Russian heroic epic. epics
Relevance of the topic: to show how the heroic epic of the times of Kievan Rus is represented, what are its features, and also to acquaint you with the most famous works of the heroic epic of Kievan Rus.
Great importance in the Kyiv culture of the X-XII centuries. belongs to folklore. Songs, epics, proverbs, laments-parables (at funerals and weddings), which lived in the memory of the people for a long time, were passed down from generation to generation, and with the advent of writing, they began to be recorded. Of particular note is the heroic epic epic, in which the people sing of their defenders, in the form of kind, strong and disinterestedly loving heroes of the Motherland. The heroic epic expresses the interests of the whole people and plays an extremely important role in shaping the national consciousness of every nation.
This epic has several cycles.
1. The cycle of heroic epics is dedicated to the plowman Mikula Selyaninovich in the squad of Oleg Svyatoslavich with the Varangians.
2. The cycle of heroic epics is dedicated to Prince Vladimir the Red Sun, who did a lot for defense against nomads. The main characters were Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich.
3. cycle sang the struggle of Vladimir Monomakh with the Polovtsian khans.
Epics are a poetic heroic epic of Ancient Rus', reflecting the events of the historical life of the Russian people. The ancient name of epics in the Russian north is "old". The modern name of the genre - "epics" - was introduced in the first half of the 19th century by the folklorist I.P. Sakharov on the basis of the well-known expression from the Tale of Igor's Campaign - "epics of this time."
The time for adding epics is determined in different ways. Some scholars believe that this is an early genre that developed back in the days of Kievan Rus (X-XI centuries), others - a late genre that arose in the Middle Ages, during the creation and strengthening of the Moscow centralized state. The epic genre reached its peak in the 17th-18th centuries, and by the 20th century it was falling into oblivion.
Epics, according to V.P. Anikin, these are "heroic songs that arose as an expression of the historical consciousness of the people in the East Slavic era and developed in the conditions of Ancient Rus' ...".
Epics reproduce the ideals of social justice, glorify Russian heroes as defenders of the people. They reveal social moral and aesthetic ideals, reflecting historical reality in images. In epics, the vital basis is connected with fiction. They have a solemnly pathetic tone, their style corresponds to the purpose of glorifying extraordinary people and majestic events of history.
The main characters of epics are heroes. They embody the ideal of a courageous person devoted to his homeland and people. The hero fights alone against hordes of enemy forces. Among the epics, a group of the most ancient stands out. These are the so-called epics about the "senior" heroes associated with mythology. The heroes of these works are the personification of the unknown forces of nature associated with mythology. Such are Svyatogor and Volkhv Vseslavievich, the Danube and Mikhailo Potyk.
In the second period of its history, the most ancient heroes were replaced by the heroes of the new time - Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich. These are the heroes of the so-called Kyiv cycle of epics. Cyclization refers to the unification of epic images and plots around individual characters and places of action. This is how the Kiev cycle of epics associated with the city of Kiev developed.
Most epics depict the world of Kievan Rus. Heroes go to Kyiv to serve Prince Vladimir, they protect him from enemy hordes. The content of these epics is predominantly heroic, military in nature.
Novgorod was another major center of the ancient Russian state. Epics of the Novgorod cycle - everyday, short stories. The heroes of these epics were merchants, princes, peasants, guslars (Sadko, Volga, Mikula, Vasily Buslaev, Blud Khotenovich).
The world depicted in epics is the entire Russian land. So, Ilya Muromets from the outpost of the heroic sees high mountains, green meadows, dark forests. The epic world is “bright” and “sunny”, but enemy forces threaten it: dark clouds, fog, thunderstorm are approaching, the sun and stars are fading from countless enemy hordes. This is a world of opposition between good and evil, light and dark forces. In it, the heroes fight with the manifestation of evil, violence. Without this struggle, the epic world is impossible.
Each hero has a certain dominant character trait. Ilya Muromets personifies strength, this is the most powerful Russian hero after Svyatogor. Dobrynya is also a strong and brave warrior, a snake fighter, but also a hero-diplomat. Prince Vladimir sends him on special diplomatic missions. Alyosha Popovich personifies ingenuity and cunning. “He won’t take it by force, so by cunning,” says epics about him. Monumental images of heroes and grandiose accomplishments are the fruit of artistic generalization, the embodiment in one person of the abilities and strength of a people or social group, an exaggeration of what really exists, that is, hyperbolization and idealization. The poetic language of the epics is solemnly melodious and rhythmically organized. His special artistic means - comparisons, metaphors, epithets - reproduce pictures and images epicly sublime, grandiose, and when depicting enemies - terrible, ugly.
In epics, fabulous miracles are performed: the reincarnation of characters, the resurrection of the dead, werewolves. They contain mythological images of enemies and fantastic elements, but fantasy is different than in a fairy tale. It is based on folk-historical ideas. The famous folklorist of the 19th century A.F. Hilferding wrote:
“When a person doubts that a hero could carry a club of forty pounds or put a whole army on the spot, epic poetry is killed in him. And many signs convinced me that the northern Russian peasant who sings epics, and the vast majority of those who listen to him, unconditionally believe in the truth of the miracles that are depicted in the epics. Bylina preserved historical memory. Miracles were perceived as history in the life of the people.
