Ataman Kudeyar was quite a popular character in the history of Slavic folklore. Legends about him are known in many areas of both central and southern Russia. This article will examine in more detail some fairly well-known references in the history, legends and literature of this ataman.
Origin of the name Kudeyar
No one can name the exact dates of the life of Ataman Kudeyar, but it is generally accepted that he lived in the sixteenth century. There are many opinions regarding the origin of the Persian name Khudoyar, which in translation means "Beloved of God", or Kudeyar, most often he is assigned a Tatar origin. In western and central Russia, this name had a different meaning - the most powerful wizard.
For a long time, the proper name Kudeyar was found in many provinces, such as Voronezh, Kharkov, Tula, Kaluga and many others. Later, the surname Kudeyarov began to gain popularity.
The name of Ataman Kudeyar is found not only in legends. Cangive examples of mentioning him in history:
- Kildeyar Ivanovich, who was abbreviated as Kudeyar, belonged to the Markov family, originally from Kursk.
- Some historical documents mention a landowner from Arzamas, who bore the name Kudeyar Chufarov.
- The name of the Moscow Cossack Karachaev Kudeyar is known.
- Prince Meshchersky Kudeyar Ivanovich is often mentioned in chronicles.
- There are also records about a traitor to the Motherland who fled to the Crimea, named Kudeyar Tishenkov, originally from the Belevsky boyars. Many associate this particular historical figure with the image of the ataman.
Identification of the chieftain with Tsarevich Yuri
There are several legends that draw a parallel between Ataman Kudeyar and Yuri Vasilyevich, the son of Solomonia Saburova and Vasily III. We can highlight some of them:
- The legend comes from Saratov, which tells that Ivan the Terrible, before going to fight in Kazan, left Moscow for the guardianship of Kudeyar. Later it was found out that the Kazan decree was false, made so that during the absence of the sovereign Kudeyar Vasilyevich, having embezzled the treasury of the state, escaped punishment.
- Simbirsk legend tells that Yuri Kudeyar was summoned to Kazan for execution at the hands of Grozny. However, having learned in advance about the intentions of the king, Yuri took up defensive positions on the Volga, near the city of Krotkovsky.
- There is a legend that Tsar Ivan the Terrible nevertheless met with Yuri at the besieged Kazan, and he, in turn, fled from the ruler to the north of the country.
- Kurskthe legend says that Yuri was captured by the Tatars, who wanted to get a ransom for him from the sovereign. When the attempt failed, the prisoner was sent along with the army to the war for the royal throne. However, this idea turned out to be fruitless, after which Yuri remained on Russian lands, where he took up robbery.
- The Suzdal legend, on the contrary, tells about the conclusion of a voluntary alliance with the Tatars by Kudeyar Vasilyevich, the purpose of which was to conquer the throne. However, seeing from the outside the atrocities committed by the Tatars, he stood up to protect his native land.
All legends about both the ataman and Yuri Kudeyar point to his betrayal of the Motherland, which manifests itself in an escape or in going over to the side of the enemy.
Other legends about the origin of Kudeyar
There are many stories about the origin of Ataman Kudeyar:
According to the Voronezh annals, Kudeyar was a tax collector for the Khan. Once, having plundered Russian settlements, he decided not to return to the ruler, settled in the Voronezh lands, gathered like-minded people around him and continued his life of robbers. Soon he fell in love with a Slavic girl, kidnapped her and made her his wife
- In the village of Lokh they believe in the legend that Kudeyar was none other than Grozny's younger brother. The sovereign decided to kill him, believing the rumors that when he grows up, he will deprive him of his rightful throne. However, the servants disobeyed the king's orders and fled with the prince, who later converted to Islam and was named Kudeyar.
- There is a legend that Kudeyar was the sonZhigmont Bothoria, who was born before his uncle was proclaimed king of Poland. He fled to the Dnieper to the Cossacks, later entered the service of Ivan the Terrible, but after the royal disgrace he escaped and leaned into a life of robbers.
