Volga Svyatoslavovich - famous epic hero, which reflected the features of both historical and primitive communal system. A feature of the character is that, according to the legends, he was able to understand the language of animals and birds, and also turn into animals. In science, there is a point of view that in the face of this character the features of several real-life ancient Russian princes were combined.
Origin opinions
In historiography, there are several opinions about who Volga Svyatoslavovich is. Some researchers see in his image features of the primitive communal way of life. They refer to the following plot points in the epics: the description of thunder and lightning at his birth, as well as the mythological fact that, according to fairy tales, his father was a serpent.
Some scientists see in this the echoes of ancient Slavic cults and pagan beliefs. However, other authors trace in this character real historical roots. For example, there is a version that Volga Svyatoslavovich was the prototype of Prince Vseslav of Polotsk. There is a point of view that the hero reflects the features of the famous who, according to legend, died from a snakebite, in which there are parallels with the history of this fairy-tale character.
Birth
Several stories are associated with the name of the hero, and the first of them is dedicated to his birth. As mentioned above, its origin is shrouded in various kinds of mythological layers. At the moment of his birth, according to the legend, there was thunder, lightning flashed, and all the animals were frightened. Like many other Russians folk tales, Volga Svyatoslavovich grew by leaps and bounds, intensively gaining strength. He quickly learned to read and write, as well as understand the language of animals. In this version of its origin, the influence of the pagan totemic ideas of the ancient Slavs about the connection between people and animals is clearly expressed.
Wars
Volga Svyatoslavovich, an epic about which is dedicated to his campaigns in overseas countries, was one of the most popular folklore heroes of the Old Russian epic. His difference from other characters is that he does not achieve victory. physical force, like other knights, but by cunning, magic and sorcery. This is shown in a work dedicated to his campaign in India.
According to the legend, he recruits a squad and goes to fight in foreign lands. Unknown author writes how he turns into a wolf, then into a falcon, getting his warriors game for food. Before the siege, according to the myth, he turns the vigilantes into ants, and after taking the fortress, he again returns them to their human form. After the victory, he marries the wife of the deceased ruler, and his soldiers take local women as their wives.
Historical motives
Many scientists find in this episode one more important difference character stories from traditional stories about knights. The fact is that usually the epic did not stay in place, but continued to travel around the Russian lands, protecting them from enemies. The fact that the hero remained in the conquered city allows many authors to assert that in this legend there are echoes of a distant time of migration and enmity between the tribes, when the conquerors settled in the conquered territories and married local residents.
Meeting with Mikula Selyaninovich
On the reflection of many archaic features in myths about the hero, their summary speaks. Volga Svyatoslavovich not only travels to overseas lands, but also travels around Russian lands. One of the legends tells how he received three cities as governorship, where he intended to collect tribute. He gathered his squad and set out on his journey. On the way, he met with a peasant plowman who cultivated the land with a plow.
The work gives a lengthy description of this new hero, a simple peasant peasant Mikula, who could lift a heavy plow with one hand, which neither the combatants nor Volga himself could pull out of the furrow. According to the story, main character gave these cities to Mikula to manage after he put things in order in the collection of tribute. The fact is that before the tax collectors abused their powers, collecting more money than it was supposed to.
Historical realities
The main idea of the epic "Volga Svyatoslavovich" is that it shows not only feats of arms warriors, but also simple peasant labor, as well as In the legend of Indian campaign hunting is shown, for example, as the main occupation of the people. If in other works this species classes were portrayed as fun for princes and their combatants, it is shown here that forestry provided people with a livelihood. The work reflected those times when the population did not yet know either agriculture or cattle breeding, and was mainly an appropriating economy. So, it is precisely at the expense of prey that the squad of the character eats on a campaign.
Influence of foreign legends
The second part, according to the general recognition of researchers, is less historical, since it reflects several cultural layers, for example, the motives of writings about Alexander the Great, who also made a trip to India. In addition, there are a number of references to fairy tales of other Eastern peoples. This affected, first of all, in folklore moments associated with the transformation of a character into animals. However, in the epic there is a reference to an event from ancient Russian history: we are talking about the campaign of Prophetic Oleg against Byzantium. This prince built ships on wheels to guide the army. Volga also resorts to various tricks to achieve the capture of the city.
Novgorod roots
The story of the hero's meeting with Mikula, according to most experts, is connected with Novgorod realities. This is evidenced by the description of nature, which resembles the northern regions of the country. In these places, the soil was very difficult to plow, there really were stones in it, as it is said in the epic. In addition, salt and pennies are mentioned in the work, which, according to a number of authors, is due to the fact that Novgorod, having plenty of its own salt, nevertheless bought it from German merchants, for which they paid a large tribute. Related to this is the mention of unjust tax collectors. The city of Orekhovets is also mentioned in the epic, in which many historians see a reference to ancient city Nut.
Another curious point that the authors point to regarding this epic is how the relationship of the character with simple peasant. Mikula clearly surpassed his Volga in strength and agility. His mare turned out to be faster and more enduring than Volga's horses. In this, the authors see references to that distant time, when the Varangian squads and the local Slavic population were at enmity with each other.
