The wives of three heroes are named. “Bogatyrs”: description of the painting

The painting of three heroes Vasnetsov painted this work in 1898; he worked on this truly original Russian painting masterpiece for about twenty years. Three heroes proudly stand on a hilly plain under the gloomy cloudy sky of their homeland; at any moment our heroes are ready to repel the enemy and defend their beloved homeland, Mother Rus'.

If today this picture of three heroes consists of two words, then Vasnetsov’s title of the picture was quite long, as the master himself intended: Bogatyrs Alyosha Popovich Ilya Muromets and Dobrynya Nikitich.

Ilya Muromets is a Russian epic hero, he is the strongest and wisest, sits on a black horse and peers into the distance in search of enemies. A heavy damask club hangs from his muscular arm, and in his other hand there is a sharp spear at the ready. To the left of Ilya Muromets, on a white horse, the hero Dobrynya Nikitich, being ready for battle, he menacingly takes out his heavy heroic sword.

Just the sight of these first two heroes may make the enemy flinch and turn back. To the right of Ilya Muromets, Alyosha Popovich sits on a red-golden horse; with his left hand he holds his well-aimed bow, the arrow of which no enemy has ever dodged. His strength lies in his cunning and ingenuity. In this Great Russian trinity, Alyosha never lets anyone get bored; during his leisure hours, he can joke intelligently, tell an interesting story, and play the harp.

The characters of the Three Heroes are conveyed by Vasnetsov truly indisputably; they reflect a majestic calm in which there is a spirit of a just cause, which no one is allowed to stop.

As is known from historical legends, the hero Ilya Muromets came from a peasant family that lived in the village of Karacharovo in the vicinity of the city of Murom or Muromlya, in the Vladimir province, another version says that Ilya Muromets was a native of the Chernigov region, but we will leave this to the judgment of historians. As a child, he was sick and immobilized, suffered from paralysis, prayed a lot for recovery, and was cured thanks to the elder healers.

The character of the hero is balanced and humble, deeply religious and of course fair. I never questioned my strength in front of my surroundings. In battles with enemies, he always won and had no defeats, and sent the defeated to four directions, so the fame of Ilya Muromets quickly spread among the people as a gallant hero with many positive qualities, respected by everyone, including his enemies.

Dobrynya Nikitich, according to historical data, was born in the city of Ryazan into a merchant family, in another scenario the son of the local Ryazan governor Nikita.. According to another version, during the time of Prince Vladimir the Red Sun there was a governor named Dobrynya, in fact he was the uncle of Prince Vladimir.

As expected in princely families, Dobrynya was an educated person. As a child, he was taught various literacy skills, creatively gifted, a master of chess, they say that he once beat the Tatar Khan himself in this game.

An excellent shooter, brave and courageous, not offended by his health, strong and dexterous, the first hero, he can take on risky tasks that others were simply afraid of. He competently waves a sword against his enemies, shoots accurately with a bow, and freely plays folk musical instruments such as the harp, pipe, etc. His character is fair and diplomatic.

According to well-known chronicles, Alyosha Popovich was born into a boyar family, named Alexander (Olesha) Popovich, and according to the other 2 versions, he was the son of a Rostov priest during the time of Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich or, less likely, he was generally from the Poltava province from the town Piryatin.

Compared to his colleagues Ilya Muromets and Dobrynya Nikitich, he is not so strong, he is lame in his leg, but he has other important character traits, he is cunning, and sometimes in battle you cannot do without this.

His savvy was highly valued in his squad; thanks to his remarkable intelligence, he seemed to get away with it. In life he is an intriguer and a Casanova, he plays the harp fervently. Despite the more fragile figure of Alyosha Popovich, according to epic legends he defeats Tugarin the Serpent.

The painting of the three heroes is the most significant in Vasnetsov’s work; in Russian painting, no artist went as deep as Vasnetsov, completely devoting himself to epic subjects. After finishing this work, the work with three heroes was bought by Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov and today the masterpiece is in the Tretyakov Gallery. The canvas size is not small, it is 295.3 by 446 cm

A little humor! This is not according to the assignment))) Click on the picture with the drawn heroes

Modern cool animated cartoon 3 Bogatyrs. The painting with heroes is popular at all times, if we say that in our time, to decorate our apartments, someone buys reproductions of the famous work of Vasnetsov, someone orders oil on canvas. Recently, they have begun to order friendly cartoons for inseparable and strong-willed friends, even in this animated form. Such a cool picture, perhaps in a rich frame, can amuse all your friends, isn’t it?

