Heroes of Russian folk tales - detailed description: collective images and individual characteristics. Russian folk tales - heroes and characters

Russians folk tales - this is a significant element national history, through the prism of which one can consider not only the people as an integral entity, but also its individual aspects. I believe in good and evil, justice, family foundations, religious views, awareness of one’s own place in the world around us. Russian folktale always carries a teaching component, hiding it under the shell of a light, simple narrative.

Heroes of Russian folk tales- these are collective images of the most typical folk traits. The breadth of the Russian soul, the proverbial maybe or the fool rich in thoughts - everything is reflected in folklore stories. Whatever fairy tale we take, it’s hidden all around deep meaning. Often, under the guise of a clumsy clubfooted bear, a gullible hare or a cunning fox, one can see the vices of human character, much more clearly than would be noticeable in “adult” stories.

It’s not for nothing that they say- the fairy tale is a lie, but there is a hint in it...

Animal heroes in Russian folk tales are closely related to the ideas about the world of the ancient Slavs. The close proximity to the natural environment, vast forests and deep river valleys, gave rise to typical representatives of the surrounding landscape in fairy tales - foxes, bears, wolves, hares. Cattle and small cattle also often act as fairy-tale characters. Especially in cases where the cult of home, prosperity, family is emphasized ( for example, in the fairy tale Kroshechka-Khavroshechka). Poultry is also revered ( Chicken Ryaba), and small rodents ( Mouse Norushka).

It is important to remember that the ability not just to listen, but to hear and understand what is hidden in Russian folk tales, is as valuable as, for example, understanding a foreign language. The words themselves have no meaning. It is much more important what depth they store within themselves. And, since fairy tales have been preserved and survived troubled and well-fed times, it means that they really are a storehouse of folk knowledge.

List of heroes of Russian folk tales

1. Baba Yaga

An evil woman in the mythology of the Slavic peoples. Acts as a negative hero. Endowed with magical powers. Its main attributes: a black cat, a hut on chicken legs, a mortar with a broom.

IN various fairy tales The image of Baba Yaga has different emotional overtones. Sometimes she confronts the main character; in some cases supports and instructs him; less often, she herself speaks out against evil.

Baba Yaga is a very ancient mythological image. It allows us to take a different look at the life and philosophy of our ancestors.

Tales about Baba Yaga:

2.Vasilisa the Beautiful

A collective idealized image of the feminine in fairy tales. Combines the mind - worldly wisdom and beauty. Considered a daughter Sea King, and goes to the main character as a reward for victory over evil. Other names: Elena the Wise, Vasilisa the Wise, Marya the Artisan, Marya Morevna. Often changes images, transforming into animals.

Vasilisa is a very ancient Slavic image that idealizes feminine. Reading carefully fairy tales, you can learn a lot about ancient social institutions and relationships between men and women.

Tales about Vasilisa the Beautiful (the Wise):

3. Water

Lord of the water element in the minds of the Slavic peoples. Moreover, in contrast To the Sea King, rules over stagnant, musty waters: whirlpools, swamps, ice holes. Usually depicted as an old man with fish-like features, a long shaggy beard, dressed in mud.

The legends about Vodyanoy are very diverse. He is powerful and, despite his bad temper, favors beekeepers. He also does not touch the fishermen who are ready to share their catch with him. But the unbaptized or those who forgot to overshadow themselves sign of the cross before swimming he doesn’t regret anything.

Tale about a merman:

4. Firebird

A fire bird; usually the search object the main character of the fairy tale. It cannot be picked up with bare hands. The singing of the Firebird heals the sick, restores youth, and drives away sorrows. Capable of giving its owner untold wealth.

5. Serpent Gorynych

Mythical dragon in Slavic mythology. Has several heads. Capable of spewing flames. Lives in the area Fire River and guards the passage to Kingdom of the Dead. In fairy tales he acts as a negative character, an integral link in the balance of the forces of good and evil.

6. Ivan the Fool

Comical character in Russian folk tales. This is a collective image of the poorest peasant class - illiterate, unsophisticated and outrageously simple in everyday affairs. It is for these qualities that Ivan the Fool is given what he deserves. The late Christian cultural layer also plays an important role in this image.

Truly I tell you, unless you are converted and become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3)

7. Ivan Tsarevich

Hero of Russian folk tales. In most stories - positive character. Name "prince" indicates royalty of intentions and actions rather than an actual title. Usually, according to the plot, he performs a difficult task for which he receives a reward.

8. Kolobok

The main character of the Russian folk tale of the same name; rolled dough ball symbol of contentment and satiety of the Russian people. A limited number of ingredients are used to prepare it, but despite this, Kolobok turns out rosy and appetizing. Hidden in this the main moral of the tale. True, in the end, for his arrogance, Kolobok is overtaken by retribution.

But, all the same, it is emphasized - Bread is the head of everything.

9. Cat Bayun

A mythical creature endowed with magical powers. Usually, bad guy. Has enormous size and the ability to speak human voice. "Bayun" means talker. With his stories - fairy tales, a cat can chat his interlocutor to death. However, for those who manage to tame it or receive it as a trophy, the cat will give eternal health, youth and strength.

10. Koschey (Kashchei) the Immortal

Skinny, wrinkled old man. Always a negative character in fairy tales. Has magical powers. Immortal. His life is enclosed in several objects placed one inside the other. For example, an oak tree, underneath there is a cave, there is a chest, in the chest there is a box, in the box there is an egg, in the egg there is a needle. In Slavic mythology, it guards the passage to the Kingdom of the Dead. Enters into an alliance with Zmey Gorynych.
According to the plot of the fairy tale, he often kidnaps the main character’s bride.

