Name: Alyosha Popovich
A country: Kievan Rus
Creator: Slavic epics
Activity: hero
Family status: married
Alyosha Popovich: character story
The character of the Russian epic epic, as a junior, is one of the famous three heroes along with and. Represents a collective image of a Russian hero.
History of creation
Perhaps the hero Alyosha Popovich had a real prototype - a boyar from Rostov named Alexander, also Popovich. Chronicles describe this man as a famous warrior who served first with the Grand Duke of Vladimir Vsevolod the Big Nest, then with Konstantin Vsevolodovich, his son. This Alexander acted on the side of the latter against Yuri, his brother, who wanted to seize the Vladimir princely throne.
A series of fights are described where Alexander Popovich defeated the strongest warriors of Yuri Vsevolodovich. As a result, Yuri nevertheless becomes the Prince of Vladimir, after Konstantin dies, and the prototype of Alyosha is forced to leave for Kyiv, where he goes to serve the Grand Duke Mstislav, nicknamed the Old. In 1223, Alexander Popovich died along with the new prince in the Battle of Kalka.
Some scientists, however, argue that the situation is exactly the opposite, and it was the epics about Alyosha Popovich that influenced how the chronicles talk about the actually existing boyar Alexander. The image of Alyosha Popovich himself was formed on the basis of ideas about a certain ancient mythological hero. Scientists see archaic features and connections with the chthonic element in the descriptions of the hero.
Biography
Alyosha's father is Leonty Rostovsky, pop. As the main character, Alyosha Popovich is present in two epics - “Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin” and “Alyosha Popovich and the Zbrodovich’s sister.” The hero appears in fifty other texts, but is by no means always presented as a positive character. For example, in the epic “Dobrynya at his wife’s wedding,” Alyosha’s role is frankly negative.
In epics, the hero’s shortcomings, his lameness, weakness, etc. are often pointed out. Alyosha's strengths are cunning and resourcefulness, pressure and daring. The hero knows how to play the harp. At the same time, Alyosha does not behave honestly, even towards “his own people.” The hero Dobrynya Nikitich is the hero's sworn brother, however, Alyosha encroaches on his wife Nastasya. Having decided to take this woman as his wife, the hero spreads a false rumor that Dobrynya has died.
Alyosha has an ambiguous and contradictory character. The hero is prone to evil jokes, Alyosha is characterized by boastfulness, arrogance, evasiveness and slyness. The hero is often reproached by his own fellow heroes, who treat him with condemnation. Alyosha’s main occupation, as well as the possible historical prototype of the hero, was military service with the prince.
A number of legends are associated with the image of Alyosha. When a hero is born, thunder roars. As a baby, Alyosha asks to be wrapped in chain mail, and not in swaddling clothes, and immediately demands that his mother bless the hero, because he can’t wait to walk around the world. Having barely been born, the hero already knows how to ride a horse and wield a saber and spear, shows dexterity and cunning, and is prone to all sorts of tricks and jokes.
The epic “Alyosha Popovich and the Zbrodovich Sister” tells how Alyosha finds his wife Elena (Alyonushka) and is exposed to danger from her brothers. In one version of this plot, the hero's head is even cut off.
The duel with the evil hero Tugarin is the most archaic plot of those where Alyosha Popovich is mentioned. This fight takes place either in Kyiv, or on the way there. Tugarin bombards the hero with threats - he threatens that he will swallow him alive, burn him with fire, suffocate him with smoke, etc. Often the fight scene takes place near the water, and Alyosha, after defeating Tugarin, chops up the corpse and scatters it across an open field. The victory over Tugarin became Alyosha's main feat.
Cartoons
Nowadays, Alyosha Popovich is known mainly from the series of animated films “Three Heroes” from the Melnitsa studio. The hero is present in four of them:
- “Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin the Serpent” (2004);
- “Three Heroes and the Shamakhan Queen” (2010);
- “Three heroes on distant shores” (2012);
- “Three Heroes and the Sea King” (2017).
In the cartoon “Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin the Serpent,” viewers learn about the hero’s childhood. He was born into the family of a Rostov priest and grew up to be a strong but unlucky guy - he constantly created trouble. The hero gets a chance to show himself when a horde of nomads attacks the city. The adversaries demand tribute in gold, and Alyosha, together with old Tikhon, comes up with a “brilliant” plan: put the collected gold in a huge pile under the mountain, and when the enemies enter the cave to take the tribute, block the entrance with a stone and wall up the villains there.
