Introduction

Over the course of many centuries, in the process of formation of the current images of animals in Russian folk tales, literature was created that explored and described folklore features heroes of fairy tales from various regions, countries, etc.

In such works V.Ya. Propp as “Historical roots of a fairy tale”, “Russian fairy tale” and “Morphology of a fairy tale”, E.V. Pomerantseva “The Fates of a Russian Fairy Tale”, V.P. Anikin “Russian folk tale” gives an idea of the structure of a fairy tale, its types, large quantities different types fairy tale heroes. Books by O.M. Ivanova-Kazas “Mythological zoology (dictionary)” and E. A. Kostyukhin “Types and forms of animal epic” help to consider in detail the most famous heroes tales about animals and create them collective image based on a comparative analysis of the characters’ data and their actions.

The heroes of fairy tales are very often animals, personifying people with different characters. Enough attention is paid to the consideration of such characters, but there is not enough literature explaining the role of their existence in fairy tales about animals, which is due to the relevance of the topic of the course work.

Goal: Describe the heroes of Russian folk tales about animals.

A study of Russian folk tales and its animal heroes.

Creation of a comparative analysis of the data of the heroes and their actions.

To prove the educational role of fairy tales through the necessity of the existence of animal heroes.

Subject of research.

Object of study.

Animal heroes of Russian folk tales.

Theoretical method

Method of analysis

Survey/questionnaire method

Comparative method

Research material.

Russian folk tales about animals.

The choice of this literature is due to the fact that in Russian folk tales about animals the characters of animal heroes and their features are especially clearly manifested. And books such as A.N. Afanasyeva “Russian folk tales: complete edition in one volume”, “Tales about animals”, “Tales about hares”, “Tales about a fox” give a complete picture of the heroes of fairy tales about animals, describe their character traits, appearance and actions.

Tales about animals, their characteristics and varieties

In fairy tales about animals, certain characters can be traced in different time frames. Therefore, one of the most important issues is the problem of differentiating fairy tales about animals and fairy tales of other genres in which animals take part.

The key to solving this problem is given by the definition of fairy tales about animals proposed by V.Ya. Propp: “Tales about animals will mean those tales in which the animal is the main object or subject of the narrative. On this basis, tales about animals can be distinguished from others, where animals play only a supporting role and are not the heroes of the story.”

Fairy tales about animals, of course, include fairy tales where only animals act (“The Fox and the Crane”, “The Fox, the Hare and the Rooster”, “The Fox-Midwife”, “The Fox and the Blackbird”, “The Fool-Wolf”, etc.). d.). Of the fairy tales about the relationship between man and animals, this genre should include those in which animals are the main characters, and people are the objects of their action, and the narration in which is told from the point of view of animals, not humans (“The Wolf at the Ice Hole,” “The Dog and wolf”, “Man, bear and fox”, etc.).

Tales about animals bear little resemblance to stories from the lives of animals. Animals in fairy tales act only to some extent in accordance with their nature, and to a much greater extent they act as bearers of one or another character and producers of certain actions that should be attributed primarily to humans. Therefore, the world of animals in fairy tales is supplemented by human imagination; it is a form of expression of a person’s thoughts and feelings, his views on life.

Animals that speak, reason and behave like people are just a poetic convention: “The adventures of animals are projected onto human life - and it is their human meaning that makes them interesting.” Hence the main themes of Russian fairy tales about animals - human characters, virtues and vices of people, types of human relationships in everyday life, in society, sometimes these images even look satirical.

Most researchers note the problem of classifying tales about animals due to their diversity. V.Ya. wrote about the complexity of typologizing fairy tales about animals. Propp, noting the following varieties: tales about animals that exist in a cumulative form (“Teremok”, “Kolobok”, “Cockerel and bean seed”, etc.); tales about animals, close in structure to fairy tales (“The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats”, “The Cat, the Rooster and the Fox”, etc.); tales about animals, close in structure to fables (“The Wolf and the Fox”); animal tales coming to literary works and having the form of a political pamphlet (“The Tale of Ersha Ershovich”).

Developing a classification of Russian fairy tales about animals based on texts collected by A.N. Afanasyev, V.Ya. Propp identifies the following groups: Tales about wild animals (“Beasts in the Pit”, “Fox and Wolf”, “Fox Midwife”, “Fox and Crane”, “Fox Confessor”, etc.); Tales about wild and domestic animals (“The Dog and the Wolf”, “The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats”, “The Cat, the Fox and the Rooster”, etc.); Tales about man and wild animals (“The Fox and her Tail”, “The Man and the Bear”, “The Old Bread and Salt is Forgotten”, “The Bear is a Linden Leg”, “The Fox with a Rolling Pin”, etc.); Tales about domestic animals (“The Whacked Goat”, “The Horse and the Dog”, etc.); Tales about birds and fish (“The Crane and the Heron”, “The Cockerel and the Bean Seed”, “The Ryaba Hen”, etc.); Tales about other animals, plants, mushrooms and elements (“Fox and Crayfish”, “Teremok”, “Kolobok”, “Sun, Frost and Wind”, “War of the Mushrooms”, etc.).

