One of the most terrible opponents of the heroes of Russian epics - Snakes, judging by the descriptions, were still lizards, since they had paws. According to the storytellers, these monsters could fly, spewed fire, and were often multi-headed.
In this case, epic plots are often intertwined with fairy tales: in Russian folk tales, such Serpents are also opponents of the heroes, only epic heroes are no longer fighting with them.
Snakes and lizards in Russian chronicles and in the notes of foreigners
The most interesting thing is that references to all kinds of snakes and lizards can be found in some chronicle sources. So, in one of the chronicles under 1092 it is written:
"The clouds became dark, and a great serpent stretched out because of them, a head on fire, and three heads, and smoke went from it, and a noise began like thunder."
In this case, we probably have a description of the flight of a large meteorite - a bolide.
But in "The Tale of Slovenia and Ruse" (the initial part of the patriarchal chronicle collection "The Legend of the Beginning of Ruski Land and the Creation of Novagrad and Where the Family of Slovenian Dukes Come From", dated from the second half of the 17th century), everything is much more confusing and fabulous. It tells about some tribal leaders Slovenia and Ruse, about Rusa's sister Ilmer, after whom Lake Ilmen was named, it is reported about the founding of the city of Slovensk Veliky, the predecessor of Novgorod, on the bank of the "muddy" Volkhov River. But in this case, we are more interested in information about Sloven's eldest son, Volkh, a “disliked sorcerer” who knew how to turn into some kind of lizard that devoured people who did not agree to worship him. The locals called him "a real god" and sacrificed black chickens, and on special occasions, even girls. After the death of this strange prince, he was buried with great respect under a high mound, but the earth collapsed under him, leaving a deep hole, which remained unburied for a long time.
Old Russian corcodiles: horses covered with bark
Modern researchers associate this legend with numerous testimonies of the famous "korkodiles" that appeared in Northern Russia and neighboring Lithuania even in the 17th century (these creatures had nothing to do with crocodiles, the literal translation is "horse covered with bark").
In a laudatory speech to Roman Galitsky (Galicia-Volyn Chronicle, entry under 1200) it is said:
“It’s as angry as a lynx, and ruining yako and korkodil, and their land is passing, like the eagle, the brave be like and the tour."
And in the Pskov Chronicle under 1582 you can read:
“In the same year, the fierce beasts of the corcodilia came out of the river, and did not give a passage; people ate a lot, and people were in fear and prayed to God all over the earth."
Sigismund von Herberstein in the same century in his "Notes on Muscovy" reported that he met "idolaters" in Lithuania who "feed at home, as it were, penates (domestic spirits), some snakes with four short legs, like lizards with black and a fat body, not more than 3 spans in length, and called giveoites. On the appointed days, people cleanse their home and with some fear, with the whole family, reverently worship them, crawling out to the supplied food. Misfortunes are attributed to the fact that the serpent deity was poorly fed."
Jerome Horsey, a merchant and diplomat who lived in Russia in the second half of the 17th century, wrote in Notes on Russia:
“When we crossed the river, a poisonous dead crocodile-snake was lying on its bank. My men pierced him with spears. At the same time, such a terrible smell spread that I was poisoned and was ill for a long time."
The manuscript of the Great Synodal Library says that a "cursed creature" was caught in Volkhov, which local pagans (we are talking about the 17th century!) Buried in a "high grave" (mound), and then celebrated a funeral feast.
And even at the beginning of the 18th century, there is an interesting record in the Arzamas city archive:
“In the summer of 1719 June 4 days in the county a great storm, and a tornado, and hail, and many cattle and all living creatures perished. And a serpent fell from heaven, scorched by God's wrath, and smelled disgustingly. And remembering the Decree of God by the grace of our All-Russian Sovereign Peter Alekseevich from the summer of 17180 to the Kunshtkammer and collecting various curiosities for it, monsters and all kinds of freaks, heavenly stones and other miracles, this serpent was thrown into a barrel with strong double wine …"
According to the description compiled by the zemstvo commissar Vasily Shtykov, this "snake" had short legs and a huge mouth full of sharp teeth. The monster, apparently, did not reach St. Petersburg, no traces of the Arzamas "snake" were found any more.