The heroes did not take into account the laws of physics: the thrown stone rolled down the gentle slope of the mountain and fell on the city, causing unprecedented destruction, and the enemies disappeared along with the gold. After this, Alyosha’s “rating” in the eyes of his compatriots plummets, and the hero goes in search of the missing gold. Behind him are old Tikhon, the loving maiden Lyubava on a donkey and a bent grandmother. Along the way, the heroes meet a talking horse - Julius's horse, and then an old one, who accidentally sends them on the wrong trail. The heroes quarrel, make peace, save Julius from the talking tree, defeat the army of nomads and Tugarin the Snake, and then the greed of the Prince of Kyiv, and return to their native Rostov with the gold.
In the cartoon “Three Heroes and the Shamakhan Queen” by Alyosha Popovich, his comrades begin to find out which of them is the best hero in Rus', and they quarrel. Meanwhile, the Shamakhan queen has bewitched the prince of Kyiv and wants to force him to marry herself. Alyosha Popovich receives a letter written by the horse Julius, who asks to get him and the prince out of the domain.
The three of them go on a mission, but when they get there, they do not immediately storm the gate, but go to rest. Alyosha, who climbed into the palace alone at night, is bewitched. The hero stuns his own comrades and drags them to prison. The heroes overcome obstacles set up by their enemies, fight monsters and even end up in China, and evil ultimately defeats itself.
In the cartoon “Three Heroes on the Distant Shores,” the dishonest merchant Kolyvan seizes power in Kyiv, and the prince and his horse Julius go underground. The conspiracy against the official government succeeds thanks to Baba Yaga, who lures the heroes into an enchanted barrel and throws them into the ocean, depriving Rus' of its main defenders.
The place of the heroes is taken by magical “clones” who blindly obey Baba Yaga, while the real Alyosha, Ilya and Dobrynya find themselves on a tropical island in the middle of the ocean, where they manage to both relax and defeat the local monster at their leisure. Meanwhile, arbitrariness reigns in the principality, the disgraced prince organizes a partisan movement, and the wives of the heroes - Lyubava, Alyonushka and Nastasya Filippovna - come together to deal with the usurpers...
In the latest cartoon, “Three Heroes and the Sea King,” Alyosha Popovich and his companions go to China to get a dragon tooth. In all parts of the series, Alyosha was voiced by an actor.
Film adaptations
In addition to the famous series of cartoons from the Melnitsa studio, you can also watch a number of films where Alyosha Popovich is present. The first - the film fairy tale "Ilya Muromets" - was released during the Soviet era. This film became the first Soviet film released for the wide screen. The film was based on epic plots and fairy tales, and the role of Alyosha Popovich was played by an actor.
Much later, in 2010, the film “Adventures in the Thirtieth Kingdom” was released with Alexei Shutov in the role of Alyosha. There, modern children, fans of computer games, go to the seashore and find themselves in a fairy tale. The film received mostly negative reviews from viewers and a low rating.
The film “Real Fairy Tale”, released a year later, was already rated much higher. This is an alternative fairy tale story where fairy tale characters moved into the modern world and live among people. . The painting was intended for the palace of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich in St. Petersburg (now it is the House of Scientists on Palace Embankment).
In the second half of the twentieth century, a young artist began to develop the epic-mythological theme, who has a painting “Alyosha Popovich and the Beautiful Maiden.” There is no clear description of the hero’s appearance, so artists mainly relied on their creative imagination.
In the 19th century, the hero “leaked” into literature; Nikolai Radishchev and Nikolai Radishchev wrote poems and ballads about him.
Quotes
“I'm afraid of a serious relationship?! Ha ha! Yes, I don’t smile at myself in the mirror because I’m so serious!”
“Are you hungry, shaggy one? Try the heroic silushka!”
“Is it a heroic thing to do a woman’s housework?!”
“Lyubava: - Don’t disturb the composition!...
Alyonushka: - Finally, have a conscience! You are disrupting our competition “Image of Heroes in Folk Art”!
Alyosha: - If only the adversaries would fly in, or something, they would taste the heroic strength!
Dobrynya: What adversaries now, they killed everyone...
Ilya: Yes... we were in a hurry.”
Alyosha Popovich, the son of the Rostov priest Levontius, is the youngest of the three famous Russian heroes. As is often the case with younger characters, he is the sharpest-tongued, dexterous, daring and crafty, and this is primarily his strength.