There are many historically reliable signs in the epics: a description of the details, ancient weapons of warriors (sword, shield, spear, helmet, chain mail). They glorify Kyiv-grad, Chernihiv, Murom, Galich. Other ancient Russian cities are named. Events are unfolding in Ancient Novgorod. They indicate the names of some historical figures: Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich, Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh. These princes were combined in the popular imagination into one collective image of Prince Vladimir - "Red Sun".
In epics there is a lot of fantasy, fiction. But fiction is poetic truth. The epics reflected the historical conditions of life of the Slavic people: the aggressive campaigns of the Pechenegs and Polovtsians in Rus', the ruin of villages, full of women and children, plunder of wealth. Later, in the XIII-XIV centuries, Rus' was under the yoke of the Mongol-Tatars, which is also reflected in the epics. During the years of national trials, they instilled love for their native land. It is no coincidence that the epic is a heroic folk song about the feat of the defenders of the Russian land.
However, epics depict not only the heroic deeds of heroes, enemy invasions, battles, but also everyday human life in its social manifestations and historical conditions. This is reflected in the cycle of Novgorod epics. In them, the heroes differ markedly from the epic heroes of the Russian epic. Epics about Sadko and Vasily Buslaev include not only new original themes and plots, but also new epic images, new types of heroes who do not know other epic cycles. The Novgorod bogatyrs, unlike the bogatyrs of the heroic cycle, do not perform feats of arms. This is explained by the fact that Novgorod escaped the Horde invasion, the hordes of Batu did not reach the city. However, Novgorodians could not only rebel (V. Buslaev) and play the harp (Sadko), but also fight and win brilliant victories over the conquerors from the West.
One of the most poetic and fabulous epics of the Novgorod cycle is the epic "Sadko". V.G. Belinsky defined the epic "as one of the pearls of Russian folk poetry, a poetic apotheosis of Novgorod." Sadko is a poor harpman who became rich thanks to the skillful playing of the harp and the patronage of the Sea King. As a hero, he expresses infinite strength and infinite prowess. Sadko loves his land, his city, his family. Therefore, he refuses the untold riches offered to him and returns home.
Epics were created by tonic (it is also called epic, folk) verse. In works created by tonic verse, the verse lines may have a different number of syllables, but there should be a relatively equal number of stresses. In an epic verse, the first stress, as a rule, falls on the third syllable from the beginning, and the last stress on the third syllable from the end.
Epics are characterized by a combination of real images that have a clear historical meaning and are conditioned by reality (the image of Kyiv, the capital prince Vladimir), with fantastic images (the Serpent Gorynych, the Nightingale the Robber). But the leading ones in epics are images generated by historical reality.
The epic usually begins with a beginning that determines the place and time of the action. Following him, an exposition is given in which the hero of the work stands out, most often using the contrast technique.
The image of the hero is at the center of the whole story. The epic grandeur of the image of the epic hero is created by revealing his noble feelings and experiences, the qualities of the hero are revealed in his actions.
Triple or trinity in epics is one of the main methods of depiction (three heroes stand at the heroic outpost, the hero makes three trips - “Three trips of Ilya”, Sadko three times the Novgorod merchants are not called to the feast, he also casts lots three times, etc. .). All these elements (trinity of persons, triplicity of action, verbal repetitions) are present in all epics. Hyperbole used to describe the hero and his deeds also play an important role in them. The description of the enemies (Tugarin, the Nightingale the Robber) is hyperbolic, as well as the description of the strength of the warrior-hero. There are fantastic elements in this.
In the main narrative part of the epic, the techniques of parallelism, stepwise narrowing of images, and antitheses are widely used.
Particularly noteworthy is the question of the relationship between the epic epic and historical reality (the so-called “problem of the historicism of the Russian epic”), which caused heated debate in both the 19th and 20th centuries (especially between historians and philologists).
The founder of Russian historical science, V.N. Tatishchev, wrote about epics in the 1730s: use." However, in the future, neglecting Tatishchev’s warning, some historians unnecessarily straightforwardly and unambiguously “tied” epic texts to the data of written and archaeological monuments, considering, for example, the Soviet historian Academician B. D. Grekov, that “epic is history, told by the people themselves. However, one must understand that the heroic epic, due to the peculiarities of its “folding”, does not reflect historical events, but transforms them; the song-epic memory of the people is not the volume of the annalistic code, standing on the shelf, it does not keep the deeds of the past exactly, but represents the people's understanding of history, the reconstruction of the model of the structure of society and the state, and, passing by word of mouth for centuries, changes, hiding the historical foundation under later layers. Here
Folklorists of various scientific schools have developed several basic options for solving the problem of the historicism of epics. Here is how Professor F. M. Selivanov describes them: “1) A historical event is layered with separate realities on an already existing (mythological, borrowed, book) plot; 2) the event depicted in the epic was inevitably obscured by later and repeated historical layers, which makes it difficult or impossible to search for the original content; 3) the initial response to the event was carried out in works of another genre (praise song, legend, legend), the content of which was absorbed by the epic” (Selivanov, With. 29). It also follows from the third provision that the epics themselves, in the form in which they are familiar to us, developed later than the times of Kievan Rus - already in the era of specific principalities and the Tatar-Mongol yoke, and during the time of a single ancient Russian state, there were only so-called. "protoforms" of future epics (chronicle songs that reflected the event that had just happened; glory songs in honor of the princes that sounded at feasts, and also, perhaps, their opposite - vilification songs; military lamentations performed at funerals and commemorations), and not in the mass of the common people, but in the retinue environment, surrounded by the prince.