The serpent as the ancestor of the hero
Now let's return to the epics and see what information the storytellers tell about the Snakes.
In the epic "Volkh Vseslavievich" the Serpent is presented as the father of the protagonist:
Through the garden, over the green
A young princess walked and walked
Martha Vseslavovna -
She stepped on a fierce serpent.
A fierce serpent has entwined, Around Chebot green morocco, Near a silk stocking, The trunk (this is the tail) hits the white thighs
At that time, the princess conceived, She conceived and gave birth on time.
It is not surprising that the hero born from the Serpent turned out to be not just a hero, but a werewolf:
Magus began to grow and grow, Volkh learned many wisdom:
Pike-fish walk
Volhu across the blue seas, To roam the dark forests like a gray wolf, Bay tour - golden horns to scour the field, A clear falcon flying under the cloud.
Most researchers correlate this hero with the Polotsk prince Vseslav, who, according to some chroniclers, was born from "magic", and in the year of his birth was in Russia "the sign of the Serpent in Heaven."
More details about this prince are described in the article Heroes of epics and their possible prototypes.
Serpent Tugarin
If we read the texts of the epics, we immediately notice that when calling the opponents of the heroes Serpents (or - Serpents), talking about the numerous heads and "trunks" (meaning tails), the storytellers further describe them as ordinary, albeit very large and strong people.
For example, here is how the Serpent-Tugarin is described (in other versions - Tugarin Zmeevich):
"How the Serpent-Tugarin goes to the white-stone chambers."
Tugarin is walking, not crawling, but let's say that he is a lizard, and he has paws.
However, it is further reported that "between his shoulders he has a slanting fathom."
Later:
He sits down at oak tables, for sugar dishes.
Yes, he puts the princess on his knees.
Agree, even a lizard is difficult to do this.
In turn, Princess Apraksa says:
Now there is a feast and a gazebo
With a dear friend Serpent-Gorynych!"
And we know that Tugarin is the "guest" of Prince Vladimir. Consequently, Serpent Gorynych, in this case, is a title (and Zmeyevich, accordingly, should mean a prince).
In the future, we learn that the Serpent-Tugarin rides on a horse for a duel with Alyosha Popovich. Here's how one illustrator tried to resolve this contradiction:
We see a winged lizard, and in fact in a number of records of this epic it is reported that the wings were not with Tugarin, but with his horse (such an ancient Russian Bellerophon with Pegasus). These illustrations already look much more believable:
Many researchers considered the epic Serpents as the embodiment of the enemy army, each head of such a Serpent, in their opinion, means tumen or darkness - 10,000 enemy soldiers. S. Pletneva believed that the Cumans were originally the Serpents of Russian epics. In the article Heroes of epics and their possible prototypes, we have already said that epics, in which we are talking about the struggle of Russian heroes with snakes, can in a veiled form tell about wars with nomadic Polovtsy. At the head of the Polovtsian union was the Kai tribe, whose name translates as “snake”. Arab and Chinese authors repeatedly, speaking about the Kipchaks-Polovtsy, use the saying “the snake has seven heads” (according to the number of the main tribes) - this is a possible solution to the multi-headedness of the Serpents of Russian epics. Yes, and the Russian chroniclers, it seems, knew about this: about the victory of Vladimir Monomakh over the Polovtsy in 1103 it is said:
"Break down the heads of the serpent."
Vsevolod Miller was the first to suggest that the Polovtsian Khan Tugorkan is hiding under the name "Tugarin" of Russian epics. His duel with Alyosha Popovich, according to this author, serves as a memory of the victory over the Polovtsy at Pereyaslavl in 1096. The Russian troops were then commanded by Vladimir Monomakh (Prince of Pereyaslavl) and Svyatopolk Izyaslavich (Prince of Kiev). Svyatopolk ordered to bury Tugorkan killed in battle "aky tstya svoya" not far from Kiev.
Serpent Gorynych of Russian epics
By the way, in the epic about Dobryna Nikitich we learn that the Serpent Gorynych is a Christian! Alyosha Popovich says to Prince Vladimir:
"Good-natured snake cross brother."