The Russian warrior-traveler, hero Alyosha Popovich became famous for his exploits for the benefit of the fatherland and the prince. The ruler did not ask his heroes for anything, and this is fundamentally important for the epics: their heroes themselves offered their services to the state and chose their enemies themselves. Moreover, in the story of Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin the Snake, the hero not only acts independently, but also allows himself to make fun of the Kyiv prince. All this makes the character of this hero three-dimensional and humane.
Alyosha’s fight with Tugarin the Snake became the most striking and memorable feat. In it, he fully demonstrated his characteristic love of life, ingenuity, cunning and even audacity. The duel with the serpent is an archetypal plot present in the epics of many nations. Tugarin demonstrates his involvement in the element of fire when he threatens to smother the hero with smoke and shower him with sparks. According to researchers, in Rus' this wandering story was rethought over time based on the results of very real battles with nomads. This brings Tugarin from the epic closer to the collective image of the Polovtsian khan. The main thing is that he is fundamentally different from the Russians: he does not observe etiquette, does not pray to God and looks like a dog.
Wit and daring are Alyosha Popovich's main weapon in this story. Watching how Tugarin settled down at the prince’s table, the hero sarcastically teases him from behind the stove, which provokes a duel. So it turns out that Tugarin, in addition to his remarkable strength, has a secret weapon - a flying horse with paper wings. The hero’s faith turns out to be stronger: with his prayer he causes rain, from which his wings get wet, and the outcome of the battle is decided by the ingenuity and dexterity of Alyosha Popovich. It is important that the intervention of divine higher powers not only does not reduce the dignity of the winner: on the contrary, the significance of his feat is emphasized in folk art.
In the voluminous mosaic, the confrontation between the heroes is presented at the level of color: the restrained range of Alyosha Popovich’s costume is contrasted with the bright colors of his opponent’s clothes, expressed primarily by the combination of deep blue lapis lazuli pants and the amazingly bright rhodonite quilted armor. It’s worth taking a closer look at the wings of Tugarin the Snake: the finest carving turns them into almost fluttering paper membranes.
From the collection of folk songs by Kirsha Danilov
Alyosha’s prayers reach Christ.
The Lord God gives a cloud with hail of rain,
Tugarin soaked his paper wings,
Tugarin falls like a dog on the damp ground.
Ekim Ivanovich came,
I told Alyosha Popovich,
What Tugarin saw on the damp ground.
And soon Alyosha is getting cut,
I sat on a good horse,
I took one sword sharply
And he went to see Tugarin Zmeevich.
And Tugarin Zmeevich saw Alyosha Popovich,
“Hey you are, Alyosha Popovich young!
Do you want me to burn you with fire?
If you want, Alyosha, I’ll stop you with my horse
Will I stab you with a spear, Alyosha?”
Alyosha Popovich young told him:
“Go you, Tugarin Zmeevich young!
You fought with me about a great bet -
Fight and fight one on one,
And behind you there is no power of estimate
On me, Alyosha Popovich."
Tugarin will look back at himself,
Alyosha jumped up,
He cut off his head
And the head fell on the damp ground like a beer cauldron.
Alesha Popovich - hero, folklore character in Russian legends and epics. The youngest of the three most famous heroes, mentioned after Ilya Muromets and Dobrynya Nikitich.
Alyosha is not so much a strong character as a more cunning one. He is distinguished not by strength, but by other qualities, ingenuity, daring, resourcefulness. Alyosha Popovich has a dual character, sometimes he is ready to deceive even his sworn brother Dobrynya, encroaching on his marital rights (Alyosha spreads a false rumor about the death of Dobrynya in order to marry his wife Nastasya Nikulishna) The jokes of the hero are sometimes not only funny, but also insidious, even angry; his fellow heroes express their censure and condemnation to him from time to time. In general, Alyosha’s image is characterized by inconsistency and duality.
From glorious Rostov, the red city,
As two clear falcons flew out,
Two mighty heroes rode out,
What's by name
Aleshenka Popovich Jr.
And with young Ekim Ivanovich.
Walking in an open field, the heroes come across a stone indicating three roads: one to Murom, another to Chernigov, the third to Kyiv. Alyosha suggests:
It’s better for us to go to the city to Kyiv,
To the affectionate Prince Vladimir.
