Elena is wise or beautiful. Russian fairy tale - the secrets of Vasilisa the Wise
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 unchangeable 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 Frog Princess”. There, the heroine appears as a sorceress who was bewitched by her own father, Koschey the Immortal, since his daughter surpassed him in the skill of magic (according to other versions, Vasilisa refused to marry him, and for this she was bewitched). By chance, she becomes the bride of Ivan Tsarevich, and after passing the tests - his wife. As we remember, she uses her gift to carry out the king’s orders - to weave a carpet, bake bread. When the king throws 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, naturally wants her to remain in this form forever and burns her skin. But it turns out that he should not have done this under any circumstances, since Vasilisa is forced to return to Koshchei. After numerous difficulties that Tsarevich Ivan had to face in search of his wife, he finally finds her and fights Koshchei the Immortal, defeating him, thereby saving Vasilisa from evil spells.
A few 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.” Thus, the image of Vasilisa the Wise is decorated with additional meanings.
Another version of the fairy tale with Vasilisa the Wise
In another fairy tale, where the 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 fairy tale), she is a young girl, whom the evil stepmother and no less the evil sisters are sent into the forest to serve Baba Yaga. Contrary to their expectations, the sorceress does not eat Vasilisa instantly, but keeps her with her.
When the girl fulfills all the instructions of Baba Yaga correctly and on time (in fact, the heroine is helped by a magic doll that she inherited from her mother), she, surprised that the girl succeeds in everything so successfully, learns that her mother’s blessing is helping her and lets her go, giving her farewell is a pole with a skull on 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 stronger and incinerate the stepmother and sisters. The subtext of this tale is analyzed in detail in “The Wolves Runner” by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, a famous researcher of fairy tales. Therefore, to read more detailed description Vasilisa the Wise, it is worth turning to this work.
Appearance of Vasilisa the Wise
To give short description Vasilisa the Wise, it is worth mentioning her appearance. However, as with most fairy tales, appearance Almost not a word is 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 character’s appearance, but his character traits - the inner meaning that he carries within himself.
In “The Frog Princess,” where Vasilisa first wears the skin of a frog, this is expressed as precisely as possible, as well as the fact that the epithet after the heroine’s name indicates primarily not beauty, but her wisdom. But, in essence, appearance is not important for one more reason - Vasilisa is not so much a person as a function - a prize that Ivan Tsarevich will receive after passing the required tests. Therefore, here Vasilisa is more of a collective female image.
In another fairy tale, appearance, in principle, does not have much significance, since attention is really concentrated on the heroine’s life line (which, according to researchers, is an image of female initiation, the transformation of a girl into a woman by receiving wisdom from someone older in age and experience).
Characteristics of Vasilisa the Wise: her personality
In “The Frog Princess” her intelligence, majesty and at the same time simplicity come to the fore. In “Vasilisa the Wise” the girl appears brave, persistent, also obedient to her elders and restrained. And finally, in both fairy 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 other magical properties, which allows us to identify them - 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.
Vasilisa the Beautiful and the WiseWe are talking about the main character's bride. Whether he is Ivan the Tsarevich or Ivan the Fool, he will certainly find Vasilisa the Wise or Vasilisa the Beautiful. The girl is supposed to be saved first, and then married - everything is honorable. But the girl is not easy. She can hide in the form of a frog, have some kind of witchcraft abilities, be able to speak with animals, the sun, wind and moon...
Vasilisa the Wise - Russian folk character 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 appears 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 imagination. The destitute orphan, Vasilisa the Beautiful, in Afanasyev’s unique text, is different in nature.
Name "Vasilisa" hints at high origin, it can be translated from Greek as “royal.” And this royal maiden (sometimes in fairy tales she is called the Tsar Maiden) begins to subject the hero to tests. That is, sometimes it is not she who does this, but some fairy-tale villain like Koshchei the Immortal or the Serpent Gorynych, who kidnapped the princess and is holding her captive (at best) or is going to devour her (at worst).
Sometimes the father of the potential bride plays the role of the villain. In the fairy tale, where Vasilisa appears as the daughter of the water king, the ruler of the sea waters puts obstacles in the way of the hero to destroy him, but loses because the enemy suddenly turns out to be dear to his daughter’s heart, and no witchcraft can defeat him. But here everything is more or less clear: there is some evil force (a dragon, a sorcerer, or the girl’s evil parents), and the hero must fight the enemy. In fact, this is how he becomes a hero. And a princess, princess or princess (it doesn’t matter) is a reward for the hero.
