Buffoons - Ancient Russian Magicians. Buffoons - musicians of ancient Rus' Interesting facts about the life of buffoons

From time immemorial in Rus', the people of buffoons have amused. There are many wonderful legends about them in folklore. So, near the village of Shapkino, near Mozhaisk, there is a mysterious place - Zamri-mountain, on which buffoon gatherings took place several centuries ago. They say that real miracles could be observed there these days ... A well-known historian, ethnographer and traveler Andrei Sinelnikov told our correspondents about this.

Secrets of Freeze Mountain

- Andrey, tell us what Zamri-mountain is famous for.

- First, it is the most high point Moscow region. So to speak, the top of the Smolensk-Moscow Upland. Secondly, not far from Zamri Gora, the Moscow, Protva and Koloch rivers originate. The watershed of the basins of the Baltic and Black Seas is also located there.

In ancient times, almost no one lived in these places. But even then there were rumors about Zamri-mountain. Today it is just a big hill. However, in the past, according to residents of the nearby villages of Uvarovka and Khvashchevka, it was actually a mountain. Then she either sank or shrunk, and nothing was left of her but her name.

The name of the mountain is due to the fact that once a year, on Ivan Kupala, buffoons organized their holiday here. On this day, they came here from all over Rus' and performed their mysterious rites at the top.

- Did the buffoons have their own rituals? Please tell us more!

— In pagan times, there was a cult of the god Troyan, who patronized buffoons. According to ancient legend, Troyan once traveled from warm countries to the north and sat down to rest by a large hill ... Suddenly he felt sad, because he had only gone half way, and was tired, as if he had gone all the way ... And then, out of nowhere, appeared before his eyes funny company colorfully dressed people who danced, sang, whistled ... All night long they amused Troyan, and as a reward for this, at dawn, when the dancing ended, the pleased god treated the merry fellows with southern wine and said: “Grapes do not grow in your lands, but there are many honey. Your honey sweeter than any berries, and cook “pouring fun” from it. Then Troyan took out a silver mask from his bosom and handed it to the leader of the buffoons, promising that this mask would drive away any evil from them and punish anyone who plots evil against them ... Subsequently, the mask turned out to have another feature - with its help, any buffoon could change your appearance and voice...

The Troyan went on his way, and the buffoons hid a valuable gift on the top of Zamri-mountain. And since then, once a year, on Ivan Kupala, when, according to ancient beliefs, day is equal to night, and fire and water purify a person, they came there to perform their rituals in honor of Troyan ...

"Mountain, grow!"

Is this just a legend, or did someone really observe the rites of buffoons?

“Now, of course, there is nothing like this, but the old people said that before the revolution, buffoons from all over Mother Russia really flocked here. They kindled bonfires at the top and performed various rituals: they jumped through the fire, doused themselves with night and dawn water, danced, and also burned and drowned effigies of their enemies in the river ...

And then they allegedly began to dance and sing a song, calling: "Mountain, grow!". And after a while, the mountain really began to grow! When its peak was already hidden behind the clouds, one of the buffoons said: “Mountain, freeze!”. And she froze ... At the same moment, a spring began to beat on its top. According to legend, its water, if you bathe in it, gave wisdom to young buffoons, youth to the old, healing to the sick ... And also cleansed from all evil eyes and spoilage ...

Just before dawn, the main sacrament came - the main buffoon took out a silver mask from the hiding place, lifted it up, read the plot, and after that the mask went from hand to hand. Each of those present tried it on for themselves, while some asked to change their appearance, others - their voice, others - to punish their enemies ... And the mask gave everyone what they wanted. With the first rays of the sun, the Troyans' gift was again hidden in a hiding place, and the tired buffoons fell asleep. The mountain slowly descended and by morning again became a hill.

- But after all, buffoons were just jesters and hypocrites, and here it turns out that they are some kind of magicians ...

“Maybe wizards… Take, for example, a deck of Tarot cards. It is believed that the system of divination using these cards arose in medieval Europe based on Hebrew Kabbalism, which, in turn, relied on an even earlier occult tradition ancient egypt. Our playing cards This is a truncated version of the full Tarot deck. The very first card in a full deck depicts young man standing in the garden with his right hand raised up, in which a magic wand is clamped. It is called Mage or Wizard. In modern decks, sometimes - Magician. So, in the Tarot decks that were in circulation in European Middle Ages and in Russia before the revolution, it was called the Jester!

Artels, squads, gangs ...

- And how did buffoons appear in Rus'?

