Russian heroes are not just a story. They reflect the essence of the Russian person, his attitude to the Motherland. Ilya Muromets, Alyosha Popovich, Gorynya, Dobrynya Nikitich and many others devoted their lives to serving Russia. They fought countless enemies of our people, guarding and protecting ordinary people. The exploits of Russian heroes will forever remain in memory - in the form of epics, songs and legends, as well as other epic composed by eyewitnesses of those events. It is they who make us proud of our people and the land that has raised such giants.
History of heroes in Russia
Probably, each of us at school or on TV heard stories about powerful and invincible heroes. Their exploits inspire, inspire hope and make them proud of their own people, their strength, dedication and wisdom.
Many historians divide Russian heroes into older and younger ones. If you follow the epic and epics, then you can clearly draw the line between the Old Slavonic demigods and already Christian heroes. Russian ancient heroes are the all-powerful Svyatogor,the mighty Verni Gora, Mikula Selyaninovich, Danube and others.
They are distinguished by their unbridled natural power. These heroes are the personification of the deified forces of nature and its invincibility. In later sources, they are given a somewhat negative connotation. They become heroes who cannot and do not want to use their own power for good. Most often, these are just destroyers, showing off their power in front of other heroes and ordinary people.
This was done in order to push people towards a new world - the Christian one. Heroes-destroyers are being replaced by heroes-creators, defenders of the Russian Orthodox land. These are Dobrynya Nikitich, Nikita Kozhemyaka, Peresvet and many, many others. It is impossible not to recall the exploits of the Russian hero Ilya Muromets. This is a favorite image for many writers and artists. Having recovered from a serious illness, the knight went to defend his own land, and then retired to the monks.
The most famous Russian heroes and their exploits
Our history contains many famous names. Probably everyone knows the phrase: "And glorious, but also strong heroes in the Russian land." Although our people for the most part are not warlike, they prefer to work on the ground, but powerful heroes and defenders of the Fatherland have come out of their midst since ancient times. These are Svyatogor, Mikula Selyaninovich, Dunay Ivanovich, Peresvet, Sadko and many, many others. These heroes shed their own blood for their native land and defended civilians in the most troubled times.
It was about them that epics and songs were formed. At the same time, over time, they many timescorresponded. They added new and new facts and details. Even the character of the characters has undergone significant changes.
The adoption of Christianity in Russia especially influenced this process. This divided our history, led to the denial and condemnation of everything old. Therefore, in the images of more ancient heroes, one can now see negative features. We are talking about Svyatogor, Peresvet, Danube Ivanovich.
They were replaced by the heroes of a new generation. And almost all of them served the princes, not the people. The most famous heroes of the Russian land are Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich. They were praised in songs and epics. They are depicted in the famous painting by Vasnetsov. It is they who are most known to children, thanks to numerous cartoons and fairy tales. What did they do? And why are they always depicted together?
According to the assurances of many historians, these three most famous Russian heroes never met. According to some reports, Dobrynya lived in the 15th century, Ilya in the 12th, and Alyosha, the youngest of the heroes, in the 13th century.
Viktor Mikhailovich portrayed them all together as a symbol of the invincibility and invincibility of the Russian people. The exploits of 3 heroes were accomplished at different times, but historians agree that most of them are quite real. For example, the same Nightingale the Robber, the war with the Pechenegs, the Tatar prince Tugarin actually took place. So, it is logical to assume that great deeds were also committed.
Alyosha Popovich and his exploits
In Vasnetsov's painting thisthe young man is depicted with a bow and arrows, and near the saddle you can see the harp, which speaks of his cheerful disposition. Sometimes he is reckless, like any young guy, and sometimes cunning and wise, like a seasoned warrior. Like many heroes of the Russian land, this is rather a collective image. But this character also has a real prototype.
According to some reports, this is the son of the Rostov Orthodox priest Leonty. But residents of the Poltava region (Ukraine) also consider him a countryman. Local legends say that he often visited the local fairs and helped people.
According to another version, this is the famous Rostov hero Alexander. He lived in the 12th-13th century and was a prominent historical figure. Often his image is intertwined with another, no less prominent character of the epics, Volga Svyatoslavich.