The characters of Russian folk tales about animals are represented, as a rule, by images of wild and domestic animals. Images of wild animals clearly prevail over images of domestic animals: these are fox, wolf, bear, hare, among birds - crane, heron, thrush, woodpecker, sparrow, raven, etc. Domestic animals are much less common, and they do not appear as independent or leading characters, but only in conjunction with forest birds: this is a dog, a cat, a goat, a ram, a horse, a pig, a bull, and among poultry - a goose, a duck and a rooster. There are no tales only about domestic animals in Russian folklore. Each of the characters is an image of a very specific animal or bird, behind which stands one or another human character, and therefore the characterization characters based on observation of the habits, behavior of the animal, its appearance. The difference in characters is especially clearly and definitely expressed in the images of wild animals: thus, the fox is depicted primarily as a flattering, cunning deceiver, a charming robber; the wolf is like a greedy and slow-witted “gray fool” who always gets into trouble; the bear is like a stupid ruler, “forest oppression”, using his power not according to reason; a hare, a frog, a mouse, forest birds - like weak, harmless creatures, always serving on errands. The ambiguity of assessments also persists when describing domestic animals: for example, a dog is portrayed as an intelligent animal, devoted to humans; the cat shows a paradoxical combination of courage and laziness; The rooster is noisy, self-confident and curious.

To understand the meaning of Russian folk tales about animals, it is necessary to work on their plot organization and composition. The plot of animal tales is characterized by clarity, clarity and simplicity: “Tales about animals are built on elementary actions underlying the narrative, representing a more or less expected or unexpected end, prepared in a certain way. These simplest actions are phenomena of a psychological nature...” Animalistic tales are distinguished by their small volume, persistence of plot scheme and laconicism. artistic means expressions.

The composition of Russian fairy tales about animals is also distinguished by its simplicity and transparency. They are often one-episode (“The Fox and the Crane”, “The Crane and the Heron”, etc.). In this case, they are characterized by exaggeration of the main properties and traits of the character, which determines the unusualness and fantastic nature of their actions. However, much more often there are fairy tales with plots based on the sequential linking of the same plot links-motives. The events in them are connected by similar in nature actions of cross-cutting characters: for example, in the fairy tale “The Fox and the Wolf” there are three plot motives- “The fox steals fish from the sleigh”, “The wolf at the ice hole”, “The beaten one is lucky.” Multiple episodes, as a rule, do not complicate the composition, since we are usually talking about the same type of actions of characters performed in different plot situations.

In this work, we will conduct a study of two negative heroes of Russian folk tales about animals - the fox and the wolf. This choice is due not only to their popularity, but also to the fact that, using the example of these heroes, one can clearly trace what vices are ridiculed and condemned in fairy tales, thereby influencing the formation national character readers. Both characters meet in different fairy tales separately and in one together. And despite the fact that both the wolf and the fox are negative heroes, and it seems that they have a lot in common: they live in the same forests, attack the same animals, are also afraid of the same opponents, in fairy tales they endowed with different human qualities, which is quite interesting. Also interesting is the fact that one bad guy male and, it turns out, he is endowed with male negative character traits, and the other hero is female, endowed with female traits, respectively, which is why the methods of achieving their goals are different, despite the fact that these goals are the same. Thus, based on analyzes of various Russian folk tales about animals, it is possible to consider these heroes from the same positions: their appearance, features, actions, and determine which of them is smarter, smarter or more cunning, and who is stupid and naive. Comparative analysis the wolf and the fox will also help to identify the main human vices that are ridiculed in society and find out how the presence of these heroes in Russian folk tales influences the formation of national character, which is the goal of this work.

The word “fairy tale” is attested in written sources no earlier than the 17th century. Derived from the word “to show”. What mattered was: a list, a list, an exact description. Modern meaning acquired from the 17th-19th centuries. Previously, the word fable was used, until the 11th century - blasphemy.

The purpose of a fairy tale is to subconsciously or consciously teach a child in the family the rules and purpose of life, the need to protect one’s “area” and a worthy attitude towards other communities. It is noteworthy that the fairy tale carries a huge information component, passed on from generation to generation, the belief in which is based on respect for one’s ancestors.

Folklore tale - genre literary creativity; epic genre written and oral folk art. A type of narrative, mainly prosaic folklore (fairy-tale prose), which includes works of different genres, the texts of which are based on fiction.

Fairy tales reveal the character of the people, their wisdom and high moral qualities.

A folk tale, which is based on a traditional plot, belongs to prosaic folklore (fairy-tale prose). To date, the following classification of Russian folk tales has been accepted:

1. Tales about animals

2. Fairy tales

3. Everyday tales

Russian folk tale about animals – this is one of the oldest folklore genres. It intertwines echoes of myths about totem animals, stories about the origin of animals and birds, legends about the relationship between the human world and the animal world, etc. It captures the centuries-old experience of man in mastering the natural world and comprehending the most important laws of its existence.

