
The fear was exacerbated by the nocturnal lifestyle of the wolves. The night has always scared people. In the dark, vision does not work well - the main human "supplier of information", a person becomes defenseless. Nocturnal animals, well oriented in an alien and dangerous environment for humans, have never inspired confidence in people. This applied in particular to dangerous predators who had an advantage over humans at night.
The demonization of the wolf was aggravated by the binary opposition "friend or foe". Before the advent of animal husbandry, any animal was, from the point of view of man, “alien”. But if the deer, for example, was to a certain extent "one's own" because it can be eaten, then the wolf was not a source of food. Ancient people did not know that they were the orderlies of the forest, and they did not immediately guess that the wolf cub can be tamed, raised and used for hunting. No practical use they did not see from the wolves, so the wolves in their eyes were absolutely alien human world. Alien means enemy.
But, paradoxically, the wolf does not always appear in fairy tales. negative character. And even such plots familiar from childhood as "The Wolf and the Kids" and "Little Red Riding Hood" are not as unambiguous as they might seem.
The duality of the wolf
If in fairy tales about animals the image of a wolf is more or less unambiguous - a cruel but not intelligent robber, then in fairy tales about people the wolf often acts as a magical helper. It is about such a fabulous wolf that A.S. Pushkin mentions in the poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila":
“In the dungeon there the princess is grieving,
And the brown wolf serves her faithfully.”
In the fairy tale "Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf" it is the wolf who comes to the aid of the hero, and here he can no longer be called a negative character.
The duality of the folklore image of the wolf becomes even more obvious if we go beyond the tale itself and look at the image in a broader mythological context.
Noteworthy in this regard is the famous notebook of Novgorod Onfim, which opened the veil of secrecy over inner world child from medieval Rus'. The drawings in this notebook embody the usual boyish dreams of exploits and military glory. But one drawing is bewildering: a four-legged creature, in which a wolf is guessed, and next to it is the inscription - "I am a beast." If the boy identified himself with the wolf, then this character was not negative in his eyes.
The Tale of Igor's Campaign mentions Vseslav, Prince of Polotsk, who "roamed like a wolf in the night." It's hardly figurative. literary expression: the annals mention that this prince was “mother from sorcery”, and the author of the “Word ...” could well attribute werewolf to such a person.
A werewolf is a creature that belongs both to the world of people and the world of wildlife, which for ancient man identified with the other world. The wolf, as already mentioned, due to its special “alienity” to man, is the ideal expression of this world. It is his appearance that must be taken in order to become involved in the other world. Therefore, werewolf (originally a kind of magical practice) is associated with the appearance of a wolf.
So the wolf turns into an intermediary between the world of people and the other world. Such an intermediary is necessary for a person who goes to the "other world" for the rite of passage. From this rite come many fabulous motifs, including the motive of "difficult tasks". In this light becomes understandable origin fabulous wolf-magic helper.
The story of a wolf swallowing the heroes of a fairy tale can also go back to the rite of passage. As you know, the kids swallowed by the wolf in the final safely return to their mother goat. And this is not a fake "happy ending" at all, glued on so that the children do not cry. Teenagers who went to realm of the dead” for the rite of passage, also in most cases happily returned to the village. Among many primitive peoples, ethnographers observed huts where a ritual took place, built in the form of an animal head. This animal, as it were, "swallowed" the initiates. Probably, similar customs existed among the Proto-Slavic peoples. A wolf swallowing and then releasing the heroes of a fairy tale is a distant echo of such customs.
The wolf in Russian fairy tales and in folklore in general is a dual character, which cannot be unequivocally called either positive or negative. This duality is connected with the antiquity of the image, rooted in pagan times.
All over the world, people tell stories to entertain each other. Sometimes fairy tales help to understand what is bad in life and what is good. Fairy tales appeared long before the invention of books, and even writing.
Scholars have interpreted the story in different ways. A number of folklore researchers called everything that “affected” a fairy tale. The well-known fairy tale expert E. V. Pomerantseva accepted this point of view: “A folk tale is an epic oral piece of art, predominantly prosaic, magical or everyday in nature with an installation for fiction.
Tales about animals differ significantly from other types of fairy tales. The appearance of fairy tales about animals was preceded by stories directly related to beliefs about animals. The Russian fairy tale epic about animals is not very rich: according to N. P. Andreev (an ethnographer, art critic), there are 67 types of fairy tales about animals. They make up less than 10% of the entire Russian fairy tale repertoire, but at the same time this material is distinguished by great originality. In fairy tales about animals, animals implausibly argue, talk, quarrel, love, make friends, and quarrel: the cunning “fox is beautiful in conversation”, the stupid and greedy “wolf-wolf is a grabber from under a bush”, “a mouse-gnawing”, “cowardly bunny - bow-legged, lope up the hill. All this is unbelievable, fantastic.
The appearance of various characters in Russian fairy tales about animals was originally due to the circle of representatives of the animal world that is characteristic of our territory. Therefore, it is natural that in fairy tales about animals we meet with the inhabitants of forests, fields, steppe expanses (bear, wolf, fox, wild boar, hare, hedgehog, etc.). In fairy tales about animals, animals themselves are the main heroes - characters, and the relationship between them determines the nature of the fairy-tale conflict.
The purpose of my research work is to compare the images of wild animals from Russian folk tales with the habits of real animals.
Hypothesis - my hypothetical judgment that the images of wild animals, their characters correspond to the habits of their prototypes.
1. Characters in the animal epic.
By observing the composition of animals acting as acting characters in the animal epic, I note the predominance of wild, forest animals. These are a fox, a wolf, a bear, a hare, and birds: a crane, a heron, a thrush, a woodpecker, a crow. Domestic animals appear in conjunction with forest animals, and not as independent or leading characters. Examples: cat, rooster and fox; sheep, fox and wolf; dog and woodpecker and others. The leading characters, as a rule, are forest animals, while domestic animals play a supporting role.
Tales about animals are built on elementary actions. The tales are built on an ending unexpected for the partner, but expected by the listeners. Hence the comic character of animal tales and the need for a cunning and treacherous character, such as the fox, and stupid and foolish, such as the wolf is usually with us. So, fairy tales about animals will mean such fairy tales in which the animal is the main object. The characters are only one animal.
The fox became the favorite hero of Russian fairy tales: Lisa Patrikeevna, the Fox is a beauty, the fox is an oil lip, the gossip fox, Lisafya. Here she lies on the road with glazed eyes. She was dead, the man decided, he kicked her, she wouldn’t stir. The man was delighted, took the fox, put it in a cart with fish: “The old woman will have a collar on her fur coat” - and touched the horse, he himself went ahead. The fox threw out all the fish and left. When the fox began to dine, the wolf came running. Why would a fox feed a wolf! Let him catch it. The fox instantly overshadows: “You, kumanek, go to the river, lower your tail into the hole - the fish itself clings to the tail, sit and say: “Catch, fish”
The proposal is absurd, wild, and the stranger it is, the more readily one believes in it. But the wolf obeyed. The fox feels complete superiority over the gullible and stupid godfather. The image of the fox is completed by other fairy tales. Infinitely deceitful, she uses gullibility, plays on the weak strings of friends and enemies. A lot of tricks and pranks in the memory of the fox. She drives a hare out of a bast hut, carries away a rooster, luring him out with a song, by deceit she changes a rolling pin for a goose, a goose for a turkey, etc., up to a bull. The fox is a pretender, a thief, a deceiver, evil, flattering, dexterous, cunning, prudent. In fairy tales, she is everywhere true to these traits of her character. Her cunning is conveyed in the proverb: "When you look for a fox in front, it is behind." She is resourceful and lies recklessly until the time when it is no longer possible to lie, but even in this case she often indulges in the most incredible fiction. The fox thinks only of its own benefit.
