How the epics came about. Bylina. origin of epics. epics - poetic heroic epic of ancient Rus'

Bylina is a special genre of Russian folklore, which belongs to the folk epic song poetry. The epic goes back to the heroic epic of the ancient Russians.

A little more about the epic.

The term “epic” was first introduced by Ivan Sakharov in the collection “Songs of the Russian People” in 1839. The popular name for these works is old, old, old. This is the word the storytellers used. In ancient times, antiquities were performed to the accompaniment of the gusli, but over time this tradition became a thing of the past and at the time when collectors turned to them, epics were sung without musical accompaniment.

“I lay down on a sack near a skinny fire (...) and, warming myself by the fire, quietly fell asleep; I was awakened by strange sounds: before that I had heard a lot of songs and spiritual poems, but I had never heard such a tune. Lively, whimsical and cheerful, sometimes it became faster, sometimes it broke off and in its harmony resembled something ancient, forgotten by our generation. For a long time I didn’t want to wake up and listen to the individual words of the song: it was so joyful to remain in the grip of a completely new impression,” recalls folklore collector P. N. Rybnikov.

At first, it may be difficult for a modern unprepared reader to immerse himself in the world of Russian epic: outdated words, frequent repetitions, lack of familiar rhyme. But gradually an understanding comes of how musical and beautiful the syllable of epics is. It is musicality that should be kept in mind first of all: epics were originally created to be sung, and not perceived as written or printed text.

Classification.

There is no classification of epics in science consensus. Traditionally, they are divided into two large cycles: Kiev and Novgorod. Moreover, the first is significantly related large quantity characters and plots. The events of the epics of the Kiev cycle are confined to the capital city of Kyiv and the court of Prince Vladimir, whose epic image united the memories of at least two great princes: Vladimir the Holy (d. 1015) and Vladimir Monomakh (1053–1125).

The heroes of these antiquities: Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich, Alyosha Popovich, Mikhailo Potyk, Stavr Godinovich, Churilo Plenkovich and others. The Novgorod cycle includes stories about Sadka and Vasily Buslaev. There is also a division into “senior” and “junior” heroes. The “elders” - Svyatogor and Volga (sometimes also Mikula Selyaninovich), represent the remains of a pre-state epic from the time of the tribal system, personify the ancient gods and forces of nature - powerful and often destructive.

When the time of these giants passes, they are replaced by “younger” heroes. This is symbolically reflected in the epic “Ilya Muromets and Svyatogor”: ancient warrior dies and Ilya, having buried him, goes to serve Prince Vladimir.

Epics and historical reality.

Most of the epics known to us took shape during the era Kievan Rus(IX-XII centuries), and some of the antiquities go back to ancient pre-state times. At the same time, not only a researcher, but also a simple reader can find in the texts of epics echoes of events and life that are much more later eras. For example, the often mentioned “sovereign circle” (that is, a tavern) is related to the 16th-17th centuries.

Professor N.P. Andreev writes about the galoshes mentioned in one of the epics - an object from XIX century. This gives rise to the so-called problem of the historicism of Russian epics - that is, the question of the relationship between the epic and historical reality, which has caused a lot of controversy in the scientific community. Be that as it may, the epic presents us with a special world - the world of the Russian epic, within the framework of which there is a bizarre interaction and interweaving of various historical eras.

As researcher F.M. Selivanov wrote: “Not all events and heroes, once sung, remained in the memory of descendants. Earlier works were revised in relation to new events and new people, if the latter seemed more significant; such processing could be repeated.”

Snow Maiden, Baba Yaga, Ivan Tsarevich - most people hear stories with the participation of these characters back in early childhood. However, the world of folklore is much richer, containing not only fairy tales, but also songs, ballads, and epics. Not everyone will be able to give the correct answer to the question of what epics are in literature and what their role is. So what is this genre?

Epics in Russian literature: history

This term began to be used only in 1839, it was coined by folklorist Ivan Sakharov. Previous works related to this genre, were called “old women”, “old women”. The most ancient of them were known back in the 10th century, in those days they were told to the accompaniment of the gusli. In the future, the tradition is to use musical accompaniment faded away. Such stories began to be published only at the beginning of the 18th century.