Tales about animals differ significantly from other types fairy tale genre. Their specificity is manifested primarily in the features of fantastic fiction. According to J. Grimm, the possibility of the emergence of animal fiction was influenced by the views primitive people. When decomposing this epic, a fairy tale about animals and a fable stood out.

Anikin V.P. in his book “Russian Folk Fairy Tale”, he claims that the appearance of fairy tales about animals was preceded by stories directly related to beliefs about animals. These stories featured the future protagonists of animal fairy tales. These stories did not yet have an allegorical meaning. Animal images meant animals. Such stories directly reflected ritual, magical and mythical concepts and ideas. Stories of a mythical nature were distinguished by their life purpose. It can be assumed that they were told for edifying purposes and taught how to treat animals. By observing certain rules, people sought to subordinate the animal world to their influence. This was the initial stage of the emergence of fantastic fiction. Later, fairy tales about animals were based on it.

In the Russian folk “animal” fairy tale, two worlds mutually reflect each other - the world of people and the world of animals. Tales about animals “introduce a person to the circle of the first vital concepts, explain the essence of many phenomena, and introduce people to the characters and relationships.” This gives rise to a special kind of narrative convention. Animals and humans in animalistic fairy tales are interchangeable; the transferability of functions from one character to another makes the action primary, and not the subject performing it.

The possibility of interchangeable characters gives rise to identical images and parallel plots in folklore. Thus, the beginnings of the fairy tales “The Cat, the Rooster and the Fox” and “Baba Yaga and Zhikhar” coincide: in the first, the fox carries away the rooster, luring him out with a song, and the cat goes to save him; in the second, Zhikhar is dragged away by Baba Yaga, who lured him out with a song, and a cat and a sparrow rush to his aid. Almost identical in plot, composition and ideological meaning fairy tales “The Fox with a Rolling Pin” and “The Old Woman with a Bast-Girl”, in which the heroines, through deception, exchange a rolling pin/bast shoe for a chicken, a chicken for a goose, a goose for a turkey, etc. up to a bull/girl.

V.Ya. Propp, defining animal tales, proposed: “By animal tales we will mean those tales in which the animal is the main object or subject of the narrative. On this basis, tales about animals can be distinguished from others, where animals play only a supporting role and are not the heroes of the story.”

A fairy-tale animal epic is a special education, not very similar to stories from the lives of animals. Animals here act in accordance with their nature and act as bearers of one or another character and producers of certain actions that should be attributed primarily to humans. Therefore, the world of animals in fairy tales is a form of expression of a person’s thoughts and feelings, his views on life.

Russian animalistic fairy tales are characterized by allegory, where it is possible through the use of allegorical (fable) imagery. Hence the main themes of Russian fairy tales about animals - human characters, virtues and vices of people, types of human relationships both in everyday life and in the social sphere, up to sharp social satire on the social structure.

Man has long felt a kinship with nature; he truly was a part of it, fighting with it, seeking its protection, sympathizing and understanding. The later introduced fable, parable meaning of many fairy tales about animals is also obvious.

Project “Animal Characters in Russian
folk tales"

Target: get acquainted with animal characters in Russian folk tales.

Tasks: learn the features of fairy tales about animals, the history and reasons for the appearance of fairy tales with main animal characters, identify the animals most often found in Russian folk tales.

While working on the project, we came to the conclusion that fairy tales about animals- the oldest group of fairy tales based on unusual heroes. These tales are associated with outdated worlds in which animal characters stood at the origins of the creation of the world. The fairy tale shows that people used to try to explain phenomena occurring in nature and were in awe of animals. This is how animal characters appeared in Russian folk tales. In a fairy tale, as in life there is positive and negative characters. Each hero has his own individual character and unique traits. The characteristics of animals in a fairy tale include several distinct characters who personify weakness, awkwardness, stupidity, cunning, cowardice, anger, and strength. We remember Russian folk tales from early childhood, our parents told us when we were 1.2 years old, they remained in our memory. After reading and remembering Russian folk tales, we came to the conclusion that out of the numerous series of animal characters, six of them are the most common.

Fox.

This is a stable image dominated by cunning, a tendency to deception and tricks. The fox will do anything to get what she wants - she will pretend to be weak and helpless, and use all her charm and eloquence.

Bear.

The cat in fairy tales openly demonstrates his playful disposition; in many stories he turns out to be a robber or even a thief. But at the same time, the cat is distinguished by justice and a lively resourceful mind. Thanks to his eloquence, he gets out of any difficult situations, helps the offended, and protects his friends.

Hare.

Hare- the hero is weak, but cunning. He often acts as the personification of cowardice, however, thanks to his dexterity and resourcefulness, he easily gets out of difficult situations. He can outsmart even a wolf and save his friends.