Peculiarities
Epics dedicated to this character are distinguished by the fact that they reflect many archaic features inherent in ancient Russian society. Therefore, in his image he combined several cultural traditions Volga Svyatoslavovich. The cartoon, filmed in 2010, however, did not at all reflect the ancient Russian motifs characteristic of these works. But the legends have shown transition period in the making ancient Russian state with the preservation of elements of the communal system, but with the emergence of the political power of the rulers. This is the difference between legends and traditional epics, which show the already established social structure. But none of these features was shown by the cartoon "Volga Svyatoslavovich", which was filmed in modern style regardless of historical realities.
I liked this character early childhood, his image was very unusual against the background of other fairy tales and myths accessible to Soviet children. Live, realistic. In selecting information for this post, I Once again had fun from the fact that the Werewolf Prince is regarded more as a historical character and his amazing abilities are only mentioned in passing. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that Vicki, as it turned out, tells about him surprisingly clearly and concisely) A little about werewolves in Slavic mythology and, directly about Volga under the cut, but this picture seemed to me to reflect the image of my favorite as much as possible, because the ermine and the tour, and even the fly are unearthly cool, but Woooolk is the essence)
Werewolves in Slavic paganism
Volkodlak, volkolak, volkulak, vovkulak, in Slavic mythology, the wolf man; werewolf; a sorcerer who can turn into a wolf and turn other people into wolves.
Legends about the werewolf are common to all Slavic peoples. In ideas about the Volkolak, features were combined folk image and borrowings from ideas about Christian demonology. The exceptional archaism of ideas about werewolves is clear from the fact that in other Indo-European traditions (in particular, in the Hittite) the transformation of the groom into a wolf is associated with a common form of marriage - kidnapping (forced removal of the bride).
The antiquity of this image is also confirmed by the chronicle of 1282, which tells of a volkolak who "drives the clouds and eats away the moon" (the Slavs for a long time kept faith in the volkhvs-clouders, who turned into wolves, rose to the sky and called for rain or dispersed the clouds). According to F. Buslaev, "the rest of this legend is still preserved in the proverb:" The gray wolf catches stars in the sky. "Unlike the mythology of the peoples of Europe, the Slavs originally had a werewolf positive character, and the fact of werewolves was perceived in principle as a normal phenomenon. Unusual - yes, but by no means - not terrible and terrible. This is indirectly confirmed by the ancient Russian conspiracy recorded by Sakhorov:
"On the sea, on the ocean, on the island of Buyan, in a hollow clearing, the moon shines on an aspen stump, in a green forest, in a wide valley. A shaggy wolf walks around the stump, all horned cattle are on his teeth, but the wolf does not enter the forest, but the wolf will not wander into the valley.. Month, month - golden horns!
Melt the bullets, dull the knives, blunt the clubs, cast fear on the beast of man and the reptile, so that they do not take the gray wolf, do not tear the warm skin from it. My word is strong, stronger than sleep and heroic strength.
Turning into a wolf was likened to one of the most revered and powerful, endowed supernatural powers animals. The name of this beast was so sacred that it could not be pronounced aloud, so instead of "wolf" they said "fierce", and the men of some tribes were called "lutichi". The ability to turn into a wolf from ancient times was attributed to "especially strong" sorcerers and, apparently, was a necessary part of certain rituals. "Turn around", "turn around" (turn) often literally meant "turn over", that is, roll over, "throw over oneself" or over a conditional border. "Turning around", a person, as it were
turned over with that side of his being, which is attached to higher powers world, to revered animals, birds, fish - "ancestors, relatives and patrons". In stories about werewolves, the line between man and beast is a narrow strip of a knife, rope, branch, in fact, it passes through the werewolf himself: he is both a man and an animal [I would say - THE BEAST] at the same time. The practice of werewolves was so widespread among the Slavic tribes that Herodotus describes [based on the attitude of Herodotus himself to his own words - they say, I will write something, but let those who want to believe it believe ...] the annual transformation of neurons ( Slavic tribe, presumably living on the territory of Belarus) for several days into wolves, as a matter of course.
A Slavic heroic epic, in general, characterizes the main character of the werewolf as a creature divine origin. At the birth of the Russian wolf hero Volkh [as well as Volkhv and Volga proper] Vseslavovich:
And the moon shone bright in the sky,
And in Kyiv a mighty hero was born,
How young Volkh Vseslavevich would be.
The damp earth trembled,
Stressed the glorious kingdom of the Indians,
And the blue sea swayed
For the sake of the birth of a hero,
Young Volkh Vseslavevich.
Similar disasters and natural phenomena accompanied the birth of elemental Slavic deities. Many researchers draw parallels (though very conditional), according to which Volkh is Kyiv prince Oleg, who was considered prophetic (another word for the designation of a werewolf was a word formed from the verb vedati - "to know": Ukrainian vischun - "werewolf", other Czech.vedi - "werewolves", Sloven. vedomci, vedunci , vedarci - "werewolves"). However, such a werewolf prince was the no less famous Vseslav of Polotsk (second half of the 11th century), who "... dressed up the princes of the city, and himself prowled like a wolf in the night ... Cherson the great wolf roamed the path ..." (A word about Igor's regiment).
