There lived a glorious hero Alyosha Popovich in Rus'. Russian spirit!!! great rus

Pupil 4 - B class MBOU Lyceum No. 3 Mityanov Dmitry

Goal of the work- to find out who the heroes are and whether there are heroes in modern life now.

Methods and techniques:

• Collection of information from books, magazines, online articles, films
• Observation
• Analysis
• Comparison
• Generalization
• Questionnaire

Main results

• The topic of our research is very important for any generation, because we must know our past, the great deeds of our people, our heroes. They are an example of courage and valor, the pride of our land and bring up the Russian spirit in us.
• Modern heroes are not completely like heroes, but they have absorbed part of their strength. They are also strong in spirit, stand guard over peace and life, show the power and strength of our Motherland.
• If you combine the qualities of athletes, military leaders and people's volunteers together, then, just, you get the image of a real hero.
• In our time, Russia needs heroes (the environment is dying, culture is dying, the real values ​​​​of life are being lost).

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Regional competition of research works

"Start in Science"

MBOU lyceum №3

Russian bogatyrs:

Who are they?

Completed:

Student 4 "b" class

Mityanov Dmitry

Supervisor:

Mokrova O.V. teacher primary school

Consultant:

Mityanova A. A.

Kulebaki

2013

1. Introduction. Why I chose this topic……………………………………....3

2. Main part…………………………………………………………………..4

2.1 Where did the word "hero" come from? …………………………………4

2.2. Epic heroes………………………………………………………..5

2.3. Epic heroes in Russian culture…………………………………10

2.4. Modern heroes………………………………………………………12

2.5. Questioning…………………………………………………………….15

3. Our conclusions………………………………………………………………..19

4. Materials used…………………………………………….......20

5. Application……………………………………………………………………21

5. 1. Works………………………………………………………………...21

5. 2. Drawings……………………………………………….…………………..23

Glory to the Russian side!

Glory to Russian antiquity!

And about this old

I'll start telling

So that people can know

About business native land.

1. Introduction. Why I chose this topic.

I really like to know the world. I made many discoveries for myself from books that I love to read.

Once my mother gave me a book with epics about ancient Russian heroes for the holiday of the Defender of the Fatherland (February 23), and it was as if I opened the door of time and saw the ancient times of our people. Powerful images of Russian heroes and their great feats in the fight against evil, protecting our native land, appeared before my eyes. I admire their courage, prowess, strength, will, but most importantly, their ardent love for the Motherland.

Russian epics are a kind of encyclopedia folk life, a source of fervent patriotism and our national pride. No wonder they inspired the great Russian poets, writers, composers and artists. The great feats of Russian heroes, their selfless love for the Motherland and me inspired my research. I wanted to know:Why are they called heroes? get to know them better, and also find out if there are heroes now and who are they?

That's why the purpose of my research is to find out who the epic heroes are and whether there are heroes in modern life now.

The object of the study are Russian heroes.

Hypotheses:

• Let's say that heroes are defenders from enemies, warriors with great strength.
• It is possible that the heroes lived a very long time and now they are gone.
• But what if the hero is an example of the great spirit of a Russian person.

Tasks:

Find out who the heroes are and conduct a survey among children and adults;

Get acquainted with literature and works of art about Russian heroes;

Get to know the "great" people of our time;

Compare the qualities of epic and modern heroes; draw conclusions.

Research methods:reading books, survey, analysis, comparison. Generalization.

My mother and my teacher helped me with the research.

2. The main part.

2. 1. Where did the word "hero" come from?

Now the word "hero" can often be heard: "heroic health", "heroic strength", "heroic dream" we say, "hero" we call every strong and healthy person, athlete, commander, war veteran.

But even 150-200 years ago, every Russian, saying "hero", compared someone with the epic defenders of his native land.

What does this word "hero" mean and where did it come from in our language? At first, the opinions of scientists were of three types:

1. Some believed that the word "hero" was borrowed from the Tatar and Turkic languages, where is in various forms: bagadur, batur, batyr, bator. The word is supposed to have a meaning historical character that its original form of the word was "bogatyr" and that it was originally used in the sense of "Tatar governor" and the title, as the present "master".

2. Other scientists, Shchepkin and Buslaev, deduced "bogatyr" from the word "God" through "rich".

3. O. Miller and others believed that the word "hero" is Russian and goes back to ancient Slavic history (the Proto-Aryan beginning and the Sanskrit language). The opinion proceeded from the position that the word "bagadur" is not a Tatar one, but is borrowed from the Sanskrit baghadhara (possessing happiness, successful).

At present, after new archaeological discoveries, discoveries of hidden historical facts and historical research, it seems that a revolution in history is planned, since the information is very contradictory to that in textbooks and the accepted history of Russia. And discussions on the origin of the word "hero" resumed.

against borrowing from Tatar language in favor Slavic origin philologist V. Kozhinov and historian L. Prozorov are speaking. They argue that the word "bogatyr", much closer to the epic form, appeared in the inscriptions of the Bulgarians - "bogotur" (some of these bogoturs are quite Slavic names- Glorious, for example).