Since we are going to talk about epics, I’ll tell you a funny story from a time that can now be called epic. The height of perestroika, the last years of the Soviet Union. So to speak, the collapse of the empire. I had the opportunity to observe all these events from a place very suitable for observation. I then lived in Moscow in the dormitory for graduate students of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

I don’t know how it is now, but back then you could enroll in full-time graduate school until you were 35 years old. I was 33, almost the age limit, and therefore I, chuckling, called myself “the grandfather of Russian graduate school.” And, indeed, I was much older than all the guys who lived in the Stalinist building on Vavilova Street.

And these boys and girls came to Moscow from all over the Union. As it was sung in one glorious song (also a Stalinist batch), from the southern mountains to the northern seas. Tajikistan, Moldova, Lithuania, Kalmykia, Buryatia - then it was one country. Even - by God, I’m not lying! - Ukraine was not listed abroad at all.

But the friendship of peoples, glorified in glorious Soviet songs, was already beginning to burst at the seams. When young representatives of the union (still!) republics gathered to have a drink at a common table, every now and then conversations broke out about how nice it would be if these republics lived separately. For some reason, everyone forgot the many times proven truth: you have to pay for freedom. Few of the young intellectuals thought about payment.

Representatives of Russia expressed similar thoughts. Their logic was no less simple and straightforward. Why feed the outskirts? There is no benefit from them. If we leave this money in Russia, wow, we’ll live a wonderful life!

This eternal conversation was resumed during another drinking session. If I’m not mistaken, this drinking session took place on the eve of November 7, which was then considered the main holiday of the country. Whatever you say, the interethnic clashes on the day of the anniversary of the proletarian revolution looked surreal.

The intensity of the argument grew, and if we take into account the degree of drink, the verbal bickering could easily turn into a fight. Therefore, having improved the moment, I asked the boy, a graduate student from the Institute of History of the USSR:

Do you remember Vasnetsov’s painting “Three Heroes”?

Of course I remember.

Well, then tell me, which of the heroes depicted in the picture is Russian?

All! - The boy answered without thinking for a second. This showed the degree of his professionalism and knowledge of the subject. Because there was no need to talk about any Russian nation during the time of Prince Vladimir the Red Sun. At that time, such a concept as a “nation” could not be found in the whole world.

The fact that my friend was not very knowledgeable on the subject inspired me to carry out a minor provocation.

There are no Russians there! - I said with a serious look.

How is this possible, no? - All attention was now turned to me.

But it’s not like that. Let's start by seniority. Who is in the picture in the center, on a black horse?

Ilya Muromets! - Someone remembered.

Khazar warrior in the service of the Kyiv prince. That is, a Jew. In some epics he is called Zhidovin. And his name was most likely Eliyahu.

Why is he a Muromets then? Did Jews live in Murom?

At that time, the Finno-Ugric tribe Murom lived in Murom. And these places were quite far from Kyiv. Jump for three days and you won’t be able to finish it. So it’s unlikely that Ilya Muromets was from this Murom.

The news that Ilya Muromets is a Jew attracted everyone's attention and now everyone at the table listened with interest to my lies.

So, now Dobrynya Nikitich. In the picture he is depicted on the right hand of Ilya, sitting on a white horse. By the way, the artist chose the color of the horses for a reason. This is a hint at, so to speak, the horseman's suit. You can’t see what kind of hair the hero has tucked under his helmet. And Ilya Muromets, as the eldest, has already turned quite grey. But the horses of the heroes seem to suggest: Ilya is dark-haired, Dobrynya is blond, and his beard in the picture, as expected, is reddish. And in one of the epics, where he fought with his future wife, Nastasya Mikulichna, it directly says how she grabbed Dobrynya by the yellow curls in a duel. Well, Alyosha Popovich, accordingly, is a shameless redhead.

Why shameless?