Another Slavic werewolf, the hero of the Belarusian and Serbian epics, was the Fire Wolf Serpent. His image also goes back to the common Slavic myth of the wolf hero. He is born from the Fire Serpent, is born in human form, "in a shirt" or with "wolf hair" - a sign of a miraculous origin. Can turn into a wolf and other animals, including a bird; performs feats, using the ability to turn himself (and his squad) into animals. Many of the creatures of lower mythology also had a penchant for werewolves, for example, the goblin very often turned into a white wolf (white king) or into a wolf shepherd. With the adoption of Christianity, all former deities were overthrown and declared demons. This fate did not bypass the werewolves, who from helper deities and heroes-heroes became terrible monsters of nightmares. Among Russian peasants of the 20th century, belief in werewolves is generally fading, although stories about werewolves - wolves and bears are still popular in some parts of Russia.
An interesting transformation of the theme of werewolves is found in the recording by I.V. Karnaukhova in the Russian North a story about one of the heroes civil war, "famous" for his cruelty: in this story, the partisan commander acts as a werewolf, destroying people.
A separate plot of the epic about the Volga was recorded only once by A.F. Hilferding from the eighty-year-old Kuzma Ivanovich Romanov, a student of the legendary storyteller of the eighteenth century Ilya Elustafiev, from whom T.G. Ryabinin and many other storytellers of the nineteenth century. Usually the name Volga is found in combination with another name - Mikula Selyaninovich. IN this option the image of Volga, who from the age of five has been learning tricks and wisdom, knowledge of all kinds of different languages \u200b\u200b(meaning, of course, the languages of animals and birds), is closest to the image of Volkh Vseslavievich.
The epic recreates a surprisingly poetic image of an ancient hunter and fisherman (quite possibly, the very god of hunting and fishing), who knows how not only to put silk ropes, but also to wrap martens, foxes, black sables, jumping hares and small ermines, taking their appearance. The same thing happens when catching fish: Volga turns around like a pike fish and wraps it in a net: salmon fish, beluga fish, pike fish, plotichenka, expensive sturgeon fish.
Description of scenes magic hunt Volga is unparalleled in Russian folk epic. This is a whole hunting poem created by the people.
The text is published according to the edition: Gilferding A.F. Onega epics. 3rd ed. M., 1938, v. 2, No. 91.
I’ll just add from myself - there is a vague feeling from the image of the three heroes (in particular, Vasnetsov’s painting) that Volga, unfairly rejected with the advent of Christianity, should be in the place of Alyosha Popovich.
Volga Svyatoslavich (also Volkh Vseslavievich) is a hero, a character in Russian epics. Basic hallmark Volga is cunning, the ability to shapeshift and the ability to understand the language of birds and animals.
Volga (Volkh) is one of the most ancient characters in Russian folklore. It has a lot of archaic, magical. Miller gives Volga mythical meaning: in his opinion, it was originally an image of a thundercloud, as indicated by the concussion described in the epic in nature at the birth of Volga (thunder) and werewolf, that is, a constant and rapid change in the shape of a cloud under the influence of air movement. They suspect the connection of his name with the word "sorcerer", suggesting that only then it turned from a common noun into a proper name. On the basis of the surviving data on Volga, researchers of the mythology of the ancient Slavs even reconstruct (quite controversially) the ancient Slavic god of hunting, Volkh.
The bylina about the campaign was preserved in 11 records.
The birth of a hero
Volga is the son of a snake and Princess Marfa Vseslavievna, who miraculously conceived him by accidentally stepping on a snake. The trembling of the earth and the terrible fear of all living creatures at the moment when Volga saw the light point to him as the personification of some elemental force. Volga grows by leaps and bounds, and soon becomes a powerful hero, possessing not only the art of fighting enemies, but also reading books and turning into different animals.
Hike to the Indian Kingdom
The central moment of the epics about the Volga is his campaign in a distant kingdom: Indian, the lands of the Turkish-Saltan, etc. He is recruiting a squad. To provide her with everything she needs, he turns into a wolf and a falcon, feeding her with hunting. The success of the campaign is due to the wisdom of Volga. With an ermine, he spoils the bowstrings of enemies' bows, with a wolf he bites the throats of horses, and so on. In order for the squad to overcome the impregnable walls, he turns them into ants, and within the walls of the city he returns his human form. The victor marries the wife of the slain king, and his warriors - local girls left alive. He himself becomes king.
Meeting with Mikula Selyaninovich
Meeting with a wonderful plowman who surpassed Volga in "cunning-wisdom". During the collection of taxes from the cities of Gurchevets and Orekhovets, Volga met the plowman Mikula Selyaninovich, who complained about the tax collectors in the city of Gurchevets, who were tearing a simple peasant at exorbitant prices. And he told him how he punished them for their greed with a whip. Seeing a mighty hero in Mikul, Volga called him with him to the squad to collect taxes. Having driven off, Mikula remembered that he had forgotten the plow in the ground. Twice Volga sent combatants to pull out that plow, on the third time he himself and his squad did not overcome the whole. Mikula pulled out that plow with one hand. Arriving in the cities of Gurchevets and Orekhovets, they fought and collected taxes.
According to the Slavic Faith, a person has three paths: Magus, Vityaz and Worker. Everyone fulfills his destiny and the inability to raise a plow with a squad shows that the Vityaz / Magus cannot do without the Worker. As well as the Worker Mikula cannot be punished without the Knight Volga of the unrighteous people.