Our opinion about the word "hero" is also in support of the Slavic origin. It did not come from anywhere, but was always primordially Russian. This opinion is based on the ancient Slavic culture of our people in the period before the Baptism of Rus'. This is confirmed by many scientists and historians that Russia has a great past and is much older than previously described.

2.2. Epic heroes.

The theme of heroes takes us more and more into the ancient culture and history of our people. It was very interesting to read about the world outlook of our ancestors. It turns out that they were not savages, as they are described, for example, in our book "The History of Russia for Children and Adults." We learned that our ancestors were wise with a great culture and cared about the spiritual future of the people from childhood. This is reflected in sayings, proverbs, fables, tales, epics.

Epics are also the ancient wisdom of our people only for the older generation. The bylina came from the word "truth", and it is from the ancient Slavic verb - "to be", that is, what was and happened. Epics were composed by storytellers - the keepers of Russian antiquity, carriers historical memory people. They went from village to village and spoke in a singsong voice (like a song) about the great events of our country, about the heroic heroes, their exploits, about how they overcame evil enemies, defended their land, showed their courage, courage, ingenuity, kindness .

In our study, we tried to include ancient figurative thinking and get to know the epic heroes better.

We learned that, according to legends and ancient epics, there first existedgiants-bogatyrs.Let's get acquainted with some of them.

Hero-element

Epics about the heroes-elements, in our opinion, sing of the majesty and spirituality of nature and bring us through the centuries the wisdom of the unity and interconnection of everything in the world. The epic heroes-elements are not people, but they fully correspond to the original image of the hero. The power of natural elements is superior to human, powerful and of divine origin (creative and destructive). She is generous with natural gifts and patronizes everything: animals, vegetation, humans. We assume that therefore the elements were represented in a heroic image.

To replace the hero-element camehero-man. According to historians, epics about the same hero were written for centuries (in different centuries) and reflect the exploits of real warriors. That is, the images of the majority epic heroes collective (collected from various folk heroes and events). Let's get acquainted with some heroes from the epics "Volga and Mikula Selyaninovich", "Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin the Serpent", "Dobrynya and the Serpent", "Ilya Muromets and Svyatogor", "Ilya Muromets and the Nightingale the Robber", "Healing of Ilya Muromets", "Ilya Muromets and Kalin - Tsar”, “Ilya Muromets and Idolishche”.

Bogatyr-man

The epic hero-man also correspond to the original meaning of the word "hero". The performers of epics gave a very simple explanation to the most incredible epic episodes.: "In the old days, people were not at all the same as they are now - heroes."According to epics, heroes are endowed with superior strength from birth or upon reaching spiritual maturity. According to legend, such power was given only to spiritually mature people, because a less spiritual person can use such power to harm the environment. It seems like a fairy tale, but even my great-grandfather and great-grandmother told about such unusual people in their times. And also the heroes are spiritually strong. The strength lies in the fact that they perform feats for the benefit of all the people, not for rewards, but for the triumph of truth, justice, and freedom; protect Mother Rus' without sparing their lives under any circumstances (unequal battle and more). Bogatyrs manifest best qualities- love for the native land, selfless courage and fortitude, independence of spirit, struggle for justice, truth, honor, etc.

We think that the unification of Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich is a call and aspiration of the people for unity. The strength of the people is in unity. The combination of the qualities of the three heroes suggests that for the defense of the motherland, victory, not only the strength of the onslaught is important, but also resourcefulness and the ability to resolve the issue peacefully. "Three heroes" is an image of the heroic spirit and power of the Russian people. In the old days they said:“The hands of a Slav are in work, and the mind is with the Almighty.”

2.3. Epic heroes in Russian culture.

Epics of our people inspired many creative people. Now we can get acquainted with the great heroes-heroes by visual, musical, sculptural, works of art.

Russian artists introduce us to the heroes: V. Vasnetsov "Bogatyrs", "The Knight at the Crossroads", etc.; N. Roerich "Ilya Muromets", "Morning of the Heroism of Kyiv", etc.; K. Vasiliev “Ilya Muromets liberates the prisoners”, “The Gift of Svyatogor”, etc.; I. Bilibin "Ilya Muromets And Nightingale the Robber ”, “Dobrynya Nikitich” and others.

V. Vasnetsov "Bogatyrs"

For example, for the figurative embodiment of the heroes beloved by the people, Viktor Vasnetsov managed to find such artistic solutions that made Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich, and Alyosha Popovich “alive”. The images of all three are life-truthful, deeply humane, revealed in their personal identity. A mighty, unshakable outpost stands the bogatyrs on the eternal guard of their native land, vigilantly peering into the distance and sensitively listening to everything around them. not a man, not even a bird from abroad will fly by. An irresistible force emanates from the heroes. They are full of folk beauty, they have the indomitable spirit of the people, ready at any moment to give everything for "the honor and freedom of their native land."

In each of the heroes, the artist managed to embody the best, typical features of the Russian character, Russian strength and valor. The majestic calm, coming from the consciousness of the heroes of their rightness and strength, saturates the whole picture. The horses under the mighty riders are to match the riders - powerful, fearless, they boldly and vigilantly look from the canvas. In the background of the picture is the Russian land, their homeland, which they are ready to defend.