Rooster.

Rooster in fairy tales appears before us in two forms. In many fairy tales the rooster is portrayed as frivolous and very self-confident. Sometimes he shows disobedience and violates some prohibition. And sometimes in fairy tales he acts as a wise assistant to his friends. Reveals himself as truly fearless and strong positive character Russian fairy tales.

Wolf.

Conclusions:

Some fairy-tale heroes cause us antipathy.

We define such heroes by their negative qualities and actions.

We also find the appearance of such heroes unpleasant.

There is no need to try to be like such heroes.

Fairy tales are passed down from generation to generation.

At their core - moral values, which are relevant at all times: kindness, mercy, compassion, mutual assistance. The epigraph from the fairy tale “The Raven King” reads:

Evil lives not only in fairy tales -

He walks in life without fear.

But goodness is still alive -

The ancient tale is not false.

Therefore, our life is impossible without fairy tales!

Tales about animals are the oldest group of fairy tales, which are based on totemistic and animistic cults. These tales are associated with archaic worlds in which animal characters stood at the origins of the creation of the world. In the stories that have come down to us, these mythological elements are reinterpreted differently. The fairy tale shows that people used to try to explain phenomena occurring in nature, and experienced sacred awe of animals symbolizing strength. This is how the negative characters of Russian fairy tales appeared. Each hero has his own individual character and unique traits. The characteristics of animals in the fairy tale include several distinct characters who personify strength and cunning, anger and brute force.

In the animal world of fairy tales, there is a special type of hero - the trickster, the rogue and the deceiver. The fox in fairy tales is the main trickster. This is a stable image dominated by cunning, a tendency to deception and tricks. The fox will do anything to get what she wants - she will pretend to be weak and helpless, and use all her charm and eloquence. In Russian fairy tales, the trickster is contrasted with a simpleton character. It could be a wolf, whom the fox successfully fools, a rooster (“Cat, Rooster and Fox”), or a weak hare, whom she drives out of her hut (“The Fox and the Hare”). Initially, in the myth, it was his unusual behavior that contributed to the creation of the world and the acquisition of knowledge. Unlike the myth, the trickster fox is often punished for his misdeeds, especially when he attacks weak, helpless heroes. For example, the Fox in the fairy tale “The Fox with a Rock” runs away and hides in a hole.

The wolf in fairy tales traditionally represents greed and malice. He is often portrayed as stupid, so he is often fooled by more cunning characters in fairy tales, such as the Fox. The contrast between these two strong animal characters occurs in many fairy tales, and in almost all of them the wolf, being slow-witted and short-sighted, allows himself to be deceived again and again. However, in ancient cultures the image of a wolf was associated with death, so in fairy tales this animal character often eats someone (“The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats”) or violates quiet life animals (“Winter quarters of animals”). But in the end they are good fairy tale characters In Russian fairy tales the wolf is always deceived or defeated. For example, the wolf in the fairy tale “Sister Fox and the Wolf” is left without a tail.

The bear in fairy tales represents the embodiment of brute force. Sometimes he is fierce, sometimes he is naive and kind. Being the owner of the forest, he has power over other animals, but, nevertheless, he has a simple character. The presence of physical strength in a given animal character practically excludes intelligence - the bear in fairy tales is stupid and is fooled by weak animals. You can see a parallel between the image of a bear and the image of rich landowners during serfdom. Therefore, people and other animals, symbolizing the free and cunning Russian people in fairy tales, often try to outwit and fool the bear. For example, a bear is left with nothing (the fairy tale “The Man and the Bear”) or is completely eaten by a crowd of people (“The Bear is a Lime Leg”). In some fairy tales, the bear is lazy, calm and values his peace very much. There are also fairy tales in which the bear manifests itself as a kind animal character who helps people. For example, a bear gives gifts to Masha, thereby acting as a symbol good forces natures that love hard work and honesty.

“A philosopher, legislator, historian - anyone who wants to understand their people to the end must take a closer look at their songs, proverbs, fairy tales, as well as their sayings, individual expressions and words. Behind a word there is always its meaning, behind the literal meaning there is a secret, allegorical meaning, under the strange colorful robe of a fairy tale lies the history and religion of peoples and nations,” the Italian folklorist Giuseppe Pitre (1843 – 1916) insightfully admonished everyone.

Today we are increasingly turning to Russian folk tales, trying to find in them the hidden truth, that magic ball that will lead us to far away kingdom, where our dreams will come true and everything will be fine.

Not only magical things help the hero on his journey, but also animals and plants. In our work we will try to understand not only symbolic meaning these images, but also in their structure. In my research work I will use such a concept as a totem. This concept is taken from the language North American Indians, was introduced into scientific circulation in the 19th century. “Totem” is translated as “his clan” and means clan affiliation, but not by family ties, but by unification of oneself and a kind of tribe with some animal, plant, element (for example, water, wind, lightning) or object (for example, a stone). Despite the apparent non-Russian nature of the concept of “totem”, it is consonant with the most Russian words “father”, “fatherland”, “stepfather”, etc.