11. Chicken Ryaba

Magic chicken from fairy tale of the same name. Carries golden eggs. Represents the special role of domestic animals in peasant farm. Reasonable and wise. Shows that gold may not always be more important than an ordinary egg which is used for food.

12. Leshy

Owner of the forest, incorporeal or corporeal being. Capable of changing appearance. He transforms into animals, trees, dwarfs, giants, and even takes on the appearance of familiar people. Goblin neutral. And depending on his attitude towards the hero, he becomes either a good or an evil character. Can emulate all the sounds of the forest. Often the approach of Leshy is guessed in the rustling of leaves in calm weather.

13. Dashing

Living embodiment difficult human lot, fate. Usually appears in the form one-eyed ugly monster with a slobbering toothy mouth. The prototype of Likh in Slavic mythology is the Greek myths about the one-eyed Cyclops.

14. Frost

Morozko, Santa Claus. This gray-bearded old man in a long fur coat with a staff in his hands. Is patron of the cold. Snowfalls, blizzards and blizzards are subject to it. Usually fair. He gives gifts to those he likes. Helps in difficult situations and punishes those who deserve it. He rides a large sleigh drawn by three horses.

(IN Western tradition– Santa Claus rides on a sleigh with reindeer).

15. Sea King

Lord of all earthly waters. Possesses untold riches, left over from those that sank in different historical eras ships. The Tsar lives in a huge palace in the very depths of the sea. They surround him sea ​​maidens, which are capable of captivating sailors and men just casually walking along the shore. The king is subject to storms. He sinks ships at will.

16. Snow Maiden

Granddaughter of Santa Claus. In Slavic mythology it is mentioned as a girl made made of snow. During the winter, Snegurochka has fun and behaves like an ordinary child. And as soon as the sun warms up, it melts, turning into a cloud until the next Winter.

Winter scares summer, but it still melts.

17. Soldier

A hero of Russian fairy tales, devoid of any supernatural power. Is the personification ordinary Russian people. As a rule, after finishing his service, he finds himself in difficult situations, from which they help him get out magical creatures and objects.

The fire heats a soldier, the rain washes him, the wind blows him, the frost burns him, but he is still the same.

18. Princess Nesmeyana

The Tsar's daughter who never smiled. According to the concept of fairy tales, the main character figures out how to make the princess laugh and for this he gets her as a wife, along with half the kingdom.

Laughter is not a sin as long as it is pleasant for everyone.

19. Frog Princess

Usually, under the guise of the Frog Princess hides Vasilisa the Wise. She is forced to stay in the body of an amphibian until the main character frees her. Possesses magical abilities and worldly wisdom.

20. Miracle Yudo

An extraordinary fairy-tale character sea ​​dweller And oceans. Does not carry a pronounced emotional connotation ( neither good nor evil). Usually perceived as a wonderful fish.

Fairy tales shape the thinking, fantasy and worldview of many generations. Fairy tales not only entertained us as children, but the actions of the heroes of Russian fairy tales taught us to distinguish between good and evil, to be brave and to act justly.

At the same time, fairy tales reflect different beliefs, views and ideas of the people at different times. During its development, the fairy tale changed significantly, and its functions also changed. If it was initially used for a magical incantatory purpose (to summon good luck in a hunt, to protect oneself from enemies or to ensure victory in battle), then over time, having lost its ritual meaning, the tale acquired an aesthetic, educational or entertaining character.

Fairy-tale characters also remained conventional. They are types, not individuals, and therefore are described in general outline, are often idealized, exalted, and exaggerated. The main images here are always antagonistic: one embodies the good, the beautiful; the other is evil forces. Hence their characteristics - actions, actions, intentions, language. According to their functions, the heroes of Russian fairy tales are conventionally divided into do-gooders, evil-doers and the disadvantaged.

Most large group fabulous folk epic make up magical, fantastic tales. An explanation of many motives and characteristics of fairy-tale heroes can only be found in comparison with ancient rituals, elements of the socio-religious way of life of the Proto-Slavs and ancient Eurasians. Let's try to analyze some of the most famous characters in Russian fairy tales.

Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga is a character from Slavic mythology and folklore. Usually an ugly old woman, endowed with magical power and magical items. Often a witch, sorceress. Most often - a negative character (luring children and good fellows to her hut on chicken legs to eat), but sometimes acts as the hero’s assistant. According to folklore specialist Vladimir Propp, three types of Baba Yaga can be distinguished in fairy tales: the giver (gives the main character a fairy-tale horse), the kidnapper of children and the warrior (she fights with the main character “to the death”).

IN modern ideas Baba Yaga is the mistress of the forest and guardian of the borders of the “other world” (far away kingdom). That's why she bone leg- to stand in the world of the dead. In many fairy tales, Baba Yaga heats the bathhouse and vaporizes the hero, performing the ritual of ablution. Then he feeds him, that is, he performs a funeral feast with him. And the female image of Baba Yaga itself is associated, according to researchers, with matriarchal ideas about the structure of the social world.

Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Water

In Slavic mythology - a spirit that lives in water, the owner of water, the embodiment of the element of water as a negative and dangerous principle. Appears before us in the form of a flabby old man, goggle-eyed, with fish tail. He has a huge beard and mustache, sometimes fish-like features, webbed paws and a horn on his head. Lives in whirlpools and whirlpools, but especially loves water mills. Therefore, the millers cajoled them in every possible way, and also buried a live black rooster or other security attributes under the log where the door to the mill would be. Vodyanoy is often associated with the king of the sea.

Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Firebird

A fairytale bird is usually the target of a search for a fairy tale hero. The feathers of the firebird glow and amaze with beauty. Lives in garden of paradise, in a golden cage. He eats golden apples, heals the sick with his singing and restores sight to the blind. At a deep mythological level, he is the personification of fire, light and sun. Therefore, every year in the fall the Firebird dies and is reborn in the spring. At the cross-cultural level, it has an analogue - the Phoenix bird, reborn from the ashes.

Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Dragon

A fire-breathing dragon with several heads, the personification of evil in fairy tales and epics. He usually lives in the mountains, near a fiery river and guards the “Kalinov Bridge”, through which one enters the kingdom of the dead. The number of heads of the Serpent-Gorynych is usually three (3, 6, 9 or 12). In fairy tales, the element of fire is usually associated with the serpent. The Serpent-Gorynych kidnaps girls (often princesses) to feast on them. After that main characters comes to him for a duel, first killing his viper cubs.

Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Ivan the Fool

A very popular image in mythology, which, when solving problems, is guided by its own, non-standard solutions, often contrary to common sense, but bringing success. The designation “fool” is interpreted in different ways. Some researchers consider this a talisman against the evil eye. According to another version, Ivan is called a fool, since usually in fairy tales he is the third son, who is not entitled to a share of the parental inheritance (hence the ability to think outside the box, find a way out difficult situations). Etymologically, the image of Ivan the Fool is connected with the image of a priest, because he can sing and play various instruments, and also speaks in riddles. At the end of the fairy tales, Ivan the Fool receives wealth and a princess as his wife.

Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Cat Baiyun

A huge cannibal cat with a magical voice. On the one hand, he charms and lulls travelers with his tales, on the other, his tales can heal. The word “bayun” itself means “talker, storyteller.” In fairy tales cat Baiyun sits on a high pillar far away in the thirtieth kingdom or in a lifeless forest where there are no animals. In one of the fairy tales, he lives with Baba Yaga.

Catching the Cat Bayun is usually a test for the main character, who catches him wearing an iron cap and iron gloves. But the captured Cat Bayun then serves at the royal court, healing the sick with his stories.

Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Kolobok

Fairytale character in the form wheat bread spherical in shape, who escapes from his grandparents, from various animals, but in the end is eaten by a fox. This character clearly represents a reverent attitude Slavic people to the bread and it sacred meaning. Namely, the round shape of the Kolobok, which also rolls, which refers us to the cult of the sun.

Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Koschey (Kashchei) the Immortal

An evil sorcerer whose death is hidden in several nested magical animals and objects. “On the sea, on the ocean, there is an island, on that island there is an oak tree, under the oak tree there is a chest buried, in the chest there is a hare, in the hare there is a duck, in the duck there is an egg, in the egg there is the death of Koshchei.” Often kidnaps the main character's fiancee. In appearance - a thin (Koschei - from the word “bone”) tall old man or a living skeleton. Sometimes on a talking and flying horse. A powerful sorcerer, which also allows us to call priests his prototypes.

Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Goblin

The master spirit of the forest in Slavic mythology. Its appearance can be different, even the opposite breeds in different fairy tales- sometimes he is small, sometimes a giant, sometimes an anthropomorphic creature, sometimes he has an animal appearance. In any case, its nature is otherworldly. People's attitude towards him is also ambivalent. On the one hand, they are afraid of him, he can make a person get lost, sometimes he plays pranks, and he can punish for inappropriate behavior in his domain. At the same time, it is the Leshy who protects the forest, on which human life largely depends.

Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Miracle Yudo

A character in folk tales and epics, and even pre-Slavic mythology. The positive or negative nature of the character is not clearly indicated, as well as his gender - in different eras he was both feminine and masculine and in between. Miracle Yudo is a character so ancient that researchers find it difficult to link him to any phenomenon.

It could be a sea animal, a mythical serpent, a dragon. And in the author’s fairy tale “The Little Humpbacked Horse” by Pyotr Ershov (1834) there is the Miracle Yudo Fish-Whale - a fish-island.

Boyan is an epic poet and singer in East Slavic mythology.

Brownie

They say that the brownie still lives in every village hut, but not everyone knows about it. They call him grandfather, master, neighbor, housekeeper, demon-housekeeper, but this is all he - the keeper of the hearth, the invisible assistant of the owners.
The brownie sees every little thing, tirelessly cares and worries so that everything is in order and ready: he will help the hard worker, correct his mistake; he enjoys the offspring of domestic animals and birds; he does not tolerate unnecessary expenses and is angry with them - in a word, the brownie is inclined to work, thrifty and prudent. If he likes the housing, then he serves this family, as if he went into bondage to her.
For this loyalty, in other places they call him that: he has killed him.
But he willingly helps the lazy and careless to run their households, torments people to the point that he crushes them almost to death at night or throws them out of their beds. However, it is not difficult to make peace with an angry brownie: you just have to put snuff under the stove, which he is a big fan of, or give any gift: a multi-colored rag, a crust of bread... If the owners love their neighbor, if they live in harmony with him, then will never want to part with it, even when moving to new house: they will scratch under the threshold, collect the garbage in a dustpan - and sprinkle it in the new hut, without noticing how the “owner” moves with this garbage to a new place of residence. Just remember to bring him a pot of porridge for his housewarming and say with all possible respect: “Grandfather Brownie, come home. Come live with us!”