Russian music also acquaints us with heroic images: A.P. Borodin "Bogatyrskaya", M.P. Mussorgsky "Bogatyr Gates", N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov "Sadko", A. Grechaninov opera"Nikitich" and others.

For example, Alexander Borodin in his symphony No. 2 "Bogatyrskaya" part 1 (based on Vasnetsov's painting "Bogatyrs") depicted a collection of Russian heroes.

The music of this movement is based on two themes:

The first theme is formidable, resolute, and sounds rather heavy. This is the image of heroes, heroic strength.

The second theme is soft, melodious, lyrical. Here the composer "draws" the image of native Russian nature.

Folk proverbs also acquaint us with heroic images:

1. The hero is not glorious by birth, but by a feat.
2. There is no better thing than defending your native land from enemies.
3. My wealth is a heroic strength, my business is to serve Rus', to defend from enemies.
4. In the Russian heart there is a direct honor and love for Mother Rus'.
5. The hero will die, but his name will remain.

The monument to Ilya Muromets (sculptor V.M. Klykov), which was installed in 1999 in the city park of Murom, is very famous.

It is like a formidable reminder to all foreign invaders that heroes have not yet died out on Russian soil - heroes and there is someone to protect Russia, that the heroic spirit is alive in each of us.

2.4. Modern heroes.

Is there now modern world heroes? To find out, we decided to meet some of the "great" people of the past centuries and our time.

Table 4

Prominent people of Russia

We tried to compare the "great" people of our Motherland with the characteristics of a hero.

Characteristics of the hero:

• Physical strength - very strong and powerful, endowed with superior strength from birth or later, when spiritually ready.
• Strength of mind - brave, noble, resolute, with a sense of justice, dignity, has independence of mind, willpower, ingenuity, resourcefulness, loves his native land and the world around him, is ready to fight to the end even without hope of victory, to give his life for his homeland and people .
• Martial arts - may or may not be trained in martial arts. Free in decisions and from duty.
• The life's work is to protect the people and native land from a deadly threat, not out of duty or personal benefit (reward), but at the behest of the soul.

We could not find a hero in the native sense of the word among the "great" people of modern times. Warlords are more like knights. Athletes compete in competitions without a threat to the life of the country, and if suddenly there is a war, they may not go to it. Volunteers are strong in spirit, but may not exceed strength and participate in not all wars. But we do not want to say that there are no heroes. Maybe we don’t know about them, they don’t compose modern epics about them. And the meaning of the word "hero" is now, as it were, blurry.

2.5. Questionnaire

We conducted a survey of children and adults, where we wanted to know the awareness, the opinion of others: how important the topic of Russian heroes is in our time. 12 primary school children and 12 adults took part in our survey.

Poll results:

• To the question "who are the heroes?" children and adults wrote similar responses. general description: Bogatyrs are the mighty people of the Russian land, brave, courageous (strong in spirit), warriors, defenders of their homeland and people.
• The most famous heroes:

Among children and adults, the most famous were Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich.

75% of children and 58% of adults would like to be like Ilya Muromets. Because he is the strongest, he always defended his native land and was our countryman.

8% of children - for Dobrynya Nikitich, because he was wise, and of adults 20% - for Alyosha Popovich, because he is strong, the youngest and most savvy.

2% of adults - on Peresvet and Oslyabya - who, after military life, thought about the high meaning of life, went into monasticism. 17% - 20% of children and adults wanted to be like themselves.

• The main qualities of a hero

Children Adults:

Physical Strength (67%) - physical strength (75%)

Spirit (33%) - Spirit (16%)

Fortitude marked - love for the Motherland, courage, masculinity, resourcefulness, willpower, kindness, a sense of justice and others.

Military art (9%)

Children see the hero not necessarily as a warrior, but as a person who is always very powerful and strong in spirit. Adults see the hero not only as a powerful and strong spirit, but also knowledgeable in military affairs. Mighty strength is highlighted as the main quality.

• Attracts in heroes

But both children and adults in heroes are attracted by their spiritual qualities (courage, self-confidence, nobility, helping the weak, fighting for justice, love for the Motherland and its defense).

• How did you find out about the heroes?

Children Adults:

Books (epics, tales) (67%) - books (epics, tales) (50%)

Movies and cartoons (25%) - movies and cartoons (33%)

Stories, excursions (8%) - stories, excursions (17%)

Children and adults learned about heroes mainly from books.

• Can a woman be a hero?

67% of children and 25% of adults believe that they cannot, because a woman has less strength and this is not a woman's business, a woman is the keeper of the hearth and family. And 33% of children and 67% of adults believe that they can, because female wisdom, cunning and ingenuity help a woman win.

• Are there any heroes now? Who can be named?

83% of children and 25% of adults believe that there are no real heroes anymore, because over time people have changed or do not know about them, and the heroes remained the heroes of antiquity. But 7% of children and 67% of adults believe that even now there are heroes - these are athletes, soldiers of war, commanders.

• Is it possible to become rich?