So, what is an epic in literature? The definition briefly sounds like an epic song-legend, which is one of the varieties of oral folk art, having a heroic-patriotic character. The main characters of such stories were primarily heroes. Plots related to the life of Ancient Rus' allow us to better imagine the way of thinking of people who lived in the 9th-13th centuries.

Features of the genre

Bylinas in Russian literature mainly described heroic events; they often examined certain fascinating historical incidents. The plots were taken both from the history of Kievan Rus and from the events of prehistoric times. Among the characters in such works, in addition to courageous heroes fighting evil, there are fantastic images, for example, the Serpent Gorynych, the Nightingale the Robber. Also, the roles of the heroes were given to real people historical figures like the Kyiv princes Igor and Vladimir.

What is an epic in literature? It is also a work that does not have an author. The tales traveled from generation to generation, acquiring new fascinating details. People who performed heroic songs were respectfully called “storytellers.” What was required of them was not to memorize works by heart, but the ability to convey them colorfully and avoid distortion of the meaning.

Structure

Trying to understand what an epic is in literature, it is necessary to imagine the structure of such a text. Basically, the works consisted of three compositional elements: chorus, beginning, ending. The stories began with a chorus, which was a kind of introduction. The singer was required not to tell about the plot of the historical song, but to attract the attention of the listeners.

What is an epic in literature without a beginning? It's about about the story itself, which initiated listeners into the main events that were described in folk works in an embellished form. There was also an ending, which was a kind of summing up. Also, the role of the ending could have been played by a joke.

Epic verse is characterized by tonic verse, also called folk verse. For poetic lines it was mandatory same number stresses, while the number of syllables could differ. The first stress was mainly on the third syllable, counting from the beginning. The third syllable, counting from the end, was marked with the last stress. Also interesting is the abundance of epic formulas, an example of which is the expression “clear eyes.”

Bogatyr epics

The most famous characters in heroic songs are the three heroes. Without Dobrynya, Alyosha, Ilya, what is an epic in literature? The definition of such works is heroic songs-legends (there are also social ones). Muromets, Nikitich and Popovich became famous for their numerous military exploits and served Vladimir the Red Sun.

An example of a typical heroic epic is a story describing the struggle of Ilya Muromets with the terrible Nightingale the Robber, who knows how to destroy life around him with the help of a whistle. The great hero, of course, takes the monster prisoner, breaking into his lair, and then takes his life. This category also includes famous work about the battle between Dobrynya and the Serpent.

Social epics

Social works were also in great demand. An example of such an epic is the story of Sadko, a young, gifted guslar player who cannot gain fame. In the end, the young man receives the patronage of the Sea Lord, impressed by his talent, but runs away from him and returns to his homeland, refusing the countless treasures offered to him.

The characters of social epics were mainly peasants, merchants, and princes were also found among them. In addition to the above-mentioned Sadko, such heroes as Mikula and Volga gained popularity. Social and heroic works equally attractive due to the high-quality portrayal of the characters of the main characters.

So, what is an epic in literature? The short answer is a work imbued with patriotism, faith in the triumph of good and the defeat of evil.

The epics were created in tonic (also called epic, folk) verse. In works created in tonic verse, the poetic lines may have a different number of syllables, but there should be a relatively equal number of stresses. In epic verse, the first stress, as a rule, falls on the third syllable from the beginning, and the last stress on the third syllable from the end.

Epics are characterized by a combination real images, having a clear historical meaning and conditioned by reality (the image of Kyiv, the capital Prince Vladimir), with fantastic images (Serpent Gorynych, Nightingale the Robber). But the leading images in epics are those generated by historical reality.

Often the epic begins with lead singer. It is not related to the content of the epic, but represents independent picture, preceding the main epic story. Exodus- this is the ending of the epic, a short conclusion, summing up, or a joke (“then the old days, then the deeds,” “that’s where the old times ended”).

The epic usually begins with the beginning, which determines the place and time of action. Following it is given exposition, in which the hero of the work stands out, most often using the technique of contrast.