“I had to study this issue a lot. I believe that buffoons were indeed priests of the pagan cult of the god Troyan. In Veliky Novgorod, this three-headed winged deity was revered under the name Lizard-Veles-Svarog. But much more it is known in folklore like the Serpent Gorynych. He also had other names. However, being a very resourceful deity, closely associated with cunning and deceit, Troyan apparently also performed the function of the patron of merchants and thieves, like the crafty ancient Roman god Mercury and the ancient Greek Hermes.

Most likely, the persecution of Troyan began under Prince Vladimir the Red Sun, before the introduction of Christianity in Rus'. Everywhere the idols of this deity on the temples were defeated and replaced by images of the god of thunder and lightning Perun. The priests of the cult were faced with the task of survival. And the solution was soon found.

In 988, the Baptism of Rus' takes place, and in 1068 the first mention of buffoons is found in the annals. They wandered around Rus' in artels (at that time they were called squads) of several people, sometimes united in gangs of up to 70-100 people, had neither property nor family ... As far as one can judge, "cultural and entertainment" activities were just a cover for them.

"God gave the priest, and the devil - buffoon"

- What were they really doing?

- Sorcery! They walked around Rus' and “ruled the world”, healed, predicted the future, performed youth initiation rites, sacraments associated with marriage, and many other rituals. The "acting troupe" often included a learned bear. But the bear among the ancient Slavs has long been revered as a sacred animal! Among other things, he was also a participant in many magical rites. Here is just one example. In a young peasant family, the birth of a male child, support for parents in old age was considered very important ... For this, as our ancestors believed, the expectant mother had to touch the bear. And you could find it with buffoons! Much later, when the buffoons were gone, for the same purpose, Russian women put a toy bear, ceramic or wooden, under the pillow ...

On certain days of the year, buffoons gathered in the places of the former Troyan temples, performed their rituals and dispersed to wander further. Of course, this side of their activities could not remain a secret. Power - secular and spiritual - took up arms against them. "God gave the priest, and the devil - a buffoon" - such winged saying lived in Rus'. It became dangerous to wander along the dusty roads under the guise of buffoons, and then it was decided to choose a new disguise. And they went along the same roads from village to village, from fair to fair, ofeni-peddler, walkers-lotoshers ...

What about Freeze Mountain? Perhaps, still somewhere in a secret place, a magical silver mask that grants wishes is kept on it. But for a long time no buffoon dances have happened on the top of the mountain, so the mask does not show its strength to anyone ...

Musicians and buffoons. Draw from the fresco of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. 1037

Adam Olearius. Puppeteer. 1643

A. P. Vasnetsov. Buffoons. 1904.

buffoons (buffoons, fools, goosemen, gamers, dancers, funny people ; other Russian buffoon; church-glory. skomrakh) - in the East Slavic tradition, participants in festive theatrical rites and games, musicians, performers of songs and dances of frivolous (sometimes mocking and blasphemous) content, usually mummers (masks, travesty). Ritual forms of "anti-behavior" were practiced.

Known since the 11th century. They gained particular popularity in the XV-XVII centuries. They were persecuted by ecclesiastical and civil authorities.

Etymology

There is no exact explanation of the etymology of the word "buffoon". There is a version of the origin of this word: "buffoon" - the re-registration of the Greek. *σκώμμαρχος 'master of the joke', recoverable from addition σκῶμμα ‘joke, ridicule’ and άρχος ‘chief, leader’.

In the work of Adam Olearius, the secretary of the Holstein embassy, ​​who visited Muscovy three times in the 30s of the 17th century, we find evidence of a wave of general searches in the homes of Muscovites in order to identify "demonic buzzing vessels" - musical instruments of buffoons - and their destruction.

At home, especially during their feasts, Russians love music. But since they began to abuse it, singing to music in taverns, taverns and everywhere on the streets all sorts of shameful songs, the current patriarch two years ago at first strictly forbade the existence of such tavern musicians and their instruments, which would come across on the streets, ordered to immediately break and destroy, and then generally banned all kinds of Russian instrumental music, ordering to take away musical instruments in houses everywhere, which were taken out ... on five wagons across the Moscow River and burned there.

Detailed description travels of the Holstein embassy to Muscovy ... - M., 1870 - p. 344.