Now we'll get to it. So, Dobrynya is a name known from the chronicles. Novgorod voivode, uncle of Prince Vladimir. Novgorod was baptized, as the famous Russian proverb says, with the sword. What nation were the princes in Rus'? It is known which one, the Varangians. Normans. The Germans, that is. Not even the Germans, perhaps, but the Swedes. But certainly not from the local population.

Well, and now, as promised, the youngest Alyosha Popovich. Well, here the surname, or rather, the patronymic, speaks for itself. Popovich, that is, the son of a priest. If we consider that the action of the epics takes place during the time of Prince Vladimir, that is, at the baptism of Rus', local clergy had not yet been trained. This means that the priests were Greeks invited from Byzantium. So, who is Alyosha Popovich?

Right. His behavior confirms this. He always takes not so much by force as by cunning. The Greeks throughout what was then Europe were famous for precisely this quality. Well, and also a kind of morality. It was Alyosha Popovich who tried to cuckold Dobrynya Nikitich and marry his wife, Nastasya Mikulichna.

So in Vasnetsov’s painting we depict three heroes, but they are unlikely to be Russian.

My story made an impression. The main thing is that he moved the conversation to a more peaceful track. When the music started playing and the dancing began, my friend, also a humanist, but not a historian, but an archaeologist, said to me quietly:

Well, you are 3.14 sick!

I hope no one seriously believed me.

Well, now, let's try to understand this issue more seriously.

Bylinas are Russian heroic folklore. Why Russian? After all, I just said that in those days the Russian nation did not exist. Yes, during the times of Ancient Rus', that is, in the 9th - 13th centuries, there was neither a Russian nation nor a Russian language. But the epics were composed much later, and were generally recorded in the 18th - 19th centuries. And they sang epics in Russian. Perhaps the language is archaic for our ears, but still quite understandable and does not require translation.

They were, indeed, sung in a kind of recitative. And although sometimes epics were also called “old times,” that is, stories about the affairs of days long past, these songs themselves did not pretend to be documentary. These were obvious myths, that is, works of art.

It is precisely as works of art that epics should be considered, despite the fact that historical characters sometimes act in them. Therefore, guided by the behest of the great A.S. Pushkin, we will judge the epics according to the laws that they themselves recognized over themselves. That is, we will try to extract information about the three heroes from the text of the epics itself.

Those who are concerned about the accidental Jewishness of Ilya Muromets should immediately be reassured. Ilya Muromets is not a Khazar warrior in the service of the Kyiv prince. Although, according to the customs of that time, it is not surprising that a Khazar warrior (an ethnic Turk, a Jew by faith) could join the squad of the Kyiv prince. It was just a matter of money. We are not surprised that a black athlete whose native language, for example, is Portuguese, plays for the team of a Russian football club, and he himself goes to pray in a Catholic cathedral before the match. Prince Vladimir was not too worried about this either. So the Khazars sat at his table too. By the way, judging by Pushkin’s poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila”, one of the applicants, Ratmir, is a Khazar warrior. Despite its Slavic name. And yes, the word “hero” itself goes back to the Khazar “hero”.

But still, the biography of the main character of the epics is perhaps the most confusing. There are reminiscences with biblical texts here. After all, Ilya Muromets began his life and his exploits virtually from the age when Christ ended his earthly life. And in some texts of the Kalika epics, the passersby turn out to be Christ and the two apostles, healing the sufferer. Such similarities should not be surprising. This happens in epics. For example, the episode with the merchant Sadko on the ship is very reminiscent of what happened on the ship with the prophet Jonah.

The fact that Ilya Muromets is not from Murom, hidden among the northeastern forests and swamps, is an almost proven statement. And even more so, he is not from the village of Karacharova, which has long been part of Moscow. Moreover, the Turkic component is clearly audible in the toponym Karacharovo. According to the research of some philologists, the birthplace of the epic hero is the city of Karachev in the Chernigov principality. Nearby is the city of Moroviysk, after which the hero was supposed to call himself Morovlin. Does it look like “Muromets”? Experts tend to think: yes, it seems.