The image of the hero is at the center of the entire narrative. The epic greatness of the image of the epic hero is created by revealing his noble feelings and experiences; the qualities of the hero are revealed in his actions.

Triplicity or trinity in epics is one of the main depiction techniques (in heroic outpost there are three heroes, the hero makes three trips - “Three trips of Ilya”, Sadko is not invited to the feast three times by the Novgorod merchants, he casts lots three times, etc.). All these elements (threefold persons, threefold action, verbal repetitions) are present in all epics. Hyperboles used to describe the hero and his feat also play a large role in them. The description of the enemies (Tugarin, Nightingale the Robber), as well as the description of the strength of the warrior-hero, are hyperbolic. There are fantastic elements in this.

In the main narrative part of the epic, the techniques of parallelism, stepwise narrowing of images, and antithesis are widely used.

The text of the epic is divided into permanent And transitional places. Transitional places are parts of the text created or improvised by narrators during performance; permanent places- stable, slightly changeable, repeated in various epics (heroic battle, hero’s rides, saddling a horse, etc.). Storytellers usually assimilate and repeat them with greater or less accuracy as the action progresses. The narrator speaks transitional passages freely, changing the text and partially improvising it. The combination of permanent and transitional places in the singing of epics is one of the genre features of the Old Russian epic.

Clarification artistic originality The work of the Saratov scientist A.P. is devoted to Russian epics and their poetics. Skaftymov “Poetics and genesis of epics”. The researcher believed that “the epic knows how to create interest, knows how to excite the listener with anxiety of expectation, infect the listener with the delight of surprise and capture the winner with ambitious triumph.” 1

D.S. Likhachev in the book “Poetics ancient Russian literature” writes that the time of action in epics refers to the conventional era of the Russian past. For some epics it is the idealized era of Prince Vladimir of Kyiv, for others it is the era of Novgorod freedom. The action of the epics takes place in the era of Russian independence, glory and power of Rus'. In this era, Prince Vladimir reigns “forever”, the heroes live “forever”. In epics, the entire time of action is assigned to the conventional era of Russian antiquity. 2

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• Features of the epic genre

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What is an epic?

Do you know what an epic is? And how is it different from a fairy tale? Bylina is a heroic epic of the Russian people. Heroic - because it talks about the great heroes-heroes of ancient times. And the word “epic” comes from the Greek language and means “narration”, “story”. Thus, epics are stories about the exploits of famous heroes. Surely some of them are already familiar to you: Ilya Muromets, who defeated the Nightingale the Robber; Dobrynya Nikitich, who fought with the Serpent; merchant and guslar Sadko, who sailed the sea on his beautiful ship and visited the underwater kingdom. In addition to them, there are stories about Vasily Buslaevich, Svyatogor, Mikhailo Potyk and others.

Bogatyrs.

The most amazing thing is that it is not easy fictional characters. Scientists believe that many of them actually lived many centuries ago. Imagine: in the 9th - 12th centuries the state of Russia did not yet exist, but there was the so-called Kievan Rus. Various people lived on its territory Slavic peoples, and the capital was the city of Kyiv, in which he ruled Grand Duke. In the epics, heroes often travel to Kiev to serve Prince Vladimir: for example, Dobrynya saved the prince’s niece Zabava Putyatichna from the terrible Serpent, Ilya Muromets defended the capital city and Vladimir himself from the Poganous Idol, Dobrynya and the Danube went to woo a bride for the prince. The times were turbulent, many enemies from neighboring lands raided Rus', so the heroes were not bored.

It is believed that Ilya Muromets, known from epics, was a warrior who lived in the 12th century. He bore the nickname Chobotok (that is, Boot), because he once managed to fight off enemies with the help of these shoes. For many years he fought his enemies and glorified himself feats of arms, but with age, tired of wounds and battles, he became a monk in the Theodosius Monastery, which in our time is called the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. And now, today, having arrived in the city of Kyiv, you can see the grave for yourself St. Elijah Muromets in the famous caves of the Lavra. Alyosha Popovich and Dobrynya Nikitich were also famous heroes in Rus', mentions of whom were preserved in the most ancient documents - chronicles. In Russian epics there are also female heroes, they are called old word Polenitsa. The Danube fought with one of them. The wife of Stavr Godinovich was distinguished by her daring and resourcefulness, who managed to fool Prince Vladimir himself and rescue her husband from prison.