It was precisely the important role that epics began to play in the national liberation struggle, the revival of the Russian state after a foreign yoke, that provided them with such a long life in the oral tradition - they survived the Kievan Rus they glorified for a whole millennium
Description of work
Relevance of the topic: to show how the heroic epic of the times of Kievan Rus is presented, what are its features, and also to acquaint with the most famous works of the heroic epic of Kievan Rus.
Great importance in the Kyiv culture of the X-XII centuries. belongs to folklore. Songs, epics, proverbs, laments-parables (at funerals and weddings), which lived in the memory of the people for a long time, were passed down from generation to generation, and with the advent of writing, they began to be recorded. Of particular note is the heroic epic epic, in which the people sing of their defenders, in the form of kind, strong and disinterestedly loving heroes of the Motherland. The heroic epic expresses the interests of the whole people and plays an extremely important role in shaping the national consciousness of every nation.
Dictionary of terms of Russian folklore
The compiler of the course Nikita Petrov about what an epic is, did Ilya Muromets really exist and how Stalin became the hero of the epic / Course No. 14 "Russian epic"
How does a fairy tale differ from an epic, who is a storyteller and what is an invariant? Glossary of terms, without which Russian folklore cannot be understood. More in course number 14: to be continued...
___
Nikita Petrov - folklorist, anthropologist, candidate of philological sciences, associate professor at the Center for Typology and Semiotics of Folklore of the Russian State University for the Humanities, senior researcher at the School of Contemporary Humanitarian Studies of the RANEPA. He became interested in a comparative study of the epic at the university after lectures by the researcher of epics Yu. A. Novikov, continued his studies in epic studies at the Institute of Higher Humanitarian Studies of the Russian State Humanitarian University (now E. M. Meletinsky IVGI), then at the Center for Typology and Semiotics of Folklore he defended his dissertation under the guidance of S. Y. Neklyudova. The sphere of scientific interests today is folklore and mythology, anthropology of the city, epic studies, plot and motive indicators, narratology, anthropology of memory.
Author of the monograph "Bogatyrs in the Russian North" (M., 2008), one of the compilers of the collections of folk prose texts "Kargopolye: a folklore guide (traditions, legends, stories, songs and proverbs" (M., 2009), "Experts, sorcerers and warlocks: witchcraft and household magic in the Russian North ”(M., 2013), author of articles in the encyclopedia“ Myths of the peoples of the world ”(OLMA; St. Petersburg, M., 2014).
Heroic tales - an archaic heroic epic that preceded the epics. The plot is based on collisions of the “heroic biography” (miraculous birth, heroic childhood, heroic matchmaking, loss and re-acquisition of a bride/wife, and so on). Vladimir Yakovlevich Propp called such a fairy tale a “pre-state epic”.
epics- “singing with a voice”, usually poetic works (sometimes they could be told in prose). In epics, events take place around a hero, or an epic lord, or a city (Kyiv, Novgorod). Epics are based on the opposition of “friends and foes” and on a mythical or quasi-historical past. In some epics, heroes of extraordinary physical strength defeat ethnic or historical enemies (“Ilya Muromets and Kalin-Tsar”, “Alyosha and Tugarin”). Such epics are called heroic. In fairy tales, the heroes do not defeat anyone, but, like the heroes of a fairy tale, they descend into the underground or underwater kingdom (“Mikhailo Potyk”, “Sadko”). Another kind of epics are texts of a ballad character (“Alyosha and the Petrovich brothers”, “Churilo Plenkovich”, “Stavr Godinovich”). In them, heroes perform ordinary (often unseemly) deeds, or their wives turn out to be heroes, cunningly helping their husbands out of trouble.
The term "epic" began to be used early explorers in the 1840s. Apparently, the term is the result of a misreading of "The Tale of Igor's Campaign": "Start your songs according to the epics of this time, and not according to Boyan's plan" ("epics" here is what actually happened). The performers of epics called these works "old men" or "old men", in handwritten collections of the 17th - early 19th centuries, texts such as epics were called "histories" or "tales" about heroes, "ancient Russian poems"; critics also called them "fairy tales in verse", "poems in a fabulous kind."
Epics existed in the oral environment until the second half of the 20th century. Most of the epics (about 3000 texts) were recorded in the 19th-20th centuries in the Russian North (Arkhangelsk region, Karelia), Siberia, the Urals and the Volga.
Song of the epic - the beginning of the text, not directly related to the plot, but revealing the internal logic of the narrative.
The beginning of the epic - a piece of text that introduces the listener to the setting of the action and the circle of characters.
Epic invariant - a text that brings together all the common elements for one epic plot. This is not a real text, but a speculative construct created by folklorists. A specific performance (or recording) of an epic on this plot is called a variant.
News- pseudo-folklore, but in fact author's works, imitation of epics. The authors of novelties are not traditionalist narrators who sing canonical epics, but narrators-improvisers. Novinas were created in the 1930s–1960s either by storytellers on their own, after reading news about the “heroic present” of the Soviet era, or as a result of the joint work of storytellers and folklorists who came to villages and brought Chapaev’s biography, newspaper clippings about CPSU congresses, and so on. Lenin, Stalin, Voroshilov, Papanin, Chkalov and other Soviet characters appeared in the novelties in place of the heroes. Unlike epics, novinas are unproductive: they were not repeated by other storytellers. In all likelihood, the term "novina" was coined by the White Sea storyteller Marfa Kryukova, who could sing in the form of an epic and a history textbook. In total, more than 600 texts of novelties are known.