Volga Svyatoslavich and Prince Oleg
At one time it was customary to identify Volga Svyatoslavich with the Prophetic Prince Oleg, who reigned after Rurik. The identification is based on the similarity of names, the correspondence of Oleg's epithet "Prophetic" (indicating his cunning and wisdom) with the qualities of Volga. In addition, Oleg’s campaign against Tsaregrad was correlated with Volga’s campaign in India, and in the birth of Volga from a snake, they found a semblance of Oleg’s death from a snake. Vladimir Propp rejects this attempt to find historical prototype Volga as absolutely fantastic.
According to Miller, memories of prophetic Oleg and Vseslav of Polotsk. According to Wollner, there were originally two separate songs about Volga and Volkh, which were then mixed with each other. Veselovsky brings together one of the epics about Volga with "The Walk of Charles", and in this way he compares Volga himself with Charlemagne. Volga also bears the name of Buslaevich, which, according to Miller, along with the news of his scholarship, was transferred to him from Vasily Buslaevich of Novgorod.
Some researchers identify Volga Svyatoslavich and Prince Oleg Svyatoslavich of Drevlyansk, brother of Vladimir and Yaropolk Svyatoslavovich.
This story preserves the oldest totemic ideas about animals as human ancestors and about the possibility of the birth of a great hunter and sorcerer directly from an animal father.
This article seemed to me one of the most interesting
Volkh, Volkh Vseslavievich, Volga
Volkh, Volkh Vseslavievich, Volga, a mythologized character of Russian epics, the owner of miraculous werewolf properties. The plot about Volkh Vseslavievich (less often - Volga Buslavlevich or Svyatoslavievich) and his campaign against India belongs to the most archaic layer in the Russian epic epic, characterized by persistent totemistic ideas and a widely represented element of the miraculous, magic-sorcerous, magical, fusion of human and natural principles. The birth of V. is miraculous: V.'s mother Marfa Vseslavyevna, walking in the garden, jumped off a stone onto a fierce snake; it wraps itself around her leg and “beats the white quilt with its trunk”; soon V. is born, whose birth shocked all nature: thunder rumbles, the damp earth trembles, the "kingdom of the Indians" shakes, the sea trembles, the fish goes into the depths of the sea, the bird high into the heavens, the animals into the mountains, etc. The development of V. is also wonderful: barely born, he already says, “like thunder rumbles”, he is swaddled in “damask armor”, they put in his cradle “golden helmet”, “a club of three hundred pounds”; at the age of seven he is sent to learn to read and write, and by the age of ten he comprehends “cunning-wisdom”: to turn into a “clear falcon”, gray wolf, "bay tur-golden horns". Having mastered the art of werewolf, V. at the age of 12 is gaining a squad, and at the age of 15 he is already ready for military exploits. When the news comes that the "Indian king" is going to go to Kyiv, V. decides to get ahead of the enemy and sets off with his retinue on a campaign against the Indian kingdom. Along the way, he exercises and demonstrates his "cunning-wisdom", acting as a great hunter, ruler of the natural kingdom, especially the world of animals. Turning into a wolf, he runs through the forests and “beats the horned animals”, in the guise of a falcon he beats geese, swans, ducks. B, feeds and waters, clothes and shoes his squad; he is always awake. Deciding to “repair enmity” to the Indian king and making sure that none of the squad can successfully complete the upcoming task, V. uses his “cunning-wisdom” to crush the Indian kingdom. Turning round-golden horns, he quickly reaches the goal; turning into a clear falcon, he flies into the chambers of the Indian king Saltyk (Saltan) Stavrulievich and eavesdrops on his conversation with "Tsarina Azvyakovna, young Elena Alexandrovna." Having learned about the intentions of the tsar hostile to Rus', V. turns into an ermine, descends into the basement-cellars, bites the string of bows, neutralizes arrows and guns, turns back into a clear falcon, flies to his squad and leads it to the city-fortress of the Indian king. In order to get inside unnoticed, V. wraps his warriors in ants (ants) and together with them penetrates the city through a narrow crack, subjecting it to destruction. V. kills the Indian king, takes Queen Azvyakovna as his wife, marries his soldiers to seven thousand spared maidens, and he himself becomes king, richly endowing the squad.
The motif of turning V. (and his warriors) into ants penetrating an impregnable fortress resembles a similar motif in connection with the Thunderer Indra. (Rig Veda I, 51 and others). Zeus appears to Eurymedusa also in the form of an ant. Their son Myrmidon (lit. - "ant") became the ancestor of the Myrmidons, "ant" people. In a Russian fairy tale, Ivan Tsarevich, having turned into an ant, penetrates into crystal mountain, kills the twelve-headed Serpent and frees the princess, whom he marries. The connection with V. of the motive of thundering thunder in the epic also outlines the theme of the thunderer in his image. At the same time, V. also implements the theme of the enemy of the Thunderer - the Serpent: being the son of the Serpent, he inherited from him "cunning-wisdom" and, in particular, the ability to hide from the enemy, turn into other creatures. Therefore, in the image of V., there are echoes with Volos-Veles, in which serpentine features are also found, or with the Serpent Fiery Wolf. In the Novgorod book legend about the Wolf-sorcerer V., the eldest son of Sloven, who gave his name to the Volkhov River, formerly called Mutnaya, was a "objectionable sorcerer"; "Demonic tricks" turned "into a fierce beast of a crocodile"; blocking the waterway in Volkhov for those who did not worship him: he devoured some, drowned others. And the ignorant people revered him as a god and called him Thunder or Perun (cf. the image of "Peryun's snake" in Novgorod sources). V. on the bank of the river put a "small town" on a place called Peryn, and an idol to Perun. The demons strangled V. in Volkhov, his body floated up the river and was thrown "against his Volkhov town" and buried here by the pagans. But after three days, "the earth shed tears and devoured the vile body of the crocodile, and the grave woke up above him to the bottom of hell."
