Beautiful or wise. Vasilisa is beautiful and wise

Ivan Bestalanny and Elena the Wise

CHAPTER 8 Beautiful Madrid dream spy Inquisitor: "Why were you arrested?" Lucrezia de Leon: "Because of the dreams I had." From the records of the hearing in Toledo, June 4, 1590 He embraced her and said: “You are so beautiful that even a dead man would rise from the grave to

7 Beautiful Isolde In our journey, we find many manifestations of inner femininity and determine the role of each of them in male psychology and romantic love. We met with Blanchefleur, who symbolizes the fate of femininity in our patriarchal world. Now

The name Vasilisa, which means “king’s wife” or “queen” in Greek, came to Rus' from Byzantium no later than the 13th century. In the Tale of Bygone Years dated beginning of XII century, this name was never mentioned. And the first known Vasilises were the daughter of the Rostov prince Vasilisa Dmitrievna, who lived at the turn of the 13th-14th centuries, as well as another Rostov princess, Vasilisa Konstantinovna, who lived in the 14th century.

Probably, it came to this name after it was firmly entrenched in everyday life. But the heroine herself and the stories with her participation existed thousands of years before that. Experts attribute the time of the appearance of a fairy tale to the era of the decomposition of the primitive communal system, when the main source of food was not hunting, but agriculture.

In fairy tales, or the Beautiful is just one of the names of the hero’s bride, who can be called differently: Elena the Beautiful, Mary the Princess, the Tsar Maiden, Nastasya the Queen, Varvara the Beauty, and so on. The function of the character-bride in Russian fairy tales does not depend on the name. For example, in famous collection fairy tales of Alexander Afanasyev meet different plots and roles associated with the name of Vasilisa. The main character of "Vasilisa the Beautiful" is not a princess at all, but a poor stepdaughter who is sent for fire to Baba Yaga's hut. In the fairy tale "The Firebird and Vasilisa the Tsarevna", Vasilisa is caught by a young archer on behalf of the king. At first glance, the princess wishes her captor death: “I won’t go,” he says to the king, “to marry you until you order the young archer to hot water swim". The magic horse of the archer speaks water, and the hero comes out of the cauldron more beautiful than before. In the finale, as it should be in a fairy tale, the old king dies, following the example of an archer, having bathed in boiling water, and main character gets a wife and a kingdom to boot. In the plot " sea ​​king and Vasilisa the Wise "Vasilisa is the daughter of the Vodyanoy, the assistant of the hero-tsarevich. IN different options of the famous fairy tale "The Frog Princess" the main character is called either Elena the Beautiful, or Vasilisa the Wise, which confirms that the name of the heroine is not so important - only the function is important.

Philologist-folklorist Vladimir Propp proved that the genre is rooted in the era of the primitive community, when men underwent "magic" rites and received special powers, power over the animal world, in order to hunt more successfully. The passage of the rite was a kind of journey into other world where a man was subjected to severe trials: his fingers could be cut off, he could be tortured with fire - and so on. Later, when the hunting society was replaced by an agricultural one, these traditions gradually died out, but their veiled descriptions remained in fairy tales.

That is why in many fairy tales Vasilisa tests a potential groom in the strangest and even frightening ways, such as jumping into a cauldron of boiling water: such plots are an echo of the times of the most ancient matriarchy, when a woman was “the holder of the clan and totemic magic.”

Fairy tales have been an integral part of the culture and creativity of any nation since ancient times. Each country has its own stories for them, their good and evil characters. For us, one of our favorite heroines is Vasilisa the Wise from the fairy tale "The Frog Princess". For many generations of children, she has become a symbol of kindness and intelligence, caring and modesty. The description of Vasilisa the Wise is accompanied by many vivid epithets and is a glorification of the beauty and grandeur of the primordially Russian female character.

Fairy tale "The Frog Princess" and its main character

The plot of the fairy tale "The Frog Princess" is known to everyone from an early age. Vasilisa the Wise is a sorceress bewitched by her father for surpassing him in the art of witchcraft. In a fairy tale, she becomes the bride, and then the wife of Ivan Tsarevich. As the plot develops, the girl shows her skill by following the orders of the king: she bakes bread, skillfully weaves a silk carpet (or, in other versions, a shirt). The description of Vasilisa the Wise at the feast is also impressive, where she turns into a fabulous beauty and astonishes the guests with her magical art.

Ivan, wanting his wife to always remain in the guise of a princess, burns the frog's skin. After that, Vasilisa disappears. In order to regain his love, the prince has to go through many dangers and, most importantly, fight with his wife's father, Koshchei the Immortal. The fairy tale has a happy ending - Ivan and Vasilisa overcome all difficulties and find themselves together forever.