Epic characters. Plot roles: epic hero and his entourage, enemy (antagonist); epic lord; messenger and helper/savior; servant/squire; a messenger transmitting a message/prediction/warning; bride. The main characters of the classical epic are heroes, who usually do not use magic and sorcery, but win with extraordinary strength and desperate courage, have an overactive, self-willed, "violent" character, sometimes even overestimating their strength. But there are also “heroes” who in some cases do not fall under these characteristics: Volkh Vseslavievich, Churilo Plenkovich, Sadko and others. This is due to the fact that the epic does not create “pure” character schemes and any character, even an episodic one, can be assigned. So, there is a hero who appears for one action - to count the wrong strength:
The old old woman and Ilya Muromets said here:
“You’re already a goy, Peresmeta’s son Stepanovich!
You go with your yes with your nephew,
Already you go to the open field, on the hilly slope,
And take a spy-tube,
And how to count, recount this great power,
Great unfaithful power."
Storytellers- professional and non-professional performers of the Russian epic, those who perform the text in a peculiar manner - say using 24 tunes of a recitative nature. The term began to be used in folklore since the middle of the 19th century after its mention in the works of the first collectors of the Russian epic Rybnikov and Hilferding. The storytellers themselves called themselves "old-timers", "storytellers". The old-timers were mostly peasants, often Old Believers, both men and women. Men preferred to sing heroic epics (“Ilya and Idolishche”, “Alyosha and Tugarin”, “Ilya Muromets and Kalin-Tsar” and others), and women preferred to sing “woman’s old times” (“Churilo and Katerina”, “Dobrynya and Alyosha”) . Folklorists have noticed that some of the storytellers strive for the most accurate reproduction of what they have learned - these are "transmitters". Others - "interpreters" - create their own editions and versions of the plot. And the "improvisers" each time present the epic in a new way.
A fairy tale (and its difference from an epic). The hero of a fairy tale acts in personal interests or in the interests of his family; having defeated an opponent, he always receives some kind of reward: he marries a princess, obtains material wealth. The hero of the epic song defends national and state interests. If the hero saves a brother or sister, then this happens by chance, relatives recognize each other after defeating the enemy (“Kozarin”, “Brothers Dorodovichi”), while the fairy-tale hero sets himself such a goal from the very beginning. The hero of a fairy tale wins with the help of magical power, in contrast to the epic, where the feat is carried out thanks to the heroic exertion of forces. At the same time, some epic stories (“The Healing of Ilya Muromets”, “Sadko at the Sea Tsar”, “Potyk”, “Dobrynya and Alyosha”) are built on collisions similar to fairy tales.
The plot of the epic. Usually revolves around the biography of the hero and is divided into the following episodes: I. Heroic childhood. II. Gaining strength / wealth / recruiting squads. III. Military collisions. IV. Conflicts. V. Rivalry. VI. Matrimonial conflicts. VII. Adventures. VIII. Death of a hero. The plot of the epic is characterized by two main epic collisions: military (the hero is opposed to the enemy) and marriage (the hero is opposed to the bride).
The opinions of researchers about how many main epic stories exist differ: some give a figure of 100–130 stories (as, in particular, Propp believed), others, including the compilers of the Code of Epics in 25 volumes, believe that there are about sixty.
Orality in the epic- a system of rules that the storyteller uses to sing an epic. The concept of orality was formed during the study of Homer: according to the conclusions of some scholars, the Iliad and the Odyssey are of folklore origin, and their texts were formed as a result of repeated performance by storytellers. The narrator, focusing on the plot, the patterns of style and poetic vocabulary known to him, put together an epic song by substituting formulas in a certain metrical position and combining themes. Formulas and themes formed the so-called epic knowledge and epic memory, the essence of which was not only the ability to memorize thousands of verses.
Cycling epic - plots grouped around the figure of the protagonist: epics from one cycle can reflect different episodes of his life. There is also a cyclization of events and characters around a certain epic center (Kyiv) and an epic sovereign (prince of Kyiv).
Epics are a poetic heroic epic of Ancient Rus', reflecting the events of the historical life of the Russian people. The ancient name of epics in the Russian north is "old". The modern name of the genre - "epics" - was introduced in the first half of the 19th century by the folklorist I.P. Sakharov on the basis of a well-known expression from the Tale of Igor's Campaign - "epics of this time".
The time for adding epics is determined in different ways. Some scholars believe that this is an early genre that developed back in the days of Kievan Rus (X-XI centuries), others - a late genre that arose in the Middle Ages, during the creation and strengthening of the Moscow centralized state. The epic genre reached its peak in the 17th–18th centuries, and by the 20th century it fell into oblivion. The main characters of the epics are heroes. They embody the ideal of a courageous person devoted to his homeland and people. The hero fights alone against hordes of enemy forces. Among the epics, a group of the most ancient stands out. These are the so-called epics about the "senior" heroes associated with mythology. The heroes of these works are the personification of the unknown forces of nature associated with mythology. Such are Svyatogor and Volkhv Vseslavievich, the Danube and Mikhailo Potyk.
In the second period of its history, the most ancient heroes were replaced by the heroes of the new time - Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich. These are the heroes of the so-called Kyiv cycle of epics. Cyclization refers to the unification of epic images and plots around individual characters and places of action. This is how the Kiev cycle of epics associated with the city of Kiev developed.