If the deal does not promise her acquisitions, she will not give up anything of her own. The fox is vindictive and vindictive.
In fairy tales about animals, one of the main characters is the wolf. This is the exact opposite of the image of the fox. In fairy tales, the wolf is stupid, it is easy to deceive him. There seems to be no such trouble, no matter what this unlucky, eternally beaten beast got into. So, the fox advises the wolf to fish by dipping his tail into the hole. The goat offers the wolf to open its mouth and stand downhill so that it can jump into the mouth. The goat knocks over the wolf and runs away (the fairy tale "The Fool Wolf"). The image of a wolf in fairy tales is always hungry and lonely. He always finds himself in a ridiculous, ridiculous position.
In numerous fairy tales, a bear is also bred: “A man, a bear and a fox”, “A bear, a dog and a cat” and others. The image of the bear, remaining as before the main figure of the forest kingdom, appears before us as a slow, gullible loser, often stupid and clumsy, clubfoot. He constantly boasts of his exorbitant strength, although he can not always use it properly. He crushes everything that gets under his feet. The fragile teremok, a house in which a variety of forest animals lived peacefully, could not stand its weight either. In fairy tales, the bear is not smart, but stupid, he embodies a great, but not smart power.
Tales in which small animals act (hare, frog, mouse, hedgehog) are mostly humorous. The hare in fairy tales is quick on the foot, unintelligent, cowardly and timid. The hedgehog is slow, but reasonable, does not give in to the most ingenious tricks of his opponents.
Thought fairy tales about animals turns into proverbs. The fox with its fabulous traits of a cheat, a sly rogue appeared in the proverbs: “The fox does not mess up its tail”, “The fox was hired to protect the poultry yard from the kite, from the hawk”. The stupid and greedy wolf also moved from fairy tales to proverbs: “Don’t put your finger in the wolf’s mouth”, “Be a wolf for your sheep’s simplicity.” And here are the proverbs about the bear: “The bear is strong, but it lies in the swamp”, “There is a lot of thought in the bear, but it won’t go out.” And here the bear is endowed with enormous, but unreasonable power.
In fairy tales, there is a constant struggle and rivalry between animals. The struggle, as a rule, ends with a cruel reprisal against the enemy or an evil mockery of him. The condemned animal often finds itself in a ridiculous, absurd position.
Prototypes of fairy tale characters.
And now we will consider the habits and lifestyle of real animals. I was guided by the book Animal Life by the German zoologist Alfred Brehm. Through vivid descriptions of the "way of life" and the "character" of animals, Brehm's work has become for many generations the best popular guide to zoology. So he denies the primary cunning of the fox and affirms the exceptional cunning of the wolf. Wolves do not hunt alone, but together. They usually roam in small flocks of 10-15 individuals. The pack has a strict hierarchy. The leader of the pack is almost always male (wolf-"alpha"). In the pack, it can be recognized by its raised tail. Among the females, there is also a she-wolf - "alpha", which usually goes ahead of the leader. In moments of danger or hunting, the leader becomes the head of the pack. Further on the hierarchical ladder are the adult members of the pack and solitary wolves. The lowest of all are the grown wolf cubs, which the pack accepts only for the second year. Adult wolves test the strength of the superior wolves all the time. As a result, young wolves, growing up, rise higher in the hierarchical ladder, and aging wolves fall lower and lower. Such a developed social structure significantly increases the efficiency of hunting. Wolves never lie in wait for prey, they drive it. Pursuing prey, wolves are divided into small groups. Prey is divided among members of the pack according to rank. Old wolves, unable to participate in a joint hunt, follow the pack at a distance and are content with the remnants of its prey. The wolf buries the remnants of food in the snow, and hides it in reserve in summer. secluded place, where he returns later to finish eating the uneaten food. Wolves have a very keen sense of smell, picking up the smell at a distance of 1.5 km. The wolf is a predatory, cunning, clever, resourceful, evil creature.
When I studied the material about the habits of the fox, I found some similarities with fairy fox. For example, a real fox, like a fabulous one, loves to visit the chicken coop. She avoids dense taiga forests, preferring forests in the area of agricultural land. And he is looking for a ready-made mink for himself. It can occupy the hole of a badger, arctic fox, marmot. The tail of the fox is also mentioned in fairy tales. Indeed, a fluffy tail can be considered its feature. The fox acts as a rudder, making sharp turns during pursuit. And she also hides with him, curling up in a ball during rest and sticking her nose into its base. It turns out that in this place there is a fragrant gland that emits the smell of violets. It is believed that this odorous organ favorably affects the charm of the fox, but its exact purpose remains unclear.
6 The mother fox guards the cubs and does not let anyone near. If, for example, a dog or a person appears near the hole, then the fox resorts to “cunning” - it tries to take them away from its home, enticing
But the heroes of fairy tales are the crane and the heron. About a non-fabulous, real gray or common crane in A. Brem's book "The Life of Animals" it is said: "The crane is very sensitive to affection and resentment - he can remember the offense for months and even years." The fairy-tale crane is endowed with the features of a real bird: he is bored, he is memory for insults. About the heron in the same book it is said that she is vicious and greedy. This explains why the heron in the folk tale thinks first of all about what the crane will feed her. She is angry, like a real, not a fairy-tale heron: she unkindly accepted the matchmaking, scolds the wooing groom: “Go away, lanky!”
In fairy tales, sayings say - "cowardly, like a hare." Meanwhile, hares are not so much cowardly as cautious. They need this caution, because it is their salvation. Natural instinct and the ability to quickly run away with large jumps, combined with the techniques of obfuscating their tracks, compensate for their defenselessness. However, the hare is able to fight back: if a feathered predator overtakes it, it lies on its back and fights off with strong kicks. The mother hare feeds not only her cubs, but in general all the discovered rabbits. When a person appears, the hare takes him away from the hare, pretending to be wounded, sick, trying to attract attention to herself, knocking her feet on the ground.
The bear in fairy tales appears to us as slow, clumsy. Meanwhile, the clumsy-looking bear runs exceptionally fast - at a speed of over 55 km / h, swims excellently and climbs trees well in his youth (he does this reluctantly in old age). And it turns out that the bear is active throughout the day, but more often in the mornings and evenings. They have a well-developed sense of smell, and their eyesight and hearing are rather weak. In fairy tales, the bear embodies great strength and its prototype with one blow of its paw is able to break the back of a bull or a buffalo.
In studying animal tales, we must beware of the very common misconception that animal tales are really animal stories. Before researching this topic, I also adhered to this judgment. As a rule, they have very little in common with the actual life and habits of animals. True, to some extent, animals act according to their nature: the horse kicks, the rooster sings, the fox lives in a hole (however, not always), the bear is slow and sleepy, the hare is cowardly, etc. All this gives the fairy tales the character of realism.
The depiction of animals in fairy tales is sometimes so convincing that since childhood we have become accustomed to subconsciously determine the characters of animals from fairy tales. This includes the notion that the fox is an exceptionally cunning animal. However, every zoologist knows that this opinion is based on nothing. Each animal is cunning in its own way.
The animals enter into a commonwealth and lead a company that is impossible in nature.
But still, I want to note that in fairy tales there are many such details in the depiction of animals and birds that people spied from the life of real animals.
After reading the literature about fairy tales, about the life and behavior of animals and comparing the images and their prototypes, I came up with two versions. On the one hand, the images of animals are similar to their prototypes (an evil wolf, a clumsy bear, a fox that drags chickens, etc.). On the other hand, having studied the observations of zoologists, I can say that the images and their prototypes have little in common with the actual habits of animals.