Why is Vasilisa the Wise so attractive? Russian folk tale- this is not only a figment of fantasy, but also a reflection real life of people. Keeping this in mind, one can trace in the image of Vasilisa the most valuable female qualities for the Russian people.

The appearance of the main character Vasilisa the Wise

Interestingly, almost nothing is said about the appearance of the main character in the fairy tale. is given to the reader by characterizing her actions and words. Only at the royal ball the heroine is portrayed as a written beauty. But this description is quite typical for most fairy tales.

This once again confirms that the image of Vasilisa the Wise is collective, generalizing. Moreover, for a fairy tale, the depiction of not the external, but the internal virtues of the heroine turns out to be much more important.

Character traits of Vasilisa the Wise

Not because of her beauty, but because of her character, Vasilisa the Wise is loved. The story emphasizes that bright appearance(it would seem that it could be uglier than a frog) and not wealth (the “competitors” of the girl in the palace were the boyar and merchant daughters) leads the heroes to happiness. And understanding and desire to be together.

The characterization of Vasilisa the Wise from a fairy tale is given through her actions. The way she comforts Ivan Tsarevich, with what skill she performs the tasks of the king, how she behaves during the feast, speaks of her better than any description. Her character combines at the same time a deep mind and the majestic simplicity of the Russian soul, pride in herself and modesty.

Many people ask why Vasilisa is called Wise? In fact, this epithet suits her perfectly. The fact is that she perfectly mastered the magical wisdom and even surpassed her father, a powerful sorcerer, in this. It is also characteristic that in the fairy tale she is called so in those moments when she works, shows her skill as a needlewoman, housewife or sorceress. In addition, the heroine has the ability to remain calm and make the right decision even in the most difficult trials.

Why was Vasilisa turned into a frog?

The question often arises as to why Vasilisa the Wise was turned into a frog by Koshchei the Immortal. The tale does not give a direct answer to it. However, different researchers offer their own options.

For example, one may recall that one of the leading artistic techniques in a fairy tale there is an antithesis, opposition (for example, good and evil, day and night, living and dead water, beauty and ugliness). Already the name of the heroine - Vasilisa - speaks for itself. WITH Greek it can be translated as regal, sublime. On the other hand, what could be more unattractive and mundane than a frog living in a swamp.

The image of Vasilisa in other Russian fairy tales

The description of Vasilisa the Wise can be found not only in the tale of the frog princess. She is depicted in other works of the Russian people. For example, you can recall the tale of Vasilisa and Baba Yaga. A similar image appears under the names of Marya Morevna, Elena the Beautiful and Marya the Princess. All these heroines have wisdom and magical knowledge, in particular the ability to reincarnate. This allows them to be identified.

A fairy tale is a lie, but there is a hint in it

Maxim Gorky called Vasilisa one of the most perfect female images created by the imagination of the Russian people. How many excellent qualities it combines, educating and advising all new rising generations. But remember that initially fairy tales were not written for children at all, but for adults. Not an exception and those in which there is Vasilisa the Wise. The Russian folk tale, with its inherent wisdom and poetry, reminds us of what the true role of a woman in a family is to be an assistant and support to her husband.

We will also learn what qualities have long been valued in Rus'. Mind and modesty, caring and kindness, the skill of a needlewoman and keeper hearth, united, give rise to true wisdom and beauty. And the image of Vasilisa the Wise fully combines all these wonderful qualities.

As we remember from childhood, Vasilisa the Wise is one of the characters in Russian fairy tales, a girl endowed with wisdom and prudence. This is one of the most attractive heroines, especially since, in addition to these unchanging traits of her character, she is characterized by purity of soul, kindness and modesty. We will give a more detailed description of Vasilisa the Wise in this article.

What is the story of Vasilisa the Wise?

most famous fairy tale about Vasilisa the Wise, perhaps, is the “Princess Frog”. There, the heroine appears as a sorceress, who was bewitched by her own father Koschei the Immortal, since her daughter surpassed him in the skill of magic (according to other versions, Vasilisa refused to marry him, and she was bewitched for this). By chance, she becomes the bride of Ivan Tsarevich, and after passing the tests - and his wife. As we remember, she uses her gift, following the orders of the king - to weave a carpet, bake bread. When the king arranges a feast, she temporarily sheds her frog skin and appears before the guests in her true form - a written beauty.