Most epics depict the world of Kievan Rus. Heroes go to Kyiv to serve Prince Vladimir, they protect him from enemy hordes. The content of these epics is predominantly heroic, military in nature.
Novgorod was another major center of the ancient Russian state. Epics of the Novgorod cycle - everyday, short stories. The heroes of these epics were merchants, princes, peasants, guslars (Sadko, Volga, Mikula, Vasily Buslaev, Blud Khotenovich).
The world depicted in epics is the entire Russian land. So, Ilya Muromets from the outpost of the heroic sees high mountains, green meadows, dark forests. The epic world is “bright” and “sunny”, but enemy forces threaten it: dark clouds, fog, thunderstorm are approaching, the sun and stars are fading from countless enemy hordes. This is a world of opposition between good and evil, light and dark forces. In it, the heroes fight with the manifestation of evil, violence. Without this struggle, the epic world is impossible.
Each hero has a certain dominant character trait. Ilya Muromets personifies strength, this is the most powerful Russian hero after Svyatogor. Dobrynya is also a strong and brave warrior, a snake fighter, but also a hero-diplomat. Prince Vladimir sends him on special diplomatic missions. Alyosha Popovich personifies ingenuity and cunning. “He won’t take it by force, so by cunning,” says epics about him. Monumental images of heroes and grandiose accomplishments are the fruit of artistic generalization, the embodiment in one person of the abilities and strength of a people or social group, an exaggeration of what really exists, that is, hyperbolization and idealization. The poetic language of the epics is solemnly melodious and rhythmically organized. His special artistic means - comparisons, metaphors, epithets - reproduce pictures and images epicly sublime, grandiose, and when depicting enemies - terrible, ugly.
In different epics, motifs and images, plot elements, identical scenes, lines and groups of lines are repeated. So, through all the epics of the Kyiv cycle, images of Prince Vladimir, the city of Kyiv, heroes pass. Epics, like other works of folk art, do not have a fixed text. Passed from mouth to mouth, they changed, varied. Each epic had an infinite number of options.
In epics, fabulous miracles are performed: the reincarnation of characters, the resurrection of the dead, werewolves. They contain mythological images of enemies and fantastic elements, but fantasy is different than in a fairy tale. It is based on folk-historical ideas. However, epics depict not only the heroic deeds of heroes, enemy invasions, battles, but also everyday human life in its social manifestations and historical conditions. This is reflected in the cycle of Novgorod epics. In them, the heroes differ markedly from the epic heroes of the Russian epic. Epics about Sadko and Vasily Buslaev include not only new original themes and plots, but also new epic images, new types of heroes who do not know other epic cycles. The Novgorod bogatyrs, unlike the bogatyrs of the heroic cycle, do not perform feats of arms. This is explained by the fact that Novgorod escaped the Horde invasion, the hordes of Batu did not reach the city. However, Novgorodians could not only rebel (V. Buslaev) and play the harp (Sadko), but also fight and win brilliant victories over conquerors from the West. So, epics are poetic, artistic works. They have a lot of unexpected, surprising, incredible. However, they are basically true, they convey the people's understanding of history, the people's idea of duty, honor, and justice. At the same time, they are skillfully built, their language is peculiar.
Artistic originality of epics
Epics were created by tonic (it is also called epic, folk) verse. In works created by tonic verse, the verse lines may have a different number of syllables, but there should be a relatively equal number of stresses. In an epic verse, the first stress, as a rule, falls on the third syllable from the beginning, and the last stress on the third syllable from the end.
Epics are characterized by a combination of real images that have a clear historical meaning and are conditioned by reality (the image of Kyiv, the capital prince Vladimir), with fantastic images (the Serpent Gorynych, the Nightingale the Robber). But the leading ones in epics are images generated by historical reality.
The genres of folk art include Russian (oral) epics: songs, legends, narrative legends, works about events from the lives of heroes that were created orally, performed and remembered by ear, passed down from generation to generation. The most ancient type of oral epic, preserved in people's memory for many centuries, were the so-called epics(in the folk environment in the 19th - 20th centuries they were called starin) - songs of a large volume, consisting of several hundred, sometimes thousands of verses.
Reading epics, we plunge into a special world, it is inhabited by characters that are unlike real people; extraordinary events take place in it that could not occur in the real world, it is full of things that have wonderful properties. This is, from a modern point of view, a fantastic world.
symbolic meaning epic images repeatedly attracted the attention of Russian and Soviet writers, among whom we find the names of G.I. Uspensky and N.A. Nekrasov, A.P. Chekhov and A.M. Gorky.
In Russian historical and philological science, the epic aroused keen interest and became the subject of versatile research after the publication in 1818 of the epic songs of the famous collection of the 18th century “Ancient Russian poems collected by Kirshe Danilov”. The publisher of the collection K.F. Kalaidovich sent him a preface, which was the first scientific work devoted to the study of epics and historical songs. Attention to the epic heritage especially increased and intensified in connection with the discovery by P. N. Rybnikov of the fact of the existence and live performance of epics in the Russian European North in the middle of the 19th century. To date, the history of scientific study of the epic epic has more than a hundred and fifty years.
During this time, the main paths and the most significant topics in the study of the epic were determined. 1 In connection with the study of singing schools, the notes and writings of the very first collectors of epic songs show a great and steady interest in the personality and talent of the storyteller. And F Hilferding makes an important observation on the correlation of traditions and personal initiative in the singing of Onega singers.