Another prototype of Ilya Muromets is considered to be the monk Ilya of Pechersk, buried in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. As a monk, he bore the name of Ilya Muromets. An examination of his relics showed that this Ilya was a very strong man, 177 centimeters tall. For the 12th century, when he lived, this was very tall. Tellingly, this Ilya Muromets was found to have a spinal disease and traces of numerous wounds. This man died at approximately the age of 50. And he was originally from somewhere near Chernigov.

By the way, this saint Ilya Muromets is the patron saint of Russian troops. In his name he takes care of the strategic missile forces, as well as border troops. This may fill some with pride. It's funny to me. For some reason, I remember Buddhist Thailand, which also reveres many Indian gods. So, the Ministry of Education there is looked after by the wise god Ganesha, the son of the six-armed Shiva himself, to whom his father, of necessity, attached the head of an elephant to the human body. From which Ganesha became not only strong, but also handsome. But the symbol of the country’s air force is Garuda, the serpent-fighting war bird of the god Vishnu.

There is an epic about the battle of Ilya Muromets with the Khazar Zhidovin in the corpus of epics. There is also an option in which Zhidovin turns out to be the son of Ilya. But in epics, under similar circumstances, another son of Ilya Muromets is mentioned, unknown to him (which is a fairly common thing for men). That son's name is Sokolnik.

In general, as was said, the most mysterious of the famous epic characters is Ilya Muromets.

Dobrynya Nikitich is slightly less popular compared to Ilya. And, I must say, his biography is drawn much more clearly from the epics. He is a mercenary hero under Prince Vladimir and his relative. Dobrynya is not as strong as Ilya Muromets, but he also has plenty of strength and courage. In addition, he is smart and educated enough to carry out various diplomatic assignments of the prince. Note that he is smart, and not cunning, like Alyosha Popovich. His wife is Nastasya, the daughter of Mikula Selyaninovich, who in other cases was stronger than Ilya Muromets. So Dobrynya’s family life is in complete order.

The prototype of Nikitich's Dobrynya, indeed, is the same Dobrynya, Vladimir's uncle, who is remembered with an unkind word in the chronicle for the accursed baptism of Novgorod with fire and sword.

The third hero, Alyosha Popovich, is, in fact, the priest’s son. His father is the Rostov priest Levontius (in some epics, Fedor). So everything I said about him is probably not slander. Indeed, the Greek is indeed cunning, indeed, not always picky about his means. Yes, a knight, but a knight with both fear and reproach. But this is the law of the genre. Not all heroes of an epic can be strong or smart. Someone should be weak and cunning, which will arouse both indignation and sympathy among listeners. And yes, the name of the third of the heroes is quite appropriate. "Alexey" - Greek for "protector"

Notes on the text.

1. Don’t know who the Varangians are? Read the article

Who among us has not heard about the most glorious epic heroes: Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich. Which boy hasn't dreamed of being like them? And there is definitely no one who has not seen the painting “Three Heroes” by the artist Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov - its reproduction was not only published in several school textbooks.

So who are they, the epic heroes?

In his life, Ilya not only fought gloriously, but also became a monk, and was even canonized by the Church, which testifies to the outstanding contribution of the hero in the formation and strengthening of the Orthodox faith. The incorrupt relics of St. Ilya of Muromets are kept in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra; parts of the relics were transferred at different times to various Orthodox churches in Russia and Ukraine. Repeatedly, the relics of St. Ilya Muromets were examined by medical commissions, the last one was organized by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine in 1988. Scientists equipped with advanced equipment of that time found that Ilya, as the epic tells, was bedridden until he was about thirty years old, the cause of which was a spinal disease. By the way, it is for the recovery of those suffering from paralysis that one should pray to the Monk Ilya of Muromets. The same study established for certain the cause of Ilya’s death - he died from a spear blow to the heart - the spear also pierced the hero’s left hand. The very fact of such a death was assumed back in the nineteenth century, but research in the 1960s cast doubt on this version: as if the monks pierced the corpse with a spear after the death of the hero.

He was a large man with well-developed bones and muscles. Ilya was 182 centimeters tall, despite the fact that the average height of adults at that time was no more than 160 centimeters. For the people of that time, Ilya Muromets looked approximately the same as for us the famous strongmen Vasily Virastyuk or Alexey Koklyaev, and these guys were able to move a loaded truck or a medium plane.