In 1648 and 1657, Archbishop Nikon achieved royal decrees on the complete prohibition of buffoonery, which spoke of beating buffoons and their listeners with batogs, and destroying buffoon equipment. After that, the “professional” buffoons disappeared, but the traditions of buffoonery were preserved in the traditional culture of the Eastern Slavs, influenced the composition of epic plots (Sadko, Dobrynya, disguised as a buffoon at his wife’s wedding, etc.), customs of disguise, folk theater (“Tsar Maximilian”) , wedding and calendar folklore.

Over time, the buffoons turned into bear cubs, puppeteers, fair entertainers and booth-makers.

Repertoire and creativity

The repertoire of buffoons consisted of comic songs, plays, social satires ("glum"), performed in masks and "buffoon dress" to the accompaniment of a beep, harp, pity, domra, bagpipes, tambourine. Each character was assigned a certain character and mask, which did not change for years.

In their work there was a significant proportion of satire, humor, buffoonery. Buffoons are credited with participating in the composition of the epic " Vavilo and buffoons", ballads of a satirical and comic nature (for example, " Guest Terentishche"), fairy tales, proverbs. The art of buffoons was associated with ancient paganism, free from church influence, imbued with a "worldly" spirit, cheerful and mischievous, with elements of "obscenity".

During the performance, the buffoon communicated directly with the public and often represented merchants, governors, and representatives of the church as satirical characters.

In addition to public holidays, weddings and homelands, buffoons, as connoisseurs of traditions, were also invited to funerals.

There is no doubt that here the buffoons, despite their comical nature, dared to appear at the sad pity from the old memory of some once-understandable rite of commemoration with dances and games. There is no doubt that the people allowed them to visit the graves and did not consider it indecent to get involved in their songs and games, according to the same old memory.

- Belyaev I. About buffoons // Provisional Society of Russian History and Antiquities - M., 1854 Book. 20

Church attitude

Most of the church, and then, under the influence of the church and state testimonies, are imbued with the spirit of intolerance for folk amusements with songs, dances, jokes, the soul of which was often buffoons. Such holidays were called "stingy", "demonic", "blameless". The teachings were repeated from century to century, borrowed from Byzantium, heard there from the first centuries of Christianity, censure and prohibition of music, singing, dancing, dressing up in comic, satyr or tragic faces, horse dancing and other folk amusements, in Byzantium closely associated with pagan traditions, with pagan cults. Byzantine views were transferred to Russian circumstances, only some expressions of Byzantine originals were sometimes altered, omitted or replenished, according to the conditions of Russian life.

Proverbs and sayings

• Everyone will dance, but not like a buffoon.
• Don't teach me how to dance, I'm a buffoon myself.
• Every buffoon has his horns.
• Skomorokhov's wife is always cheerful.
• A buffoon will tune his voice on the whistle, but he will not suit his life.
• And the buffoon sometimes cries.
• Buffoon ass is not a friend.
• God gave the priest, damn buffoon.

see also

RUSSIAN Buffoons

buffoons- Russian medieval actors, at the same time singers, dancers, animal trainers, musicians and authors of most of the verbal-musical and dramatic works. There is no exact explanation of the etymology of the word "buffoon". There are two main options for the origin of this word (the first option is more likely):

"Skomorokh" - re-registration of the Greek. skōmmarchos "master of a joke", reconstructed from the addition of skōmma "joke, mockery" and archos "chief, leader".

From Arab. mascara "joke, jester".

Buffoons arose no later than the middle of the 11th century, we can judge this from the frescoes of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, 1037. Buffoons flourished in the 15th-17th centuries, then, in the 18th century, buffoons began to gradually disappear, leaving some traditions of their art as a legacy to booths and districts.

The repertoire of buffoons consisted of comic songs, plays, social satires ("glum"), performed in masks and "buffoon dress" to the accompaniment of a beep, gusel, pity, domra, bagpipes, tambourine. Each character was assigned a certain character and mask, which did not change for years.

Buffoons performed on the streets and squares, constantly communicated with the audience, involved them in their performance.

In the 16th-17th centuries, buffoons began to unite in "troops" (approximately 70-100 people each) due to persecution by the church and the tsar. In addition to buffoonery, these gangs often hunted by robbery. In 1648 and 1657, Archbishop Nikon obtained decrees banning buffoonery.

In Rus', representatives of the medieval carnival and laughter culture were buffoons. Along with the concept of "holiness" in Rus', the reverse side of socio-cultural life was closely connected - " laughter world».