The art of the folk tale consists in a subtle rethinking of the true habits of birds and animals.
And one more thing: having studied the history of fairy tales about animals, I came to the conclusion that fairy tales about animals most often take the form of stories about people disguised as animals. In the animal epic is widely reflected human life, with its passions, greed, greed, deceit, stupidity and cunning, and at the same time with friendship, fidelity, gratitude, i.e. a wide range human feelings and characters.
Tales about animals are the "encyclopedia of life" of the people. Animal tales are the childhood of humanity itself!
Research "The wolf is an image of Russian folk tales and its prototype"
Prepared by a student of KSU secondary school No. 9 Tyukova Sofia
Creative director Evdokimova I.E.
- Tasks:
- get acquainted with the history of folk tales, with the features of fairy tales about animals;
- study folk tales in which the wolf acts, analyze the image of the wolf;
- study the habits of the wolf from different sources;
- compare the image of a wolf with its prototype.
Object of study: texts of Russian folk tales, popular scientific literature.
Subject of research: a wolf from fairy tales and its prototype.
Methods: survey, literature study, observation, classification, generalization.
Hypothesis: my supposed judgment is that the image of a wolf in fairy tales, its character does not always coincide with the habits of its prototype.
The image of the wolf in fairy tales. Russian folk tale "Ivan Tsarevich and Gray wolf»
The wolf is a kind, faithful assistant.
Russian folk tale "The Fox and the Wolf"
In this tale, our hero is not quite familiar to us. He is kind, trusting, naive, straightforward, stupid. He cannot distinguish between lies and truth, flattery and common sense.
Fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm "The Wolf and the Seven Kids"
In this fairy tale wolf turned
into a symbol of insatiability and danger.
The wolf is angry, greedy, gluttonous.
Russian folk tales "Fool wolf" "Stupid Wolf"
- In these tales he is endowed negative traits. This is a silly and rustic beast, which is constantly deceived. He is presented as a fool.
- “The wolf stood under the mountain and opened his wide mouth, and the goat, on his mind, flew from the mountain like an arrow, hit the wolf in the forehead, so hard that he fell off his feet. And the goat was like that!”
IN " Etymological Dictionary of a Schoolchild" by G.N. Sycheva the word "wolf" is defined as a common Slavic, Indo-European character. There is an opinion that the name "wolf" is derived from the verb drag, i.e. "drag". The wolf is a predatory animal, he often drags away, drags away livestock. Therefore, literally - "carrying" (livestock).
The word "wolf" is widely used in a direct and figurative sense, for example: do not go into the mouth of a wolf - when communicating with someone, endanger yourself, trouble. But nevertheless, the wolf symbolizes freedom, independence in the animal world, fearlessness. In nature, a wolf is a dangerous, predatory, intelligent, resourceful animal, causing fear and respect.
Comparison table.
wolf in life
wolf in fairy tales
Extraordinarily smart, capable of multi-way combinations.
Naive, ingenuous. Ends life as a fool.
Faithful in family life, collective animal. Caring.
Single.
Counts the fox worst enemy, strangles her.
Compassionate, always deceived by the fox.
The object of food is sick weak animals. Big game only from hunger.
Always hungry, ready to eat everyone. .
Strong. Bold animal.
unlucky
Department of Education of the Administration of the Yustinsky District Municipal Formation
Municipal state educational institution
"Harbin middle comprehensive school»
District correspondence competition "My small homeland: nature, culture, ethnos»
Nomination "Humanitarian and environmental research"
The image of the wolf in Kalmyk and Russian folk tales.
Angarikov Angrik Alekseevich,
7th grade student of MKOU "Harbin secondary school" of Yustinsky district
Supervisor: Angarikova Bayn Anatolyevna, teacher of Russian language and literature, MKOU "Harbin secondary school" of the Yustinsky district
Harba, 2015.
Content:
Introduction. 2.
1.1. Relevance of the topic.
1.2. Area of study, object of study.
1.3. Goals and objectives of the study.
1.4. Research stages. Research methods.
1.5. Literature review
Main part. 4.
2. Theoretical research. Tales about animals. 4.
3. Practical research:
3.1. The image of the wolf in fairy tales about animals. 8.
3.2. Comparative analysis the image of a wolf in Kalmyk and Russian folk tales about animals 10.
Conclusion 12.
Bibliography. 13.
Introduction
“The tale is a lie, but there is a hint in it! Good fellows lesson.
A.S. Pushkin. "The Tale of the Golden Cockerel"
Fairy tale - wonderful world, where real and fictional events, characters are intricately intertwined , there is its own unusual poetics, the beauty of the language, and there is certainly a moral, hidden or explicitly sounding in a fairy tale.
Getting acquainted with fairy tales, we notice that Kalmyk and Russian fairy tales are very similar. What do fairy tales have in common different peoples? And how do they differ? I had questions that I wanted to find answers to.
The study is devoted to the analysis and comparison of the image of the wolf in fairy tales about animals - Russian folk tales and Kalmyk folk tales. The fulfillment of the set goal began with an acquaintance with the history of fairy tales: the definition of the genre, the collection and study of fairy tales, with their classification.
I did the research purpose which was a comparison of the image of a wolf in Russian folk and Kalmyk folk tales about animals
Object of study- the image of a wolf in folk tales about animals.
Subject of study- general and distinctive features images of the wolf in Russian folk and Kalmyk folk tales about animals.
Research objectives:
Get to know the history of folk tales.
Analyze the features of folk tales about animals.
Establish common and distinctive features of the image of the wolf in Russian and Kalmyk folk tales about animals.
Working methods:
Studying literary sources on the problem.
search method.
Comparison of two fairy tales (analogy, opposition, generalization).
Analysis of results.
Project work plan:
Choosing a topic, drawing up a work plan
Work with literature, search for information on the issue
Reading fairy tales.
Comparison of the plot, composition and language features of the Russian folk tale "The Beasts in the Pit" and the Kalmyk folk tale " Leopard, wolf, fox and camel»
Comparison and analysis of results, description.
Literature review:
In textbooks for schools Moiseeva A.I., Moiseeva N.I. "History and culture of the Kalmyk people (XVII - XVIII centuries)" and V.T. Sarangov "Kalmyk Folk poetic creativity: Tales" reveals the form of existence, the structure of the Kalmyk fairy tale
The book by V. Ya. Propp (1895-1970), the greatest folklorist of the 20th century, "Russian Fairy Tale" is a kind of manual on fairy tales, a popular encyclopedia of fairy tales. The final work on the fairy tale includes a collection of information about the collection, study, structure and development, the form of existence of all types of Russian fairy tales.
For comparison, a Russian folk tale "Beasts in the Pit" from the collection "Russian folk tales" (compilation and introductory article by Anikin V.P.) and a Kalmyk folk tale “ Leopard, wolf, fox and camel ” from book Kalmyk fairy tales about animals. Mouse and camel. Translation from Kalmyk” (compiled by V.D. Badmaeva)
Practical value works: the results of the study can be used in the study of Russian and Kalmyk folklore.
The work consists of an introduction, the main part, a conclusion and a list of references. In the introduction, the goals and objectives of the study are indicated, the relevance of the chosen topic is substantiated. The main part examines the image of the wolf in the tales of the peoples of the world as a whole, considers the images of the wolf in Russian and Kalmyk folk tales, identifies similar features and characteristics of the wolf in the tales of different peoples. In conclusion, conclusions are given on the basis of the studied material.
Main part.
2.Features of fairy tales about animals.