So another hero, from the distant land of Rostov, is included in the Kyiv heroism. In many epics he is mentioned after Ilya Muromets And Dobryney Nikitich. His main feat was a duel with Tugarin.
In some versions, Tugarin is called Zmeevich, and he is depicted as a monster:
Is he, Tugarin, three fathoms tall,
Between the shoulders there is an oblique fathom,
I'll put a red-hot arrow between your eyes,
The horse under him is like a fierce beast,
From the highland the flame burns,
There is a column of smoke coming out of my ears.
This is clearly a mythological character, but, as is typical for epics, he acts in the setting of historical Kyiv. He acts as a foreign invader. Vladimir and Princess Apraxia, the princes and boyars greet him with honor - they are powerless to resist him. It is carried by twelve servants on a gilded board. When the white swan was brought, Tutarin swallowed it whole. The only one who watches Tugarin without any respect or fear is Alyosha.
He sits on the stove and mocks:
We have. my uncle had an old dog,
Yes, the dog wants to go to feasts,
Yes, and the dog choked on a bone,
Yes, you, Tugarin, will have the same death.
Enraged by these words, Tugarin throws a damask knife at Alyosha, but Alyosha was “clever” and managed to grab the knife. Following this, a duel takes place between them - already in an open field. Tugarin is surrounded by fiery snakes. His horse has wings, and in some versions Tugarin himself has wings behind his shoulders, although for some reason they are made of paper. Alyosha first of all prays to God to bring rain that would wet his wings. This is what happens, and Tugarin cannot rise into the sky, and on earth his strength is no longer the same. Alyosha resorts to cunning - he forces Tugarin to turn back (“What kind of force are you bringing with you?”) and instantly strikes. He returns to Kyiv, holding Tugarin's head on the tip of a spear. In the epics recorded in the 18th-19th centuries, there are details that show Prince Vladimir and especially Princess Apraxia in a very unfavorable light. Vladimir looks completely helpless and cowardly, Tugarin humiliates him, and he endures everything in silence. And for Princess Tugarin, she is a “dear friend,” and she scolds the hero for separating her from him. We do not dare to assert that these same motives were expressed as clearly in the texts of epics of earlier times. In the character of the epic Alyosha Popovich there is heroic courage, youthful recklessness, cunning, harshness of actions and statements.
In Rus' they believed that the hero Alyosha actually lived. Under the name of the “brave” Alexander (Olesha) Popovich, he is mentioned in the chronicles as a historical figure. He comes from Rostov, successfully fights with various opponents, participates in princely feuds and dies along with other “brave” in the battle on the Kalka River, while in the service of the Kyiv prince Mstislav the Old.
Historical sources “settled” the great trinity over different centuries. The names of the three heroes became symbols of childhood for many generations of children.
In epics and legends there are three heroes - Ilya Muromets, Nikitich And Alesha Popovich often perform various feats together. They save their native land from hordes of enemies, go out to fight strange villains, and help out pretty maidens in trouble.
Their deeds were reflected not only in the Slavic epic, but also in stories that were passed down from mouth to mouth for centuries by Finns, Altaians, Germans, and Scandinavians. Who were these three knights really and did they meet each other?
Ilya Muromets
In 1188, in the Kiev-Pechersk monastery, the venerable Elder Elijah, whose memory is celebrated by Orthodox Christians on January 1. The national hero, crowned with glory and wounded in battle, took monastic vows in old age. According to another version, the monk Ilya Pechersky died in battle when, in 1204, Prince Rurik led the Polovtsians to Kyiv and destroyed the Lavra.
His relics rest in the Near Caves of the Lavra. In 1988, an interdepartmental commission of the Ministry of Health of the Ukrainian SSR conducted an examination of the remains.
The study showed that in the tomb lies a man of advanced age by the standards of the 12th century, who suffered many injuries and wounds and died from a striking blow to the heart. A round weapon, possibly a spear, pierced his left arm and entered his chest. His right hand remained forever folded for the sign of the cross. Doctors also identified spinal defects, which suggest that he suffered paralysis of the limbs in his youth.
Thus, it became clear that the Church preserves the memory of the epic hero, whose image in numerous retellings over many centuries has become vague and indefinite.