V.'s werewolfism found a continuation in the same property attributed to the historical character Prince Vseslav of Polotsk (11th century), mentioned in this connection in the "Tale of Igor's Campaign" (cf. patronymic V. - Vseslavievich, i.e. son of Vseslav) . The connections between V. and Vasily Buslaev are also undoubted (the motive of the absence of a father and being raised by a mother, a trip to a distant land, the role of a stone in birth or death, etc.). In the post-Mongolian period (13th century), new interpretations of V.'s enemy appeared: now he is the king of the Golden Horde, or even Turkish sultan; instead of the Indian kingdom, Turkish-land appears, etc.
The second plot, in which V. appears (as a rule, it is Volga, sometimes Volga Svyatoslavgovich, etc.), connects him with Mikula Selyaninovich. Volga has this plot in common with V. - education in childhood without a father, mastering "wisdom" (turning into a pike, a falcon, a wolf and hunting for animals), picking up a squad for a campaign. Volga's uncle, Prince Vladimir of Stolno-Kiev, favors his nephew with the three cities of Gurgovets, Orekhovets and Krestyanovets (their real prototypes they also refer to the Novgorod land, to the Neva-Ladoga area), and Volga and his retinue go "for pay"; along the way, V. meets Oratay Mikula, who is plowing his field; Volga and his squad cannot raise Mikula's plows, his peasant mare overtakes Volga's horse, etc. (cf. also the opposition in the Russian epic “ peasant son» Ilya Muromets and Prince Vladimir). Sometimes, together with V. and Mikula, Sadko also performs, in other cases V. mixes with Vasily Buslaev (beating merchants on the Volkhov bridge, the motif of a stone with an inscription, jumping over it and death, etc.).
V. V. Ivanov, V. N. Toporov.
And, for the patient ones, here http://www.neohogwarts.ru/subjl.php?s=122&l=1 is a nice site on animorfomagic)))
Happiness to all tailed ones and may your claws and teeth never become dull!
the red sun rolled over the high mountains, frequent stars scattered across the sky, a young hero, Volga, was born at that time in Mother Rus'. His mother swaddled him in red swaddling clothes, tied them with golden belts, put him in a carved cradle, and began to sing songs over him.
Volga slept for only an hour, woke up, stretched - the golden belts burst, the red diapers were torn, the bottom of the carved cradle fell out. And Volga stood up and said to his mother:
Madam mother, do not swaddle me, do not twist me, but dress me in strong armor, in a gilded helmet, and give me right hand club, so that the weight was a club of a hundred pounds.
The mother was frightened, and Volga is growing by leaps and bounds, but by minutes.
Volga has grown up to five years. Other guys in such years only play chocks, and Volga was already learning to read and write - to write and count and read books. When he was six years old, he went for a walk on the ground. The earth shook from his steps. The animals and birds heard his heroic steps, got scared, hid. Deer tours ran away to the mountains, sable-martens swam away to the islands, small animals huddled in the thicket, fish hid in deep places.
Volga Vseslavievich began to learn all sorts of tricks.
He learned to fly across the sky like a falcon, learned to wrap himself like a gray wolf, to ride a deer in the mountains.
Volga turned fifteen years old. He began to collect his comrades. He recruited a squad of twenty-nine people - Volga himself was the thirtieth in the squad. All fellows are fifteen years old, all mighty heroes. They have fast horses, well-aimed arrows, sharp swords.
Volga gathered his squad and went with her to an open field, to a wide steppe. Carts with luggage do not creak behind them, neither downy beds nor fur blankets are carried behind them, servants, stewards, cooks do not run after them ...
For them, a featherbed is dry earth, a pillow is a Cherkasy saddle, there is a lot of food in the steppe, in the forests - there would be a supply of arrows and flint and flint.
Here the fellows spread the camp in the steppe, made fires, fed the horses. Volga sends junior combatants to dark forests.
You take silk nets, put them in a dark forest on the very ground and catch martens, foxes, black sables, we will store fur coats for the team.
The warriors dispersed through the forests. Volga is waiting for them for a day, waiting for another, the third day is getting closer to evening.
Then the merry combatants arrived: they knocked down their legs on the roots, tore off their dress on the thorns, and returned to the camp empty-handed. Not a single animal caught them in the net.
Volga laughed:
Hey hunters! Return to the forest, stand up to the nets and look, well done, both.
Volga hit the ground, turned into a gray wolf, ran into the forests. He drove the beast out of its holes, hollowed out, out of the deadwood, drove foxes, martens, and sables into nets. He did not disdain even a small animal, he caught gray bunnies for dinner.