The ratio of the general collective and individual principles in epic creativity continues to arouse interest in all subsequent folklore studies up to the present day.
In the epic, the rich historical experience of the people is concentrated, poetically and philosophically comprehended, artistically attested.
This experience concerns the most diverse aspects of national life: the struggle against foreign enslavers, the formation of the state, family relations, the social struggle of the people against their oppressors, social ideals, and so on. In the course of this struggle, an idea of moral values was developed, a historical ideal of human behavior and a way of thinking gradually took shape, an ideal type of Russian epic hero arose who embodied the people's ideas about personal dignity, humanism, love for their native land, love of freedom, social activity and fearlessness in the struggle for your goals.
In the center of the epic world are its heroes - heroes. The very word "hero" was well known in Ancient Rus'. It is repeatedly found in chronicles, often with the epithets "glorious", "wonderful", "brave", "great".
1 A.M. .Astakhov. Epics. Results and problems of the study. M.-L., 1966.
It is not for nothing that Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich, Alyosha Popovich, Sadko, Vasily Buslaevich seem to us not only as epic images brought to life by folk fantasy, but also as original and deep symbols of people's historical aspirations, forces and opportunities.
Epics have existed for centuries exclusively in the oral tradition, so they are variable and multi-layered, they preserved signs of different eras, in particular, pagan and Christian elements are combined.
All Russian epics can be divided according to the place of creation and features of the content into two cycles - Kiev and Novgorod. Kyiv epics are heroic songs about the exploits of heroes - warriors defending the Russian land from countless hordes of enemies. Novgorod epics speak of peaceful life, life, trade, and the adventures of merchants.
Before judging epics as a whole, song genres should be defined. V.Ya. Propp highlights epics heroic, fairy tale, novelistic, as well as those on the verge of a ballad, spiritual verse, etc. 1 Heroic epics form the main backbone of the folk song epic. Heroic epics are characterized by a battle, an open clash, a heroic battle of a hero, a people's intercessor, a fighter for a nationwide cause with an enemy. The enemy can be a monster (Serpent, Nightingale the Robber, Tugarin, Idolishche). Fighting with him, the hero liberates Kiev, cleanses the Russian land of the rapist and the villain (epics about Dobrynya the snake fighter, Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin, Ilya Muromets and Nightingale the robber, Ilya and Idolishche). The enemy may be the Tatar-Mongol hordes, threatening the very existence of the Russian state. The main hero who liberates Kiev from the besieged enemies is Ilya Muromets. A significant part of the heroic songs is devoted to the theme of social struggle.
1 Propp V.Ya. Genre composition of Russian folklore // Russian literature. - 1964. - No. 4. - S., 58-76.
The hero of these songs fights the prince and his boyar entourage for his trampled dignity (epic about Sukhman), rebels against the power of the rich and noble, leading the protest of the poor and common people (epic about the rebellion of Ilya Muromets against Prince Vladimir; story about the struggle of Vasily Buslaevich with Novgorodians) . There are among the epics of this genre and songs about heroic matchmaking (for example, the epic about the Danube, wooing the bride to Prince Vladimir). But matchmaking, the search for a wife, unless it is connected with the fight against foreign enemies, is usually no longer glorified in the epic epic, although historically this was not always the case. Many plots about matchmaking moved into the genre fabulous epics. They are characterized by typical images and situations of a fairy tale. So, for example, in the epic about Sadko, we meet a magical donor who sends Sadko from the bottom of Ilmen - Lake a wonderful gift (magic remedy) - a fish with golden feathers. This gift allows the hero to win a rich mortgage from Novgorod merchants in a dispute. In this epic, like a fairy tale hero. Sadko finds himself in another world, an underwater kingdom, where he is offered to choose a bride among the daughters of the sea king. The hero of another fairy tale - Mikhail Potyk - is buried together with his dead wife. But, being buried, he prudently kills the snake trying to kill him with metal rods.
Epics have a special artistic form and way of poetizing heroes. novelistic. There is no open battle, battle, military clash in them. There is a household episode of a meeting, dispute, matchmaking, or some other incident. An example of a novelistic epic is the song about Mikul and Volga. The peasant-worker, the mighty plowman is opposed in it to the prince-feudal lord. The theme of another novelistic epic about Nightingale Budimirovich is matchmaking, but not connected with the heroism of the fight against foreigners, not complicated by the hopelessly tragic divergence between future spouses. The bylina has a bright character, its tone is cheerful, and it ends with a happy union of lovers.
The epic tradition since the Х111-Х1У centuries. can serve as one of the sources of newly emerging genres of oral folk art, such as the ballad, for example. Epics are known, which are, as it were, halfway to the ballad B Russian folk ballad tragic stories of love and family relationships are sung 1 . The same, for example, is the song about Danil Lovchanin or the final part of the epic about the Danube and Nastasya, which tells how the hero, jealous of his warrior wife for his heroic glory, kills her, awaiting the birth of her son, and then commits suicide himself in a fit of despair
On the periphery of epic creativity are epics are buffoonish, which are united with other epic songs by the commonality of some poetic devices. Their world is close to the mocking world of a folk household tale, a satirical song, a folklore parody.
But it is the heroic epics, both in their poetic form and in content, that represent the most characteristic and specific type of song-epic creativity for the epic epic as a whole.