Ivan, seeing what his wife really is, of course, wants her to remain in this form forever and burns her skin. But it turns out that he should not have done this in any case, since Vasilisa is forced to return to Koshchei. After numerous difficulties that Ivan Tsarevich had to face in search of his wife, he finally finds her and fights with Koshchei the Immortal, defeating him, thereby saving Vasilisa from evil spells.

A couple of words about the name

The name Vasilisa, by the way, may be an indication of her high origin, since one of the translations of this word from Greek sounds like “royal”. So, the image of Vasilisa the Wise is decorated with additional meanings.

Another version of the tale with Vasilisa the Wise

In another story where main character is Vasilisa the Wise (in other versions - Vasilisa the Beautiful, but this epithet is much less common, in fact, it has no direct relation to the meaning of this tale), she is a young girl whom evil stepmother and no less evil sisters are sent to the forest to serve Baba Yaga. Contrary to their expectations, the sorceress does not eat Vasilisa instantly, but leaves her with her.

When the girl correctly and on time fulfills all the instructions of Baba Yaga (in fact, the heroine is helped by a magic doll inherited from her mother), she, surprised that the girl succeeds so well, finds out that she is helped by her mother's blessing and lets her go, giving her her goodbye pole with a skull at the end. His eyes glow - so as not to get lost on the way home. When Vasilisa returns home, the eyes of the skull begin to shine even more and incinerate her stepmother and sisters. The subtext of this tale is analyzed in detail in "Running with the Wolves" by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, a well-known researcher of fairy tales. Therefore, to read more detailed description Vasilisa the Wise, it is worth referring to this work.

Appearance of Vasilisa the Wise

To give short description Vasilisa the Wise, it is worth mentioning her appearance. However, as in most fairy tales, appearance almost not a word was said to the heroine - only at the royal feast Vasilisa looks like a written beauty, but this is a rather vague definition. From this it becomes clear that the main thing is not the appearance of the character, but the traits of his character - the inner meaning that he carries in himself.

In The Frog Princess, where Vasilisa first wears the skin of a frog, this is expressed as accurately as possible, as well as the fact that the epithet after the name of the heroine indicates, first of all, not beauty, but her wisdom. But, in essence, appearance is not important, and for one more reason - Vasilisa is not so much a person as a function - a prize that Ivan Tsarevich will receive after he passes the required tests. Therefore, here Vasilisa is rather a collective female image.

In another fairy tale, appearance, in principle, does not really matter, since attention is really concentrated on the life line of the heroine (which, according to researchers, is an image of female initiation, the transformation of a girl into a woman by receiving wisdom from an older one in age and experience).

Characteristics of Vasilisa the Wise: her personality

In The Frog Princess, her mind, majesty and at the same time simplicity come to the fore. In Vasilisa the Wise, the girl appears brave, steadfast, also obedient to her elders and restrained. And finally, in both tales, the heroine has the ability to make decisions and maintain peace of mind in any circumstances.

In fact, many heroines of magical Russian fairy tales have similar traits, including the ability to transform and others. magical properties, which allows us to identify them - and Marya Morevna, and Vasilisa the Wise, and Marya the Princess, and Elena the Beautiful. However, we can characterize Vasilisa the Wise and other similar heroines, based only on the words and deeds that belong to them.

Since I remembered about Vasilisa the Wise. Really very mysterious fairy tale character. Where did this image come from in Russian folklore? With Elena the Beautiful, it seems to be clear. This is a pretty famous character. ancient mythology, apparently familiar to ancient Russian scribes (about the Hyperborean origins is too fantastic). What about Vasilisa? It means "queen" in Greek. But who was her prototype?

Original taken from iov75 in Russian Fairy Tale - Secrets of Vasilisa the Wise

We have all known Vasilisa the Wise since childhood. According to another version - Beautiful.
Found something here and wanted to share it with you.
I found him interesting.

It's about the main character's fiancee. Whether he is Ivan Tsarevich or Ivanushka the Fool, he will certainly find Vasilisa the Wise or Vasilisa the Beautiful. The girl is supposed to be saved first, and then to marry - all honor by honor. It's just that the girl is not easy. She can hide in the form of a frog, have some kind of witchcraft and abilities, be able to speak with animals, the sun, wind and moon ...