In the "Big Explanatory Dictionary of the Modern Russian Language" D.N. Ushakov fairy tale defined as narrative work oral folk art about fictional events. We have loved fairy tales since childhood, they warm the heart, awaken the mind and imagination. Fairy tales are filled with incredible events, fantastic adventures, in fairy tales animals and birds speak and act like people, they reason, deceive, quarrel and make friends. A fairy tale is the soul of the people, embodied in the word, the richest source of folk wisdom.
modern science distinguishes the following genres of fairy tales:
1) about animals;
2) magical;
3) short stories;
4) legendary;
5) fairy tales-parodies;
6) children's fairy tales.
In Kalmyk folklore, researchers note four main fairy tale genre: a) magical, b) heroic, c) everyday, d) fairy tales about animals.
V.Ya. Propp gives the following definition of animal tales: “Animal tales will mean those tales in which the animal is the main object or subject of the story. On this basis, fairy tales about animals can be distinguished from others, where animals play only an auxiliary role and are not the heroes of the story.
Animal tales called those in which the characters are wild animals, less often - domestic animals. These tales originated in an era when the main occupations forced a person to often encounter animals, i.e. in the era of hunting and cattle breeding. In this era, the fight against animals was very dangerous, due to the poor armament of man; man seemed to himself weak in comparison with a number of predatory animals; on the contrary, many animals must have appeared to him unusually powerful. Under the influence of the animistic worldview, a person attributed human properties to animals, even in exaggerated sizes: the cry of an animal or a bird was incomprehensible to a person, but human speech was understandable to animals and birds; beast and bird know more than man and understand man's aspirations. In this era, there was a belief in the possibility of turning into a beast and back. The growth of human power was to gradually weaken these views and beliefs, and this was to be reflected in the content of fairy tales about animals.
At first they formed simple stories about animals and birds and fish, about their relationship with each other and with man. Later, with the development of artistic thinking, stories turned into fairy tales. The genre was formed long time, enriched with plots, types of characters, developing certain structural features.
The identification of similar features in animals and humans (speech - cry, behavior - habits) served as the basis for combining their qualities in animal images with human qualities: animals speak and behave like people. V.Ya. Propp wrote: "Strength artistic realism so great that we do not notice that, despite the subtly noticed properties of animals, animals in a fairy tale often do not act like animals at all and their actions are not consistent with their nature. In the animal epic, human life is widely reflected, with its passions, greed, greed, deceit, stupidity and cunning, and at the same time with friendship, fidelity, gratitude, i.e. a wide range of human feelings and characters, as well as a realistic depiction of human, in particular, peasant life. This combination led to the typification of the characters of animals, which became the embodiment of certain qualities: the fox - cunning, the wolf - stupidity and greed, the bear - gullibility, the hare - cowardice. So fairy tales acquired an allegorical meaning: animals began to be understood as people of certain characters. But there is hardly any reason to believe that human features are depicted in the images of animals in all fairy tales. The peculiarity of the image of an animal in fairy tales lies precisely in the fact that the human features in it never completely crowd out the features of the animal.
In animal tales, animal figures are realistic; they differ sharply from the fantastic firebird of fairy tales: there is no such bird in reality, but the fox, wolf, bear, hare, crane are taken from real life.
However, it should be emphasized that the main semantic aspect of fairy tales about animals is moral. IN morally two main ideas of animal tales can be distinguished: the glorification of camaraderie, thanks to which the weak defeat the evil and strong, and the glorification of victory itself, which brings moral satisfaction to the listeners.
The structure of animal tales is quite simple. The most remarkable feature of the structure of this type of fairy tales is the stringing of episodes. The meeting of animals with each other is very characteristic of the development of the action. Perhaps, only in fairy tales about animals the composition is distinguished by such a pronounced functionality. All links of the plot are built in such a way as to reveal the essence of phenomena with the utmost speed in a short episode, to convey the nature of the relationship between the characters.
Each hero has his own individual character and only him inherent traits. Characteristics of animals in a fairy tale includes several pronounced characters, personifying strength and cunning, malice and brute force.
The national features of the tale are determined by the folklore traditions of the people. The tales reflect the animal and plant world of the country where these tales appeared. Animals - the heroes of fairy tales - resemble in their speech and behavior the people of the country where these fairy tales exist. And it cannot be otherwise, since the fairy tale has always been a reflection of people's life, a mirror of people's consciousness.
2.1. Russian fairy tales about animals
Animal Tales- one of ancient species Russian fairy tales. The world of animals in fairy tales is perceived as an allegorical image of the human. Animals represent real carriers human vices in everyday life (greed, stupidity, cowardice, boasting, knavery, cruelty, flattery, hypocrisy, etc.).
V.Ya. Propp in his book "Russian Fairy Tale" (chapter 6 "Tales about animals") distinguishes six groups of fairy tales about animals:
1) fairy tales about wild animals;
2) fairy tales about wild and domestic animals;
3) fairy tales about man and wild animals;
4) fairy tales about domestic animals;
5) fairy tales about birds, fish, etc.;
6) fairy tales about other animals, plants, etc.
An allegory is manifested in the characterization of the characters: the depiction of the habits of animals, the peculiarities of their behavior resembles the depiction of human behavior and introduces critical principles into the narrative, which are expressed in the use of various methods of satirical and humorous depiction of reality.
The humor is based on the reproduction of the ridiculous situations that the characters find themselves in (the wolf lowers its tail into the hole and believes that it will catch the fish).
The language of fairy tales is figurative, reproduces everyday speech, some fairy tales consist entirely of dialogues ("The Fox and the Black Grouse", "The Bean Seed"). The dialogue takes precedence over the narrative. They move the action, reveal situations, show the state of the characters. The text includes small songs ("Kolobok", "Koza-dereza"). Tales about animals are characterized by bright optimism: the weak always get out of difficult situations.
The composition of fairy tales is simple, based on the repetition of situations. The plot of fairy tales unfolds rapidly ("The Bean Seed", "The Beasts in the Pit"). Tales about animals are highly artistic, their images are expressive.
2.2. Kalmyk fairy tales about animals.
Kalmyk fairy tales about animals are simple in plot, uncomplicated in composition and small in volume. Wild beasts and animals act in them - wolves, foxes, leopards, lions, elephants, hares; domestic animals - sheep, camels, goats; birds - sparrows, crows, peacocks, roosters, owls; rodents - gophers, mice; of insects, the mosquito appears most often.
These tales are allegorical: khans, noyons, zaisangs are bred under the guise of predators. In the form of a leopard, a lion, a wolf, stupid, ruthless people are depicted, in the form of a fox - deceivers, cunning people, liars, in the form of an elephant and a camel - strong, but lazy and not loving to work. It is quite clear that these tales condemn the bad, unjust deeds and negative actions of representatives of the exploiting class that are incompatible with popular morality. In the image of birds, apparently, innocent people are bred, who, due to their naivety, fell into the net of deceivers, oppressors, and various oppressors in the class society of that time.
Fairy tales written in Kalmyk language, provide an opportunity to get acquainted with traditions, culture and oral art. For example, Buryat fairy tales, in which animals are the main characters, teach the reader to distinguish between a good, bright beginning and an evil one, to empathize and help the weak, to believe in justice. Wait for the happy completion of the test.
The whole plot of the fairy tale is built on the constant clash of good and evil. The power of evil is softened by humor, which occupies a significant place in fairy tales. Evil characters are constantly ridiculed and often find themselves in ridiculous, comical situations. Usually the fairy tale ends with the victory of good. Evil is punishable.
The peoples of the world live on the same planet, develop along general laws stories. Each nation has its own path and its own destiny, its own language and living conditions. It is in the similarity of the historical folk life that one should seek the answer to the question of what are the reasons for the similarity and closeness of the tales of peoples living on different continents.