It also happens that Ivan Tsarevich or Ivan the Fool or some other central fairy tale character He 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 little room and kiss the beauty on the sugar lips, then he needs to recognize the girl among twelve friends who look exactly like her, then he needs to catch the fugitive - or demonstrate enviable cunning in order to hide from the princess so that she didn’t find him. At worst, the hero is asked to solve riddles, and Vasilisa will test him.
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 backbreaking work. In general, it is very similar to the fairy tale about Cinderella. It seems, but not entirely, because Cinderella was helped by a fairy godmother, and Vasilisa was helped by a creepy witch from the forest.
This is how it turned out. The stepmother and her daughters said that there was no more fire in the house, and they sent Vasilisa into the forest to Baba Yaga, of course, hoping that she would not return. The girl obeyed. Her path through the dark forest was scary - and strange: she met three horsemen, one white, one red, and the third black, and they were all riding towards Yaga.
When Vasilisa reached her abode, she was met by high fence made of stakes planted with human skulls. Yaga's house turned out to be no less creepy: for example, instead of servants, the witch had three pairs of hands that appeared out of nowhere and disappeared to God knows where. But the most terrible creature in this house was Baba Yaga.
The witch, however, received Vasilisa favorably and promised that she would give her 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 it is a woman who goes through it, 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 the grains, and that’s it. - for one day. Of course, if the tasks were completed poorly, Baba Yaga promised to eat Vasilisa.
Vasilisa washed Yaga's clothes, cleaned her house, prepared food for her, then learned to separate healthy grains from infected ones, and poppy seeds from dirt. After Yaga allowed Vasilisa to ask her a few questions. Vasilisa asked about the 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 fairy tale is an extremely powerful sorceress.
"In the symbolism of the archetype, clothing corresponds to the persona, the first impression that we make on others. A persona is something like a camouflage that allows us to show others only what we ourselves want, and no more. But... a persona is not only a mask behind which you can hide, but there is a presence that eclipses the usual personality.
Vasilisa sees how and what Yaga eats, how she makes the world revolve around her, and makes the day, sun and night walk as her 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 a novice with Yaga.
The sorceress, by the way, might have continued her studies if Vasilisa had not turned out to be 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 got her magical skills, which are often mentioned in other fairy tales. It is also clear why she can be both good and evil.
She is still a blessed child, but Baba Yaga’s school is also here to stay. Therefore, Vasilisa ceased to be a meek orphan: her enemies died, and she herself married a prince and sat on the throne...
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VASILISA THE BEAUTIFUL (VASILISA THE WISE)
The heroine of Russian folk tales (“Vasilisa the Beautiful”, “The Frog Princess”, etc.), a wise beauty and sorceress.
In the fairy tale "Vasilisa the Beautiful" the heroine has a magic doll that helps her cope with evil stepmother and at the end of the fairy tale marry king.
In the fairy tale "The Frog Princess" Vasilisa the Wise is turned into frog evil wizard Koshchei the Immortal because she refused to marry him. She caught the arrow Ivan Tsarevich and becomes his wife at the behest of the king. During development fairy tale plot the frog consoles her husband in sadness and works miracles, helping him carry out the king's orders: in one night he bakes a wonderful White bread , weaves a silk carpet, appears at the royal feast in the guise of a beauty and sorceress. By burning the frog's skin, Ivan Tsarevich loses Vasilisa. To find her, he has to overcome many difficulties and, most importantly, kill Koshchei the Immortal.
Based on the fairy tale “The Frog Princess,” the famous children’s film “Vasilisa the Beautiful” directed by A.A. Row. The film became the leader of the box office in 1940 and still remains one of the best fairy tale films.
Name Vasilisa in cultural consciousness Russians associated with a fairy tale, rarely found in everyday life. Perhaps because the diminutive form of the name characteristic of the Russian language is Vasya- in this case it sounds like an abbreviated form male name Basil.
IN colloquial speech Vasilisa the Wise With slight irony can name a young smart girl, and Vasilisa the Beautiful- a beauty.
Illustration for the fairy tale “The Frog Princess”. Artist I.Ya. Bilibin. 1899:
Russia. Large linguistic and cultural dictionary. - M.: State Institute Russian language named after. A.S. Pushkin. AST-Press. T.N. Chernyavskaya, K.S. Miloslavskaya, E.G. Rostova, O.E. Frolova, V.I. Borisenko, Yu.A. Vyunov, V.P. Chudnov. 2007 .