Who and how could baptize a prehistoric reptile? Even the creators of the mediocre modern cartoons "about heroes" haven’t figured it out yet. But the Polovtsian khans were sometimes baptized. And even the eldest son of Batu Khan, Sartak (brother of Alexander Nevsky) was a Christian (apparently of the Nestorian persuasion).
In the same epic the Serpent (often the Serpent, as in the following passage) invites Dobryna to conclude a real diplomatic treaty:
“We will make a great commandment:
You - do not go now to the Sorochinskaya mountain, Do not trample the little snakes here, Do not help out a lot of Russian;
And I'll be your smaller sister, -
I can't fly to holy Russia, And do not take more and more Russian.
It is difficult to expect this from any reptile. But if such an initiative comes from one of the Polovtsian princes, everything falls into place.
Epic "About Dobryna and the Snake"
Now it's time to tell in more detail about the epic "About Dobryna and the Serpent", which is one of the most widespread Russian epic songs - more than 60 of its records are known. Moreover, the beginning of this epic is part of some song that was not included in the Kiev cycle: his first feat (meeting with the Serpent on the Puchai River) Dobrynya does not perform on the orders of the Kiev prince, the starting point of his journey is Ryazan, and he also returns to Ryazan.
The storytellers sometimes emphasize the antiquity of the events:
"Until now, Ryazan was a village, and now Ryazan is known as a city."
But in the second part, the hero is already in Kiev. And the Serpent Gorynych still did not fulfill his promise, and flew to Russia. But he now kidnapped not an ordinary girl, but the niece of the Kiev prince - Zabava Putyatichna.
Vladimir learns about this at a feast: everything is as usual - indeed, where else can the prince of Kiev be, according to the storytellers? He appeals to the heroes present with a proposal to go in search of Fun. The heroes do not show much enthusiasm, and then Vladimir directly addresses Alyosha Popovich:
“Oh, you, Alyoshenka Levontievich!
Would you like to get from us Fun daughter Potyatichnu
From that snake cave?"
Alyosha also does not want to fight the Serpent, but he knows who should be sent there:
“Oh, you sun, Vladimir stolnekievsky!
I heard there was a light on this, Dobrynyushka snake cross brother;
The cursed snake will give back here
To the young Dobrynyushka Nikitich
Without a fight, without a fight of bloodshed
Immediately nun Amuse my daughter Pottyatichnu."
The prince, who had just been so courteous and affectionate with other heroes, not even daring to order them directly, addresses Dobrynya with an unusually stern manner:
You get ka nun Fun daughter Pottyatichnu
Yes, from that cave was a snake.
You will not get Fun, the daughter of Potyatichnaya, I will order you, Dobrynya, to chop off your head.
In this regard, it's time to talk about the origin of the hero. There is no consensus here. Often storytellers claim that Dobrynya's father is a certain merchant. But in two records of the epic about the fight between Dobrynya and Ilya Muromets and in one record of the epic about Dobrynya and Alyosha Popovich, it is said that the mother of this hero was a princess. However, Dobrynya himself says to Zabava Putyatishna saved by him:
"You are a princely family, and you are a Christian family."
Since Zabava is clearly not a Muslim or a pagan, these words can only be interpreted as a recognition of a hero of peasant origin. Indirect confirmation may be the information that Dobrynya does not receive any reward for the release of the prince's niece. Contrary to tradition, the hero does not marry the girl he has freed, the prince does not arrange a solemn meeting for him, does not favor gold, silver, pearls - the epic usually ends with the fact that, upon returning, Dobrynya pours grain for the horse, and goes to bed. Probably, Prince Vladimir, who first learned about Dobryna, still treats him as a commoner servant, and is not ready to accept him as a hero. Only in some versions, Vladimir arranges a feast in honor of the hero, which can be considered a kind of ritual of recognizing Dobrynya as a member of the prince's squad.
There is also other indirect evidence of Dobrynya's ignorance. So, during the first meeting with the Serpent, for some reason, he turns out to be unarmed - no sword, no shield, no spear. And he has to use the "cap of the Greek land."