The combatants returned with rich booty.
I fed and watered Volga's squad, and even shod and dressed them. Vigilantes wear expensive sable fur coats, they also have leopard fur coats for a break. Do not praise Volga, do not stop admiring.
Here time goes on and on, Volga sends medium vigilantes.
Set up snares in the forest on tall oaks, catch geese, swans, and gray ducks.
The heroes scattered through the forest, set snares, thought to come home with rich prey, but they did not even catch a gray sparrow.
They returned to the camp unhappy, hung their heads below their shoulders. They hide their eyes from Volga, turn away.
And Volga laughs at them:
That they returned without prey, hunters? Well, okay, you'll have something to feast on. Go to the snares and look vigilantly.
Volga crashed down to the ground, flew up like a white falcon, rose high under the very cloud, struck down on every bird in the sky. He beats geese, swans, gray ducks: only fluff flies from them, as if covering the ground with snow. Whom he did not beat, he drove into snares.
The heroes returned to the camp with rich booty. They lit fires, baked game, washed down the game with spring water, praised Volga.
How much, how little time has passed, Volga sends his combatants again:
You build oak boats, wind silk nets, take pure gold floats, you go out into the blue sea, catch salmon, beluga, stellate sturgeon.
The warriors caught ten days, but they did not catch even a small brush.
Volga turned into a toothy pike, dived into the sea, drove the fish out of deep pits, drove silk nets into the seine. The fellows brought full boats and salmon, and beluga, and baleen catfish.
Vigilantes walk around the open field, they play heroic games, they throw arrows, they ride on horseback, they measure their heroic strength ...
Suddenly Volga heard that the Turkish Tsar Saltan Beketovich was going to war against Rus'.
His valiant heart flared up, he called the vigilantes and said:
It’s full of your sides to lie down, it’s full of strength to work up, it’s time to serve native land, protect Rus' from Saltan Beketovich. Which of you will sneak into the Turkish camp, find out Saltanov's thoughts?
The fellows are silent, hiding for each other: the older one for the middle one, the middle one for the younger one, and the younger one closed his mouth.
Volga got angry:
Apparently I have to go!
He turned round - golden horns. The first time he jumped - he slipped a mile, the second time he jumped - they only saw him.
Volga galloped to the Turkish kingdom, turned into a gray sparrow, sat on the window to Tsar Saltan and listened. And Saltan walks around the room, clicks with a patterned whip and says to his wife Azvyakovna:
I decided to go to war against Rus'. I will conquer nine cities, I myself will sit as a prince in Kyiv, I will distribute nine cities to nine sons, I will give you shushun sable.
And Tsaritsa Azvyakovna looks sadly:
Ah, Tsar Saltan, today I bad dream I saw: as if a black raven was fighting in a field with a white falcon. The white falcon of the black crow clawed, feathers released into the wind. The white falcon is the Russian hero Volga Vseslavevich, the black raven is you, Saltan Beketovich. Don't go to Rus'. Do not take you nine cities, do not reign in Kyiv.
Tsar Saltan got angry, hit the queen with a whip:
I am not afraid of Russian heroes, I will reign in Kyiv.
Then Volga flew down like a sparrow, turned into an ermine. It has a narrow body and sharp teeth. The ermine ran through the royal court, made its way into the deep royal cellars. There he bit off the bowstring of tight bows, gnawed the shafts of arrows, chipped his sabers, bent the clubs in an arc.
An ermine crawled out of the basement, turned into a gray wolf, ran to the royal stables - killed all the Turkish horses, strangled them.
Volga got out of the royal court, turned into a bright falcon, flew into the open field to his squad, woke up the heroes.
- Hey, my brave squad, now is not the time to sleep, it's time to get up! Get ready for a trip to the Golden Horde, to Saltan Beketovich!
They approached the Golden Horde, and around the Horde there was a high stone wall. The gates in the wall are iron, the bolt hooks are copper, the guards at the gate are sleepless - do not fly over, do not cross, do not break the gate.
The heroes became sad, thought: “How to overcome the high wall, the iron gate?”
Young Volga guessed, turned into a small midge, turned all the fellows into goosebumps, and goosebumps crawled under the gate. And on the other side they became warriors.
They struck at Saltanov's strength like thunder from heaven. And the sabers of the Turkish army are blunted, the swords are chipped. Here the Turkish army went on the run.
Russian heroes passed through the Golden Horde, all Saltanov's strength was finished. Saltan Beketovich himself ran away to his palace, iron doors closed, pushed the copper owls behind.
As Volga kicked the door, all the locks and bolts flew out, the iron doors burst.
Volga went into the room, grabbed Saltan by the hands:
Do not be you, Saltan, in Rus', do not burn - do not burn Russian cities, do not sit as a prince in Kyiv!
Volga hit him on the stone floor and smashed Saltan to death.
Do not boast, Horde, of your strength, do not go to war against Mother Rus'!
The red sun set over the blue seas, over high mountains, a bright month came into the sky and brought a cheerful round dance of clear frequent stars ... That night a mighty hero, young Volga Svyatoslavich, was born in Kyiv.
