Behind the windows is the 21st century, but you can still hear how people teach each other with the help of folk wisdom, which has a long history. “If you hurry, you will make people laugh,” they say to the hasty ones. "And there is a hole in the old woman" - this is how they comfort people who have suffered a failure.
Folk proverbs, sayings, riddles are a heritage that is transmitted today orally in communication and in writing in books and school textbooks. And so it will be as long as the language and its speakers are alive.
The uniqueness of the riddle
A riddle is a kind of speech phenomenon, the main direction of which is to make the human brain think and work more figuratively with the help of comparisons and metaphors. It develops the powers of observation necessary for children to get acquainted with the world around them, and preserves the clarity of mind in adults.
It is not known exactly when the riddles appeared. This folklore genre is still used to teach and educate children in kindergartens and in literature classes at school, which means that its properties of influence on young minds are the same as in timeswhen the Sphinx asked travelers his tricky questions.
Modern psychologists say that composing or guessing riddles develops figurative speech and fantasy in children. The property of this small folklore form to point to any qualities of an object, listing their similarities or differences that are unique to it, makes children think about the connections between phenomena in the real world.
Finding the answer to a riddle develops the ability:
- draw independent conclusions and analyze;
- expand knowledge about the surrounding reality;
- improve memory;
- develop speech and imagination.
Folk riddles convey to children the full depth of the wisdom of their ancestors and teach them to appreciate their creativity.
History from ancient times
As it turned out, riddles in ancient times were an effective tool for testing the mind for maturity. They were used by priests in ancient Egypt, with their help they recognized the true heroes in ancient Greece, they did not bypass the Slavic traditions.
Regardless of the level of development of human civilization, peoples living on different continents and in different eras created riddles that were very similar in content. This suggests that people at all times closely observed the world around them and compared the phenomena occurring in it.
Folk riddles are a whole layer of the history of the development of culture and beliefs of mankind. For example, one of the questions of the Sphinx about who walks on four legs in the morning, on two in the afternoon, and at sunset- on three. According to legend, many people died trying to guess it.
Using riddles
In ancient times, people often used allegory in order to protect themselves, their homes and livestock from the evil eye. Hunters, going to the forest for game, used the secret language of riddles so that the alleged "trophies" would not overhear their plans in advance and go to other lands.
Merchants, jesters and buffoons also actively used riddles to protect themselves from evil spirits. Russian folk riddles, for example, from ancient times were a way of testing warriors in wartime, and suitors and young men in peacetime.
In the history of the ancient Germans and Scandinavians, there is evidence that there was a custom: a traveler could get an overnight stay only by guessing a riddle. The ancient Slavs had special evenings held in autumn and winter, when there was no work in the field. The whole village gathered in the largest hut, women spun and needlework, men repaired tools, and old people tested children and youth for quick wits.
When the subjects were asked riddles (Russian folk), they took turns with the answers. The smartest and most observant won. In this way, wise old people encouraged young minds to develop, be inquisitive and explore the world.
Until the end of the 19th century, there was a custom when the bridesmaids did not let the groom and his boyfriend to her until they guessed all the riddles prepared for them. Nowadays, this folklore genre is actively used to develop imagination, memory andobservation skills in children of preschool and primary school age.
Proverbs
Today, only linguists and culturologists are interested in the history of the origin of proverbs, although almost everyone uses them in their speech, without even bothering to find out what caused them to appear. But it turns out that most of them are based on specific historical facts or deep observation of the people, in this way passing on their wisdom from generation to generation.
A proverb is the same brief allegorical literary form as a riddle, but with an instructive meaning. Often it has a rhyme, but its main burden is teaching the younger generation and passing on everyday experience to them. For example, “chickens are counted in the fall” when a person, starting a business, prematurely calculates what profit or benefit he will receive from it.
Folk proverbs and riddles were the educational material on which many generations of children grew up and developed.
Sayings
This is another type of small literary form, the main purpose of which is to reflect some life fact or phenomenon. The proverb does not have a complete meaning, but acquires it when inserted into speech. For example, when a sentence refers to the fulfillment of a promise, the phrase "when the cancer dangles on the mountain" is often used, implying that the person does not keep his word.
A saying never teaches. Its function is to convey the meaning of what was said with the help of a more figurative and precise expression. Can,for example, saying "he is drunk", but the phrase "he does not knit a bast" better conveys the degree of intoxication.
As V. I. Dal defined the concept of a saying, it is "an allegorical expression, a roundabout speech that conveys a judgment about a phenomenon or object."
The emergence of proverbs and sayings
Like riddles, folk proverbs and sayings are the result of centuries of experience of a large number of people. Their formation began with the emergence of language. For example, the first Russian proverbs are mentioned in The Tale of Bygone Years by the chronicler Nestor. It deals with the formation of Kievan Rus from the time of the creation of the world until 1117 AD. e.