See what "VASILISA THE BEAUTIFUL (VASILISA THE Wise)" is in other dictionaries:
Vasilisa the Beautiful (fairy tale)- This term has other meanings, see Vasilisa the Beautiful. Vasilisa the Beautiful leaves with a “gift” from Baba Yaga (illustration by I. Ya. Bilibin, 1899) Va ... Wikipedia
VASILISA THE WISE- (Beautiful) character of Russian folk fairy tales. In most of them, Vasilisa is the Beautiful daughter of the sea king, endowed with wisdom and the ability to transform. The same female image appears under the name of Marya Princess, Marya Morevna, Elena... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Vasilisa the Wise- (Beautiful), a character in Russian folk fairy tales. In most of them, Vasilisa is the Beautiful daughter of the sea king, endowed with wisdom and the ability to transform. The same female image appears under the name of Marya Princess, Marya Morevna, Elena... encyclopedic Dictionary
Vasilisa- The word "Vasilisa" has other meanings: see Vasilisa (meanings). Vasilisa Greek Genus: female. Other forms: Vasilissa, Vasilina Proizvod. forms: Vasya, Vasyunya, Vasyon ... Wikipedia
Vasilisa the Wise- a character of Russian folk fairy tales. In most of them, V.P. is the daughter of the sea king, endowed with wisdom and the ability to transform. The same female image appears under the name of Marya Princess, Marya Morevna, Elena the Beautiful. M.... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Vasilisa the Wise- a character from a fairy tale. fairy tales, plural appears in texts under other names (most often V. Prekrasnaya) or without a name. Daughter of Mor. (water) king, sorcerer, etc., sorceress; capable of transforming herself and transforming others into animals, birds, and various... ... Russian humanitarian encyclopedic dictionary
Russian folk tales- Russian Folk Tales by A. N. Aanasyev ... Wikipedia
Russian tales- Wikisource has texts on the topic... Wikipedia
Millyar Georgy Frantsevich- (1903 1993), actor, National artist RSFSR (1988). In 1927 38 at the Moscow Theater of the Revolution. In 1945 52 at the Film Actor's Studio Theater. In cinema since 1929. A keen actor, a master of the grotesque. He played in the films fairy tales of A. A. Rowe: “By pike command»,… … encyclopedic Dictionary
Wonderful bride- To tie? ... Wikipedia
Books
- Tales of Old Rus'. Art notebook. Bogatyrs and Heroes (Vasilisa the Beautiful), A 5, unlined, Papsuev Roman Valentinovich. Unique art notebook from the series "Fairy Tales" Old Rus'"from the famous illustrator Roman Papsuev is dedicated to fairy-tale creatures Slavic folklore. Inside you will find a stylish…
Name: Vasilisa Premudraya
A country: Kievan Rus
Creator: Slavic folklore
Activity: princess
Family status: Married
Vasilisa the Wise: character story
The culture of Russian traditional fairy tales, in which the people tried to express their national worldview, is diverse. Storytellers who pass stories on from mouth to mouth have invented colorful characters who are shrouded in an aura of mystery.
So, in national books meet flying on a broom, owner underground kingdom and Vasilisa the Wise, who personifies kindness, caring and determination. Basically, this girl acts as the bride of the main character, be it or, but initially the heroine has to be saved, and then married.
Image and characteristics
) appears in Russian folk tales beautiful girl with an analytical mind. For example, she managed to complete the task given Sea king: the heroine built a church from pure wax in one night. Vasilisa is endowed magical abilities, as evidenced by these lines from “The Frog Princess”:“Vasilisa the Wise went to dance with Ivan Tsarevich. She waved her left sleeve and it became a lake; she waved her right sleeve and white swans swam across the lake.”
True, the narrators do not give a scrupulous description of this girl’s appearance and costume, drawing the listeners’ attention to character traits. In addition, in every fairy tale Vasilisa plays different roles. In most stories, the heroine is the daughter of the king - the ruler of the sea waters and underwater inhabitants possessing untold wealth.
Some draw a parallel between Vasilisa and, since these characters have common features. The heroine faced hard daily work, a treacherous stepmother and evil stepsisters, who sent the girl into the enchanted forest to serve Baba Yaga. But, contrary to the expectations of her ill-wishers, the old witch, living in a hut on chicken legs, did not eat Vasilisa, but kept her with her.
The girl carried out the instructions of the old woman with the hooked nose on time. The fact is that the doll-amulet, donated by the deceased mother, helped the beauty. Here again we can draw an analogy with a girl who has lost glass slipper, for she also had a magical assistant - a fairy godmother, the owner magic wand. Ultimately, Baba Yaga released Vasilisa so that she would not get lost in deep forest, gave her a luminous skull impaled on a pole. This illustration can be seen in the artist's work.
"Princess Frog" - perhaps the most popular fairy tale about Vasilisa the Wise, however, a similar plot using antithesis is also found in other countries, for example, Italy and Greece. The work tells about the king, who had three sons. When the time came to look for the lady of the heart, the brothers shot an arrow to choose a bride for themselves. Ivan Tsarevich was the least fortunate of all, because his arrow ended up with a frog. But the young man would have known that Vasilisa, the victim of the witchcraft spells of Koshchei the Immortal, was dressed in the skin of an amphibian!