At the hour of his birth, the earth trembled and the blue sea stirred; the animals all fled: deer and turs climbed into their holes, foxes and hares hid in the forest thickets, wolves, bears huddled in spruce forests, birds rose high into the sky, fish went into sea depths: everyone felt that a thunderstorm had come upon them: a mighty hero was born.
Volga grows by leaps and bounds, speaks loudly, like thunder; says to his young mother Marfa Vseslavievna such speeches:
- Empress-mother! Don’t swaddle me in expensive diapers, don’t put silk belts on me - swaddle me in strong damask armor, put a golden helmet on my violent head, put a heavy, heavy lead stick in my hands, weighing three hundred pounds!
The mighty Volga has grown up; his mother gave him seven years to study; science went to him for the future: he learned all sorts of sciences and tricks, but this learning seemed to him not enough. Volga left home for high mountains, dark forests, to the old wise men, and Volga learned from them various tricks: Volga learned to wrap himself in a clear falcon, and a gray wolf, and a bay tour with golden horns.
At the age of twelve, Volga began to clean up his squad: for three years good fellows came to him, they came from noon and from the north, and from the east, and from the west: there were seven thousand squads, all brave and strong fellows.
And Volga went with his retinue to an open field to get fame and wealth for himself.
My brave friend! - says Volga, - wind silk ropes, set snares on damp ground, catch martens and foxes, wild animals and black sables.
The squad obeyed Volga: they twisted ropes, set snares; Good fellows spent three days and three nights at work: only no animal is caught, as if on purpose, the squad returned to Olga empty-handed.
Then Volga turned into a mighty lion, ran into the forests, stuffed every animal, fed his retinue like a king, dressed a black sable in fur coats.
Volga sends for the second time good fellows:
My brave friend! wind silk ropes, set snares on the branches of trees: catch geese, swans, bright falcons, small birds!
Volga's squad spent three days and three nights hunting: not a single bird got tangled in the snares; came to Volga empty-handed.
Volga turned into a nauy-bird, soared like an arrow into the sky; I caught, stuffed all kinds of birds, brought them to my squad.
Volga says for the third time:
My brave friend! Take steel hatchets, build a strong oak ship, throw silk nets into the sea, catch all kinds of fish: salmon and whitefish, and pikes, and small fish, and expensive sturgeons.
The knights spent three days and three nights at sea; We didn't even catch one small fish! They don't know how to show themselves to Volga. Volga sees that things are bad, he will have to go for prey himself. Here Volga turned into a fish-pike, sank to the deep seabed, caught all kinds of fish; fed his druzhinushka sugar dishes, but all the variables. They live for themselves, they live, they don’t know any care, they don’t know.
One day, rumors spread around Kyiv that the Indian king was going to make war on the glorious, capital city; threatens to take Kyiv, ruin, god's churches betray the fire.
Reasonable and quick-witted was the good fellow Volga; he gathered his brave squad, went on a campaign to the Indian kingdom. They walked a day, another; Volga says to the squad:
Remote, good fellows, you have gathered here no less than seven thousand; is there not such a person among you who would turn into a bay tour and run away to the Indian kingdom now, find out what Tsar Saltyk Stavrulievich is up to?
The warrior bows low to Volga, as if the grass is bent to the ground by the wind, and says:
We have no other such person but you, Volga Svyatoslavich.
Here Volga turned into a bay turk with golden horns and ran to the Indian kingdom: he made the first jump - he left a mile away, and with the second he completely disappeared from sight. Volga then turned into a bright falcon, flew to the Indian kingdom, sat down on the slanted window of the white-stone royal chambers and heard the wife of Tsar Saltyk, Elena Azvyakovna, say to her husband:
You go glorious king, a war on holy Rus', and you don’t know that a bright month has ascended to heaven, a mighty hero was born in Kyiv, your strong enemy, Volga Svyatoslavich!
Here Saltyk Stavrulievich was angry with his wife because she dissuades him from going to Rus', praises someone else's hero; grabbed the queen and how he hit her with a swing on the stone floor!
Volga flew away from the window; turned into an ermine beast, made his way into the cellars, cellars, into the high towers of the Indian kingdom, bit the bowstrings of tight bows, broke off the iron from the red-hot arrows and buried it in the ground so that Saltyk had nothing to fight with. And again Volga turned clear
like a falcon, soared high into the heavens, flew into an open field, where he left his brave squad. Volga sees - the squad is sleeping, resting. He woke up the good fellows: - Get up, my brave warrior, now is not the time to sleep, get enough sleep: it's time to go to the Indian kingdom!
They approached the stone strong wall of the Indian capital city: the walls are high and strong, the iron gates are dead-tightly locked, with copper bolt hooks. Day and night, royal guards walk around the city. On the gate there is a thin carved lattice wise work: only goosebumps are tiny and can get through the lattice patterns: they are so thin and narrow.
Volga's squad spun:
In vain we lay down our heads here: how to get through these intricate walls into the capital Indian city!
Volga hears the complaint of the daring good fellows, says:
This grief can be helped!
Volga turned into a goosebump and turned his squad into goosebumps, and they made their way beyond the city walls to the glorious Indian kingdom. Here they again turned into good fellows on horseback, armed with daggers and spears. Volga gave them the following order:
You go around the Indian kingdom, cut down old and small, do not leave alive a single villain-Tatar; leave only seven thousand red girls alive!