Rare man can boast that he saw a brownie. To do this, you need to put on a horse collar on Easter night, cover yourself with a harrow, the teeth on yourself, and sit between the horses the whole night. If you're lucky, you'll see an old man - small, like a stump, all covered with gray hair (even his palms are hairy), gray with age and dust. Sometimes, in order to divert prying eyes from himself, he will take on the appearance of the owner of the house - well, he’s the spitting image! In general, the brownie loves to wear the owner’s clothes, but always manages to put them back in place as soon as the person needs things.

Before the plague, fire and war, the brownies leave the village and howl in the pastures. If there is a big unexpected disaster, the grandfather notifies about its approach, ordering the dogs to dig holes in the yard and howl at the whole village...

Kikimora

Kikimora, shishimora - in East Slavic mythology, the evil spirit of the house, a small woman - invisible (sometimes considered the wife of a brownie). At night, she disturbs small children, confuses the yarn (she herself likes to spin or weave lace - the sounds of K. spinning in the house portend trouble): the owners may escape from the house; hostile to men. May harm domestic animals, particularly chickens. In its main attributes (connection with yarn, damp places, darkness) Kikimora is similar to mokusha, an evil spirit that continues the image of the Slavic goddess Mokoshi. The name “Kikimora” - compound word. the second part of which is the ancient name of the female character Mara, Mora.

Kikimora is a character best known mainly in the Russian North. Appears in the form of a small, hunched, ugly old woman, dressed in rags, sloppy and eccentric. Her appearance in a house or in outbuildings (on a threshing floor, barn or bathhouse) was considered an evil omen. It was believed that she settled in houses. built on an “unclean” place (on the boundary or where the suicide was buried). There is a well-known tale that in a newly built house there was a Kikimora, which none of the residents saw, but a voice was constantly heard demanding that the household members who sat down to dinner clear the table: she threw pillows at the disobedient ones and frightened them at night until then. until the whole family left the house (Vyatka province).

Bannik

Bannik, bainik, baennik, bainushko, etc., Belarusian. laznik - among Russians and Belarusians the spirit is the inhabitant of the bathhouse. Lives behind the heater or under the shelf. It can be invisible (according to some beliefs, it has an invisibility cap) or appears in the form of a person with long hair, a naked old man, covered with dirt and leaves from brooms, a dog, a cat, white hare etc. There is a belief that BANNIK appears in the bathhouse for the first time after a woman in labor has been there. It is believed that BANNIK washes himself in the bathhouse and he should be left with water, soap and a broom, otherwise he will splash boiling water, throw hot stones, and cause fumes. When entering the bathhouse, it was customary to say: “Baptized on the shelf, unbaptized from the shelf” (Smolensk province).

Anchutka

Anchutka is one of the most ancient names for the devil, the demon. Anchutkas come in bathhouses and field ones. Like any evil spirits, they instantly respond to the mention of their name. It’s better to keep quiet about them, otherwise this heelless, fingerless man will be right there. The heelless one is anchoot because one day a wolf chased him and bit off his heel.

Bath anchutkas are shaggy, bald, scare people with their moans, and darken their minds. But they are very good at changing their appearance - just like the rest of the undead. Field sprouts are very tiny and more peaceful. They live in every plant and are called according to their habitat: potato, hemp, flax, oatmeal, wheat, roznik, etc.

However, they say that the water also has its own anchutka - an assistant to the waterman or swamper. He is unusually ferocious and nasty. If a swimmer suddenly has a cramp, he should know that it is a water anchutka who has grabbed his leg and wants to drag him to the bottom. That is why, since ancient times, every swimmer has been advised to have a pin with him: after all, evil spirits are deathly afraid of iron.

Goblin

Leshy, forester, leshak, forester, forester, forester - the spirit of the forest in Slavic mythology. The goblin lives in every forest, especially loves spruce trees. Dressed like a man - a red sash, the left side of the caftan is usually wrapped behind the right side, and not vice versa, as everyone wears. The shoes are mixed up: the right shoe is on the left foot, the left shoe is on the right. The goblin's eyes are green and burn like coals.
No matter how carefully he hides his unclean origin, he fails to do this: if you look at him through the horse’s right ear, the goblin has a bluish tint, because his blood is blue. His eyebrows and eyelashes are not visible, he has corny ears (no right ear), and the hair on his head is combed to the left.

A goblin can become a stump and a hummock, turn into an animal and a bird, he turns into a bear and a grouse, a hare, and anyone, even a plant, because he is not only the spirit of the forest, but also its essence: he is overgrown with moss, sniffles as if the forest is noisy, It not only shows itself as spruce, but also spreads like moss and grass. The goblin differs from other spirits by special properties inherent to him alone: ​​if he walks through the forest, he is as tall as the tallest trees. But at the same time, going out for walks, fun and jokes on the forest edges, he walks there like a small blade of grass, below the grass, freely hiding under any berry leaf. But, in fact, he rarely goes out to the meadows, strictly observing the rights of his neighbor, called the field worker, or field worker. The goblin also does not enter villages, so as not to quarrel with brownies and buffaloes, especially in those villages where completely black roosters crow, “two-eyed” dogs (with spots above the eyes in the form of second eyes) and three-haired cats live near the huts.

But in the forest, the goblin is a full-fledged and unlimited master: all animals and birds are under his jurisdiction and obey him unrequitedly. Hares are especially subordinate to him. He has them as complete serfs, at least he even has the power to lose them at cards to the neighboring goblin. Squirrel herds are not exempt from the same dependence, and if they, migrating in countless hordes and forgetting all fear of man, run into big cities, and they jump across the roofs, fall into chimneys and even jump into windows - then the matter is clear: it means that the goblin led a whole artel gambling and the defeated side drove the loss into the possessions of the happy opponent.