Speaking of fairy tales of different peoples with similar plots, three cases should be noted:
1. Fairy tales are formed among some people, and then moved to other countries, but they are affected by their own folklore traditions (beginnings, motives), adapt to local customs.
2. Yes similar tales, which occur independently of each other in different countries due to the commonality of life, psychology, conditions and laws, socially - historical development peoples.
3. Fairy tales can also be transmitted through a book.
3. The image of the wolf in folk tales
Who is cold in winter b will give birth in the forest evil, hungry?
The wolf is a predatory animal common in the northern hemisphere of the planet Earth. The appearance of the wolf is quite ferocious and intimidating. The wolf is a traditional hero of folk tales and epics of most peoples of the world. In our minds, the image of a wolf is endowed for the most part with negative characteristics:
You are cold snow beasts.
Your losses are incalculable...
A terrible cry will break the night.
Everyone, no one can help me.
A mad howl will freeze under the windows -
It's the snow wolves that came for me.
V. Butusov "Snow Wolves"
IN " Etymological Dictionary of a Schoolchild" by G.N. Sycheva the word "wolf" is defined as a common Slavic, Indo-European character. There is an opinion that the name "wolf" is derived from the verb drag, i.e. "drag". The wolf is a predatory animal, he often drags away, drags away livestock. Therefore, literally - "carrying" (livestock).
The word "wolf" is widely used in a direct and figurative sense, for example: do not go into the mouth of a wolf - when communicating with someone, endanger yourself, trouble. But nevertheless, the wolf symbolizes freedom, independence in the animal world, fearlessness. In nature, a wolf is a dangerous, predatory, intelligent, resourceful animal, causing fear and respect.
3.1.1. The image of the wolf in Russian fairy tales about animals.
In Russian fairy tales there is an image of a wise wolf, a wolf assistant to the heroes of fairy tales. In such fairy tales, the wolf appears as an unknown force, a kind of sorcerer (gives advice to Ivan Tsarevich), a healer (heals from diseases), for example, in the fairy tale "Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf". The wolf personifies the mysterious, endowed with great knowledge of power.
Wolf in fairy tales about animals already appears with evil features: he is angry, greedy, gluttonous, but stupid and slow-witted. In ancient cultures, the image of a wolf was associated with death, therefore, in fairy tales, this animal character often eats someone (“The wolf and seven kids”) or disturbs the calm life of animals (“”). But in the end
A. Pushkin wrote: "The tale is a lie, but there is a hint in it." The social prototype of the wolf is pretty clear. The people knew a lot of villains and criminals, from whom it had a hard time. The tale of how a wolf slaughtered a pig (“The Pig and the Wolf”) depicts a cruel and implacable master in the image of a wolf, who exacted from the peasants for injury.
Kind fairy tale characters In Russian fairy tales, the wolf is always deceived or defeated: the wolf devours the goats and dies (“The Wolf and the Goat”), feeds the hungry dog in order to eat it, remains without a tail (“The Fool Wolf”).
More often than other animals, the wolf is deceived and cruelly laughed at him by the fox.ButVIn a Russian fairy tale, we can feel sympathy and sympathy expressed towards the wolf, even if he “remained in the cold” (“The Tale of the Little Fox and the Wolf”, “How the Fox Sewed a Fur Coat for the Wolf”, “For the Lapotok - a Chicken, for a Chicken - Goose”, “Midwife Fox”, “Animals in the Pit”). The way the Fox deceives the Wolf, in fact, only speaks in favor of the latter - yes, he is too naive and simple-hearted (although this is not the case in nature), because he believes the Lisa-cheater at his word. Neither give nor take - a simple village peasant.
3.1.2. Wolf in Kalmyk fairy tales.
The wolf among many Mongolian peoples was considered ancient and one of the main totems. The Kalmyks have an ethnic division "chonos" ("wolves"): "iki chonos" (large wolves) and "baga chonos" (small wolves). A legend has been preserved among the people about the origin of this clan, the action of which takes place “in pre-Chingish Khan Mongolia, when tribes and clans lived separately.” The plot of this legend is not new. Romulus and Remus from Roman mythology were also suckled by she-wolf milk. The legend about the origin of the Chonos clan was literary processed and used in the novel folk writer Kalmykia Alexei Badmaev "Zulturgan - steppe grass", written in the Soviet years.
In fairy tales about animals the wolf is strong, but stupid, narrow-minded and often fooled.
An evil, greedy, gluttonous wolf in the fairy tale "Mouse Brothers", but the mice in the fairy tale were able to defeat the terrible beast. stupid and unthinking. In the fairy tale "The Elephant and the Wolf", the wolf tries to deceive the rustic and cowardly elephant, but in the end he himself dies.
Often the wolf is depicted as stupid, slow-witted. The fox makes fun of the wolf and leads him away, but the wolf is again given to her as a deception: “Wolf and fox”, “Cunning fox”, “Fox, wolf and bear”, “Wolf, fox and hare”, “Leopard, wolf, fox and camel.
Tales about animals were created not only for the edification of the little ones. Many of them, with the help of funny fiction, jokes, make fun of vices. The wolf is often the epitome of stupidity. His stupidity is the stupidity of a cruel and greedy beast.
From the tales discussed above, you can make conclusion, that the wolf is often stupid, but this is not its main feature: it is cruel, ferocious, angry, greedy - these are its main qualities. But such qualities are never encouraged in fairy tales, so the wolf always gets what he deserves.
3.2. Comparison of Russian and Kalmyk folk tales
Our task is to compare Russian folk and Kalmyk folk tales . For example, let's compare the Russian folk tale "Beasts in the Pit" and Kalmyk folk tale “ Leopard, wolf, fox and camel ” .
Comparison of Russian and Kalmyk folk tales.
fairy tale elements
Russian folk tale "The Beasts in the Pit"
Kalmyk folk tale "Leopard, wolf, fox and camel"
Scene
Animals fell into the pit.
Time of action
Winter came
Characters fairy tales
cockerel and hen, hare, wolf, fox and bear
Leopard, wolf, fox and camel
Animal actions
They talk, they think.
They think, they talk.
Problems that heroes solve
Everyone wants to get out of the hole and need to satisfy hunger
The food supply has run out and need to satisfy hunger
Zachin
There lived a cockerel and a hen.
That was a long time ago. Four brothers lived: a leopard, a wolf, a fox and a camel.
tie
Here comes the city. The hen was frightened, the cockerel and the hen ran.
climax
The fox ate someone with others by deceit.
The fox ate some of the camel meat and blamed the wolf for everything. Bars killed him, but he himself died
denouement
The fox ate everyone and with the help of the bird got out of the pit.
The fox ate camel meat, deceived all the animals and lived happily ever after.
Dialogue driving action.
Animals talk to each other. The fox sings songs that lead to the death of someone
Animals talk to each other. The fox is always the first to start a conversation, deceiving others.
Repeat situations and words
1) Run, run. To meet them - a hare:
- Where, cockerel, are you running?
- Ay, don't ask me, ask the chicken!
2) And the fox sang:
- Bear-bear - a good name ...
Kura-okurava is a bad name!
They ate chicken here.
The fox ate the tripe.
What are you doing? The leopard will check and kill, - the wolf shouted at us.
The camel was stupid, but the stupid scar (omentum) does not happen.
Artistic means of language: suffixation
Cockerel, hen, imechko, bear, titmouse bird.
Conclusions.
The wolf is widely represented in fairy tales of different peoples.
In fairy tales, the wolf can play both the main and minor role, but the image of the wolf does not change from this.
In the traditions of both peoples, the wolf is shown as a cruel but stupid animal.
Most often, in the tales of both peoples, the wolf is deceived by the fox.
In Kalmyk fairy tales, there is practically no clash between wild and domestic animals.