In Western Europe in the Middle Ages, there were numerous hairpins, jugglers, etc. In winter and summer, they wandered around cities and villages, danced and sang, showed tricks, trained animals, played funny farces. They could be seen both under the vaults of a feudal castle and in the noisy squares of medieval cities. In their dances they introduced complex figures, puzzling jumps and supports. They combined dance with acrobatics, etc. In order for the public to go to their performances, they had to constantly improve their skills.

The first buffoons in Rus' were, perhaps, wandering foreigners: mime artists, folk musicians, etc., who quickly became “Russified”. Their ranks were quickly replenished with those Russian "jolly" people who showed a talent for vagrancy and buffoonery, cheerful inventions. It is believed that former pagan priests (“magicians”) who could show “miracles” (tricks) also fell into their number. Skomorokhs were the first Russian professional actors.

An important place in the comic culture of buffoons was occupied by verbal comic texts, buffoons, even parodies of church services. Pagan ritual foul language has also become widespread among buffoons in comic texts.

In Orthodoxy, laughter was considered an attribute of demons. Thus, if holiness is the result of a person's path upward, to God, then the laughter world is the path downward, to the devil.

The Orthodox Church constantly persecuted buffoons, including as carriers of pagan culture. The buffoons were beaten, expelled, their tools and masks were burned. In the XVI-XVII centuries, buffoons sometimes gathered in "troops" of 60-70 people. In these centuries, Decrees of patriarchs and kings were repeatedly issued on their expulsion to distant places. In the middle of the 17th century, their musical instruments were brought in carts to Moscow and burned. The traditions of Russian buffoonery were revived later, in fair performances - booths.

The art of buffoons is also mentioned in Russian epics. The Novgorod guslar-singer in the opera N.A. descends directly to visit the sea king. Rimsky-Korsakov "Sadko". In the same opera, at the feast of rich merchants, merry fellows sing a mischievous buffoon. In Rimsky-Korsakov's opera The Snow Maiden, buffoons greet the arrival of summer with a cheerful dance. They are also the main characters in Prokofiev's ballet "The Jester Who Outwitted Seven Jesters".

The oldest "theater" was the games of folk actors - buffoons. However, in a tribal society they performed, presumably, completely different functions than under feudalism, contributing to tribal and tribal cohesion. Buffoonery is a complex phenomenon. Its early history is not entirely clear. Buffoons have repeatedly attracted the attention of scientists, but serious methodological mistakes were made in studying their work: the art of buffoons was studied in isolation from their works, outside the general historical process. For a long time dominated iconic point of view on the origin of buffoonery. Some scientists, for example, I. Belyaev, A. Ponomarev, I. Barshchevsky, A. Morozov, considered buffoons to be a kind of magicians. Such a point of view is erroneous, because buffoons, participating in rituals, not only did not enhance their religious and magical character, but, on the contrary, introduced a worldly, secular content. Just as unfaithful theory of foreign origin of buffoons , introduced into scientific use by A. N. Veselovsky, A. I. Kirpichnikov and their followers. Based on the misinterpretation of the term "buffoon" as supposedly a foreign term, they made the same conclusion about the profession itself, while forgetting about the most important thing - about organic connection buffoons with the life of the Russian people and the originality of their art. Later, a theory of the national origin of the term "buffoon" was proposed. The study of the economy, culture, and in particular the crafts of Ancient Rus', gives the researcher the key to studying the history of buffoons.

buffoon that is, anyone could sing, dance, joke, act out skits. But only the one whose art stood out above the level of the art of the masses by its artistry became and was called a buffoon-craftsman. “Everyone will dance, but not like a buffoon,” says a Russian proverb. Thus, the ground was gradually created for the art of buffoons to become their profession, their craft in the future.

The phenomenon of buffoonery in Ancient Rus' is inextricably linked and organically follows from the entire development of society from the tribal community to the modern state system. This is an integral part of Russian culture, born by the people themselves and serving people, providing a person's need for self-expression and improvement. As a primordially folk phenomenon, buffoonery presents us with an example of a natural, non-violent, non-ideologized development of the creative essence of the people.

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buffoons in ancient Rus' they called musicians, pipers, bagpipers, guslars - in a word, all those who hunted for dancing, songs, jokes, tricks. But the attitude of those in power towards them was ambiguous. They were invited to an "honest feast" in the boyar and merchant mansions - and at the same time they were persecuted and severely punished, equating them with thiefs from the high road.

Until now, historians cannot accurately determine the etymology of the word "buffoon". According to one version, it is a derivative of Greek word skommarchos and means "master of the joke". According to another - from the Arabic mascara ("joke"). The most cautious scholars believe that everything goes back to the common Indo-European root scomorsos - "musician, comedian." From him came the names of the Italian and French characters of the "comedy of masks" - Scaramuccio and Scaramouche.