Despite such a deplorable situation, the girl managed to cope (with the help of witchcraft or “nurses”) with all the king’s tasks in order to show herself with best side: wove a carpet, baked delicious bread. When the time for the feast approaches, Vasilisa sheds her frog skin and appears as a painted beauty from whom it is impossible to take her eyes off.
Ivan Tsarevich wished that his wife would remain in this form forever, so he secretly burned the girl’s “clothes.” But the king’s son made a mistake, because of which the Wise One was obliged to return to Koshcheevo’s kingdom. That's why main character, armed with a bow, goes in search of evil sorcerer, in order to free his bride.
Among other things, Vasilisa can talk to animals, the Sun and the Moon. And in the fairy tale " Sea king“The main character reincarnated as a duck, and turned her companion into a drake in order to escape from the frantic owner of the throne, an inhabitant of the sea.
Film adaptations
Fairy tales about Vasilisa the Wise have more than once been turned into cartoons and films, and the role of the heroine was played by famous actresses. Let's look at a few popular films.
"Merry Magic" (1969)
In 1969, director Boris Rytsarev staged a film fairy tale based on the play “Katya and Miracles” by Nina Gernet and Grigory Yagdfeld. The plot of the film revolves around Katya: the girl accidentally found the magic “koshcheev grass”, which can cast a spell on Vasilisa the Beautiful.
When the cleaning lady Akulina Ivanovna, who was Baba Yaga in the past, told the schoolgirl the story of Koshchei, they set off on an adventure to overcome evil wizard and save enchanted girl. The role of Vasilisa went to actress Svetlana Smekhnova, and other characters were performed by Marina Kozodoeva, Andrei Voinovsky, Elizaveta Uvarova, and other actors.
“There, on unknown paths...” (1982)
Director Mikhail Yuzovsky delighted avid film fans with a crossover based on the book “Down the Magic River.” The picture tells how the boy Mitya Sidorov plunges into fabulous adventures and meets iconic Russian characters, for example, Baba Yaga, who appears in the guise of a good witch.
Vasilisa Afanasyevna the Wise played, who worked on one film set with Roman Monastyrsky, and .
"Miracles in Reshetov" (2004)
The director showed cinema lovers the original concept by placing fairy-tale heroes V modern world. The characters are forced to wander around the world. They cannot stay in one place for a long time, because the ageless Vasilisa and the talking cat are at least strange. When the heroes move to the provincial town of Reshetov, miracles begin to happen there: either magic water appears in a well, or grandmother Yadviga flies at night on a washing machine.
Actress Maria Glazkova reincarnated as Vasilisa, and her colleagues on the set were
Since ancient times, fairy tales have been an integral element of the culture and creativity of any people. Each country has its own stories for them, its own 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 celebration of the beauty and greatness of the original 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 because she surpassed 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 skills by carrying out the king's orders: 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 fairy-tale beauty and amazes 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. To find his love again, 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 end up 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, we can trace in the image of Vasilisa the most valuable feminine qualities for the Russian people.
The appearance of the main character Vasilisa the Wise
I wonder what about appearance main character The story says almost nothing. is given to the reader by characterizing her actions and words. Only at the royal ball is the heroine 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 a collective, generalizing one. Moreover, for a fairy tale, it is much more important to depict not the external, but the internal merits of the heroine.
Character traits of Vasilisa the Wise
Vasilisa the Wise is loved not because of her beauty, but because of her character. The tale emphasizes that bright appearance(it would seem that there could be something uglier than a frog) and it is not wealth (“the girls’ competitors in the palace were the boyar’s and merchant’s daughters”) that leads the heroes to happiness. And understanding and desire to be together.
The characterization of Vasilisa the Wise from the fairy tale is given through her actions. The way she consoles Ivan Tsarevich, with what skill she carries out the king’s tasks, and how she behaves during the feast, speaks about her better than any description. Her character combines both deep intelligence 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 magical wisdom and even surpassed her father, a powerful sorcerer, in this. It is also characteristic that in the fairy tale she is called that in those moments when she works and shows her skills 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 wonderful qualities it combines, educating and admonishing all new younger generations. But let us remember that initially fairy tales were written not for children, but for adults. Those in which Vasilisa the Wise is present are no exception. 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 find out what qualities have long been valued in Rus'. Mind and modesty, caring and kindness, the skill of a needlewoman and keeper hearth and home, uniting, give rise to true wisdom and beauty. And the image of Vasilisa the Wise fully combines all these wonderful qualities.