- In Ryazan, there is an opinion that Kudeyar was an oprichnik who not only robbed merchants from Moscow, but also appropriated the livestock of local residents.
- In the Oryol province, the chieftain was positioned as an unclean spirit who guards his treasures.
Given the huge number of sources that are different from each other, it is quite difficult to give an accurate description of Ataman Kudeyar.
Legends of the Kudeyara Cave
For a long time, many treasure hunters tried to find the treasures of the robber Kudeyar, about which there are many legends. But everything was to no avail. Many ancient manuscripts tell about the cities where the robbers of Ataman Kudeyar hid their loot. Most of these places are noted in the Voronezh region. According to some stories, in the forests of Bryansk there are places where treasures are hidden, and at night light can be seen from under the rubble of stones, and sometimes children cry.
Kudeyarova Cave is described as a place where not only the loot was stored, but also the ataman himself lived in richly furnished chambers. The mountain in which the cave was located is completely covered with dense thickets. Next to it is another mountain - Karaulnaya, on which the sentries of the robber were placed. A deep ditch was dug around these places, protecting the shelter and its inhabitants from intruders. During the time whenKudeyar left his shelter in search of new profit, he locked all the premises, and filled up the entrance to the cave with stones. It is believed that the spirit of the chieftain to this day guards his untold we alth from people. Some are of the opinion that Kudeyar, due to his magical abilities, is still alive today.
There is another version of the legend. According to her, all his treasures were bewitched from human eyes for 200 years. This deadline has long passed, and an odd number of people are needed to search for the treasure. After the entrance is dug, to open the lock, you should use the golden key, which is stored in Sim's spring. Getting it is not so easy, it can only be done by someone who scoops out a source or can get water from the Supper Lake, the location of which is not known to anyone.
Collective image of a robber
The image of Tsarevich Yuri, whom many consider the robber Kudeyar, is collective in history and consists of biographical data of real, but completely different people. As a result, the name Kudeyar became a household name among the people. It characterizes all existing robbers. It is not possible to call this character authentically historical, due to the lack of data confirming his real existence.
According to the records made in the Saratov province, Kudeyar appears as a Tatar who knows Russian well and is distinguished by a rather tall stature and bestial appearance. Also, many legends endow this character with magical abilities that helped him in robberies, andalso hid from pursuers.
In some manuscripts, the chieftain is described as a dark-haired man of a quick-tempered and indomitable temper, who at the same time was also a masterful Cossack. In turn, according to some folk tales, a different image appears - a man of attractive appearance, of a heroic stature, not stupid, having a weakness for young girls.
In general, there are several images of Kudeyar based on ancient legends. Some attribute to him the life of a cruel robber, others believe that Ataman Kudeyar was of royal blood and was hiding from the righteous wrath of the king. There is also an opinion that he was an impostor who pretended to be a man of royal blood.
Mention of a character in Nekrasov's work
Ataman Kudeyar at Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov, the great Russian writer, is mentioned in "Who Lives Well in Russia", in one of the chapters called "A Feast for the Whole World". The last lines of this chapter differ depending on the edition, since several versions of the text are known:
- Manuscript of 1876 for the journal "Notes of the Fatherland" and a censored typographical print made on the basis of this manuscript. Another truncated publication in this journal was noted in 1881.
- In 1879, an illegal edition of the St. Petersburg Free Printing House was issued. This variant is included in the author's collected works.
In this work, the character ataman Kudeyar is a legend told by Ionushka. In his storytells about a fierce robber who repented of his sins and began a hermit life. However, he does not find a place for himself, and one day a wanderer appears to him, who tells how the robber can achieve peace. To do this, cut off a century-old oak tree with the same weapon that innocent people were killed with. It took years to complete this task, but the tree collapsed only after the murder of Pan Glukhovsky.
Ataman Kudeyar had few people close to him in "Who Lives Well in Russia". Their number is indicated in the work. The poem says about this: "There lived twelve robbers, there lived Kudeyar-ataman." When Kudeyar decided to atone for sins and repent, he dismissed his retinue for free bread.