The Russian fairy tale, despite the external similarity of the plot and characters with the Kalmyk fairy tale, is more lively, bright, and imaginative. It has more epithets, onomatopoeia, songs. This is due to the ancient tradition of telling a fairy tale to music and its theatricalization.
Conclusion
Fairy tales are the most ancient creations of the human spirit. The fairy tale is one of the most popular and beloved genres in folklore and literature.
We did not know how to walk yet, but we already heard fairy tales from our mothers and grandmothers. As adults, we will read and study them for a long time. And while reading, we always immerse ourselves in their fantastic, magical and at the same time so alive and real world. Each fabulous image comes alive in the imagination brightly. And this is no coincidence, a fairy tale is a perfect work. folk spirit, honed over centuries or even millennia.
Everyone understands the story. It freely crosses all linguistic boundaries, from one people to another, and remains alive for thousands of years.
The form of a fairy tale, compact, capacious, and the manner of presenting a fairy tale, unedifying, seemingly so unpretentious, usually illuminated by the narrator's soft smile, allows us to convey not only the most characteristic qualities of a person, but also to grab the deepest, most hidden features of him and in a publicly accessible form for anyone. listener or reader to show what is good and what is bad. Fairy tale - forever seeking truth and justice, love and happiness, the soul of the people, embodied in the word.
The studied material shows that the goals and objectives set before us were solved, we received answers to all our questions. In our work, we compared Russian folk and Kalmyk folk tales about animals and saw that they have a lot in common, since the peoples of the world live on the same planet, develop according to the general laws of history. But fairy tales simultaneously demonstrate national identity folklore of every nation. And animals - the heroes of fairy tales - remind both their speech and the behavior of the people of the country where these fairy tales exist. It cannot be otherwise, since a fairy tale has always been a reflection of folk life.
As long as humanity exists, it needs a dream, and, therefore, it cannot do without a fairy tale that inspires, gives hope, amuses and consoles.
Literature:
History and culture of the Kalmyk people (XVII - XVIII centuries): a textbook for educational institutions. / Moiseev A.I., Moiseeva N.I. - Elista: Kalmyk book publishing house, - 2002. S. 151-163.
Kalmyk folk poetry: Fairy tales: Textbook / V.T. Sarangov; Kalm. State. University; Elista, -1998. pp. 3-11.
3. Mouse and camel. Kalmyk fairy tales about animals. Translation from Kalm.: collection. Comp.
V.D. Badmaeva. - Elista: AU RK "Publishing House" Gerel ", - 2012.
Propp V.Ya. Russian fairy tale.
Russian folk tales. Compilation and introductory article by Anikin V.P. - Moscow: Pravda Publishing House, 1990
“A philosopher, legislator, historian - anyone who wants to understand his people to the end should look closely at his songs, proverbs, fairy tales, as well as his sayings, individual expressions and words. Behind the word is always its meaning, behind the literal meaning - the meaning is secret, allegorical, under the strange colorful attire of a fairy tale lies the history and religion of peoples and nations, ”the Italian folklorist Giuseppe Pitre (1843 - 1916) shrewdly admonished everyone.
Today, we are increasingly turning to Russian folk tales, trying to find the hidden truth in them, that magic ball that will lead us to Far Far Away kingdom where our dreams will come true and everything will be fine.
Not only magical things help the hero along the way, but also animals and plants. In our work, we will try to understand not only symbolic meaning these images, but also in their structure. In my research work, I will use such a concept as a totem. This concept is taken from the language North American Indians, V scientific turnover introduced in the nineteenth century. "Totem" is translated as "his clan" and means tribal affiliation, but not according to family ties, but by uniting both oneself and a kind of tribe with some animal, plant, element (for example, water, wind, lightning) or an object (for example, a stone). Despite the seeming non-Russian concept of "totem", it is consonant with the very Russian words "father", "fatherland", "stepfather", etc.
What are totems for and why did they appear? Each person needs to distinguish himself from others. How to emphasize your uniqueness and uniqueness at the level of the clan, tribe, ethnic group? It was here that a tradition was developed to differ in totems, linking oneself with inextricable bonds with the world of animate and inanimate nature. In this interconnected system, the totem was assigned the role of a talisman: it guarded, protected a person, helped him in difficult situations. In turn, all totem animals and plants are taboo: what was considered
2 with a totem, it was impossible to kill, offend, eat. The totem was worshiped, sacrifices were made to it, it was glorified and depicted in all available ways. IN Ancient Rome the woodpecker was the most exotic totem, and the wolf (the Capitoline she-wolf who nursed Romulus and Remus) was the most famous.
Greek mythology is especially rich in the transformations of gods and heroes into animals, plants, and some inanimate objects (stones, rocks, stars). Ovid wrote 15 books on this subject, combined into the famous Metamorphoses. Zeus turns into a bull; Helios - into a lion, a boar, a panther; Athena - into a deer, etc.
Among the Russian people, the echoes of totemism were preserved mainly in ritual folklore associated with the veneration and magnification of trees, birds, animals, in fairy tales - especially about animals. This is clearly evidenced by the positive human traits that the people endowed with fabulous animals, as well as the protective functions that they perform (the first purpose of the totem is to help everyone who is in social relationship with it). A convincing confirmation of the totem-related relationship between animals and people in the past can be at least good for everyone. famous nickname foxes - Chanterelle-sister (she is also Kuma-fox). To whom is she a sister and godfather?
Not a wolf, not a hare, not a bear, but you and me, or rather our distant ancestors!
The fox is a bright female image in the animal world, the companion and embodiment of Mokosh, the goddess of fate and harvest. The Slavs revered the fox for cunning, resourcefulness and ingenuity, affectionately called godfather and sister. For red color
3 the fox was compared with fire, and also with thundercloud because of the brown shade of the fur coat. In Siberia, predawn dusk, when the sun's rays painted the sky in dark orange color, was called fox darkness. But the fox was also associated with the winter cold, illness and illness caused by cold. The fox owes this relationship to Mara, the goddess of winter, possibly the incarnation of Mokosh.
Fox time is the beginning and middle of winter. Colors - red, red, brown.
Proverbs and signs:
The fox is always fuller than the wolf
Fox pass - cunning
Who entered the rank as a fox - will rule the wolf
If the fox had not arrived, the sheep would have eaten the wolf!
Fox and chickens in a dream counts
The fox crossed the road, be in trouble.
Fox barking to hear - unfortunately.
Animals - the main characters of Russian folk tales - usually male: bull, horse, wolf, bear. A hare, a rooster, a cat, a ram, etc. But, of course, there are also female animals: a goat, a frog, a mouse, a chicken. However, all of them, neither in popularity nor in significance, can be compared with Lisa Patrikeevna - the bearer of both the best and worst qualities of the entire female tribe, and to a certain extent - the expressor of the very essence of female nature.
Lisa is the main character everyday fairy tales. Here she lies on the road with glazed eyes. She was dead, the man decided, he kicked her, she wouldn’t stir. The peasant was delighted, took the fox, put it in a cart with fish, covered it with matting: “The old woman will have a collar on her fur coat” - and he moved the horse from its place, he himself went ahead. The fox threw all the fish off the cart and left. The man realized that the fox was dead. It's too late. Nothing to do.
The fox is true to herself everywhere in fairy tales. Her cunning is conveyed in the proverb: “When you look for a fox in front, then it is behind.” She is dodgy and lies recklessly until it is no longer possible to lie, but even in this case she embarks on the most incredible fiction. The fox thinks only of its own benefit. If the deal does not promise her acquisitions, she will not give up anything of her own. The fox is vindictive and vindictive. Having collected the fish thrown on the road, the fox began to dine. A wolf runs: “Hello, gossip, bread, and salt!” - "I eat mine, and you stay away." Why would a fox feed a wolf! Let him catch it. The fox instantly overshadows: “You, kumanek, go to the river, lower your tail into the hole - the fish itself clings to the tail, but look, sit a little longer, otherwise you won’t catch it. Sit and say: “Catch, fish, both small and large! Catch, fish, both small and large!