And Volga himself went to the royal chambers to the Indian king. Tsar Saltyk Stavrulievich is sitting in his strong palace: iron doors are locked with heavy damask locks. Volga pushed the door with his foot, and strong bolts flew off: there was no need to open it. Volga saw Tsar Saltyk and said:
You are not beaten, you are not executed! - grabbed him by the white hands, hit him on the brick floor and put him in place.
And Volga himself became the tsar-sovereign in the Indian kingdom, married the beautiful queen Elena Azvyakovna, and his squad married darling red girls.
Volga generously rewarded his good fellows: he gave silver, gold; to each he gave a herd of horses worth a hundred thousand.
The brave warrior glorifies her daring prince, and throughout Rus' there is a loud praise for deeds and exploits glorious hero Volga Svyatoslavich and his daring, good fellows.
The characterization of Volga Svyatoslavovich from the epic of the same name is usually compiled by students in the lesson of Russian literature in the seventh grade. This hero has many positive qualities, and therefore it will not be difficult to describe it. Let's try to do it in more detail.
First appearance
The characterization of Volga Svyatoslavovich begins from the moment he first appears before the reader. From childhood, this prince showed himself as a very educated and adventurous person. He is ready to learn to swim underwater as high as dark woods like a ravenous wolf. This speaks of his activity and curiosity.
When the boy grew up and became an adult young man, he decided to gather a large squad for himself. He goes on a hike with her. His uncle Vladimir granted him an expensive gift: now Volga is the owner of three cities. The young man wanted to look at them, to visit that area.
Volga Svyatoslavovich put a brave squad on brown stallions. The characterization of the hero continues with an analysis of his actions. The prince respects his warriors, does not spare the best equipment and horses for them. However, his path is interrupted by a sudden acquaintance.
Mikula
Before us appears another main character of the epic. The prince is very surprised by a new acquaintance. He is so strong and brave that he plows a huge field alone. The characterization of Volga Svyatoslavovich from the epic should also include a description of Mikula. This brave guy he does not look at all like an ordinary plowman: he is wearing expensive clothes, which are not at all characteristic of a peasant farmer. True, before meeting, the main characters could not get to each other for three days. By this, the author wants to show how vast the vast expanses of our Motherland are.
Volga decided to talk to the Oratay, telling him where the path was leading. In response, Mikula told him about himself. It turns out that not so long ago he also visited the city where the prince was going. He bought salt for himself. The author uses the technique of hyperbolization and through the mouth of Mikula says that he is so strong that he had to drag three bags, each of which contains one and a half tons of salt. Undoubtedly, Volga and his squad are very surprised by such a hero's strength.
However, not everything turned out well on that trip: robbers attacked Mikula and began to demand money. The bogatyr shared with them, but that was not enough, they began to beat the oratay. Then Mikula Selyaninovich had to answer them. In the end, more than a thousand men were injured by a single plowman!
Undoubtedly, this story impressed Volga. From childhood, he dreamed of possessing an unusual gift or power, but, unfortunately, this is not always in our power.
Then the prince decided to call the hero with him on a campaign.
Characteristics of Volga Svyatoslavovich and his squad
Mikula is not averse to accompanying a new acquaintance on the road. But our farmer cannot just throw away the tool of his labor. His bipod, made of strong damask steel, is decorated with gold and silver. It is unlikely that we would have met an ordinary peasant with such a rich plow. But Mikula is the personification of all men in Rus'. For this reason, the author “dresses” him in expensive attire, elegant morocco boots, and in his hands is a tool that only a hero can have.
The characterization of Volga Svyatoslavovich and Mikula Selyaninovich continues with an analysis of the episode with the prince's retinue. The hero asks Volga to send five soldiers to help him and move the plow behind the willow bush. He wants to keep it not for the poor or the rich, but for the simple Russian peasant.
The prince orders the guys to fulfill the request of the oratay. But, unfortunately, it turned out to be beyond their power.
Then Volga sends already ten warriors, but they could not cope with this either.
Seeing that the squad could not fulfill his request, Mikula himself decides to remove the bipod. This is given to him very easily: with one hand he lifts it and throws it in front of the surprised Volga.
hike
The characterization of Volga Svyatoslavovich from the epic includes information on how he got to the desired city. The prince noticed that Mikula's horse was much faster and stronger than his own. He is a little Volga joking with the hero that if his mare were a stallion, he would offer him as much as five hundred rubles for her. But Mikula does not want to part with his faithful friend for anything and answers the prince that there is nothing more precious to him than this horse. He himself went out of her from a very young age, now he does not need anyone else.
Upon arrival in the city, the prince was surprised that the peasants, who offended Mikula three days ago, went to him to ask for forgiveness. Volga understands that oratay is good, kind and strong-willed Human. He does not want to part with him, so he invites him to become a governor in his lands. This suggests that the prince is a grateful and kind person.
Conclusion
Of course, the characterization of Volga Svyatoslavovich is not as bright as that of the hero Mikula. Against its background, any, even the most powerful warrior, fades. However, we managed to find out that this person is friendly and sympathetic. He does not envy Mikula, but, on the contrary, wanted to be friends with him.