Historians know several options for the origin of Ilya. So, for example, this same hero could be Ilya Chobotok. He earned this nickname when, lacking a weapon, he fought off enemies with a chobot, that is, a boot. In the Vladimir village of Karacharovo they not only consider Ilya Muromets their fellow countryman, but also a relative. To the men of the family Gushchinykh, who possessed extraordinary strength, were forbidden to participate in amusing fist fights right up to the 19th century.
According to another version, Ilya came to serve the Kyiv Prince Vladimir from the village of Karachev near the city of Moroviysk in the Chernihiv region. And German epic poems, without going into details, simply call it - Ilya Russian.
This hero is the main character in 15 plots of heroic epics, through which his biography can be traced. If we proceed from them, then in his youth Ilya was paralyzed, and subsequently healed by walking Kaliki (according to some versions - by Christ and the two apostles). He studied martial arts from Svyatogor, and having entered the service of the Kyiv prince, he established himself with a victory over Nightingale the Robber. It is also known that Ilya Muromets had a difficult relationship with Prince Vladimir, and his son Sokolnichka suffered a tragic fate.
Nikitich
The place of birth of this hero is not known exactly. Some researchers believe that he was born in the second half of the 10th century somewhere in the region of Vladimir-Volynsky. It is quite possible that Nikitich is not his patronymic name at all, but a distorted nickname given after the name of the village of Nizkinichi.
It was Voivode Dobrynya, historians believe, who helped Vladimir ascend to the princely throne, bypassing his older brother Yaropolk. By the way, Dobrynya could well have taught Vladimir to achieve by force Rogneda, daughter of the Polovtsian ruler, who became the bride of Yaropolk.
Vladimir came with an army to Polotsk, captured Rogneda and publicly raped it. The prince himself, as legends describe, was very woman-loving and kept a whole harem in Kyiv. Hunting for the only woman (even though she refused to marry him, calling him the son of a slave) and then humiliating her is not in his character. And Dobrynya was very irritated by reminders that his sister Malusha was with the prince Svyatoslav was a slave, housekeeper.
In the epics, Dobrynya Nikitich fights the Serpent and rescues a whole series of beauties from trouble, including his own wife, Nastasya Mikulishna. In reality, having been appointed governor of Novgorod by Prince Vladimir, he first installs pagan idols in the city, and then, after the baptism of his nephew, converts his lot to Christianity.
Despite religious vacillations, the hero was a competent and skillful ruler, and under him Novgorod flourished. Prince Vladimir also owes many strategic government decisions to his uncle and mentor. Son of Dobrynya Nikitich, Konstantin, became one of the prominent associates Yaroslav the Wise. A direct descendant of the hero was a saint Varlaam Pechersky, first abbot of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra.
Alesha Popovich
In the epics, Dobrynya Nikitich fought with Ilya Muromets before they became friends. A Alesha Popovich wooed Dobrynya's wife when he was on a campaign. In fact, Dobrynya Nikitich lived in the 10th century and served Vladimir Krasno Solnyshko; Ilya Muromets labored in the service of Vladimir Monomakh.
And the Rostov brave man Alexander (Olesha) Popovich, who became the prototype of the epic Alyosha Popovich, fought for Vsevolod's Big Nest, and died in the battle of Kalka in 1223 in the squad Mstislav the Old, that is, in the 13th century. And the inseparable trinity of heroes, obviously, never existed.
"Someone from Rostov, a resident Alexander, the verb Popovich, and his servant by his name Torop; Alexander served the Grand Duke Vsevolod Yuryevich,” says the chronicles of the early 13th century.
The hero found himself drawn into a political confrontation between the two sons of Prince Vsevolod, Constantine And Yuri, and personally killed several of the latter's best warriors. To avoid revenge, he went to Kyiv to join the squad of Prince Mstislav the Old.
A warrior from a boyar family, whose father was a priest, is portrayed in epics not as a strong man, but as a cunning man. He is boastful, cunning and dexterous. The chronicles list numerous battles in which Alexander Popovich took part and defeated many enemies. One of them, the Polovtsian Khan Tugorkan, entered the epics under the name Tugarin.
Prince Mstislav was happy when such a famous warrior entered his service, who, moreover, brought with him several experienced comrades. The Kiev ruler believed that he could now cope with any enemy. However, in the Battle of Kalka, where the Russian regiments, together with the Polovtsy, opposed the Tatars, Mstislav faced defeat and death.
According to some sources, Alyosha Popovich was the son of the saint Leontia, Bishop of Rostov and Suzdal.