The glorious deeds of Russian heroes would be incomplete without stories about how Alyosha met Tugarin himself in battle. This Polovtsian khan is the real historical face of the Tugorkans. And in some epics Alyosha Popovich fought with him several times. Also, this hero earned fame in numerous internecine wars of that time. And he died in the famous battle of Kalka (1223).
Ilya Muromets
This is perhaps the most famous and revered hero in Russia. He embodies all the positive features of the epic hero. There is very little confirmed information about him, but it is reliably known that he was canonized as a Russian saint.
Childhood and youth, this man spent almost no movement, as he suffered from a serious paralytic disease. Howeverat the age of 30, Elijah was healed and fully on his feet. This fact was confirmed by many serious scientists who studied the remains of the saint. Therefore, the exploits of the Russian hero Ilya Muromets begin at a fairly mature age.
This character has become best known to all adults and children thanks to the epic that tells about his battle with the Nightingale the Robber. This criminal controlled one of the main routes to Kyiv, the capital of ancient Russia. Prince Mstislav, who ruled at that time, instructed the combatant Ilya Muromets to accompany the next trade convoy. Having met with the robber, the hero defeated him and cleared the road. This fact is documented.
Besides this, other victories of the Russian hero Ilya Muromets are also known. Epics tell about the battle of the knight with the Idolish Pogany. So, perhaps, they called the nomad rapist. There is also a story about the struggle with Baba Gorynka and his own son.
In his declining years, Ilya, having been seriously wounded and tired of such military life, retired to the monastery. But even there he could not find peace. Researchers note that the hero-monk died in battle at the age of 40-55.
Great Svyatogor
This is one of the most famous and mysterious heroes. Even the victories of the Russian hero Ilya Muromets fade before his glory. His name fully corresponds to his appearance. He is usually portrayed as a mighty giant.
It can be said that there are few reliable epics about this hero. And they are all associated with death. However, Svyatogor says goodbye tolife not in an unequal battle with numerous enemies, but in a dispute with an irresistible and unknown force.
One of the legends says that the bogatyr found a “bag of change”. The hero tried to move it, but died without moving the thing from its place. As it turned out, this bag contained all the "heaviness of the earth."
Another legend tells about the journey of Svyatogor with Ilya Muromets. Here the change of "generations" of heroes is shown. One day, friends find an empty coffin. The prophecy on it read: who is destined by fate, he will lie in it. Elijah, he was great. And when Svyatogor lay down in the coffin, he was covered with a lid, and he could not escape. Despite all the power of the giant, the tree did not succumb to him. The main feat of Svyatogor the hero is that he transferred all his strength to Ilya Muromets.
Dobrynya Nikitich
This hero, depicted together with Ilya Muromets and Alyosha Popovich, is one of the most revered and famous in Russia. In almost all epics, he is inextricably linked with Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich. At the same time, there is an opinion that the latter is his own uncle. In history, Dobrynya is a prominent statesman, whose advice many nobles listened to.
However, in epics it is rather a collective image, which has the features of a mighty Russian knight. The exploits of the hero Dobrynya Nikitich are in the fight against numerous enemy troops. But his main act is the battle with the Serpent Gorynych. The famous painting by Vasnetsov depicts the battle of the defender of the Russian land with7-headed dragon, however, the plot was based on a real basis. "Serpent" used to be called the enemy. And the nickname "Gorynych" indicates its origin or habitat - the mountains.
There were also legends about how Dobrynya found his wife. Historians note that she was a foreigner. Nastasya Nikulichna (in other versions - Mikulishna) had good physical data. They began to measure their strength, and after the victory of the knight, the girl became his wife.
Like all the exploits of epic heroes, the activities of Dobrynya Nikitich are connected with serving the Prince and the People. That is why they set him up as an example, compose fairy tales, songs and epics, drawing him as a hero and liberator.
Volkh Vseslavievich: prince magician
This hero is more known as a sorcerer and a werewolf. He was the prince of Kyiv. And the legends about him are like a fairy tale. Even the birth of the Magus is shrouded in mysticism. They say that his mother conceived him from Veles, who appeared to her in the form of an ordinary snake. The birth of the hero was accompanied by thunder and lightning. His childhood toys were a golden helmet and a damask club.