Indeed, the battle did not take place in the river, Dobrynya managed to get ashore, and where is his heroic weapon? Some storytellers try to get out of the situation by reporting that the horse with arms has escaped. But, was Dobrynya really so careless that he didn't even tie him?
By the way, about the "cap of the Greek land": what is it, and what did it look like? The most reliable version is the headdress of Christian pilgrims, which had the shape of a bell. Pilgrims often sewed sea shells on this hat: in this case, the blow, indeed, could be very tangible and painful. But Dobrynya, apparently, uses an ordinary hat, which he stuffs with sand: "He raked his hat into the yellow sand."
There is another version of the "Greek hat" - a helmet, which is sometimes called a Greek cap.
But wielding such a helmet full of sand is not very convenient. Is it like this: as a throwing projectile - one-time:
However, let's return to the prince's order - to bring home Zabava Putyatichna. Later it turns out that a huge number of both Russian and foreign captives languished in the "snake holes". But the Kiev prince is not interested in them: if the Snake agrees to give up his niece, let them remain in these holes. And the storytellers do not in the least condemn Vladimir, finding nothing special in such an attitude towards their fellow tribesmen.
And what about Dobrynya? The epics report that, having learned about the princely order, he suddenly "became twisted, grieved." Why? Scared of a new meeting with the Serpent? The storytellers convey Dobrynya's complaint to her mother:
“And he threw on us a great service
Solnyshko Vladimir stolnekievsky, -
And to get it was Fun daughter Potiatichnu
And from that there was a snake cave.
And nun does not have a good horse at Dobrynya, And nun do not have a sharp spear at Dobrynya, I have nothing to go to the Sorochinskaya mountain, To that one was the cursed snake."
Dobrynya has neither a horse nor a weapon! It is now clear why he had to fight back with his hat for the first time. And the eternally feasting Kiev prince did not even think to arm his "combatant". And with what does Dobrynya go to the mortal battle, with what weapon?
Illustrators depict the second battle with the Serpent something like this:
In fact, everything was different.
In the epic “Dobrynya and Marinka” (which is described in the article “Some suffering from that love.” Wives of the heroes of Russian epics), it is said that Dobrynya's mother was a witch (okay, a sorceress). And here we again find confirmation of this fact, unexpected for many readers: the mother gives the hero a magic scarf, wiping with which restores strength, and a lash of seven silks - to whip her horse "between the ears and between the legs" so that he throws the snakes off the hooves, and beat the main Snake:
Ah, the damned snake began to beat.
Ay he reminded the parental punishment, He was taking out a whip from a pickpocket.
He beats the snake with his whip.
Tamed the snake like skotinin, Aki skotinin and peasant.
Dobrynya's horse, by the way, is also not at all a fighting horse: either from his fathers, or even from his grandfather, he stood in the stable knee-deep in manure.
And now the snake is defeated, its blood fills everything around, but the earth does not accept it. Dobrynya strikes the ground with a spear (but not with his own, about which nothing is said in the epics, but with a trophy - "Basurman"), and the blood goes into the resulting hole.
In the future, Dobrynya becomes the second most important Russian hero - either he won the favor, or later storytellers "ennobled" his image, attributing boyar or even princely origin.
In the image of Dobrynya, in addition to courage and heroic strength, "goodwill" is of great importance: he knows how to behave correctly in any circumstances, is portrayed as a "honorable" and courteous person. Ilya Muromets says about him:
"He knows he will move in with the hero, he knows the hero and the honor to salute."
Therefore, in other epics, it is Dobrynya who often fulfills the diplomatic assignments of Prince Vladimir.
Historians about the epic Serpent Gorynych
But how did historians and researchers of Russian folklore interpret this epic?
Orest Miller, based on the fact that when Zmey Gorynych appeared "like rain it rains" and "like thunder thunders", suggested:
"The cave, the mountain and the serpent itself are all just different myths of the same thing - a cloud that dwells among the heavenly waters and flies through the heavenly waters."
Vsevolod Miller considered Dobrynya's bathing in the river as a symbol of baptism.
AV Markov later "clarified" that the first part of the epic tells about the baptism of Dobrynya and Kiev. And in the second part, according to this author, it is said about the forcible baptism of Novgorod, when "Putyata baptized with a sword, and Dobrynya with fire."