Shards of paganism

Buffoons have been known in Rus' since time immemorial. Even when Rus' was not Christian, on folk holidays and pagan games, they entertained the audience with songs and dances, and also took part in religious rites and incantations of spirits. It was believed that the gods and spirits - both good and evil - also love fun and a sharp word.

It is quite natural that Christian priests literally immediately after the baptism of Rus' began an active struggle against buffoons. They were equated with the magicians and soothsayers (that is, pagan priests) with all the ensuing consequences. The church considered the performances of buffoons themselves to be demonic games, and punished those who attended them - imposed penance or even did not allow them to take communion.

But at the same time, the buffoons were often invited to the holidays by princes and boyars. After all, they were not full of a single army. I wanted to have fun, laugh, listen to songs and what is now called ditties, and also admire the skill of dancers and magicians. Images of buffoons dancing and playing on pipes and horns were found on frescoes of the 11th century in the Church of St. Sophia in Kyiv.

Even some epic heroes dressed up in the clothes of buffoons. Let us recall Sadko, who, before becoming a "famous merchant", went with his harp to feasts and entertained guests and hosts there. And one of epic heroes, Dobrynya Nikitich, appeared at the wedding feast of his wife, who did not wait for him from the campaign and decided to marry another, dressed as a buffoon.

The rejection of buffoonery by the spiritual authorities and, despite all the prohibitions, inviting them to the court of boyars and princes continued for centuries. Moreover, even the most stringent church and secular prohibitions failed to completely eradicate buffoons as a phenomenon.

Here, for example, is what was written about them in Domostroy, a literary monument of the 16th century: the smoke will drive away the bees, so the angels of God will depart from that meal and stinking demons will appear.

"Ordered to smash and destroy..."

Why did the spiritual authorities of Rus' take up arms against buffoons in such a way? After all, the church did not approve of such purely pagan rites as caroling at Christmas or round dances and jumping over the fire on the night of Ivan Kupala. But the priests were still quite tolerant towards those who participated in these "scandalous actions". But the Orthodox hierarchs cursed the buffoons and openly called them "servants of the unclean." And in the end, with the help of the secular authorities, they still managed to put an end to the “swindlers”. It's just that it was not only the remnants of paganism.

In the songs and sayings of the buffoons there was a "glum" - mockery of Christianity, the Bible, Orthodox rites and priests. This is something the spiritual fathers could not forgive the buffoons.

Well, the secular authorities, in turn, did not like satirical poems and songs in which buffoons ridiculed the mighty of the world of this, often with the mention of specific individuals who committed various abuses and indulged in base vices and weaknesses. And in those days, those in power did not like criticism in the same way as the current Russian officials.

Somewhere in early XVII For centuries, buffoons have been taken seriously. They began to persecute them, take away their musical instruments, forbid them to appear in a particular area.

Here, for example, is what Adam Olearius, the secretary of the Holstein embassy, ​​who visited the Muscovite state three times in the 30s of the 17th century, wrote about all this: “In houses, especially during their feasts, Russians love music. But since they began to abuse it, singing to music in taverns, taverns and everywhere on the streets all sorts of shameful songs, the current patriarch two years ago at first strictly forbade the existence of such tavern musicians and their instruments, which would come across on the streets, ordered to immediately break and destroy, and then generally banned all kinds of instrumental music for Russians, ordering musical instruments to be taken away from houses everywhere, which were taken out ... on five wagons across the Moscow River and burned there.

And in the 60s of the same XVII century, by decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, buffoonery was completely prohibited. Those who, despite everything, continued to engage in the forbidden trade, were beaten with batogs mercilessly, exiled to bear corners or imprisoned in monastic dungeons - there the former buffoons had to atone for their sins until the end of their lives.

However, despite all the repressions, still something of buffoons in Russian folk tradition left. These are the actors who performed at Maslenitsa with a puppet theater, raeshniks, leaders with trained bears. In our time, some folklore groups are trying to revive buffoonery, but rather simply as an element of Russian folk culture.

Music mafia?

However, there were other reasons why secular authorities began to seriously fight buffoons. Some, if you can call them that, "troupes" of harpists, horns and dancers eventually turned into ordinary organized criminal groups. And instead of earning a living by entertainment common people began to engage in robbery and theft. Here is what they wrote about such “buffoon organized crime groups” in “Stoglav”, a collection of decisions of the Council of 1551: “... together with many bands of up to 60, and up to 70 and up to 100 people, in the villages the peasants eat and drink a lot and stomachs from the crates they rob, and smash people along the roads"...