Bylina is a unique phenomenon of Russian culture. It is not reproducible in the new historical conditions. Its rich content could only be embodied in those peculiar, archaic artistic forms, which together make up the amazing and in many ways mysterious poetic world of the heroic epic song.
1 Propp V.Ya. Decree. op. pp. 63-65.
BYLINA- folklore epic song, a genre characteristic of the Russian tradition. The basis of the plot of the epic is some heroic event, or a remarkable episode of Russian history (hence the popular name of the epic - "old", "old", implying that the action in question took place in the past). The term "epic" was introduced into scientific use in the 40s of the 19th century. folklorist I.P. Sakharov.
Historical stages of development of the epic. Researchers disagree on when epic songs appeared in Rus'. Some attribute their appearance to the 9th–11th centuries, others to the 11th–13th centuries. One thing is certain - having existed for such a long time, passed from mouth to mouth, epics did not reach us in their original form, they underwent many changes, as the state system, the internal and external political situation, the worldview of listeners and performers changed. It is almost impossible to say in what century this or that epic was created, some reflect an earlier, some a later stage in the development of the Russian epic, and in other epics, researchers distinguish very ancient plots under later layers.
The first recording of Russian epic songs was made at the beginning of the 17th century. Englishman Richard James . However, the first significant work on collecting epics, which was of great scientific importance, was done by a Cossack Kirsha Danilov at about 40–60 18. The collection he collected consisted of 70 songs. For the first time, incomplete records were published only in 1804 in Moscow, under the title Ancient Russian Poems and for a long time were the only collection of Russian epic songs.
The next step in the study of Russian epic songs was made by P.N. Rybnikov . He discovered that epics were still performed in the Olonets province, although by that time this folklore genre was considered dead. Thanks to the discovery of P.N. Rybnikov, it was possible not only to study the epic epic in depth, but also to get acquainted with the method of its performance and with the performers themselves.
Cyclization of epics. Although, due to the special historical conditions in Rus', an integral epic did not take shape, scattered epic songs are formed into cycles either around a certain hero, or according to the common area where they lived. There is no classification of epics that would be unanimously accepted by all researchers, however, it is customary to single out epics of the Kyiv, or “Vladimirov”, Novgorod and Moscow cycles. In addition to them, there are epics that do not fit into any cycles.
1) Kyiv or "Vladimirov" cycle. In these epics, the heroes gather around the court of Prince Vladimir. The prince himself does not perform feats, however, Kyiv is the center that attracts heroes who are called to protect their homeland and faith from enemies. V.Ya.Propp believes that the songs of the Kyiv cycle are not a local phenomenon, characteristic only for the Kyiv region, on the contrary, the epics of this cycle were created throughout Kievan Rus. Over time, the image of Vladimir changed, the prince acquired features that were initially unusual for the legendary ruler, in many epics he is cowardly, mean, often deliberately humiliates the heroes (Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin, Ilya and Idolishche, Ilya's quarrel with Vladimir).
2) Novgorod cycle. Epics differ sharply from the epics of the "Vladimir" cycle, which is not surprising, since Novgorod never knew the Tatar invasion, but was the largest trading center of ancient Rus'. The heroes of Novgorod epics (Sadko, Vasily Buslaev) are also very different from others.
3) Moscow cycle. These epics reflected the life of the upper strata of Moscow society. The epics about Khoten Bludovich, Duke and Churil contain many details typical of the era of the rise of the Muscovite state: clothes, customs and behavior of the townspeople are described.
Epics, as a rule, are three-part: a sing-along (usually not directly related to the content), the function of which is to prepare for listening to the song; beginning (within its limits, the action unfolds); ending.
Plots of epics. The number of epic plots, despite the many recorded versions of the same epic, is very limited: there are about 100 of them. There are epics based on matchmaking or hero fight for wife(Sadko, Mikhailo Potyk and later - Alyosha Popovich and Elena Petrovichna,); monster fight(Dobrynya and the snake, Alyosha and Tugarin, Ilya and the Nightingale the Robber); fight against foreign invaders, including: the reflection of the Tatar raids (Ilya's quarrel with Vladimir), the war with the Lithuanians (Epic about the arrival of the Lithuanians).
stand apart satirical epics or epics-parodies(Duke Stepanovich, Competition with Churila).
The main epic heroes. Representatives of the Russian "mythological school" divided the heroes of epics into "senior" and "junior" heroes. In their opinion, "elder"(Svyatogor, Danube, Volkh, Potyka) were the personification of elemental forces, epics about them in a peculiar way reflected the mythological views that existed in Ancient Rus'. "Junior" heroes (Ilya Muromets, Alyosha Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich) are ordinary mortals, heroes of a new historical era, and therefore are endowed with mythological features to a minimal extent. Despite the fact that serious objections were subsequently raised against such a classification, such a division is still found in the scientific literature.
The images of heroes are the national standard of courage, justice, patriotism and strength (it was not for nothing that one of the first Russian aircraft, which had an exceptional carrying capacity for those times, was called the creators of "Ilya Muromets").