Most children and adults think they can. To do this, you need to believe in yourself, go in for sports, be fair, kind, wise, honest, train willpower, spirit, help people, be a patriot. But some children and adults believe that it will not work. Because physical and spiritual data are laid from nature (God). You can become a good person, a strong athlete, a hero, but not a hero.

• Is it honorable to be a hero in our time?

Half of the adults and some of the children believe that now it is not honorable to be a hero. Because over time, the character traits for which the heroes were respected ceased to be valued, and the aspirations of people changed towards the achievement of material values. But most children and 42% of adults think it's an honor. Because we lack such people as heroes, they believe in eternal human values, they look with hope and optimism into the future.

3. Our findings

As a result of our study, we conducted a survey among children and adults, learned their opinion about the heroes of the past and present; learned the origin of the word "hero"; got acquainted with literature and works of art about Russian heroes; got acquainted with epic heroes; get acquainted with the "great" people of our and past time; compared the qualities of epic and modern heroes.

I am sure that the topic of our research is very important for any generation, because we must know our past, the great deeds of our people, our heroes. They are an example of courage and valor, the pride of our land and bring up the Russian spirit in us.

Although modern heroes do not completely look like heroes, they have absorbed part of their strength. They are also strong in spirit, stand guard over peace and life, show the power and strength of our Motherland. And as long as we have such heroes, as long as we remember them, the heroic spirit of the Russian people is also alive.

We think that if we combine the qualities of athletes, military leaders and people's volunteers together, then we will get the image of a real hero.

In our time, Russia needs heroes (the environment is dying, culture is dying, the real values ​​​​of life are being lost).

Let's awaken the heroic spirit in each of us and fight back any enemy!

And strong, mighty heroes in glorious Rus'!

Do not jump enemies on our Earth!

Do not trample their horses on the Russian Land,

Do not overshadow our red sun!

Rus' stands for a century - it does not stagger!

And it will stand for centuries - it will not move!

4. Used materials.

1. Pictures from the site on the Internet

2. Anikin V.P. Epics. Russians folk tales. Chronicles. Moscow: Higher school, 1986.

3. Epics. Russian folk tales. M.: Children's literature, 1986.

4. Epics. Russian folk tales. Old Russian stories / Anikin V.P., Likhachev D.S., Mikhelson T.N. M.: Children's literature, 1979.

5. Rybakov B.A. Rus': Legends. Epics. Chronicles. M.: Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences, 1963.

6. Selivanov V.I. Bogatyr epic of the Russian people / Epics. M.: Soviet literature, 1988. v.1. - p.5-25.

7. Wikipedia website

5. Application

5. 1. Compositions.

Composition based on the painting by V. M. Vasnetsov “Heroes” of a student of grade 4-B MBOU Lyceum No. 3 Bogatov Ilya

The painting by V. M. Vasnetsov depicts three heroes. Bogatyrs are powerful, brave. They vigilantly look into the distance, fulfill their heroic duty. The expression on their faces is serious, their eyes are formidable, they are very collected, ready to fight at any moment. The heroes are very confident in themselves and are ready to die for Rus'.

Ilya Muromets is wearing chain mail, has gray mittens on his hands, and boots to match his brown pants. He is holding a large spear. And the mighty hero himself sits on his black horse in the center of the picture.

Dobrynya Nikitich is to the right of Ilya Muromets. He is also dressed in heroic style, and holds a shield and a sword in his hands. His beard is long and well groomed.

Alyosha Popovich is the youngest of the heroes, he is without a beard and rather thin. He has a bow in his hand.

Bogatyr horses are well-groomed and beautiful. Their manes and tails flutter in the wind. Christmas trees on foreground the artist depicted the paintings small, and the heroes large, this emphasizes the power and strength of the heroes. The sky in the picture is gloomy, everything is covered with heavy gray clouds, and a strong wind that sways the grass and waves the horses' manes.

I really liked this picture. I am proud of our Motherland, its heroes - heroes, who in Hard time defended the country and common people.

An essay based on the painting by V. M. Vasnetsov “Heroes” by a student of grade 4-A MBOU Lyceum No. 3 Kurova Anastasia

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov worked on the painting "Bogatyrs" for twenty years. And on April 23, 1898, it was completed and bought by Tretyakov for his gallery.

The painting depicts three heroes - Dobrynya Nikitich, Ilya Muromets and Alyosha Popovich. Ilya Muromets is powerful, wise, he is in the center on a black horse. He is the oldest of the heroes. And the horse suits him. He is dressed in chain mail. He has a spear in one hand and a club in the other. On the left, on a white horse, is a resolute, impetuous, noble hero - Dobrynya Nikitich. He is the only one of a noble family. He is dressed in chain mail, has a pointed helmet on his head, and overseas boots on his feet. The horse has an elegant harness, with three golden crescents, this is a sign of victory over the Tatars. On the right, on a bay horse, Alyosha Popovich holds a bow with arrows in his hands. Compared to his comrades, he is young and slim. On Alyosha's side is a quiver. His horse bent his head so that the rider could shoot at any moment.