The proposal is absurd, wild, and the stranger it is, the more readily one believes in it. The wolf obeyed. Lisa volunteered to help. She is worried: if only the thaw does not come, if only the frosty night stands out. Walks around the wolf and says:
Clear, clear, there are stars in the sky,
Freeze, freeze, wolf tail!
“I’m chasing a fish,” she explains to the wolf, who does not understand all her words. The wolf sat all night at the hole. Freeze his tail. The women came to the river for water and saw a wolf, began to beat him with yokes. The wolf torn, torn - tore off his tail and took off running.
After that, the fox, it would seem, should be afraid of meeting with the godfather. The wolf is angry with her: “So you teach, godfather, to catch fish!”
The fox managed to visit the hut, ate a dough from a sourdough from one woman And smeared herself in it. "Oh, kumanek! You don’t have a tail, but your head is intact, and they broke my head: look at the brain - it came out! And the wolf believed her, took pity, sat on himself: "The beaten unbeaten one is lucky."
The tale depicts the triumph of the fox. She revels in revenge, feels complete superiority over the gullible and stupid godfather. How much resourcefulness and how much vindictive feeling in her! Both are so often found in people with a practical, resourceful mind, overwhelmed by petty passions. And the wolf is good too! Envy and stupidity destroy him. So you can lose the skin. For all its simplicity, the fairy tale with psychological truth conveys in these animals the features of people, the features of their characters and behavior.
Of course, storytellers could tell about human vices without resorting to fantastic fiction, but how insipid this story would become! He would not have conveyed to us even a small part of that caustic, deep meaning that contains a satirical narrative.
The tale tells us that the selfish fiction of the hero, no matter how implausible and incredible it may seem (to catch fish with his tail!), Will always find a greedy fool who will believe her. Stupidity and gullibility are as endless as cunning and calculation. When they meet, everything is possible: you can fish with your tail, you can lose your head, feel sorry for the one who almost killed you. Is the Wolf always stupid and funny in fairy tales? What is the attitude of our distant ancestors to this image?
6 The wolf is one of the central and ubiquitous mythological figures of world folklore and one of the oldest totems of the Russian people. The duality (duality) of this fabulous image is obvious. On the one side. The wolf is a bloodthirsty predator that attacks livestock and people; on the other hand, he is a faithful assistant and even a relative of fairy-tale heroes.
This is evidenced by some wedding customs that remained in Rus' until the twentieth century. So, in the northwestern regions of Russia (in particular, in Pskov), it was customary to call the friend - the representative of the groom - a wolf, and the groom's relatives in the songs called the bride a she-wolf; she also did not remain in debt and in the traditional lamentation called the groom's brothers gray wolves.
Cultural historian Edward Tylor (1832 - 1917) in his classic work " primitive culture”Payed attention to the fact that the well-known Russian fairy tale “The Wolf and the Seven Kids” contains fragments and mythologems of the ancient cosmic worldview, when the “wolf” meant the dark forces of chaos, absorbing the sun, moon and wandering celestial bodies during eclipses (as in the old days seven planets observed with the naked eye were named) in their fabulously symbolic appearance, and “goats” appeared, whom the “wolf” swallowed, and then (voluntarily or under duress) released into the wild.
Among the Russians, traces of such an ancient identification are found, among other things, in an archaic riddle-proverb, where the dark night is identified with the wolf: “The wolf [dark night] has come - all the people have fallen silent”, the clear falcon [sun] has flown up - all the people have gone!” Traces of such an ancient cosmic worldview and beliefs are found even in the uncomplicated children's game "Geese-Swans and the Wolf", where the latter personifies dark night trying to overtake and devour the light sunny days- swan geese.
It was widely distributed throughout Eastern Europe belief about wolf people. Herodotus in his "History" wrote about the neurons - the people who lived on the territory of present-day Belarus and, according to scientists, were undoubtedly associated with the Slavs. Herodotus transmitted the stories of the Greeks and Scythians that "every year each Nevr becomes a wolf for several days, and then again takes on its former appearance." Isn't this belief also reflected in the "Tale of Igor's Campaign", which tells how Prince Vseslav "he himself roared in the night".
The tale of Ivan Tsarevich and the gray wolf has well preserved the meaning of the ancient mythical belief. Folklorists refer it to the type of fairy tales. As we know her, she really fairy tale.
The son guards the father's garden. The Firebird pecks apples in it, the hero wants to catch it; he is looking for a horse with a golden mane and gets himself a bride in distant lands - such plot situations are loved by a fairy tale. At the same time, ancient beliefs about animals influenced the tale. There is a werewolf in the story. At times he takes the form of a man and even a horse. The gray wolf faithfully serves the hero. Where does this location come from? The wolf explains to Ivan Tsarevich: “Because I tore your horse to pieces. I will serve you faithfully."
If we see the remnants of totemism in the beliefs about werewolves, then it is understandable why the fairy-tale wolf, having harmed a wolf, harmed a person, considers himself obliged to compensate for the damage by faithful service. Family ties were considered sacred and its violation was punishable. When actions were contrary to tribal morality, they demanded the most exact compensation. The wolf ate the horse. He himself serves the hero as a horse, he takes on the responsibility to help a person voluntarily, without coercion: for him, family ties are sacred. The logic of primitive thinking is undeniable here. True, we do not know what specific form the ancient stories about wolves had, but it is quite possible that the fairy-tale situation we have taken has some connection with them.
The wolf, like the bear folk beliefs appears as an animal, in honor of which holidays were held. They did not call him by his real name, fearing that by doing so they would call him himself. A hostile and dangerous creature, the wolf evoked respect and fear.
From experience, people knew that the wolf is a predatory, cunning, smart, resourceful, evil creature. Meanwhile, in fairy tales, the wolf is stupid, forever hungry, forever beaten beast.
The ingenuous fairy tale "Gingerbread Man" encodes information about the rivalry between the totems of a hare, a wolf, a bear and a victorious fox for the right to be the keeper of the traditions of the cult of the sun-Kolo, personified by Kolobok, identical to the ancient luminary both by name and by name. ritual functions(it is eaten like pancakes are eaten on Maslenitsa, symbolizing the sun).
But not me popular fairy tale"Teremok" was reflected in the former totem struggle for "living space": the overpopulation of the "teremok" is solved by replacing the totems of the Mouse, Frog, Hare, Fox and Wolf with a stronger contender for "living space" - the Bear clan.
The observations of ethnographers convince us that the bear was considered by people as a patron. They believed that a bear could lead a lost person out of the forest.
Numerous Belarusian beliefs speak of the patron bear. There was a custom to invite a bear cub with a bear into the house. The bear was put in a red corner, under the image, generously treated with honey, cheese, butter, and after the treat they were led through all the nooks and crannies of the house and to the barn. They believed that the bear cast out evil spirits. In other cases, the bear stepped over the patient or even stepped on him. As if the healing power of the beast was at work. This power allegedly saved from witchcraft.
Bear - Beast Velesov
A bear is a bear, a black beast, a forester, a crowbar, a shaggy bear, a forest king. Hunters distinguish three breeds of a bear: a large carnivorous - a vulture, a medium - an oatmeal and the smallest - an ant.