It is known that he was the brother of Malusha, the mother of Prince Vladimir the Great, the patron of Rus'.

During his life, Dobrynya changed many “professions”: he was also a “yard” boy in Princess Olga’s mansion, where he often had to do the most menial work; was a gridnem - an elite warrior of the princely squad of Svyatoslav; “nanny”, educator and teacher of his young nephew Prince Vladimir, and when he became a prince, he was his regent and first adviser; in the tough and often bloody political struggle of that time, he headed the “Slavic” party, which opposed the “Varangian” party led by governor Sveneld.

The birthplace of Dobrynya is considered to be the capital of the Drevlyans - the city of Iskorosten (now Korosten, Zhitomir region). After the burning of the city by the army of Princess Olga, the captive 10-year-old Dobrynya was brought to the tower of the Kyiv princess, where he and his sister lived as palace servants. The prince experienced a lot of humiliation from low people with whom he suddenly found himself in the same position.

The princely carpenter made a wooden sword for the boy, and Dobrynya practiced martial arts in the evenings, and even at night, on the banks of the Dnieper.

When Dobrynya grew up, Kyiv's policy towards the outskirts of Rus' became softer, the attitude towards Dobrynya and his sister also changed, the future hero was assigned to the princely squad. The centurion of the Varangian mercenaries, an experienced and skilled warrior, decided to test the newcomer. Imagine the surprise of the warriors when Dobrynya knocked the Varangian’s sword out of his hands with his own technique!

After the birth of Vladimir, Dobrynya was assigned to be his teacher. The experienced warrior had to master pedagogical wisdom. The role of Dobrynya in the fate of Vladimir the Great does not end there. It was he who persuaded the ambassadors from Novgorod to ask Vladimir to be prince; it was he who, in fact, served as his regent in Novgorod itself, quickly gaining authority among the townspeople. The active Dobrynya rallied opponents of Varangian rule from all the lands of Rus'. The “Slavic” party soon managed, often in battles, to win primacy in the important lands of Rus': Novgorod, Drevlyan, Pskov; it was on it that Vladimir relied, having obtained the princely table in Kyiv.

Dobrynya also played a significant role in the baptism of Rus' by Vladimir the Great. He not only took part in the decision to accept Christianity from Byzantium, but also actively converted his “fellow citizens” to the new faith.

Dobrynya was married to a warrior woman named Nastasya. It is interesting that the future wife once defeated Dobrynya in a kind of “sparring”, just as Dobrynya himself once defeated the Varangian centurion.

It is known that he was one of the best, and perhaps the best, Russian knight of his time. Alyosha won not so much by strength as by skill and ingenuity. He enjoyed authority among the army. He served in the squads of the princes of Rostov and Kyiv. He lived at the beginning of the tragic 13th century in the history of Rus'. Born in Rostov. He died heroically in 1223 in the battle on the Kalka River.

The names of the first three most famous ancient knights are still on everyone’s lips – Ilya Muromets, Alyosha Popovich and Dobrynya Nikitich. We remembered what exactly they did to deserve their status, and what other main Russian heroes were

Where did the heroes come from?

For the first time, Russian epics were recorded by famous scientists of the 19th century P. N. Rybnikov (a four-volume book with 200 epic texts) and A. F. Hilferding (318 epics). And before this, legends were passed on orally - from grandfathers to grandchildren, and, depending on the grandfather, with a variety of additions and details. “Modern science about heroes” divides them into two groups: “senior” and “junior”.

“Elders” are older, ancient, date back to the pre-Christian period, sometimes they are supernatural creatures, werewolves with incredible strength. “It may have happened or it may not have happened,” this is just about them. Tales about them passed from mouth to mouth, and many historians generally consider them to be myths or ancient Slavic deities.

The so-called “younger heroes” already have a completely human image, they have great, but no longer titanic, not elemental strength, and almost all live during the time of Prince Vladimir (980-1015). Much has been preserved in historical chronicles indicating that the events that turned into epics actually took place. The heroes stood guard over Rus' and were its super-heroes.

The main representatives of epic super-heroism in the following order.