Three heroes stand on a wide plain, turning into a low hill, in the middle of which we see withered grass and occasionally small Christmas trees peeping through. The sky in the picture is cloudy and disturbing, which means the danger threatening the heroes.

Vasnetsov wanted us to be proud of our heroic ancestors, to remember them, to love the land where we were born.

The picture evokes a feeling of confidence that the heroes are invincible.

5.2. Drawings.

Drawing "Ilya Muromets"4-B class student Ilya Chekhlov

https://accounts.google.com

Slides captions:

Russian heroes: who are they? Completed by: Pupil of 4 "b" class MBOU Lyceum No. 3 Mityanov Dmitry Head: Mokrova O.V. primary school teacher Consultant: Mityanova A. A.

And strong, mighty heroes in glorious Rus'! Do not jump enemies on our Earth! Do not trample their horses on the Russian Land, Do not overshadow our red sun! Rus' stands for a century - it does not stagger! And it will stand for centuries - it will not move!

The purpose of the study is to find out who the epic heroes are, whether there are heroes in modern life. Hypotheses: Let's assume that the heroes are defenders from enemies, warriors with great strength. It is possible that the heroes lived a very long time and now they are gone. But what if the hero is an example of the great spirit of a Russian person. Russian heroes: who are they?

Study plan

The study of the word "bogatyr" "Bogatyr" in those distant times when this word was born meant - the one who surpasses the exorbitant (impossible to measure) power from God and carries it in himself (spiritually strong), "rich" - not in gold and diamonds, but spiritually and bodily.

Epic heroes Gorynya (Sverni-mountain, Vertigor) Dubynya (Dubynech, Vernidub, Tear-oak) Usynya (Usynych, Usynka, Krutius) Dunai Ivanovich Svyatogor

Epic heroes Mikula Selyaninovich Alyosha Popovich Dobrynya Nikitich Ilya Muromets

Epic bogatyrs in Russian culture Painting by V Vasnetsov “Heroes” Excerpts from the essays on the painting “Heroes” by 4th grade students of MBOU Lyceum No. 3: “I am looking at the painting by V. M. Vasnetsov “Heroes”. On it we see three heroes, three heroes, whom the people sang in their epics and legends ... "(Levkin E.) "... In the center of the picture is the most important of the heroes - Ilya Muromets. Next to him are Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich…” (Sukhareva L.) “…Powerful, brave heroes. They vigilantly look into the distance, fulfilling their heroic duty. The expression on their faces is serious, their gaze is formidable ... They are ready to rush into battle at any moment ... ”(Bogatov I.)

Epic heroes in the drawings of students Drawing "Ilya Muromets" by a student of 4-B class Chekhlov Ilya Drawing "The struggle of a hero with dark forces" by a student of 4-B class Dmitry Mityanov

Epic heroes in Russian culture Monument to Ilya Muromets in the city of Murom (sculptor V.M. Klykov) Composer A.P. Borodin Symphony No. 2 "Bogatyrskaya"

Modern heroes Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny (1871-1949) professional wrestler and athlete Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov (1730-1800) great Russian commander Nikolai Gastello Alexey Meresyev Alexander Matrosov

Survey public opinion Who are the rich people? What heroes do you know? How did you find out about the heroes? What qualities and skills are endowed with heroes? What attracts in heroes, why epic heroes - national heroes? Which hero would you like to be like? Why? What do you think, can a woman be a hero? Why? Are there any heroes now? List who you know. Is it possible to call those who defended our Motherland in the Great Patriotic War? Why? Is it possible to become rich? How? Is it honorable to be a hero in our time? Why?

Poll results 1. Bogatyrs are powerful people of the Russian land, brave, courageous (strong in spirit), warriors, defenders of their homeland and people. 2. The most famous heroes: 3. The main qualities of a hero: Children: Adults: - physical strength (67%) - physical strength (75%) - strength of mind (33%) - strength of spirit (16%) - military art (9% ) 4 . Attracts in heroes - spiritual qualities (courage, self-confidence, nobility, help to the weak, struggle for justice, love for the Motherland and its protection).

Poll results 5 . How did you find out about the heroes? Children: Adults: - books (epics, tales) (67%) - books (epics, tales) (50%) movies and cartoons (25%) - movies and cartoons (33%) stories, excursions (8%) - stories , excursions (17%) 6. Can a woman be a hero? 67% of children and 25% of adults believe that they cannot 33% of children and 67% of adults believe that they can 7. Are there heroes now? Who can be named? 83% of children and 25% of adults believe that real heroes are already 7% of children and 67% of adults believe that there are heroes even now

9. Is it honorable in our time to be a hero? Poll results 8. Is it possible to become a hero?

My conclusions The topic of our research is very important for any generation, because we must know our past, the great deeds of our people, our heroes. They are an example of courage and valor, the pride of our land and bring up the Russian spirit in us. Modern heroes are not completely like heroes, but they have absorbed part of their strength. They are also strong in spirit, stand guard over peace and life, show the power and strength of our Motherland. In our time, Russia needs heroes (the environment is dying, culture is dying, the real values ​​​​of life are being lost).