What are totems for and why did they appear? Every person needs to distinguish himself from others. How to emphasize your uniqueness and originality at the level of clan, tribe, ethnic group? This is where the tradition of distinguishing by totems developed, linking itself with inextricable ties to the world of living and inanimate nature. In this interconnected system, the totem was assigned the role of a talisman: it guarded, protected a person, and helped him in difficult situations. In turn, all totemic animals and plants are taboo: what was considered

2 totem, it was impossible to kill, offend, or eat. The totem was worshiped, sacrifices were made to it, it was glorified and depicted by everyone accessible ways. IN Ancient Rome the most exotic totem was the woodpecker, and the most famous was the wolf (the Capitoline she-wolf that nursed Romulus and Remus).

Greek mythology is especially rich in the transformations of gods and heroes into animals, plants and some inanimate objects (stones, rocks, stars). Ovid wrote 15 books on this topic, combined into the famous “Metamorphoses”. Zeus turns into a bull; Helios - into a lion, boar, panther; Athena - into a deer, etc.

Among the Russian people, echoes of totemism have been preserved mainly in ritual folklore associated with the veneration and glorification of trees, birds, animals, and in fairy tales - especially about animals. This is clearly evidenced by the positive human traits that the people endowed with fabulous animals, as well as the protective functions that they perform (the primary purpose of the totem is to help everyone who is in a socially related relationship with it). Convincing confirmation of the totem-kinship relationship between animals and people in the vulgar can be at least the well-known nickname of the fox - Little Chanterelle-Sister (aka Kuma-Fox). Whose sister and godfather is she to?

Not a wolf, not a hare, not a bear, but you and me, or rather our distant ancestors!

Fox is bright female image in the animal world, the companion and embodiment of Mokosha - the goddess of fate and harvest. The Slavs revered the fox for its cunning, resourcefulness and ingenuity, and affectionately called it godfather and sister. For the red color

3 the fox was compared to fire, and also to a thundercloud because of the brown tint of its fur coat. In Siberia, the pre-dawn twilight, when the sun's rays painted the sky dark orange, was called fox darkness. But the fox was also associated with the winter cold, illnesses and illnesses caused by the cold. The fox owes this relationship to Mara, the goddess of winter, possibly an incarnation of Mokosh.

Fox time is the beginning and middle of winter. Colors - red, red, brown.

Proverbs and signs:

The fox is always fuller than the wolf

To pass by a fox is by cunning

Whoever entered the rank of fox will rule as a wolf

If the fox had not arrived in time, the sheep would have eaten the wolf!

The fox counts chickens in his sleep

The fox crossed the road, bad luck.

Hearing a fox bark is unlucky.

Animals - the main characters of Russian folk tales - are usually masculine: bull, horse, wolf, bear. Hare, rooster, cat, ram, etc. But there are, of course, animals feminine: goat, frog, mouse, chicken. However, all of them, neither in popularity nor in importance, can compare with Lisa Patrikeevna - the bearer of both the best and worst qualities of all female tribe, and to a certain extent – exponents of the very essence of female nature.

The fox is the heroine of mainly everyday fairy tales. Here she lies on the road with glassy eyes. She was numb, the man decided, he kicked her and she wouldn’t wake up. The man was delighted, took the fox, put it in the cart with fish, covered it with matting: “The old woman will have a collar for her fur coat,” and started the horse from its place, he himself went ahead. The fox threw all the fish out of the cart and left. The man realized that the fox was dead. It's already late. There is nothing to do.

The fox is true to herself everywhere in fairy tales. Her cunning is conveyed in the proverb: “When you look for a fox in front, then she is behind.” She is resourceful and lies recklessly until the time when it is no longer possible to lie, but even in this case she indulges in the most incredible invention. The fox thinks only about his own benefit. If the deal does not promise her acquisitions, she will not sacrifice anything of hers. The fox is vindictive and vindictive. Having collected the fish thrown on the road, the fox began to have lunch. The wolf runs: “Hello, gossip, bread and salt!” - “I eat mine, and you stay away.” Why would a fox give a treat to a wolf? Let him catch it himself. The fox instantly has an epiphany: “You, little kuman, go to the river, lower your tail into the hole - the fish attaches itself to the tail, but look, sit longer, otherwise you won’t catch it. Sit and say: “Catch, fish, both small and large!” Catch, little fish, both small and great!

The proposal is absurd, wild, and the stranger it is, the more readily one believes in it. The wolf obeyed. Lisa volunteered to help. She is worried: as long as there is no thaw, as long as it is a frosty night. He walks around the wolf and says:

Make it clear, make it clear, there are stars in the sky,

Freeze, freeze, wolf's tail!