1. Svyatogor. Bogatyr-Gora

The terrible giant, the Elder Hero the size of a mountain, whom even the earth cannot support, lies on the mountain in inaction. The epics tell of his meeting with earthly cravings and death in a magical grave. Many features of the biblical hero Samson were transferred to Svyatogor. It is difficult to determine exactly the ancient origin of Svyatogor. In the legends of the people, the ancient warrior transfers his strength to Ilya Muromets, the hero of the Christian age.

2. Mikula Selyaninovich. Bogatyr-Plow

Found in two epics: about Svyatogor and about Volga Svyatoslavich. Mikula takes it not even with strength, but with endurance. He is the first representative of agricultural life, a powerful peasant plowman. Its terrible power and comparison with Svyatogor indicate that this image was formed under the influence of myths about titanic creatures, who were probably the personification of the earth or the patron god of agriculture. But Mikula Selyaninovich himself no longer represents the element of the earth, but the idea of ​​a settled agricultural life, into which he invests his enormous strength.

3. Ilya Muromets. The hero and the man

The main defender of the Russian land, has all the features of a real historical character, but all his adventures are still compared to myth. Ilya has been sitting for thirty years; receives strength from the hero Svyatogor, performs the first peasant work, goes to Kyiv, captures Nightingale the Robber on the way, liberates Chernigov from the Tatars. And then - Kyiv, the heroic outpost with the “crusader brothers”, battles with Polenitsa, Sokolnik, Zhidovin; bad relations with Vladimir, Tatar attacks on Kyiv, Kalin, Idolishche; battle with the Tatars, three “trips” of Ilya Muromets. Not all aspects have been equally developed in the literature: relatively many studies have been devoted to some campaigns, while almost no one has yet studied others in detail. The physical strength of the hero is accompanied by moral strength: calmness, perseverance, simplicity, silverlessness, fatherly care, restraint, complacency, modesty, independence of character. Over time, the religious side began to take over in his characterization, so that finally he became a holy man. After a completely successful military career and, apparently, as a result of a serious wound, Ilya decides to end his days as a monk and takes monastic vows at the Theodosius Monastery (now the Kiev Pechersk Lavra). It should be noted that this is a very traditional step for an Orthodox warrior - to exchange the iron sword for the spiritual sword and spend his days fighting not for earthly blessings, but for heavenly ones.

The relics of St. 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 head and shoulders taller than a man of average height. The relics of the monk no less clearly testify to his vivid military biography - in addition to a deep round wound on his left arm, the same significant damage can be seen in the left chest area. It seems that the hero covered his chest with his hand, and it was nailed to his heart by a spear blow.

4. Dobrynya Nikitich. Bogatyr-Lionheart

Compares with the chronicle Dobrynya, the uncle of Prince Vladimir (according to another version, nephew). His name personifies the essence of the “heroic kindness.” Dobrynya has the nickname “young”, with enormous physical strength “he wouldn’t hurt a fly”, he is the protector of “widows and orphans, unfortunate wives”. Dobrynya is also “an artist at heart: a master of singing and playing the harp.” He is a representative of high Russian society, such as a prince-commander. He is a prince, a rich man who has received a higher education, an archer and an excellent fighter, he knows all the subtleties of etiquette, he is intelligent in his speeches, but he is easily carried away and is not very persistent; in private life he is a quiet and meek person.

5. Alyosha Popovich. Bogatyr - Robin

He is closely connected with Ilya Muromets and Dobrynya Nikitich: he is in constant relations with them. He is, as it were, the “youngest of the younger” heroes, and therefore his set of qualities is not so “Superman”. He is not even a stranger to vice: cunning, selfishness, greed. That is, on the one hand, he is distinguished by courage, but on the other hand, he is proud, arrogant, abusive, perky and rude. In battle he is nimble, cunning, daring, but in the end, by the later development of the epic, Alyosha turns out to be a woman's mockingbird, a malicious slanderer of female honor and an unlucky ladies' man. It is difficult to understand how the hero survived such degeneration; perhaps it was all due to a natural trait - boastfulness.