Epic heroes

Speaking about the heroic epic, I. L. Solonevich noticed a very significant feature that distinguishes the mythological consciousness of the Slavs from many others. “And I will still argue that our Orthodoxy is the result of the processing of Byzantine Christianity by the Russian people. Byzantium did not seek the “truth of God” at all, just as modern, also Orthodox, Greece does not seek it. This, after all, comes from some completely unknown depths of the Russian people's consciousness. I would highly advise the Russian reader to personally carry out this kind of literary-historical experiment.

Some of us still remember the Russian epic epic. Very few people are somehow familiar with the German - with the Nibelungenlied. Read and compare. Our heroes "honestly and menacingly" stand guard over the Russian land, live in unbreakable friendship - and if Ilya Muromets chuckles at Alyosha Popovich, then this is done in the order of friendly scoffing. If Vaska Buslaev is a hooligan, then it is good-natured, simply from an excess of strength, and even then he repents. Here everything is light, clear, friendly. In the Nibelungenlied - envy and betrayal, murder from behind a corner, poison, envy, mutual extermination - all this is piled up in some kind of nightmarish tangle. And at the end of this heroic epic, the heroes drink the blood of their dead comrades and everyone dies - they die not in the fight against an external enemy, but exterminating each other to the last - so that no one gets the "gold of the Rhine". Everything here is painted in the colors of blood and dirt. Everything here is saturated with envy and hatred. Here everyone is each other's personal enemy and potential killer. And they all kill each other. They die not in a fair battle for their homeland, for the protection of their fields and villages, children and wives…”

Andrei Ryabushkin. Vasily Buslaev

Mikhail Vrubel. Bogatyr

The totality of military prowess is one of the main features of the Russian hero. Researchers talk about the presence of various elements in epics: historical, everyday, borrowed and mythical.

Metropolitan John of St. Petersburg and Ladoga in his article "Autocracy of the Spirit" spoke of epics as a mirror of the self-consciousness of the people and the Russian soul. He divided epics into works of the pre-Christian and Christian periods. Legends about Svyatogor, Mikita Selyaninovich, Volga belong to the pre-Christian cycle. The Baptism of Rus' and the era of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir became the core of an extensive Christian epic cycle, based on reliable historical events and personalities.

The group of heroes associated with Prince Vladimir and the city of Kiev is divided into older and younger. The well-known researcher O. Miller looks at all the heroes as the personification of various natural phenomena. In the older heroes, he sees terrible phenomena, hostile to people. In the image of Svyatogor, for example, gigantic clouds covering the whole sky are personified. The younger heroes are also natural phenomena, but beneficial for humans. Transitional Kaliki are wandering clouds that pour rain, etc.

Svyatogor

Svyatogor - a huge giant, "higher than the standing forest"; it is hardly worn by Mother Earth Cheese. He lives on the high holy mountains; when he walks, the earth and forests sway, rivers overflow their banks.

Once Svyatogor boasted that if there were a ring in the sky, and another in the earth, he would turn heaven and earth. The hero Mikula Selyaninovich heard this and threw a bag on the ground, in which “all the earthly burden” was enclosed. Svyatogor tries in vain to move the bag, plunges into the ground knee-deep and here, unable to overcome the "earthly thrust", ends his life. In another version of the epic, Svyatogor does not die, and Mikula Selyaninovich raises the bag with one hand, saying that it contains “all the burden of the earth,” which only a peaceful, hardworking plowman can do.

Nicholas Roerich. Svyatogor

In another epic, Ilya Muromets finds a hero's bed under an oak tree in an open field. He falls asleep on her. On the third day, the horse woke Ilya and advised him to hide on the oak. Then Svyatogor appeared on horseback, holding a crystal casket on his shoulders with his beautiful wife. When Svyatogor fell asleep, his wife seduced Ilya Muromets and then hid it in Svyatogor's pocket.

When Svyatogor woke up, he set off; the horse told Svyatogor that it was hard for him: until now he had been carrying a hero with his wife, now he is carrying two heroes. Svyatogor found Ilya and, asking how he got there, killed his unfaithful wife, and fraternized with Ilya. On the way to the North Mountain, the heroes saw a coffin with the inscription: "Whoever is destined to lie in a coffin, he will lie in it." The coffin turned out to be large for Ilya, and the lid slammed behind Svyatogor, and in vain he tried to get out of there. Having transferred part of his strength and his sword to Ilya, he orders to cut the lid of the coffin, but the coffin only closed more tightly.

Metropolitan John pointed to the charismatic succession of heroes in the epic "The Death of Svyatogor". An ancient (pagan) warrior transfers his strength to Ilya Muromets, the hero of the Christian age.

Mikula Selyaninovich

Mikula Selyaninovich is found in epics about Svyatogor and Volga Svyatoslavich. He personifies the peasant strength, the strength of the Russian people. He portends the appearance of younger heroes, although he still remains an agricultural deity.

Miller calls Mikula a plowman, originally the personification of heavenly thunder, while his magical filly, which cannot be overtaken, is a thundercloud.

His terrible strength, comparison with Svyatogor and other features in which he is depicted show that his type, like the type of Svyatogor, was formed under the influence of the image of some titanic creature, which was probably the personification of the earth or the patron god of agriculture.