“I’m trying to catch the fish,” she explains to the wolf, who does not understand all her words. The wolf sat the whole night at the ice hole. His tail froze. The women came to the river for water and saw a wolf and began to beat it with rockers. The wolf was eager and eager - he tore off his tail and took off running.

After this, it would seem that the fox should be afraid of meeting her godfather. The wolf is angry with her: “That’s how you teach, godfather, how to fish!”

The fox managed to visit the hut, ate some dough from a kneading bowl from one woman and smeared herself in it. “Oh, kumanek! You don’t have a tail, but your head is intact, but they smashed my head: look at the brain - it’s come out!” And the wolf believed her, took pity on her, and sat her down: “The beaten one carries the unbeaten one.”

The tale depicts the triumph of the fox. She revels in revenge, feels complete superiority over her gullible and stupid godfather. How much resourcefulness she has and how much vengeful feeling she has! Both are so often found in people with a practical, resourceful mind, overwhelmed by petty passions. And the wolf is good! Envy and stupidity destroy him. This way you can lose your skin. For all its simplicity, the fairy tale with psychological truth conveys in these animals the traits of people, the peculiarities of their characters and behavior.

Of course, storytellers could tell about human vices without resorting to fantastic fiction, but how insipid this story would become! He would not have conveyed to us even a small part of that caustic deep meaning, which contains a satirical narrative.

The fairy tale tells us that the hero’s selfish invention, no matter how implausible and incredible it may seem (catch fish with the tail!), will always find a greedy fool who will believe it. Stupidity and gullibility are as endless as cunning and calculation. When they meet, everything is possible: you can fish with your tail, you can lose your head, you can feel sorry for the one who almost ruined you. Is the Wolf always stupid and funny in fairy tales? What is the attitude of our distant ancestors to this image?

6 The wolf is one of the central and widespread mythological figures of world folklore and one of ancient totems Russian people. The duality (duality) of this fairy-tale image is clear. On the one side. The wolf is a bloodthirsty predator that attacks livestock and people; on the other hand, he is a faithful assistant and even a relative of fairy-tale heroes.

This is evidenced by some wedding customs that persisted in Rus' until the twentieth century. Thus, in the northwestern regions of Russia (in particular in Pskov), it was customary to call the groom’s groom’s representative a wolf, and the groom’s relatives in songs called the bride a she-wolf; She, too, did not remain in debt and in the traditional lamentation called the groom’s brothers gray wolves.

Cultural historian Edward Tylor (1832 - 1917) in his classic work “Primitive Culture” drew attention to the fact that the famous Russian fairy tale “The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats” contains fragments and mythologies of the ancient cosmic worldview, when “wolf” was understood dark forces chaos, absorbing the sun, moon and wandering celestial bodies during an eclipse (as in the old days the seven planets visible to the naked eye were called) in their fabulously symbolic guise, and “little goats” appeared, which were swallowed by the “wolf”, and then (voluntarily or under duress) released.

Among Russians, traces of such an ancient identification are found, among other things, in archaic riddle-proverb, where the dark night is identified with the wolf: “The wolf [dark night] came - all the people fell silent,” the clear falcon [sun] flew up - all the people left!” Traces of such an ancient cosmic worldview and beliefs are found even in the simple children's game "Geese-Swans and the Wolf", where the latter personifies dark night, trying to overtake and absorb bright sunny days - swan geese.

It was widely distributed throughout Eastern Europe belief about wolf people. Herodotus in his “History” wrote about the Neuroi, a people who lived on the territory of present-day Belarus and, according to scientists, were undoubtedly associated with the Slavs. Herodotus relayed the stories of the Greeks and Scythians that “every year every Neuroi becomes a wolf for a few days, and then again takes on its previous appearance.” Isn’t this belief reflected in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign,” which tells how Prince Vseslav “himself barked at night.”

The tale of Ivan Tsarevich and the gray wolf also preserved the meaning of the ancient mythical belief quite well. Folklorists classify it as a type of fairy tale. In the form in which we know it, it really is fairy tale.

The son is guarding his father's garden. The firebird pecks apples in it, the hero wants to catch it; he is looking for a golden-maned horse and getting himself a bride in distant lands - fairy tales love such plot points. At the same time, the fairy tale was influenced by ancient beliefs about animals. In the fairy tale, there is a werewolf. At times he takes on the appearance of a man and even a horse. Gray wolf serves the hero faithfully. Where does this arrangement come from? The wolf explains to Ivan Tsarevich: “Because I tore your horse to pieces. Then I will serve you faithfully.”

If we see the remnants of totemism in the beliefs about werewolves, then it is understandable why a fairy-tale wolf, having harmed a wolf or harmed a person, considers himself obligated to compensate for the damage with faithful service. Family ties were considered sacred and violation of them was punishable. When actions went against ancestral morals, they demanded the most exact compensation. The wolf ate the horse. He himself serves the hero as a horse, he takes upon himself the responsibility of helping a person voluntarily, without coercion: and for him, family ties are sacred. The logic of primitive thinking here is undeniable. True, we do not know what specific form the ancient stories about wolves had, but it is quite possible that the fairy-tale situation we have taken is in some connection with them.