Swamp kikimora

Kikimora - Evil, swamp spirit in Slavic mythology. Close girlfriend goblin - swamp kikimora. Lives in a swamp. He likes to dress up in furs made from mosses and weaves forest and swamp plants into his hair. But she rarely appears to people, because she prefers to be invisible and only shouts from the swamp in a loud voice. A little woman steals small children, drags unwary travelers into a quagmire, where she can torture them to death.

Mermaid

In Slavic mythology, mermaids are a type of mischievous evil spirits. They were drowned women, girls who died near a pond, or people swimming at inopportune times. Mermaids were sometimes identified with “mavkas” - from the Old Slavonic “nav”, dead man) - children who died without baptism or by strangled mothers.

The eyes of such mermaids glow with green fire. By their nature, they are nasty and evil creatures, they grab bathing people by the legs, pull them under the water, or lure them from the shore, wrap their arms around them and drown them. There was a belief that a mermaid's laughter could cause death (this makes them look like Irish banshees).

Some beliefs called mermaids the lower spirits of nature (for example, good “beregins”), who have nothing in common with drowned people and willingly save drowning people.

Swampwomen

Bolotnitsa (omutnitsa, shovel) is a drowned maiden living in a swamp. Her black hair is spread over her bare shoulders and decorated with sedge and forget-me-nots. Disheveled and unkempt, pale-faced with green eyes, always naked and ready to lure people to her only in order to tickle them to death without any particular guilt and drown them in the quagmire. Swampwomen can send crushing storms, torrential rains, and destructive hail to the fields; steal threads, canvases and linens from women who have fallen asleep without prayer.

Brodnitsa

Maidens - Beauties with long hair, guardians of fords. They live with beavers in quiet pools, mend and guard fords paved with brushwood. Before an enemy attack, wanderers imperceptibly destroy the ford, directing the enemy into a swamp or pool.

Dashingly one-eyed

Spirit of evil, failure, symbol of grief. There is no certainty about Likh’s appearance - he is either a one-eyed giant or a tall, thin woman with one eye in the middle of his forehead. Famously they are often compared to Cyclopes, although except for one eye and tall, they have nothing in common.

The saying has reached our time: “Don’t wake up Dashing while it’s quiet.” In a literal and allegorical sense, Likho meant trouble - it became attached to a person, sat on his neck (in some legends, the unfortunate person tried to drown Likho by throwing himself into the water, and drowned himself) and prevented him from living.

Likh, however, could be gotten rid of - deceived, driven away by force of will, or, as is occasionally mentioned, given to another person along with some gift. According to very dark superstitions, Likho could come and devour you.

Ghoul

Ghouls lower spirits, demonological creatures. The “Tale of Idols” talks about the ancient veneration of ghouls by the Slavs. IN folk ideas- these are evil, harmful spirits. Ghouls (like vampires) suck blood from people and animals. They were identified with the dead, emerging from their graves at night, lying in wait and killing people and livestock. author of the encyclopedia Alexandrova Anastasia
According to popular beliefs, ghouls became people who died an “unnatural death” - violently killed, drunkards, suicides, etc., as well as sorcerers. It was believed that the earth does not accept such dead people and therefore they are forced to wander around the world and cause harm to the living. Such dead people were buried outside the cemetery and away from housing. Such a grave was considered a dangerous and unclean place; it should be avoided, and if you had to pass by, you should throw some object on it: a chip, a stick, a stone, or just a handful of earth. In order for the ghoul not to leave the grave, he had to be “calmed” - the corpse had to be dug out of the grave and pierced with an aspen stake.
And so that the deceased, who did not live out his “life,” did not turn into a ghoul, his knee tendons were cut so that he could not walk. Sometimes coals were sprinkled on the grave of a supposed ghoul or a pot of burning coals was placed.
On a special day of obedience to the dead Eastern Slavs Semik was considered. On this day, they also commemorated all untimely deceased relatives: unbaptized children, girls who died before marriage. In addition, in Semik they took special measures against pawned dead people who, according to legend, were capable of causing harm to a person. Aspen stakes or sharp metal objects were driven into their graves.
In Semik, burials were held for those who, for one reason or another, remained unburied. A common grave was dug for them and buried with a prayer service and funeral service. It was believed that otherwise the pawned dead could take revenge on the living, sending various disasters to them: drought, storm, thunderstorm or crop failure

Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga (Yaga-Yaginishna, Yagibikha, Yagishna) is the oldest character in Slavic mythology.

Baba Yaga is a more dangerous creature, possessing much greater power than some witch. Most often she lives in deep forest, which has long instilled fear in people because it was perceived as the border between the world of the dead and the living. It’s not for nothing that her hut is surrounded by a palisade of human bones and skulls, and in many fairy tales Baba Yaga feeds on human flesh, and she herself is called the “bone leg.”
Just like Koschey the Immortal (koshch - bone), she belongs to two worlds at once: the world of the living and the world of the dead. Hence its almost limitless possibilities.
IN fairy tales it operates in three incarnations. Yaga the hero possesses a treasure sword and fights with the heroes on equal terms. The abductor yaga steals children, sometimes throwing them, already dead, onto the roof of their home, but most often taking them to her hut on chicken legs, or into an open field, or underground. From this strange hut, children, and adults too, escape by outwitting Yagibishna. And finally, Yaga the Giver warmly greets the hero or heroine, treats him deliciously, soars in the bathhouse, gives useful tips, presents a horse or rich gifts, for example, a magic ball leading to a wonderful goal, etc.
This old sorceress does not walk, but travels around the world in an iron mortar (that is, a scooter chariot), and when she walks, she forces the mortar to run faster, striking it with an iron club or pestle. And so that, for reasons known to her, no traces are visible, they are swept behind her by special ones, attached to the mortar with a broom and broom. She is served by frogs, black cats, including Cat Bayun, crows and snakes: all creatures in which both threat and wisdom coexist