The bear was the most revered Slavic animal. No wonder Russian people are still compared to bears. According to legend, the bear was the incarnation of the god Veles, also very ancient god, whose image has been preserved since the Stone Age. Images of bears can also be found on the walls of caves. primitive man and on the coats of arms of many cities. Cave bears have long been neighbors of people, the Slavs considered them their ancestors (in addition to some other totem animals). The bear was considered the owner of the forest, the keeper of his wealth. It is possible that the bear's paws raised to the sky, its threatening stance, were adopted by people in their dances and rituals.
It looks good-natured and clumsy, in fact, the bear is very strong, cruel and quick to punish. Hunters who risked going out with a horn on a bear were called in Rus' “inveterate”, that is, going to certain death. Unlike the predatory wolf, the bear is omnivorous and does not disdain honey, raspberries and other sweet berries. For his passion for destroying the hives of wild bees, he also received his nickname - honey-ved (who knows honey). His true name is ber, this is evidenced by the name of the bear's dwelling - the lair (ber's lair). By the way, the lair was considered one of the passages to the Underworld, and its owner was considered the guardian of the Navi kingdom. The bear climbs into its lair with the onset of winter, and gets out with the first warm spring days. During the days of the winter confrontation (Kolyad), the bear turned over in its lair, signifying the turn of the annual wheel.
Just like the wolf, the bear could be a werewolf. Only, as a rule, the bear turned into a man, while with the wolf the case is reversed. This feature speaks in favor of the fact that people encountered a bear earlier and considered it their main ancestor, that is, a person descended from a bear through a ritual of werewolf, and only then learned to take the form of a wolf, a hare and other animals.
Bear time is the end of winter. Colors - brown, black
Proverbs and signs:
The bear is strong, but lies in the swamp
The bear is not given wolf courage, and the wolf is not bear strength
The bear is wrong that he ate the cow, the cow is wrong that he went into the forest
Don't sell skins without killing a bear
Two bears do not live in the same den
Happy is the bear that the shooter didn't get caught, happy is the shooter that the bear didn't get caught
The bear in the den turns over on the other side, winter meets summer (about Candlemas, celebrated on February 15).
The human type embodied in the bear is somewhat similar to that reproduced in the image of the wolf. No wonder the wolf often replaces the bear in the fairy tale. Such are the numerous variants of the fairy tales "The Man, the Bear and the Fox", "The Bear, the Dog and the Cat", etc. At the same time, the similarity of the images is only partial. In the mind of any person familiar with fairy tales, the bear is an animal of the highest rank. He is strong forest beast. When in fairy tales one animal replaces another, the bear is in the position of the strongest. Such is the tale of the tower, the animals in the pit, and others.
One must think that this position of the bear about the animal hierarchy is in its own way explained by the connection with those traditional pre-fabulous mythological legends in which the bear occupied the most important place as the owner of forest lands. Perhaps, over time, the bear began to be seen as the embodiment of the sovereign, the lord of the district. The fairy tales emphasized the enormous strength of the bear. He crushes everything that gets under his feet. The fragile teremok, a house in which a variety of animals lived peacefully, could not stand its weight either. Is this half-forgotten fairy tale a half-forgotten allegory? The world community was under pressure from the princes and estates: the gentlemen planned to impose tribute on more people, and in case of disobedience, they punished all the disobedient. “I’m a duck to everyone,” says the bear about himself.
And in the final part of my research work, I would like to pay attention to my favorite fairy-tale image - Sivka-Burka.
And I'll start with my grandmother
I ask for a fairy tale;
And my grandmother will start
Tale to tell:
Like Ivan Tsarevich
Caught a fire bird
as his bride
The gray wolf got
Ivan Surikov
Horses flying and galloping up to the sky are favorite images of Russian and Slavic folklore.
From childhood, bewitching lines, which have come down from time immemorial and sound like spells, are engraved in my memory:
"The horse runs - the earth trembles, smoke pours out of the ears, flames burst out of the nostrils."
"Sivka-Burka, Prophetic Kaurka, stand in front of me like a leaf in front of grass!"
"Get into your right ear, get out into your left - you will become such a handsome man, which the world has never seen."
Cosmic reflections also appear in stories about horses galloping up to the sky, and in stories about heroes born from a horse. So in the well-known fairy tale about Ivan-Kobylnikov's son, recorded in Siberia at the beginning of the 20th century, Ivan-Solntsev's son and Ivan-Months' son act as companions and helpers of the hero.
In Russian folklore and the people's worldview, others are associated with the consubstantiality of the horse and the sun. famous images and names. So, the fairy-tale horse Sivka-Burka (or in the fairy tales of other nations - the Sunny Horse, the Horse-Sun), no doubt, personifies the daylight. His name also goes back to Proto-Indo-European beliefs (goddess Siwa "god Shiva").
In one of the most capacious mythologically encoded tales about Vasilisa the Wise (the Beautiful), the most ancient ideas of the Russian people about the change of day and night as cosmic horsemen are revealed: The day is clear - “itself is white, dressed in white, the horse under it is white and the harness on the horse is white” ; The sun is red - the rider "is red himself, dressed in red and on a red horse." The night is dark - again the rider: he is black, dressed in all black and on a black horse.
Numerous and varied images of solar horses are found in Russian ornaments, carvings, and utensils. Horse heads mounted on the edge of the roofs symbolize the solar chariot (in the detailed plots of embroideries, paintings and carvings, these horses are usually depicted together with the sun).
In the composition of the Russian hut, the horses, rushing to the sky, seem to carry the whole house into space. The sun is present here various decorations- it is inseparable from this flight, moreover, it is like a model of a solar chariot drawn by wooden horses.
The connection of the horse with the cult of fertility is evident in calendar rituals and customs. The custom of masquerading as a filly or horse at Christmas time is preserved, bringing both light and work in the field, and a new time - the new year. In ancient times, when laying a house, there was a ceremony of burying the head of a horse, giving a connection with the dead ancestors. Among family rituals, the horse played a special role in the wedding: the horse was given as a ransom for the bride, the horse and the mare were tied at the entrance, where the couple spent their wedding night.
The horse was buried together with the owner in pagan times, the fallen horse was buried with honors, as a devoted warrior.
A sensitive and devoted animal gave rise to many fortune-telling and beliefs. If the horse stumbles left leg- to trouble. During the Christmas divination, the horses were blindfolded, sat on her, where she would go - there the girl would marry. When sending off to war or recruiting, if the horse shudders, this is considered a bad sign. The horse neighs - for good, stomps to the road, draws in air with its nostrils - to arrive home, snorts for a good meeting or for rain. Horse skull is scary for evil spirits, that's why before in the villages on the fences many horse skulls were hung out. A collar removed from a horse, and water not drunk by a horse, are considered healing.
Almost all the magical functions of the twin horse are successfully combined in the classical literary tale Pyotr Petrovich Ershov "The Little Humpbacked Horse", who carefully and scrupulously used the images of Russian folklore.
Two unprecedented golden-maned horses, their mother is a magical mare, who rushed Ivanushka to the skies, and, finally, the wonderful Humpbacked Horse, taking his master even further, to heavenly bodies.
The modern Russian word "horse" is an abbreviated old Russian word"komon". "Comoni neigh for Sula" - a memorable phrase from "The Tale of Igor's Campaign". This root is preserved in the Old Russian words “yell” - “plow”, “plowed” - “plow”, “oratay” - “plowman”.
The history of totems - Russian and world - is an inexhaustible storehouse of knowledge about the distant past. The past must be preserved and remembered. The totemic past did not disappear without a trace. It lives in modern symbols, state and estate heraldry, rituals, traditions, and, finally, in many surnames, names of rivers, lakes, ancient cities, villages and simply reserved places. There are many things I want to know. But these are the topics of my next research.