6. Mikhail Potyk - Bogatyr Like A Rolling Stone

He fights with the allegorical serpent of evil, according to the Bible, a reflection of the primordial enemy of man, “who took on the form of a serpent, became hostile between the first husband and the first wife, seduced the first wife and led the first people into temptation.” Mikhail Potyk is a representative of the zemstvo service force, he is a fidget, perhaps his name originally sounded like Potok, which meant “wandering, nomadic.” He is the ideal of a nomad..

7.Churila Plenkovich - Visiting Bogatyr

In addition to the old and new heroes, there is a separate group of visiting daredevils. Surovets Suzdalets, Duke Stepanovich, Churila Plenkovich are just from this series. The nicknames of these heroes are a direct reference to their native area. In ancient times, Crimea was called Surozh or Sugdaya, so the hero who came from there was called Surovets or Suzdal. Churilo Plenkovich also came from Surozh, whose name is “deciphered” as Cyril, the son of Plenk, Frank, Frank, that is, the Italian merchant of Sourozh (with this name Felenk, Ferenk the Turks and Tatars designated the Genoese in the Crimea). Churila is the personification of youth, audacity and wealth. His fame preceded him - he arranged his acquaintance with Prince Vladimir as follows: he instilled fear in the boyars and nobles, intrigued the prince with his audacity and daring, invited him to the estate - and... modestly agreed to serve the prince. However, he became a hostage to his insolence - he fell in love with the young wife of an old boyar. The old boyar returned home - he cut off Churila’s head, and his young wife threw herself onto a sharp pitchfork with her breasts.

Bogatyrs are the epic defenders of the Russian Land, “superheroes” of the Russian people for many centuries.

Let's remember the main ones.

1. Ilya Muromets. Holy hero

Ilya Muromets is canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church; he is the main Russian hero.

Ilya Muromets is the main character not only of Russian epics, but also, for example, of German epic poems of the 13th century.

In them he is also called Ilya, he is also a hero, yearning for his homeland. Ilya Muromets also appears in the Scandinavian sagas, in them he is, no less, the blood brother of Prince Vladimir.

2. Bova Korolevich. Lubok hero

Bova Korolevich was the most popular hero among the people for a long time. Popular folk tales about the “precious hero” were published in hundreds of editions from the 18th to the 20th centuries. Pushkin wrote “The Tale of Tsar Saltan”, partially borrowing the plot and names of the heroes of the fairy tales about the Boy Korolevich, which his nanny read to him. Moreover, he even made sketches of the poem “Bova,” but death would prevent him from finishing the work.

The prototype of this knight was the French knight Bovo de Anton from the famous chronicle poem Reali di Francia, written in the 14th century. In this respect, Bova is a completely unique hero - a visiting hero.

3. Alyosha Popovich. Junior

“The youngest of the younger” heroes, and therefore his set of qualities is not so “Superman”. He is not even a stranger to vice: cunning, selfishness, greed. That is, on the one hand, he is distinguished by courage, but on the other hand, he is proud, arrogant, abusive, perky and rude.

4. Svyatogor. Mega-hero

Mega-hero. But a hero of the “old world.” The giant, the elder hero the size of a mountain, whom even the earth cannot support, lies on the mountain in inaction. The epics tell of his meeting with earthly cravings and death in a magical grave.

Many features of the biblical hero Samson were transferred to Svyatogor. It is difficult to determine exactly its ancient origins. In the legends of the people, the veteran hero transfers his strength to Ilya Muromets, the hero of the Christian century.

5. Dobrynya Nikitich. A well-connected hero

Dobrynya Nikitich is often correlated with the chronicle Dobrynya, the uncle of Prince Vladimir (according to another version, nephew). His name personifies the essence of “heroic kindness.” Dobrynya has the nickname “young”, with enormous physical strength “he wouldn’t hurt a fly”, he is the protector of “widows and orphans, unfortunate wives.” Dobrynya is also “an artist at heart: a master of singing and playing the harp.”

6. Duke Stepanovich. Bogatyr Major

Duke Stepanovich comes to Kyiv from conventional India, behind which, according to folklorists, in this case the Galician-Volyn land is hidden, and organizes a marathon of boasting in Kyiv, undergoes tests from the prince, and continues to boast. As a result, Vladimir finds out that Duke is indeed very rich and offers him citizenship. But Duke refuses, because “if you sell Kyiv and Chernigov and buy paper for an inventory of Dyukov’s wealth, there won’t be enough paper.”