V. V. Stasov (work "The Origin of Epics") compared the snake-fighting of Dobrynya with the struggle of the Hindu god Krishna with the many-headed king of serpents, Kaliya.
This is what the Srimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana is a commentary on the Vedanta-sutra) says in the Vedic literature attributed to Vyasadeva:
“Desiring to purify the waters of the Yamuna, poisoned by the poison of Kaliya, Lord Krishna climbed a kadamba tree on the bank of the river and jumped into the water. Kaliya was outraged that Krishna dared to violate the boundaries of his domain. Striving to the Lord, the serpent stung Him in the chest."
Then Kaliya put rings around Krishna, but:
“Krishna began to increase in size and thus forced the snake to loosen its grip and free Him. Then Lord Krishna began to frolic and dance on the hoods of Kaliya, trampling his thousand heads so selflessly and furiously that soon the serpent's strength left … Seeing that life was about to leave Kaliya, his wife, Nagapatni, bowed to the lotus feet of Lord Krishna and began to offer prayers to the Lord in the hope that He would free their husband … Satisfied with the prayers of Nagapatni, Lord Krishna freed Kaliya."
A bit like Dobrynya's first battle with the Serpent, isn't it?
DS Likhachev, like many others, considered the Serpents of Russian epics as a symbol of an external enemy.
Some historians believe that the songs about the battle of Alyosha Popovich with Tugarin are secondary in relation to the epics about Dobryna. N. Dashkevich, for example, believed that
"The feat of Dobrynya was simply transferred to Alyosha."
A. V. Rystenko also believed that "Tugarin" is not a name, but a collective image of the enemy, from the word "tight" - trouble. But under the influence of songs about Dobryna, Tugarin "took on the features of a serpent."
Some researchers believe that under the guise of the "Fierce Serpent, the Black Serpent, many-headed," which has "a thousand heads, a thousand tails," Chernobog is hiding, who was also portrayed as a black man with a silvered mustache.
Later, the multi-headed Miracle Yudo appears in Russian fairy tales. Many believe that this is another name for the Serpent Gorynych.
Other researchers, pointing out that the word "miracle" previously meant any giant (not necessarily snake-like), correlate this character with the Foul Idol.
Jan Usmoshvets as a possible prototype of Nikita Kozhemyaka
Another song of the Kiev cycle, in which we are talking about the competition between the hero and the Serpent, is the well-known epic “Nikita Kozhemyaka”. The events described in it became the plot of Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian fairy tales. In this epic, the next Serpent kidnaps the prince's (in fairy tales - the royal) daughter and forcibly marries her. The hero who saves her turns out to be not a hero, but an ordinary city dweller-artisan: most often he is called a kozhemyak, but sometimes also a blacksmith or a Swiss. Since the forces of the Russian combatant named Nikita (sometimes - Ilya, Cyril or Kuzma) and the forces of the Serpent are equal, they divide the land. It is believed that in this way the epic explains the origin of the famous Serpent Shafts, the creation of which the chronicles are silent - the Serpent Shafts are only mentioned in them as already existing: "passed the shaft", "came to the shaft", "isidosha striltsi from the shaft", "a hundred valoma "and so on.
The prototype of the protagonist of the epic was a certain young man who defeated the Pechenezh hero in 992 (The Tale of Bygone Years, “The Legend of the Young Leatherman). The similarity of the plots is obvious. Vladimir opposes the Pechenegs and meets them
“On Trubezh near the ford, where Pereyaslavl is now … And the Pechenezh prince drove up to the river, summoned Vladimir and said to him:“Let go of your husband, and let them fight mine. If your husband throws mine on the ground, then we will not fight for three years; if our husband throws yours to the ground, we will ruin you for three years."
And they parted.
Vladimir, returning to his camp, sent heralds around the camp, with the words:
"Is there no such husband who would grapple with the Pecheneg?"