Koschey the Immortal (Kashchei)

One of the well-known Old Slavonic negative characters, usually represented as a thin, skeletal old man with a repulsive appearance. Aggressive, vengeful, greedy and stingy. It is difficult to say whether he was a personification of the external enemies of the Slavs, an evil spirit, a powerful wizard, or a unique variety of undead.

It is undeniable that Koschey possessed very strong magic, avoided people and often engaged in the favorite activity of all villains in the world - kidnapping girls.

Dragon

Serpent Gorynych - in Russian epics and fairy tales, a representative of the evil principle, a dragon with 3, 6, 9 or 12 heads. Associated with fire and water, flies across the sky, but at the same time correlates with the bottom - with a river, a hole, a cave, where he has hidden wealth, a kidnapped princess

Indrik is a beast

Indrik the Beast - in Russian legends “the father of all animals”, a character in the Dove Book. Indrik is a distorted name of the god Indra (the variants “foreigner”, “inrok” can cause an association with a unicorn, but INDRIK is described with two, not one horn). INDRIK was attributed the properties of other fantastic images of the medieval book tradition - the king of the waters, the opponents of the snake and crocodile - “onudr” (otter) and ichneumon, the fabulous fish “endrop”.

According to Russian folklore, Indrik is an underground beast, “walks through the underground like the sun in the sky”; he is endowed with the traits of the owner of the water element, sources and treasures. I. acts as an opponent of the serpent.

Alkonost

Alkonost is a wonderful bird, a resident of Iria - the Slavic paradise.

Her face is feminine, her body is birdlike, and her voice is sweet, like love itself. Hearing Alkonost's singing with delight can forget everything in the world, but there is no harm from her to people, unlike her friend the bird Sirin. Alkonost lays eggs “at the edge of the sea”, but does not hatch them, but immerses them in the depths of the sea. At this time, there is no wind for seven days until the chicks hatch.

Iriy, irye, vyriy, vyrey - a mythical country located on the warm sea in the west or southwest of the earth, where birds and snakes winter.

Gamayun

The bird Gamayun is the messenger of the Slavic gods, their herald. She sings divine hymns to people and proclaims the future to those who agree to listen to the secret.

In the ancient “Book, verb Kosmography,” the map depicts a round plain of earth, washed on all sides by a river-ocean. On the eastern side is marked “the island of Macarius, the first under the very east of the sun, near the blessed paradise; That’s why it’s so popular that the birds of paradise Gamayun and Phoenix fly into this island and smell wonderful.” When Gamayun flies, a deadly storm emanates from the solar east.

Gamayun knows everything in the world about the origin of earth and sky, gods and heroes, people and monsters, animals and birds. According to ancient belief, the cry of the bird Gamayun foretells happiness.

A. Remizov. Gamayun
One hunter tracked down a strange bird with the head of a beautiful maiden on the shore of a lake. She sat on a branch and held a scroll with writing in her claws. It read: “You will go through the whole world by untruth, but you will not turn back!”

The hunter crept closer and was about to pull the bowstring when the bird maiden turned her head and said:

How dare you, pathetic mortal, raise weapons against me, the prophetic bird Gamayun!

She looked into the hunter's eyes, and he immediately fell asleep. And in a dream he dreamed that he saved two sisters - Truth and Untruth - from an angry boar. When asked what he wanted as a reward, the hunter answered:

I want to see the whole wide world. From edge to edge.

“This is impossible,” said Pravda. - The light is immense. In foreign lands, sooner or later you will be killed or enslaved. Your wish is impossible.

“It’s possible,” her sister objected. - But for this you must become my slave. And henceforth live a lie: lie, deceive, deceive.

The hunter agreed. Many years later. Having seen the whole world, he returned to his native land. But no one recognized him or recognized him: it turns out that his entire native village fell into the open ground, and in this place a deep lake appeared.

The hunter walked for a long time along the shore of this lake, grieving over his losses. And suddenly I noticed on a branch that same scroll with ancient writings. It read: “You will go through the whole world by untruth, but you will not turn back!”

This is how the prophecy of the things of the bird Gamayun came true.

Sirin

Sirin is one of the birds of paradise, even its very name is consonant with the name of paradise: Iriy.
However, these are by no means the bright Alkonost and Gamayun.

Sirin - dark bird, dark force, messenger of the ruler underworld. From head to waist Sirin is a woman of incomparable beauty, and from the waist she is a bird. Whoever listens to her voice forgets about everything in the world, but is soon doomed to troubles and misfortunes, or even dies, and there is no strength to force him not to listen to Sirin’s voice. And this voice is true bliss!

Firebird

Firebird - in Slavic mythology, a fiery bird the size of a peacock. Her feathers glow blue, and her armpits glow crimson. author of the encyclopedia Alexandrova Anastasia
You can easily get burned on its plumage. The fallen feather is still for a long time preserves the properties of the Firebird plumage. It glows and gives warmth. And when the feather goes out, it turns into gold. The Firebird guards a fern flower.