Like many Russian folk heroes, he often spent time with his retinue. They say that at night he turned into a wild wolf and got food for the warriors in the forest.
The most famous legend about the Magus Vseslavievich is the story of the victory over the Indian king. Once the hero heard that evil was being plotted against his homeland. He used sorcery and defeated a foreign army.
The real prototype of this hero is the princeVseslav Polotsky. He was also considered a sorcerer and a werewolf, he also took cities by cunning and ruthlessly killed the inhabitants. And the snake played an important role in the life of the prince.
Historical facts and legends mixed into one. And the feat of Volkhv Vseslavievich began to be praised in epics, like other glorious feats of Russian heroes.
Mikula Selyaninovich is a simple peasant
This hero is one of the representatives of the most ancient Slavic heroes. His image is a reflection of the legends about the plowman god, the protector and patron of the Russian land and peasants. It was he who gave us the opportunity to cultivate the fields and enjoy the gifts of nature. He drove out the Destroyer Giants.
According to legend, the hero lived on the Drevlyane land. Unlike other ancient knights who came from princes, Mikula Selyaninovich represented the class of peasants. He devoted his whole life to working in the field. Whereas other heroes-defenders of the Russian land fought with a sword in their hands. This has its own meaning, because all the benefits of the state and people come precisely from hard and daily work.
The most famous works that describe the character and life of Mikula Selyaninovich are epics about Volga and Mikula, as well as about Svyatogor.
For example, in the story of the werewolf prince, the bogatyr enters the service of a squad assembled to resist the Varangian invasion. But before that, he chuckles at Volga and his warriors: they can't even pull out his plow stuck in the ground.
The exploits of Russian heroes have always been sung by the people. But you can also meet the disdain for the heroes who,having great power, they cannot properly use it. An example of such an attitude is the epic Svyatogor and Mikula Selyaninovich. Two principles are opposed here - creative and destructive.
Svyatogor wanders the world and does not know where to apply his own power. One day he meets Mikula with a bag, which the hero-warrior cannot lift and is straining. There is all the "gravity of the earth." In this story, you can see the superiority of conventional labor over military force.
Vasily Buslaev
This hero is not like the others. He is a rebel, always goes against the general opinion and orders. Despite the superstitions of ordinary people, he does not believe in omens and predictions. At the same time, this is the image of a hero-defender.
Vasily Buslaev is from Veliky Novgorod. That is why there is so much local color in the epics about him. There are two stories about him: "Vasily Buslaevich in Novgorod" and "Vasily Buslaevich went to pray."
Everywhere you can see his mischief and lack of control. For example, choosing a squad for himself, he arranges several extraordinary tasks. As a result, there are 30 fellows who support Vasily in everything.
The deeds of Buslaev are not the exploits of Russian heroes who followed the rules and obeyed the prince in everything, respecting the traditions and beliefs of ordinary people. He respected only strength. Therefore, his activity is a wild life and fights with local men.
Peresvet
The name of this hero is closely relatedwith the battle on the Kulikovo field. This is a legendary battle in which countless glorious warriors and boyars perished. And Peresvet, like many other heroes, defenders of the Russian land, stood up before the enemy.
Scientists are still debating whether he really was. After all, according to legend, Peresvet (Alexander), together with his brother Andrei, was sent to help Dmitry Donskoy by Sergius of Radonezh himself. The feat of this hero was that it was he who inspired the Russian army to fight. He was the first to fight with the representative of the hordes of Mamaev - Chelubey. Practically without weapons and armor, Peresvet defeated the enemy, but fell dead with him.
Study of earlier sources suggests the unreality of this character. In the Trinity Monastery, in which Peresvet, according to history, was a novice, there are no records of such a person. In addition, it is known that Sergius of Radonezh could not meet with Prince Dmitry immediately before the battle.
But almost all the exploits of Russian heroes - one way or another - are partially invented or exaggerated by storytellers. Such stories raised morale, brought up national identity.