Mentions in the work of other authors
The image of Ataman Kudeyar is present not only in the work of Nekrasov. There are references to him in Kostomarov's novel "Kudeyar", as well as in "Kudeyar's Last Love", described by Navrotsky.
In Kostomarov's work there are references to the legend about the origin of the character from the first marriage of Vasily the Third. His wife after the divorce was sent to a monastery due to infertility. However, within the walls of the monastery, her son is born. The woman sends him with people devoted to her to the Turkish border, where the prince is captured. A little later, becoming more mature, he escapes to his native land, where he becomes a robber named Kudeyar.
This character is also mentioned in Soviet literature:
- In Kuprin's story "Grunya" there is a comparison of unclethe main character with the image of the famous chieftain.
- The story of Kudeyar was described by Bahrevsky in the work "The Ataman's Treasure".
- Shiryaev mentions the chieftain in "Kudeyar Oak".
- Aleksandrov describes the image in "Kudeyarov Stan".
- The robber is mentioned in Akunin's "Pelageya" cycle.
Chaliapin's song
"There lived twelve robbers, there lived Kudeyar-ataman" - this is how the first verse of the song "The Legend of the Twelve Thieves" performed by Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin, according to Nekrasov's work, begins. According to some sources, Nikolai Manykin-Nevstruev is credited with creating the music.
"Kudeyar-ataman" - a song about a robber and his associates - is performed together with the choir, which sings the chorus after each verse: "Let us pray to the Lord God, we will proclaim the ancient story! So in Solovki, the honest monk Pitirim told us."
This creation, although based on the text from Nekrasov's unfinished poem "Who Lives Well in Russia", but, in turn, has significant semantic differences. For example, in the work of the poet it was not indicated that Kudeyar and Pitirim are the same person, unlike the song.
In addition, in many legends and in the text of the work, Kudeyar is described as a kind of avenger from the people who ends the life of a robber, becomes a pilgrim and lives in solitude in the wilderness, and Kudeyar-ataman in the song goes to the monastery to praytheir sins.
The text of the song has several options and performers. Many have heard this work performed by Evgeny Dyatlov. Today it is included in the repertoire of many male church choirs.
Kudeyarovo settlement
According to some legends, ataman Kudeyar lived along with his robbers on the banks of the Seim, in the so-called Kudeyar settlement. This legend mentions Catherine the Second, who at that time was making a trip to the south of Russia. On one of her stops not far from this settlement, Kudeyar stole the empress's golden carriage and buried it between three oaks.
No less famous is the Devil's Settlement, which many call Shutova Gora, on the road from Kozelsk to Likhvin. This place was very well located, because it was along this road that caravans with goods quite often passed, which were excellent prey for any robber.
Many believe that Kudeyar's shelter was located here, built for him by evil spirits. It is believed that it is this power that to this day guards the hidden treasures of the robber, and at night the ghost of Lyubush, the daughter of the ataman, who was cursed and imprisoned by her own father in these lands, appears in those places at night.
Black Yar
In fact, a large number of Kudeyarov cities are known in southern Russia. Each province has its own stories and places where the treasures of the Kudeyar gang are hidden.
Mount Cherny Yar, which is located in the Lipetsk region, is very popular. Its distinguishing feature isa stone of a bluish color lying on top, which is considered to be the petrified horse of the ataman, which received this color after being scorched by fire.
According to many legends, this is where the Kudeyar fortress was located. According to legend, the Don Cossacks, dissatisfied with the excesses of Kudeyar and his robbers, took up arms against them. When they got to the fortress, they could not capture it, so they surrounded it with brushwood and set it on fire.
Ataman hid all the loot and left his beloved horse as a guard. And so that she would not suffer from the fire, he turned her into stone.
For most of his contemporaries, Ataman Kudeyar is a forgotten story, but not so long ago this character was legendary, one might say, semi-mythical. And even today, the memory of him is preserved in the names of mountains, cities, ravines, and the name Kudeyar itself is associated with a sinister, remarkable power.