Andrei Ryabushkin. Mikula Selyaninovich

This is indicated by the bag with the thrust of the earth, with which Mikula is depicted and which, obviously, is nothing more than an image of the earth. But he himself no longer represents the earth as an element, but the idea of ​​a settled agricultural life, in which he delivers his strength and significance.

Mikula Selyaninovich, according to folklore, had three daughters: Vasilisa, Marya and Nastasya. The first and last (the wives of Stavr and Dobrynya Nikitich) are also central heroines epics.

Mikhail Vrubel. Mikula Selyaninovich

Volga Svyatoslavovich

The main epics about Volga tell about his miraculous birth from a snake, a trip to India and a confrontation with Mikula Selyaninovich. Volga Svyatoslavovich, a werewolf and a hunter, is one of the most ancient heroes. Remnants of totemism are found in his image, while an earlier school of folklore sought to identify him with real historical figures, in particular by Prophetic Oleg.

Sukhman Odikhmantievich

About Sukhan, or Sukhmanty and Sukhman Damantievich, there is one epic, which tells how Sukhan, offended by Vladimir, takes his own life.

Sukhman goes to get a white swan for Prince Vladimir. During the trip, he sees that the Nepra River is fighting the Tatar force, which is building Kalinov bridges on it in order to go to Kyiv. Sukhman beats the Tatar force, but during the battle he gets wounds, which he covers with leaves.

Viktor Vasnetsov. Galloping knight (Bogatyrsky lope)

Ivan Bilibin. Volga with his squad

Sukhman returns to Kyiv without the swans. Prince Vladimir does not believe him and orders him to be imprisoned for boasting in the cellar, and sends Dobrynya Nikitich to find out if Sukhman told the truth, and when it turns out that the truth is, Vladimir wants to reward Sukhman, but he removes the leaves from the wounds and bleeds. The river Sukhman flowed from his blood.

From Ivan Kolyvanovich and Kolyvan Ivanovich, who originally made up one person, only names remained in the epics.

According to the plot of the epics, Kolyvan often performs together with Ilya Muromets and Samson the Bogatyr. In particular, there is a variant of the epic with a well-known plot about boasting to turn over the earth and raising the bag of a bag, where these three heroes act as heroes. More often Kolyvan acts only as an episodic character of the epic.

Kolyvan in epics is sometimes called Svyatogora. Boasting of turning the Earth upside down, he cannot raise the bag from the earth, because he does not have the truth - the goal of his power. This episode also speaks of the antiquity and archaism of this Slavic hero.

Dunay Ivanovich

Dunay Ivanovich represents the personification of the Danube River, as evidenced by the epithet "quiet" that constantly accompanies him in the epic. Miller also sees in him the personification of the river, but not the present Danube, but the river in general, he believes that the word Danube was originally a common noun. This river was not earthly, but heavenly, it was generally a reservoir of water, clouds, therefore the hero, in fact, is a mythical creature, the personification of a cloud.

In the epic about the Danube, a cosmic elemental myth has been preserved.

Ilya Muromets

A number of junior heroes begins with their main representative, the guardian of the Russian land, Ilya Muromets.

There are many epics about Ilya, they make up a whole cycle, united by his personality. He is the representative of all Russian heroes and in the eyes of the people is the representative peasant class. Ilya is distinguished by tremendous strength that other younger heroes do not possess, but this strength is not quantitative, but qualitative, and physical strength is accompanied by moral strength: calmness, steadfastness, simplicity, disinterestedness, paternal care, restraint, complacency, modesty, independence of character. Over time, the religious side began to get the upper hand in his characterization, so that at last he became a saint. The relics of the Monk Elijah resting in the Anthony Caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra show that for his time he really had a very impressive size and was a head taller than a man of average height. The relics of the monk no less clearly testify to the military biography - in addition to a deep rounded wound on the left arm, the same significant injury is visible in the left chest area. It seems that the hero covered his chest with his hand, and she was nailed to the heart with a blow of a spear.

Viktor Vasnetsov. Three heroes

Ilya “occupies a middle transitional position between senior and junior heroes. On him, as well as on the older heroes, we also see mythical features that have passed to him from some mythical deity, or maybe from Perun.

Since folk fantasy connected Elijah the prophet with Perun, it was quite natural to transfer the features of Perun, the god of thunder, to Ilya of Muromets, who bore the name of Elijah the prophet. He was originally a thunder deity, then became an agricultural deity and, finally, an agricultural hero.

Ilya sits in bed for thirty years, receives strength from passers-by (according to some epics, from Svyatogor), performs the first peasant work, goes to Svyatogor after receiving a parental blessing, he goes to Kiev, captures the Nightingale the Robber on the way, liberates Chernigov from the Tatars and meets the stanishniks, to whom he speaks about Alyosha Popovich.

Arriving in Kyiv, he feasts at Vladimir, on heroic outpost Ilya - along with his other "cross brothers" - fights with Polenitsa, Sokolnik, Zhidovin, fights with the Tatars who attacked Kyiv, Kalin, Idolishche.