For example, there are such lines: "And there is a saying in Russia to this day - they died like obras." We are talking about how the Duleb tribe destroyed their enslavers of the Obers: "They have neither a tribe nor offspring." This proverb was used when talking about the death of a whole family.
Even in the 9th century in Kievan Rus, expressions were used that originated in the pagan Slavic period or convey information about historical events and their individual participants, which are well known today. For example, the proverb “the mother of the earth is damp” (the pagans animated nature), the proverb “the wolf got into the habit of the sheep herd, then it will carry out all the sheep” (this is what the Drevlyans said about Prince Igor, who went to them several times by war).
Many proverbs were composed during the time of serfdom, today they have already lost their original meaning, but have acquired a new meaning. For example, "Here you are, grandmother, and St. George's day!"say when expectations are not met. The original meaning was due to the fact that one day a year (Yuriev) serfs were allowed to go to another master. By decree of Boris Godunov, this right was abolished, and all serfs were assigned to their masters.
This type of genre, like riddles, has many themes that relate to almost all natural phenomena and spheres of people's lives.
Themes and types of folk riddles
Russian folk riddles today can be classified into several types. These include:
- allegory - "Beyond the dark forests, two swans danced" (earrings).
- description - "He is about a vershok, and his head is about a pot" (samovar).
- questions - "What is the sweetest thing in the world?" (dream).
- jokes – “Which island speaks for itself about its size” (Yamal).
- with numbers - "6 legs, 2 heads and 1 tail" (rider on a horse).
Folk riddles can be divided into the following topics:
- "man";
- "natural phenomena";
- "house, hut";
- "wild and domestic animals";
- "yard";
- "insects";
- "garden, kitchen garden";
- "rivers, water";
- "forest";
- "field, meadow";
- "professions, work";
- "birds";
- "fabulous heroes";
- "sky".
In fact, there can be many more topics. All countries of the world have their own riddles, for example, in Europe, handwritten collections are known, numbering 1000years. It is indeed one of the most ancient literary genres.
Riddles for children about nature
The most popular Russian folk riddles for children are dedicated to nature and man. This is understandable, since people have long observed what and who is around them, and were able to analyze both the phenomena occurring around them and the behavior of those around them.
The lot of old people in ancient times was teaching the younger generation of worldly wisdom and knowledge of the world. There was no better tool for this than folk riddles for children at that time. Intuitively, people understood: by giving the children's mind difficult tasks, they thereby force them to be observant and savvy. This developed imaginative thinking, and children better delved into the essence of natural phenomena. For example:
- "The gray-haired grandfather at the gate covered everyone's eyes" - indicates the color of the fog.
- "A multi-colored yoke hung over the river" - draws attention to the shape of the rainbow.
"Although she herself is snow and ice, and when she leaves, tears pour" (winter) - the property of snow and ice to melt
In this way, adults taught children to pay attention to the qualities inherent in each particular phenomenon and characterizing it.
Riddles for children about people
Observation of others was also characteristic of the Russian people. Drawing conclusions from everyday situations, our ancestors created folk riddles. With answers, they later began to be published in children's collections, spreading the wisdom of generations from different parts of the country beyond its borders.
Riddles dedicated to peopleconcerned both their appearance and condition, and lifestyle. For example:
- "It's given to you, and people use it" (person's name).
- "What food do you need the most?" (mouth).
"What you want - you can't buy, what you don't need, you can't sell it" (in youth there are many desires, but there is no money, but in old age there are no desires)
So the older generation taught children in the old days to know themselves and their essence. Today, the books "Russian Folk Riddles" (with answers) are no less popular with kids than oral art among their peers in the old days.
Riddles about folk tales
Fairy tales are one of the favorite types of folk art for children. Their admiration for fictional characters gave rise to another topic - riddles about folk tales. Today you can find options dedicated to both Russian and foreign heroes.
They are conditionally divided by age:
- For the little ones, these are the heroes of such fairy tales as "Teremok", "Kolobok" and others. For example: “There is a little house in the field, forest dwellers found shelter in it and live together: a hare, a fox, a lamb and a wolf, only the bear crushed it …” (“Teremok”).
- For children of senior preschool and school age - these are the characters from the fairy tales "Geese-Swans", "Snow Maiden", "The Frog Princess" and others. For example: "This girl is afraid of the sun and heat, because she is made of snow" (Snow Maiden).
Today, in preschool institutions, much attention is paid tothe development of figurative thinking of children, for which they use folk riddles with answers (for the smallest).
Folk riddles in the modern world
Judging by the fact that child psychologists note the positive impact of riddles on the development of thinking and imagination, this type of folk art will always be in demand. Today you can find not only folk, but also author's riddles that are more suitable for modern children and their idea of \u200b\u200bthe world and book heroes. For example, "One fat man lives on the roof and he flies higher than everyone" (Carlson).