Characters invented in Russia are symbols of the childhood of each of us, while in different countries of the world they are perceived completely differently. For example, if in Russian mythology Baba Yaga is evil spirits, then among the Scandinavians similar character- this is a goddess kingdom of the dead, Hel.

Female images: “my light, mirror, tell me...”

Vasilisa the Wise, Elena the Beautiful, Marya the Mistress, Frog Princess, Snow Maiden, Alyonushka - female images who possessed not only stunning female logic, but also kindness, wisdom, beauty, and sincerity. The most striking of them are:

1 A fragile little girl, Santa Claus's assistant - a favorite New Year's guest, a role model for naughty children. Since the mid-19th century, the image of a little granddaughter has been replaced by a young beauty, with the obligatory kokoshnik or fur hat, the preferred clothing of Russian women.

No country in the world can boast of the same magical and romantic biography as the Russian Snow Maiden. In Italy, this is the fairy Befana, an old woman with a hooked nose who flies to children on a broom, giving gifts. A kind of “Santa Claus” in a skirt. The Mongols call their Snow Maiden Zazan Okhin, the girl Snow. The heroine traditionally asks riddles and gives gifts only after hearing the answer. In the USA, Santa has only reindeer as his assistants, but there is no Snow Maiden.

It is curious that if you try to translate the word Snow Maiden into English using the Google Translate service, the result will always be different. Yesterday Snegurochka was translated as “Snow - boy” (literally - snow boy). Today, Snegurochka in the service database is translated as Snow-maiden (Made from snow).

2 Masha, the Bear's restless companion, a naughty character in the record-breaking 3D cartoon.

The green-eyed fidget is fluent in hand-to-hand combat techniques, loves to be capricious and mischievous, and asks questions that are difficult to answer. The prototype of the animated series was the folklore heroine of a Russian folk tale. Director O. Kuznetsov borrowed character traits from the hero of O. Henry’s story “The Leader of the Redskins.” The team behind the series does not adapt native Russian characters for broadcast in different countries.

3 Baba Yaga- a witch, a heroine of Slavic mythology, endowed with magical powers. The negative character lures good fellows into his hut on chicken legs, without fail giving the heroes a fairy-tale horse and a magical navigator of those times - a ball of thread. The Russian witch is not always friendly, but if you have the gift of eloquence, she can help.

4 Firebird, a fabulous bird that heals the sick and restores sight to the blind, has to sister the Western European bird Phoenix, which knew how to revive from the ashes. The father of the two fiery heroines was most likely Peacock.

Each heroine is an individual, embodying good or evil, her actions and actions are directly related to her character and mission.

Male images: “there are still no shortage of heroes on the Russian land!”

No less colorful is the top positive male images, vividly conveying the spirit of the Russian people. The main images are always antagonistic: in contrast to the beautiful, there is always something bad. Without which male characters are Russian fairy tales unthinkable?

1 Father Frost.

In the Russian version - Morozko, Studenets, the mighty lord of the winter blizzard. The character adored by children rides three horses, binds ponds and rivers with the sound of a staff, and sweeps away cities and villages with his cold breath. On New Year's Day, together with the Snow Maiden, he gives gifts. During the Soviet era, Grandfather was dressed in a red fur coat, the color of the country’s flag. The image of the popular Grandfather, who “wanders through forests and meadows” is played out differently in different countries: Santa Claus, Joulupuki, Jouluvana.

This is interesting:

According to the most conservative estimates of scientists, Santa Claus is already more than 2000 years old. For two thousand years, Santa Claus has appeared in different images. First - in the form pagan god Zimnik: an old man of short stature, with white hair and a long gray beard, with his head uncovered, in warm white clothes and with an iron mace in his hands. And in the fourth century, Santa Claus was reminded of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, who lived in Asia Minor in the city of Patara.

Grandfather began coming to the house with gifts with the beginning of the New Year celebration in Rus'. Previously, he gave gifts to the obedient and smart, and beat the mischievous ones with a stick. But the years have made Santa Claus more compassionate: he replaced the stick with a magic staff.

By the way, Father Frost first appeared on the pages of books in 1840, when Vladimir Odoevsky’s “Children’s Tales of Grandfather Irenaeus” was published. In the book, the name and patronymic of the winter magician became known - Moroz Ivanovich.

In the twentieth century, Santa Claus almost disappeared. After the revolution, it was considered that celebrating Christmas was harmful for the people, because it was a real “priestly” holiday. However, in 1935, the disgrace was finally lifted, and soon Father Frost and the Snow Maiden appeared together for the first time at the Christmas tree celebration in the Moscow House of Unions.

2 Three heroes. Strong, brave, cheerful heroes have long become a symbol of Russia, thanks to the series full-length adventures Alyosha Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich and Ilya Muromets. In fact, the brave fellows never met in life; according to epics, they even lived in different centuries.

This is interesting:

In 2015, the 6th part of the saga, “Three Heroes: Knight's Move,” released on screens, collected 962,961,596 rubles. Almost 1 billion rubles! Thus, the film became the highest grossing animated film of the year. Although it all started modestly: the box office of the first part - “Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin the Serpent” (2004) - amounted to 48,376,440 rubles. Then the fees grew steadily.

3 Ivan the Fool(third son) is a character who embodies a special “magic strategy”: the hero acts contrary to common sense and always succeeds! The fool excels at solving riddles and wins evil spirits and valiantly saves the main character.

Pinocchio, Crocodile Gena, Doctor Aibolit, Barmaley, Winnie the Pooh, Leopold the Cat and Matroskin the Cat are also among the most popular and beloved heroes of Russian cinema, who rightfully occupy high positions in the ranking of fairy-tale characters.