7. Mikula Selyaninovich. Bogatyr Plowman

Mikula Selyaninovich is a bogatyr agrarian. Found in two epics: about Svyatogor and about Volga Svyatoslavich. Mikula is the first representative of agricultural life, a powerful peasant plowman.
He is strong and resilient, but homely. He puts all his strength into farming and family.

8. Volga Svyatoslavovich. Bogatyr magician

Supporters of the “historical school” in the study of epics believe that the prototype of the epic Volga was Prince Vseslav of Polotsk. Volga was also correlated with the Prophetic Oleg, and his campaign in India with Oleg’s campaign against Constantinople. Volga is a difficult hero; he has the ability to become a werewolf and can understand the language of animals and birds.

9. Sukhman Odikhmantievich. Insulted hero

According to Vsevolod Miller, the prototype of the hero was the Pskov prince Dovmont, who ruled from 1266 to 1299.

In the epic of the Kyiv cycle, Sukhman goes to get a white swan for Prince Vladimir, but on the way he comes into conflict with the Tatar horde, who are building Kalinov bridges on the Nepra River. Sukhman defeats the Tatars, but in the battle he receives wounds, which he covers with leaves. Returning to Kyiv without the white swan, he tells the prince about the battle, but the prince does not believe him and imprisons Sukhman in prison until clarification. Dobrynya goes to Nepra and finds out that Sukhman did not lie. But it's too late. Sukhman feels disgraced, peels off the leaves and bleeds. The Sukhman River begins from his blood.

10. Danube Ivanovich. Tragic hero

According to epics about the Danube, it was from the blood of the hero that the river of the same name began. The Danube is a tragic hero. He loses to his wife Nastasya in an archery competition, accidentally hits her while trying to get even, finds out that Nastasya was pregnant and stumbles upon a saber.

11. Mikhailo Potyk. Faithful husband

Folklorists disagree on who should be associated with Mikhailo Potyk (or Potok). The roots of his image are found in the Bulgarian heroic epic, and in Western European fairy tales, and even in the Mongolian epic “Geser”.
According to one of the epics, Potok and his wife Avdotya Lebed Belaya make a vow that whichever of them dies first, the second one will be buried alive next to him in the grave. When Avdotya dies, Potok is buried nearby in full armor and on horseback, fights the dragon and revives his wife with his blood. When he himself dies, Avdotya is buried with him.

12. Khoten Bludovich. Bogatyr-groom

The hero Khoten Bludovich, for the sake of his wedding with the enviable bride Chaina Chasovaya, first beats her nine brothers, then an entire army hired by his future mother-in-law. As a result, the hero receives a rich dowry and appears in the epic as the hero “who married well.”

13. Vasily Buslaev. Zealous hero

The most daring hero of the Novgorod epic cycle. His unbridled temper leads to conflict with the Novgorodians and he desperately rages, bets that he will beat all the Novgorod men on the Volkhov Bridge and almost fulfills his promise - until his mother stops him.

In another epic, he is already mature and goes to Jerusalem to atone for his sins. But Buslaev is incorrigible - he again takes up his old ways and dies absurdly, proving his youth.

14. Anika warrior. Bogatyr in words

Anika warrior is still called today a person who likes to show off his strength far from danger. Unusual for a Russian epic hero, the name of the hero was most likely taken from the Byzantine legend about the hero Digenis, who is mentioned there with a constant epithet anikitos.

Anika the warrior in the verse boasts of strength and offends the weak, death itself shames him for this, Anika challenges her and dies.

15. Nikita Kozhemyaka. Wyrm Fighter

Nikita Kozhemyaka in Russian fairy tales is one of the main characters-snake fighters. Before entering into battle with the Serpent, he tears 12 skins, thereby proving his legendary strength. Kozhemyaka not only defeats the Snake, but also harnesses him to a plow and plows the land from Kyiv to the Black Sea. The defensive ramparts near Kiev got their name (Zmievs) precisely because of the actions of Nikita Kozhemyaka.