In general, she is clearly a difficult girl. At the same time, it is also some kind of "secret". Judge for yourself: finding information about her is much more difficult than about any other fairy-tale character. In encyclopedias (both in classical, paper, and in new ones, online) you can easily find lengthy articles about Ilya Muromets and Dobryn Nikitich, about Koshchei the Immortal and Baba Yaga, about mermaids, goblin and mermen, but there is almost nothing about Vasilisa . On the surface lies only a short article in the Bolshoi Soviet encyclopedia which reads:

"Vasilisa the Wise is a character in Russian folk fairy tales. In most of them, Vasilisa the Wise is the daughter of the sea king, endowed with wisdom and the ability to transform. The same female image performs under the name of Marya the Princess, Marya Morevna, Elena the Beautiful. Maxim Gorky called Vasilisa the Wise one of the most perfect images created by folk fantasy. Another by nature is a destitute orphan - Vasilisa the Beautiful in Afanasiev's unique text.

Let's start, perhaps, with Vasilisa Sr., with the one that Gorky identified with Marya the Tsarevna, Marya Morevna and Elena the Beautiful. And there were good reasons for that. All these characters are very similar, for example, in that nothing is really said about them in fairy tales. Like, a red maiden, which the world has never seen - that's all. Neither detailed description appearance, or any character traits. Just a female function, without which a fairy tale would not work: after all, the hero must win the princess, and who she is there is a tenth matter. Let there be Vasilisa.

The name, by the way, hints at a high origin. The name "Vasilisa" can be translated from Greek as "royal". And this royal maiden (sometimes in fairy tales she is called the Tsar Maiden) begins to put the hero to the test. That is, sometimes it is not she who does this, but some fabulous villain like Koshchei the Immortal or the Serpent Gorynych, who kidnapped the princess and keeps her captive (at best) or is going to devour her (at worst).

Sometimes the father of a potential bride acts as a villain. In the fairy tale, where Vasilisa appears as the daughter of the water king, the lord of the sea creates obstacles for the hero in order to destroy him, but loses, because the enemy suddenly turns out to be dear to the heart of his daughter, and no witchcraft can overcome him. But here everything is more or less clear: there is some kind of evil force (a dragon, a sorcerer or the girl's evil parents), and the hero must fight the enemy. In fact, that's how he becomes a hero. And the princess, princess or princess (it doesn’t matter) is a reward for the hero.

However, it also happens that Ivan Tsarevich or Ivan the Fool or some other central fairy tale character is forced to undergo trials not because of dragons or sorcerers - he is tormented by the bride herself. Either the hero needs to jump on horseback to the windows of her room and kiss the beauty on the lips of sugar, then recognize the girl among twelve friends who look exactly like her, then you need to catch the fugitive - or demonstrate enviable cunning to hide from the princess so that she did not find him. At worst, the hero is invited to solve riddles. But in one form or another, Vasilisa will check it.

It would seem that unusual in the tests? Testing a man is generally in female character: is he good enough to connect his life with him or give birth to offspring for him, does he have the strength and mind to be a worthy spouse and father? From a biological point of view, everything is absolutely correct. However, there is one small detail. If the unfortunate Ivan does not complete the task, then death awaits him - and this is repeatedly emphasized in dozens of Russian fairy tales.

Asking why beautiful princess demonstrates bloodthirstiness, which is more likely to face the Serpent Gorynych? Because she doesn't really want to get married. Moreover, she is the enemy of the hero, the famous researcher of Russian folklore Vladimir Propp believes in his book " Historical roots fairy tale"

"The task is set as a test of the groom ... But these tasks are also interesting to others. They contain a moment of threat:" If he does not do it, cut off his head for a fault. "This threat gives another motivation. Tasks and threats reveal not only the desire to have the best groom for the princess , but also a secret, hidden hope that there will be no such groom at all.

The words "perhaps I agree, just complete the three tasks in advance" are full of deceit. The bridegroom is sent to his death... In some cases, this hostility is expressed quite clearly. It manifests itself outwardly when the task has already been completed and when more and more new and more and more dangerous tasks are being set.

Why is Vasilisa, she is Marya Morevna, she is Elena the Beautiful, against marriage? Perhaps in fairy tales, where she constantly intrigues the main character, she simply does not need this marriage. She either rules the country herself - and she does not need a husband as a competitor in power, or she is the daughter of a king who will be overthrown by her potential husband in order to seize the throne. Quite a logical version.

As the same Propp writes, the plot about the intrigues that the future father-in-law repairs to the hero along with his daughter or in spite of her could well have real grounds. According to Propp, the struggle for the throne between the hero and the old king is a completely historical phenomenon. The tale here reflects the transfer of power from father-in-law to son-in-law through a woman, through a daughter. And this once again explains why fairy tales say so little about the appearance and character of the bride - this is a character-function: either a prize for the hero, or a means of achieving power. Sad story.