The first fact from Ilya’s life is that he sits in bed for a long time, Miller explains in a mythological way: a kind, charitable deity should remain inactive throughout the winter, and only the honey drink of kalik passersby, that is, warm rain pouring from spring clouds , gives this deity miraculous power.

Alesha Popovich

Alyosha Popovich is closely connected with Ilya Muromets and Dobrynya Nikitich: he is in constant relationship with them. In addition, between Alyosha and Dobrynya there is a striking similarity not in characters, but in adventures and some other circumstances of their life, namely, the epics about the snake fight of Dobrynya and Alyosha are almost completely similar to each other.

Alyosha is distinguished not by strength, but by courage, prowess, onslaught, on the one hand, and resourcefulness, sharpness, cunning, on the other. Alyosha Popovich, in addition, is proud, arrogant, quarrelsome, perky and rude, in battle he is a whirlwind, cunning: he is, finally, a female mockingbird. His comrades-heroes from time to time express their censure and condemnation to him.

Andrei Ryabushkin. Alesha Popovich

In general, his image reflects a certain inconsistency and duality, although in military courage he is not inferior to any other hero. According to O. Miller, this is an expression of the dark property of a light mythical creature, for example, the sun, which sometimes harms people with its too scorching rays.

Nikitich

Dobrynya Nikitich has long been compared by many with the annalistic Dobrynya, Vladimir's uncle, and considered him a representative of the highest Russian society, a type of warrior prince.

He is the second most important hero after Ilya Muromets. His “middle” position explains the emphasis on the connecting function of this character: thanks to the efforts and talents of Dobrynya, the heroic trinity remains united even after Ilya Muromets and Alyosha Popovich are separated.

If in Ilya Muromets his peasant origin is emphasized, and in Alyosha Popovich - “priestly” (spiritual), then Dobrynya Nikitich is a warrior.

In a number of texts, he acts as a prince, his princely origin, his "princely" house and his squad are mentioned. Of all the heroes, he is closest to Prince Vladimir the Red Sun: sometimes he turns out to be his nephew, he often visits Vladimir and directly fulfills the prince's orders.

His "knowledge", knowledge of manners is constantly emphasized in epics, he sings and plays the harp, skillfully plays chess, defeating the invincible connoisseur of this game, the Tatar Khan, he emerges victorious in shooting. He is a prince, a rich man who received higher education, an excellent archer and wrestler, knows all the subtleties of etiquette, is reasonable in speeches, but he easily gets carried away and is not very persistent, in privacy he is a quiet and meek person.

Mikhailo Potok

Mikhail Potyk or Potok is brought closer to Dobrynya and Alyosha by the fact that he, like them, fights with a snake.

On a hunt, Potok meets a swan who turns into a girl - Avdotya White Lebed, Likhovidevna He marries her, and both give a vow: if someone dies first, then the survivor should be buried with the deceased, in the same grave.

Avdotya is dying. Potok, along with her body, is lowered into the grave, on horseback, fully armed and with a supply of food. The snake is in the grave. The stream kills him and revives his wife with the blood of the slain. After Potok's death, his wife is lowered into the grave with him.

According to other epics, the wife made Potok drunk and turned to stone, and she herself fled with Tsar Koshchei. The comrades (Ilya, Alyosha, etc.) save Potok and avenge him by killing Koshchei and quartering the unfaithful White Swan with their horses.

Mihailo Potok is a pure mythical creature: he is a thunder, and his wife, the White Swan, is a cloud, in winter they are both in the grave, and the living water, spring rain revives them.

Ivan Bilibin. Dobrynya Nikitich frees Zabava Putyaticna from the Serpent Gorynych

Ivan Gostiny son

In all likelihood, the local Chernigov hero. The bylina about Ivan falls into two plots: in the first, talking about buying a horse, Ivan is partly compared with Ilya Muromets. In the second story, Ivan is similar to Banovich Strakhinya, the hero of Serbian songs.

Hoten or Gorden Bludovich

This hero - Gorden Bludovich - acts only in one epic collection attributed to Kirsha Danilov. Usually the same hero bears the name Khoten, in different variations: Hotei, Khotin, Kotenya, Katenko, Fotepchik, etc.

This hero expressed the ancestral basis and Varangian character traits.

Nightingale Budimirovich

O. Miller brings him closer to the Nightingale the Robber on the basis of the whistle and cry emitted by both of them, he sees in both the sound power of great air phenomena with the only difference that one of them represents the harmful, terrible, and the other the beneficial side of one and the same phenomena.

Nightingale Budimirovich arrives on the Falcon-ship in Kiev to woo the niece of Prince Vladimir, Zabava Putyatichna, builds in her garden in one night three wonderfully decorated towers and these towers, and also by playing the harp seduces Zabava so much that she herself comes to him, they kiss , pardon and exchange gold rings. But Nightingale's mother persuades him, postponing the wedding, to go beyond the blue seas. During this trip, Zabava is deceived, and she agrees to marry David Popov, but Nightingale Budimirovich, who returned during the wedding feast, destroys Popov's plan, and Zabava goes for her real fiance.