And I was not found anywhere. The next morning, the Pechenegs arrived and brought their husband, but ours did not. And Vladimir began to grieve, sending his whole army around, and one old man came to the prince and said to him: "Prince! I have one son, the youngest at home; I went out with four, but he stayed at home. Since childhood, no one left him. still on the ground. Once I scolded him, and he crumpled his skin, so he got angry and tore the skin with his hands. " Hearing about this, the prince rejoiced, and they sent for him, and brought him to the prince, and the prince told him everything.
He replied: "Prince! I do not know if I can grapple with him, - try me: is there a big and strong bull?"
And they found a bull, large and strong, and commanded to enrage him; put a red-hot iron on it and let it go. And the bull ran past him, and grabbed the bull by the side with his hand and tore out the skin and meat, as much as his hand had seized. And Vladimir said to him: "You can fight him."
The next morning, the Pechenegs came and began to call: "Is there a husband? Ours is ready!" Vladimir ordered to put on weapons that same night, and both sides agreed. The Pechenegs released their husband: he was very great and terrible. And Vladimir's husband came out, and saw his Pecheneg and laughed, for he was of average height. And they measured the space between the two troops, and let them go against each other. And they grabbed, and began to squeeze each other tightly, and strangled the Pechenezhin with his hands to death. And threw him to the ground. There was a cry, and the Pechenegs ran, and the Russians chased them, beating them, and drove them away. Vladimir rejoiced and laid the city by that ford, and called it Pereyaslavl, for that youth took over the glory. And Vladimir made him a great husband, and his father too …"
The later Nikon Chronicle calls the name of this young man: Jan Usmoshvets ("the one who sews the skin").
Snake habitat
But where did the Serpents of Russian epics live? Storytellers often report that the "Snake hole" was "behind the Volga womb". Sometimes a more precise location is indicated: "Sorochinskaya Mountain" (from the name of the river, which is now called Tsaritsa - this is the right tributary of the Volga, currently flows through the territory of modern Volgograd).
At the source of this river is currently the Volgograd microdistrict "Gorkovsky", there is Sorochinskaya street.
Some epics say that the Serpent Gorynych guards the Kalinov Bridge on the Fiery River, which many researchers consider the entrance to the world of the dead.
Fire Serpent
There are other Serpents that are mentioned in Slavic legends and tales. For example, the Fiery Serpent (Fireman, Letavets), which was described as winged and three-headed. He, too, paid attention to women and girls, but only to those of them who yearned for a deceased husband or groom. Most often, this Serpent, who was also called Lyubavets, Dragons, Lyubostai, flew during the wars, when many widows appeared in cities and villages. It was they who saw this serpent, which took the form of a deceased, all the others could see only causeless sparks. Therefore, widows in Russia were forbidden to grieve unnecessarily for their deceased husbands, and other family members tried to be around all the time in order to prevent adultery from happening (probably, we are talking about masturbation). The priests believed that this Serpent appears to wives because of the wrong ceremony of commemoration.
In the Old Russian "The Tale of Peter and Fevronia" (written in the middle of the 16th century by the priest Ermolai, in monasticism - Erasmus), the hero killed such a Serpent, which, contrary to custom, flew to the wife of his living brother - Paul. Because of the blood of the monster that fell on Peter, his body was covered with ulcers. Only the "wise maiden Fevronia" was able to cure the prince.
Serpent "The Tale of Eruslan Lazarevich"
We see another Serpent in "The Tale of Eruslan Lazarevich" (17th century), the protagonist of which at first reminds Vasily Buslaev of Novgorod epics: "Whom he takes by the hand, he will rip out his hand, and whoever by the leg will break off his leg" As a result, "The princes and boyars prayed: Either we live in the kingdom, or Eruslan." However, in the future, the hero still finds the correct use of his powers. Among his feats - a victory over a certain "Theodulus-Serpent", who, apparently, was not a real snake, because he had a beautiful daughter who married another hero of the story - Prince Ivan.
Thus, it can be assumed that under the guise of most epic "Serpents" and monsters, people act, albeit very unusual, distinguished by their strength, growth, or the army of enemies of the Russian land. But there are exceptions to this rule: in the epic "Mikhailo Potyk" the hero, who went by agreement with his wife to her grave, fights with a real snake, apparently the guardian of the underworld.
More details about this epic is described in the previous articles of the cycle.