Meanwhile, in the Russian tradition there is a fairy tale that tells about the childhood, adolescence and youth of Vasilisa. Gorky just mentioned her, saying that she does not look like the usual image of a princess that the hero is trying to conquer. In this tale, Vasilisa is an orphan girl. Not sure if it's the same character. Nevertheless, this Vasilisa, unlike other fairy-tale namesakes, is an absolutely full-blooded heroine - with a biography, character, and so on.

I will sketch with a dotted line storyline. The merchant's wife dies, leaving him a little daughter. The father decides to marry again. The stepmother has her own daughters, and all this new company begins to tyrannize Vasilisa, loading her with overwork. In general, it is very similar to the fairy tale about Cinderella. It seems, but not really, because Cinderella was helped by a fairy godmother, and Vasilisa was helped by a creepy witch from the forest.

It turned out like this. The stepmother and her daughters said that there was no more fire in the house, and they sent Vasilisa to the forest to Baba Yaga, of course, hoping that she would not return. The girl obeyed. Her journey through the dark forest was scary - and strange: she met three riders, one white, one red, and a third black, and they all rode in the direction of Yaga.

When Vasilisa reached her dwelling, she was met high fence from stakes seated with human skulls. Yagi's house turned out to be no less creepy: for example, instead of servants, the witch had three pairs of hands that appeared from nowhere and disappeared from nowhere. But the most terrible creature in this house was Baba Yaga.

The witch, however, accepted Vasilisa favorably and promised that she would give fire if Vasilisa completed all her tasks. Completing difficult tasks is an indispensable path of a hero. Unlike the fairy tales mentioned above, in this one, a woman passes by, and therefore her tasks are female, there are simply too many of them: to clean the yard, and sweep the hut, and wash the linen, and cook dinner, and sort out the grain, and that’s it. - for one day. Of course, if the tasks are performed poorly, Baba Yaga promised to eat Vasilisa.

Vasilisa washed Yaga's clothes, cleans her house, cooked her food, then learned to separate healthy grains from infected ones, and poppies from dirt. After Yaga allowed Vasilisa to ask her a few questions. Vasilisa asked about three mysterious horsemen - white, red and black. The witch replied that it was a clear day, a red sun and a black night, and all of them were her faithful servants. That is, Baba Yaga in this tale is an extremely powerful sorceress.

After that, she asked Vasilisa why she does not ask further, about dead hands, for example, and Vasilisa replies that, they say, if you know a lot, you will grow old soon. Yaga looked at her and, narrowing her eyes, said that the answer was correct: she does not like too curious and eats. And then she asked how Vasilisa manages to answer her questions without mistakes and how she managed to do all the work correctly.

Vasilisa replied that her mother's blessing helped her, and then the witch pushed her out of the door: "I don't need the blessed here." But in addition, she gave the girl fire - she removed the skull from the fence, whose eye sockets were blazing with flames. And when Vasilisa returned home, the skull burned her tormentors.

Creepy tale. And its essence is that Vasilisa the Beautiful, performing the tasks of Baba Yaga, learned a lot from her. For example, while washing Yaga's clothes, Vasilisa literally saw what the old woman was made of, writes the famous fairy tale researcher Clarissa Estes in her book "Running with the Wolves":

"In the symbolism of the archetype, clothes correspond to the person, the first impression that we make on others. The person is a kind of camouflage that allows us to show others only what we ourselves want, and no more. But ... the person is not only a mask behind which you can hide, but a presence that overshadows the familiar personality.

In this sense, a persona or mask is a sign of rank, dignity, character and power. It is an external pointer, an external manifestation of mastery. When washing Yagi's clothes, the initiate will see firsthand how the seams of the person look, how the dress is tailored.

And so it is in everything. Vasilisa sees how and what Yaga eats, how he makes the world revolve around him, and the day, sun and night walk in his servants. And a terrible skull, blazing with fire, which the witch hands to the girl, in this case- a symbol of the special witchcraft knowledge that she received while being with Yaga as novices.

The sorceress, by the way, might have continued her studies if Vasilisa had not been a blessed daughter. But it didn't work out. And Vasilisa, armed with force and secret knowledge, went back to the world. In this case, it is clear where Vasilisa's magical skills come from, which are often mentioned in other fairy tales. It is also understandable why she can be both good and evil.

She is still a blessed child, but the school of Baba Yaga is also not going anywhere. Therefore, Vasilisa ceased to be a meek orphan: her enemies died, and she herself married the prince and sat on the throne ...