In popular beliefs, the wolf, like the bear, appears as an animal in whose honor holidays were held. They did not call him by his real name, fearing that he himself would be called out by doing so. A hostile and dangerous creature, the wolf evoked respect and fear.

From experience, people knew that the wolf is a predatory, cunning, intelligent, resourceful, and evil creature. Meanwhile, in fairy tales the wolf is a stupid, always hungry, always beaten animal.

The ingenuous fairy tale “Kolobok” encodes information about the competition between the totems of the hare, wolf, bear and victorious fox for the right to be the keeper of the traditions of the cult of the sun-Kolo, personified by Kolobok, identical to the ancient luminary both in name and in ritual functions (he is eaten, as on Maslenitsa eat pancakes symbolizing the sun).

And in the equally popular fairy tale “Teremok”, the former totemic struggle for “living space” is reflected: overpopulation of the “teremok” is resolved by displacing the totems of the Mouse, Frog, Hare, Fox and Wolf with a stronger contender for “living space” - the Bear clan.

Observations by ethnographers convince us that the bear was considered by people as a patron. They believed that a bear could lead a lost person out of the forest.

Numerous Belarusian beliefs speak about the patron bear. There was a custom to invite a safecracker and a bear into your home. The bear was put in the red corner, under the icon, generously treated with honey, cheese, butter, and after the treat, they were led through all the nooks and crannies of the house and into the barn. They believed that the bear exorcised evil spirits. In other cases, the bear stepped over the patient or even stepped on him. As if she was acting healing power beast. This power supposedly freed people from witchcraft.

Bear - Beast Velesov

Bear - witch, black beast, forester, breaker, shaggy, bear, forest king. Hunters distinguish three breeds of bear: the large carnivore - the vulture, the medium - the fescue and the smallest - the ant.

The bear was the most revered Slavic animal. It’s not for nothing that Russian people are still compared to bears. According to legend, the bear was the incarnation of the god Veles, also very ancient god, the image of which has been preserved since the Stone Age. Images of bears can be found on the walls of caves of primitive man and on the coats of arms of many cities. Cave bears have long been neighbors of people; the Slavs considered them their ancestors (in addition to some other totem animals). The bear was considered the owner of the forest, the guardian of its wealth. It is possible that the bear's paws raised to the sky and its threatening stance were adopted by people in their dances and rituals.

While seemingly good-natured and clumsy, the bear is actually very strong, cruel and quick to kill. Hunters who risked going out with a spear to hunt a bear were called “inveterate” in Rus', that is, going to certain death. Unlike the predator wolf, the bear is omnivorous and does not disdain honey, raspberries and other sweet berries. For his passion for destroying the hives of wild bees, he received his nickname - Med-ved (who knows honey). His true name is ber, this is evidenced by the name of the bear's dwelling - den (ber's lair). By the way, the den was considered one of the passages to the Underworld, and its owner was the guardian of the Navya kingdom. The bear climbs into its den with the onset of winter, and comes out with the first warm days of spring. On the days of winter confrontation (Kolyad), the bear turned over in its den, marking the turning of the annual wheel.

Just like the wolf, the bear could be a werewolf. Only, as a rule, the bear turned into a man, while with the wolf the opposite was the case. This feature suggests that people encountered the bear earlier and considered it their main ancestor, that is, man descended from the bear through the ritual of werewolf, and only then learned to take the form of a wolf, hare and other animals.

The time of the bear is the end of winter. Colors - brown, black

Proverbs and signs:

The bear is strong, but he lies in the swamp

The bear is not given the courage of a wolf, and the wolf is not given the strength of a bear.

The bear was wrong for eating the cow, and the cow was wrong for going into the forest.

Don't sell the skins without killing the bear

Two bears do not live in the same den

The bear is happy that he didn’t get caught by the shooter, and the shooter is happy that he didn’t get caught by the bear

A bear in a den turns over on the other side, winter meets summer (about Candlemas, celebrated on February 15).

The human type embodied in the bear is partly similar to that reproduced in the image of the wolf. It is not for nothing that the wolf often replaces the bear in fairy tales. These are the numerous versions of the fairy tales “The Man, the Bear and the Fox”, “The Bear, the Dog and the Cat”, etc. However, the similarity of the images is only partial. In the minds of any person familiar with fairy tales, the bear is a beast of the highest rank. He is the most powerful forest beast. When in fairy tales one animal replaces another, the bear is in the position of the strongest. This is the tale about the little mansion, the animals in the pit, and others.