Svyatogor refers to the oldest and most popular epic heroes. His very name indicates a connection with nature. He is great in stature and mighty, his earth bears with difficulty. This image was born in the pre-Kiev era, but subsequently underwent changes. Only two plots have come down to us, initially associated with Svyatogor (the rest arose later and are fragmentary): the plot about the discovery of Svyatogor's bag, which belonged, as specified in some versions, to another epic hero, Mikula Selyaninovich. The bag turns out to be so heavy that the bogatyr cannot lift it; The second story tells about the death of Svyatogor, who meets a coffin on the way with the inscription: “Whoever is destined to lie in a coffin will lie in it,” and decides to try his luck. As soon as Svyatogor lies down, the lid of the coffin jumps up by itself and the hero cannot move it. Before his death, Svyatogor passes on his power to Ilya Muromets, thus the hero of antiquity passes the baton to the new hero of the epic that comes to the fore.
Ilya Muromets, undoubtedly, the most popular hero of epics, a mighty hero. Epos does not know him young, he is an old man with a gray beard. Oddly enough, Ilya Muromets appeared later than his epic younger comrades Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich. His homeland is the city of Murom, the village of Karacharovo.
The peasant son, the sick Ilya, "sat on the stove for 30 years and three years." One day wanderers came to the house, “passable kaliks”. They healed Ilya, endowing him with heroic strength. From now on, he is a hero who is destined to serve the city of Kyiv and Prince Vladimir. On the way to Kyiv, Ilya defeats the Nightingale the Robber, puts him in "toroks" and takes him to the prince's court. Of the other exploits of Ilya, it is worth mentioning his victory over Idolishche, which laid siege to Kyiv and forbade begging and commemorating God's name. Here Elijah acts as a defender of the faith.
His relationship with Prince Vladimir is not smooth. The peasant hero does not meet with due respect at the court of the prince, he is bypassed with gifts, he is not put in a place of honor at the feast. The rebellious hero is imprisoned in the cellar for seven years and is doomed to starvation. Only an attack on the city of the Tatars, led by Tsar Kalin, forces the prince to ask for help from Ilya. He gathers heroes and enters the battle. The defeated enemy flees, vowing never to return to Rus'.
Nikitich- a popular hero of the epics of the Kyiv cycle. This hero snake fighter was born in Ryazan. He is the most polite and well-mannered of the Russian heroes, it is not for nothing that Dobrynya always acts as an ambassador and negotiator in difficult situations. The main epics associated with the name of Dobrynya: Dobrynya and the snake, Dobrynya and Vasily Kazemirovich, the Battle of Dobrynya with the Danube, Dobrynya and Marinka, Dobrynya and Alyosha.
Alesha Popovich- originally from Rostov, he is the son of a cathedral priest, the youngest of the famous trinity of heroes. He is bold, cunning, frivolous, prone to fun and jokes. Scientists belonging to the historical school believed that this epic hero originated from Alexander Popovich, who died in the Battle of Kalka, however, D.S. Likhachev showed that the reverse process actually took place, the name of the fictional hero penetrated into the annals. The most famous feat of Alyosha Popovich is his victory over Tugarin Zmeevich. The hero Alyosha does not always behave in a worthy manner, he is often arrogant, boastful. Among the epics about him are Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin, Alyosha Popovich and the sister of the Petrovichs.
Sadko is also one of the oldest heroes, in addition, he is perhaps the most famous hero of epics Novgorod cycle. An ancient story about Sadko, which tells how the hero is wooing the daughter of the sea king, subsequently became more complicated, surprisingly realistic details appeared concerning the life of ancient Novgorod. The bylina about Sadko is divided into three relatively independent parts. . IN first the harpist Sadko, who impressed the king of the sea with the skill of his game, receives advice from him on how to get rich. From that moment on, Sadko was no longer a poor musician, but a merchant, a rich guest. IN next song Sadko bets with Novgorod merchants that he will be able to buy all the goods of Novgorod. In some versions of the epic, Sadko wins, in some, on the contrary, he is defeated, but in any case he leaves the city because of the intolerant attitude of the merchants towards him. IN last song tells about Sadko's journey by sea, during which the sea king calls him to him in order to marry his daughter and leave him in the underwater kingdom. But Sadko, having abandoned the beautiful princesses, marries Chernavushka the mermaid, who personifies the Novgorod river, and she takes him to his native shores. Sadko returns to his "earthly wife", leaving the daughter of the sea king. V.Ya.Propp points out that the epic about Sadko is the only one in the Russian epic where the hero goes to the other world (underwater kingdom) and marries an otherworldly creature. These two motifs testify to the antiquity of both the plot and the hero.
Vasily Buslaev. Two epics are known about this indomitable and violent citizen of Veliky Novgorod. In his rebellion against everyone and everything, he does not pursue any goal, except for the desire to run amok and show off. The son of a Novgorod widow, a wealthy citizen, Vasily from childhood showed his unbridled temper in fights with peers. Growing up, he gathered a squad to compete with all of Veliky Novgorod. The battle ends with the complete victory of Vasily. Second epic dedicated to the death of Vasily Buslaev. Having traveled to Jerusalem with his retinue, Vasily mocks the dead head he met, despite the ban, bathes naked in Jericho and neglects the requirement inscribed on the stone he found (you cannot jump over the stone along). Vasily, due to the indomitability of his nature, begins to jump and jump over it, catches his foot on a stone and breaks his head. This character, in which the unbridled passions of Russian nature are embodied, was M. Gorky's favorite hero. The writer carefully accumulated materials about him, cherishing the idea of writing about Vaska Buslaev, but when he learned that A.V. Amfiteatrov was writing a play about this hero, he gave all the accumulated materials to his fellow writer. This play is considered one of the best works of A.V. Amfiteatrov.