It is quite natural that the local authorities fought with such "guest performers". And not only with the help of admonishment, but also with the help of units of archers. Some of the robbers in the guise of buffoons landed on the chopping block, some were beaten with batogs, and then, with their nostrils torn out and a brand on their foreheads, they went to hard labor.

And one more reason for the royal dislike for merry vagabonds. There is a version that the word "buffoon" comes from the Lombard word scamar (a) or scamer (a) - "spy". And this is no accident.

After all, intelligence and espionage have existed since time immemorial. The profession of a buffoon could become the best "roof" for a scout. Together with a company of brothers in the musical craft, a secret spy could quite legally move around the territory of the state that interested his masters.

He could, without any obstacles, get to the feasts of nobles and other high-ranking persons, and there secretly eavesdrop on what those present are talking about. After all, during such events, guests actively used alcoholic drinks, under the influence of which tongues were untied. And buffoon spies could hear a lot of interesting things for their customers.

Unfortunately, there are no archival documents that tell about the activities of secret agents who, under the guise of buffoons, obtained espionage information. And it is unlikely that they existed at all - such organizations at all times preferred not to leave behind any documents. But it is likely that many of those who traveled around Rus' with a harp or a horn later reported on their work to persons who had nothing to do with playing the harp and squatting.

Anton VORONIN

Buffoon

Russian medieval itinerant actor who was at the same time a singer, dancer, musician, acrobat, etc. and the author of most of the dramatic scenes he performed.

Buffoon mask. Leather. Second half of the 13th century:

Russia. Large linguo-cultural dictionary. - M.: State Institute Russian language them. 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 "SKOMOROH" is in other dictionaries:

Buffoon- husband. skomrakh church. female buffoon (Swedish?) musician, piper, snorter, horn player, piper, harper; earning this, and dancing, songs, pieces, tricks; joker, whacker, gaer, jester; app. bear cub; comedian, actor, etc. Buffoon with ... ... Dictionary Dalia

Buffoon- Buffoon, buffoon, husband. 1. In ancient Rus', a singer, musician and actor who performed clownish and acrobatic numbers, as well as serious poetic works. "Everyone will dance, but not like a buffoon." last "And the buffoon sometimes cries." old ... ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov

buffoon- See jester... Dictionary of Russian synonyms and expressions similar in meaning. under. ed. N. Abramova, M .: Russian dictionaries, 1999. buffoon actor, jester; buffon, era, shpilman, harlequin, farcere, baluster, musician, buffoon, wit, gaer, grimacing, badkhan, ... ... Synonym dictionary

Buffoon- Buffoon, husband. 1. In Ancient Rus': a singer, a musician, a wandering comedian, a wit and an acrobat. Everyone will dance, but not like s. (old. last). 2. trans. A frivolous person who amuses others with his buffoonish antics (colloquial neod.). | adj. buffoon … Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov

Buffoon- Ivashko Skomorokh, peasant. 1495. Scribe. I, 152. Yakush Skomorokh, peasant. 1495. Scribe. II, 548. Gridko Skomorokh, peasant. 1495. Scribe. II, 43. Mikitka Skomorokh, peasant. 1495. Scribe. I, 156. Olfimko Skomorokh, peasant. 1495. Scribe. I, 550.… … Biographical Dictionary

buffoon- This term has other meanings, see Buffoons (meanings) ... Wikipedia

buffoon- (amusing, conjurer, gaer, gusler) Buffoon from the insipid strummed songs. God gave the priest, damn buffoon. Wed I began (I) to walk around the city like a buffoon, collect a pretty penny, play a fool out of myself, tell jokes, throw out different articles ... ... ... Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary

buffoon- SKOMORO´KH (a miracle, a gamer, a joker, a cheerful fellow) in ancient Rus', the name of a poet-singer who performed his usually cheerful works to the accompaniment of a folk musical instrument, and sometimes dancing to the beat of the melody. Repertoire S. ... ... Poetic dictionary

buffoon- There is no definitive explanation. The most probable so far seems to be the explanation of the noun. buffoon as a re-registration of the Greek. skōmmarchos "master of a joke", reconstructed from the addition of skōmma "joke, mockery" and archos "chief, leader" ... Etymological dictionary of the Russian language