One must think that this position of the bear on the animal hierarchy is explained in its own way by its connection with those traditional pre-story mythological legends in which the bear occupied the most important place as the owner of forest lands. Perhaps, over time, the bear began to be seen as the embodiment of the sovereign, the ruler of the district. Fairy tales emphasized enormous strength bear He crushes everything that comes under his feet. The fragile little mansion, a house in which a variety of animals lived peacefully, could not withstand its weight. Isn't this half-forgotten fairy tale a half-forgotten allegory? The world-community experienced pressure from princes and patrimonial lords: the masters decided to impose tribute on more people, and in case of disobedience they punished all disobedient people. “I’m oppressive to everyone,” the bear says about himself.

And in the final part of his research work I would like to pay attention to my beloved fairy tale image- Sivke-Burke.

And I'll start at grandma's

I ask for a fairy tale;

And my grandmother will start for me

Tell a fairy tale:

Like Ivan Tsarevich

He caught the firebird

How can he get a bride?

The gray wolf got it

Ivan Surikov

Horses flying and galloping to the skies are favorite images of Russian and Slavic folklore.

Since childhood, mesmerizing lines have been etched in my memory, coming down from time immemorial and sounding like spells:

“The horse is running - the earth is trembling, smoke is pouring out of its ears, flames are burning from its nostrils.”

“Sivka-Burka, Prophetic Kaurka, stand before me like a leaf before the grass!”

“Get into your right ear, out of your left, and you will become such a handsome man as the world has never seen.”

Cosmic reflections appear in stories about horses galloping to the sky, and in stories about heroes born from a horse. So in famous fairy tale about Ivan-Kobylnikov's son, recorded in Siberia at the beginning of the twentieth century, the hero's companions and assistants are Ivan-Solntsev's son and Ivan-Mesyatsev's son.

In Russian folklore and the popular worldview, other things are associated with the consubstantiality of the horse and the sun. famous images and names. Thus, the fairytale horse Sivka-Burka (or in the fairy tales of other peoples - the Solar Horse, the Sun Horse), without a doubt, personifies the daylight. His name also dates back to Proto-Indo-European beliefs (goddess Siwa "god Shiva").

In one of the most capacious in terms of mythological encoding, the tales of Vasilisa the Wise (Beautiful) are revealed ancient ideas Russian people about the change of day and night as cosmic horsemen: A clear day - “itself is white, dressed in white, the horse under it is white and the harness on the horse is white”; The sun is red - the rider is “red himself, dressed in red and on a red horse.” The night is dark - again the horseman: he himself is black, dressed in all black and on a black horse.”

Numerous and varied images of solar horses are found in Russian ornaments, carvings, and utensils. Horse heads, mounted on the edge of the roofs, symbolize the sun chariot (in detailed scenes of embroidery, paintings and carvings, these horses are usually depicted together with the sun).

In the composition of a Russian hut, horses rushing into the sky seem to carry the entire house into space. The sun is present here in various decorations - it is inseparable from this flight, moreover, it is like a model of a solar chariot drawn by wooden horses.

The connection of the horse with the cult of fertility is obvious in calendar rituals and customs. The custom of dressing up as a filly or horse on Christmastide is preserved, bringing light, work in the field, and a new time - New Year. In ancient times, when laying the foundation of a house, a ritual of burying the head of a horse took place, giving a connection with deceased ancestors. Among family rituals, the horse played a special role in weddings: the horse was given as ransom for the bride, the horse and mare were tied in the entryway, where the couple spent their first wedding night.

The horse was buried with its owner in pagan times; the fallen horse was buried with honors, like a devoted warrior.

The sensitive and devoted animal gave rise to many fortune-telling and beliefs. If a horse stumbles on its left leg, it means trouble. During Christmas fortune-telling, the horse was blindfolded and sat on it; where it goes, the girl will go to get married. When sending off to war or recruiting, if the horse flinches, this is considered a bad sign. A horse neighs - for good, stomps towards the road, draws in air through its nostrils - for arriving home, snorts for a good meeting or for rain. Horse skull is scary for evil spirits, that’s why many horse skulls used to be hung on fences in villages. A collar removed from a horse and water not drunk by the horse are considered healing.

Almost all the magical functions of the horse-brother are successfully combined in the classical literary fairy tale Pyotr Petrovich Ershov’s “The Little Humpbacked Horse,” who carefully and meticulously used images of Russian folklore.

Two unprecedented horses with golden manes, their mother, a magical mare, who rushed Ivanushka to the skies, and, finally, the wonderful Humpbacked Horse, carrying his master even further, to the heavenly bodies.

Modern Russian word"horse" - shortened Old Russian word"komon". “The Komoni are laughing at Sula” - a memorable phrase from “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.” This root is preserved in the Old Russian words “orat” - “plow”, “oral” - “plow”, “oratay” - “plowman”.

The history of totems - Russian and world - is an inexhaustible storehouse of knowledge about the distant past. The past must be preserved and remembered. The totemic past did not disappear without a trace. It lives in modern symbols, state and class heraldry, rituals, traditions, and, finally, in many surnames, names of rivers, lakes, ancient cities, villages and simply protected places. I want to know a lot, but these are the topics of my next research.