Evil spirits: guardians of forests, swamps and houses

The largest group of Russian folk epics consists of mythical creatures. Vodyanoy, Kikimora, Leshy, mermaids, Brownie, Baba Yaga - magical images that appeared along with the inexplicable forces of nature. In their actions and character, these are more negative characters, but at the same time, they are charming and charismatic in modern films and cartoons, these include:

1 Koschei the Deathless. A character with supernatural powers. According to legends, he is a treacherous old man who kills domestic animals. The sorcerer often kidnaps the protagonist's fiancee in the hope of "mutual love."

This is interesting:

In Soviet cinema, Koshei was brilliantly played by actor Georgy Millyar. Basically, he played all sorts of evil spirits and he had to apply complex makeup. But for the role of Koshchei the Immortal, makeup was practically not needed, since the actor himself resembled a living skeleton (after contracting malaria, the actor’s weight was only 45 kg).

• Article

A son, a spoiled prince and even a gray wolf. One of the most popular positive fairy tale images is a hero who has remarkable physical strength, perseverance, courage and good nature. Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich are heroes who were not afraid of the three-headed Serpent Gorynych, Nightingale - and combine a brilliant mind, ingenuity and cunning.

Often in Russian fairy tales there are also kind animals - a horse, a wolf or a dog, which symbolize intelligence, cunning, devotion and fidelity.

Another well-known fairy-tale hero is the collective image of a simple Russian guy, Ivan. Ivan Tsarevich is always noble, brave and kind. He shows unprecedented heroism and reigns from evil forces. Ivanushka the Fool is another favorite positive Russian folk - most often it is the son in the family, but the most talented and unique. He knows how to understand animals, and they willingly help Ivanushka fight evil.

The kindest fairy tale hero

Answer yourself the question “which hero is the best?” It is possible only by specifying the purpose of good deeds. So, undoubtedly, Ivanushka can be called the kindest, who bravely goes against the dark forces, without thinking about his own well-being. True goodness is, first of all, determined by selflessness, since the hero who commits noble deeds for the sake of profit, he turns into a simple mercenary.

Traditionally, good heroes in fairy tales help the world restore the natural balance of good and evil, preventing the antagonist from realizing his insidious plans.

Therefore the real good deed can only be accomplished when the hero is guided solely by the breadth of his soul. Such characters are Morozko, Grandfather Frost, Vasilisa the Beautiful, Cinderella's fairy godmother and other heroes who do good for the sake of good, without expecting any reward in return.

Thus, to award the title of the kindest fairy tale hero it is possible for each of these characters, since in the fight against evil it is not so much skill that is important, but intention, and the intention of each of them is undoubtedly the most noble.

Without exaggeration, Ilya Muromets can be called the most famous of Russian epic heroes. Even that Russian who has never read epics or their prose retellings knows about this Russian hero at least from cartoons.

Researchers of Russian folklore know 53 epic heroic plots, and in 15 of them Ilya Muromets is the main character. All these epics belong to the Kyiv cycle associated with Vladimir the Red Sun - an idealized image of Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich.

Deeds of an epic hero

The beginning of the epic “biography” of Ilya Muromets is associated with a very typical epic hero the motive of belated maturity: for 33 years the hero sits on the stove, being unable to move either his arms or legs, but one day, three elders - “walking calicoes” - appear to him. In Soviet-era publications, the clarification of who these people were was “cut out” from the epics, but tradition hints that these are Jesus Christ and the two apostles. The elders ask Ilya to bring them water - and the paralyzed man gets to his feet. Thus, even the hero’s healing turns out to be associated with the readiness to perform a good deed, albeit insignificant.

Having acquired heroic strength, Ilya sets off to perform feats. It is noteworthy that neither Ilya Muromets nor other Russian heroes ever perform feats just for the sake of personal glory, as the heroes of Western chivalric novels sometimes do. The deeds of Russian knights are always socially significant. This is the most famous feat of Ilya Muromets - the victory over the Nightingale the Robber, who killed travelers with his robber whistle. “You are full of tears and fathers and mothers, you are full of widows and young wives,” says the hero, killing the villain.

Another feat of the hero was the victory over Idolishch, who seized power in Constantinople. Idol is a collective image of nomadic enemies - the Pechenegs or Polovtsians. These were pagan peoples, and it is no coincidence that Idolishche threatens to “smoke God's churches" Defeating this enemy, Ilya Muromets acts as a defender of the Christian faith.

The hero always appears as a defender common people. In “Ilya Muromets and Kalin the Tsar,” Ilya refuses to go into battle, offended by the injustice of Prince Vladimir, and only when the prince’s daughter asks the hero to do this for the sake of poor widows and small children, does he agree to fight.

Possible historical prototypes

No matter how fabulous the plots of the epics about Ilya Muromets may seem, historians say: this is a real person. His relics rest in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, but initially the tomb was located in the chapel of St. Sophia of Kyiv - the main temple Kievan Rus. Usually only princes were buried in this cathedral; even boyars were not given such an honor, therefore, the merits of Ilya Muromets were exceptional. Researchers suggest that the hero died in 1203 during a raid by Cuman troops on Kyiv.

Another version is offered by historian A. Medyntseva, who tried to explain why the epic tradition connected the image of Ilya Muromets with Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich, who lived much earlier. Without denying the connection between the epic hero and the real-life Ilya Muromets, she points out that another source of the image could have been the same person who served as the prototype for Dobrynya Nikitich. It was the uncle of Prince Vladimir