The epic image of heroes is a feature of the Russian epic. The exploits of Alyosha Popovich and Dobrynya Nikitich are described in many legends and reflect a whole layer of the worldview of the period of Kievan Rus. In this article we will figure out who the heroes are, and also find out what some of these knights are famous for.
Epic heroes
The epics mention words such as “hero” and “knight”. Let's look at their origin.
Researchers have not yet come to a common agreement, so there are several versions. Bogatyr has similar-sounding analogues in the proto-Aryan language (“lucky”) and in Mongolian (“bagadur” - “daredevil, brave horseman”).
Vityaz presumably comes from the verb “to beat”, that is, it means “warrior”. According to the second version, this is the word “Viking” modified in the Slavic manner.
Researchers divide bogatyrs into two classifications.
The first identifies the elders, juniors and heroes of Kievan Rus. The first include knights, personifying forces hostile to man. These are Svyatogor, Mikula Selyaninovich, Polkan, Ivan Kolyvanovich, Samson and some others.
The younger ones already have a human appearance, without the ability to change shape, unlike the older ones. These include Nightingale, Churila, Duke.
The basis of the epics about the Kyiv heroes are the exploits of Alyosha Popovich and Dobrynya Nikitich. Also mentioned are Ilya Muromets, Mikhailo Potok, Ivan Gostiny Son and others.
The second classification is based on periods - pre-Tatar period, Tatar and Moscow. In it, these same knights are arranged in a slightly different order.
Who is Dobrynya Nikitich?
The life and exploits of Dobrynya Nikitich are described in many epics. He dates back to the period of Kievan Rus and is depicted as a serving knight under Prince Vladimir Krasno Solnyshko.
It is believed that he took Mikula Selyaninovich’s daughter Nastasya as his wife.
It is noteworthy that among all the heroes of this era, he is in the closest relationship with the princely family. He carries out not only military assignments, but also diplomatic missions, and also collects and delivers tribute.
In addition, Dobrynya often performs tasks that other knights refuse.
In terms of popularity, he is in second place, after Ilya Muromets, and is often depicted as his companion.
Judging by the legends, Dobrynya early discovered that he had a “heroic strength”. Next we will get acquainted with his merits, but the three feats of Dobrynya Nikitich stand out the most. Fight with the Serpent, battle with Danube Ivanovich and help in getting a bride for Prince Vladimir.
Origin of the image
Researchers of Russian epics are inclined to believe that this image is collective. However, many argue that it is based on several prototypes of real historical figures.
The main argument in favor of the high-ranking of this hero is “vezhestvo,” which is mentioned more than once in songs. Our ancestors used this word to denote courtesy, the ability to find a common language, and the gift of diplomacy.
Judging by the epics, his father is the Ryazan governor Nikita. However, researchers of the Slavic epic believe that the prototype of Dobrynya was the prince’s uncle, the brother of his mother Malusha. This governor had the same name as
One of the facts that can prove the plausibility of the version is the following: the chronicles indicate the forced baptism of Novgorodians; in some epics this moment correlates with the time when Dobrynya Nikitich lived.
Fight with Zmey Gorynych
The first feat of Dobrynya Nikitich has a plot similar to many legends of the ancient world. The battle with the dragon, the serpent, the primary evil takes place in the myths of different peoples.
So, what do we know from epics?
Feeling the awakening power, Dobrynya began to “walk along the pole.” One day he told his mother that he wanted to go to the Pochaina River. According to legend, it had an unusual property. There were two streams in it that moved in opposite directions and cut everyone who tried to swim across.
There the hero meets the Serpent Gorynych. A battle ensues, and after the knight’s victory, the monster promises never to attack Russian land or plunder villages again. But according to the classic canons of the genre, the Serpent immediately breaks this word. He kidnaps the daughter of the Kyiv prince Vladimir, Krasno Solnyshko.
Having received magical things from his mother (chain mail, a treasure sword, a mighty war horse), the hero finds the serpent’s lair. There he is confronted by younger dragonets, whom he easily defeats.
The battle with Gorynych dragged on for three days. When the knight's strength was already leaving him, he heard a voice from heaven that said that he needed to hold out for another three hours. Having survived the battle, Dobrynya defeated the monster, but almost drowned in its blood. He was saved because the earth opened up and absorbed everything.
Fight with Danube Ivanovich
This epic shows the confrontation between Kyiv and neighboring tribes. The Danube is a tragic image in the Russian epic. This hero once served the Lithuanian prince, but, having fallen out of favor, he left for Rus'. The legend about wooing a bride for Vladimir also says that the Danube also takes away her sister Nastasya, for whom he once had feelings.
But at the wedding, the heroes began to compete in archery, and Danube accidentally killed Nastasya. When he finds out that she was pregnant, he rushes to his saber. Legend has it that from his blood was formed
The epic about the battle of this Lithuanian with Dobrynya tells about the events that occurred before the matchmaking. The plot is as follows. The Kiev hero was riding across a field and saw a velvet tent with an inscription on it that anyone who approached it would die.
Dobrynya became angry, drank wine from the tent and destroyed it. He himself fell asleep in this place. The returning Danube decided to punish the offender. He woke up the knight, and they fought for several days. First they chopped up all the weapons, then they fought hand-to-hand.
According to one version, they were reconciled by the passing Ilya Muromets, according to another, they went to Vladimir Krasno Solnyshko for trial. The prince, after listening to both, acquitted Dobrynya and put Danube in the cellar for threatening his knight.
Who is Alyosha Popovich?
The next most popular epic hero is Alyosha, the son of the popovich. His father is considered to be the priest from Rostov Levontii, although sometimes he is called Fedor.
The story of Alyosha Popovich is mentioned in two epics, where he is the main character. In the rest, he is a minor participant or is mentioned in passing.
Apart from the two tales about his exploits, basically this knight is a contradictory and often negative character. Many researchers draw parallels between him and Volga Svyatoslavich.
Thus, the characterization of Alyosha Popovich, which emerges from the legends, does not quite correspond to the image of the “hero of the Russian land.”
The only epic in which this lame warrior, not distinguished by great strength, is shown in a positive role is the legend of his battle with Tugarin. We'll talk about it further.
Alyosha and Tugarin
An epic similar in content is about the battle of this knight with the Skim-beast. In fact, it reproduces exactly all the main points of the legend about the victory over Tugarin.
The plot of the legend is as follows. Alyosha comes with his skillful and agile servant Ekim to Kyiv to visit Vladimir. Here at the feast he meets Tugarin, who “lays his head on the princess’s chest.” Seeing the gluttony and greed of the snake, Alyosha begins to ridicule him. First, he compares the warrior to his father’s dog, which choked on a bone out of greed and died, and later to a cow.
The offended Tugarin throws a knife at him, but Ekim catches it in mid-flight. Next, Alyosha challenges the enemy to battle “in an open field.”
Judging by the epic, he wins with God's help and using cunning.
At first, Tugarin flew on “paper wings,” but Alyosha prayed in the temple and it began to rain. After the snake fell, the knight drove up to him and said: “Why did you bring such a big powerhouse with you?”
When Tugarin turned around to see what the hero meant, the latter cut off his head. This scene shows the character of Alyosha Popovich: the warrior often achieved his goal not by force, but by cunning. In some ways, his image is similar to the image of Odysseus in Homer.
What do the researchers say?
If we consider the exploits of Alyosha Popovich, a brief summary of which can be found in many collections of epics, we will see some features of the image.
On the one hand, researchers are inclined to believe that the historical prototype of the hero was Rostovite Alexander Popovich. A boyar who was in the service of Prince Vsevolod, and later - of his son Konstantin.
After Yuri sits on the throne in 1281, Alexander goes to Kyiv to Mstislav and dies in the Battle of Kalka.
Studying the exploits of Alyosha Popovich (summary or full text of the epics), one can see his arrogant and contemptuous attitude towards Prince Vladimir and the Kyiv nobility.
He often calls them “pimps,” and these tales often depict extramarital affairs of heroes with boyars, princes, and voivodes’ wives.
This suggests that the exploits of Alyosha Popovich and Dobrynya Nikitich were described in different periods of time. When they are found in one epic, this only indicates the later origin of the legend.
The image of heroes in culture
The characteristics of Alyosha Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich, Ilya Muromets and many other heroes inspire many writers, artists, composers and directors.
For example, Alyosha is depicted in the paintings of Vasnetsov, Vereshchagin, Vasiliev. He is mentioned in the ballad of Tolstoy A.K.
Modern cartoon creators also use this epic image.
Speaking about Dobrynya Nikitich, to everything mentioned above it is worth adding that an island in the Nordenskiöld archipelago, a mountain in the Kuril ridge and several ships are named in his honor.