How epics have survived to this day.

For many centuries and generations, epics were not written down, but were passed on from mouth to mouth by storytellers. Moreover, unlike fairy tales, they were not just told, but sung. In the villages of ancient Rus', which over time turned into Russian state, peasants, while doing routine work (for example, sewing or weaving nets), in order not to get bored, sang stories about heroic deeds. The son and daughter learned these tunes from their parents, then passed them on to their children. Thus, the glory and exploits of people who lived centuries ago were preserved in the memory of the people. Just imagine: at the beginning of the 20th century - in an era when major cities trains and cinematographs already existed, in a distant northern village, at the end of the world, an old peasant, just like his fathers and grandfathers, sang epics glorifying the hero Dobrynya - the uncle of Prince Vladimir and the glorious warrior of ancient Rus'!!! Dobrynya and this peasant were separated by many centuries and a huge distance, and yet the glory of the hero overcame these obstacles.

Bylinas - poetic heroic epic of ancient Rus', reflecting the events historical life Russian people mainly from the 11th to 16th centuries. The common name among the people is: oldies, oldies, oldies. In scientific and popular science literature until the 40s of the 19th century. They were more often called: heroic tales. The term epics came into general use in the second half of the 19th century. V.F. Miller, and after him other scientists, believed that this term was first introduced by a collector and amateur folklore of the 30-40s of the 19th century. I. P. Sakharov, who used the expression “Tales of Igor’s Campaign” (see “Let’s start singing songs based on the epics of this time ...”). Recent research by Soviet researchers has shown that the terms “epic” and “byl” as names of ancient Russian epic songs were used by writers and researchers of the 18th - early XIX V. In some areas these names are also found in the vernacular.

ORIGIN OF EPICS

In folkloristics, there are different views on the time of the origin of epics. Some researchers (V.F. Miller, B. and Yu. Sokolov, etc.) believe that the genre of epics developed in the conditions of Kievan Rus, simultaneously with the events described, and in subsequent times only received development.

Other scientists (M.E. Khalaisky, S.K. Shambinago, etc.) argued that epics were mainly created in Muscovite Rus'.

Recently, an interesting theory has been put forward, which claims that epics were mainly formed in the Middle Ages, after the fall of Kievan Rus, as heroic songs, united by the image of the capital city of Kyiv and Prince of Kyiv Vladimir. According to this theory, epics were composed as songs about the past, and not about the present. The “epic time” of epics is the era of the Kyiv state, depicted in epics as a time when the people performed feats and restored justice; This contrasted the epic time with modernity with its separate policy of princes and the Tatar yoke in Rus'.

Undoubtedly, it should be recognized that the origin of epics is epic songs feudal Rus'. As a special genre, they received their initial development during the creation process ancient Russian state. In their development, epics go through several stages that correspond to and reflect historical reality. Continuing the traditions of the epic creativity of the East Slavic tribes, from which the Kievan state was formed several centuries later, the historical epic of the pre-Mongol period of Rus', as can be judged from the texts that have reached us, was a sum of individual songs glorifying the power and greatness of the Kievan state. During the Tatar yoke, the concept of Kievan Rus arose as an epic time of epics, and the cyclization of the epic was planned, educating the patriotic feelings and aspirations of the people; at the same time, the main image of the Russian epic becomes image of a hero, uniting all the best forces of the state for a crushing rebuff to the enemy. During the same period, the development of ancient Russian cities as important state and cultural centers leads to the coverage in the epic of the social and family life of Rus', its ideological and cultural life. Both of these periods were the heyday of the epic epic. And although we do not have records of epics made before the 17th century, the stability of the content and form of the ancient Russian epic allows us to consider the main composition of epics as folk art medieval Rus'.

Under the conditions of the Moscow state and after the reforms of Peter the Great’s time, the genre of epics continues to live and develop, but basically reflects the same historical events, as in previously created works. New texts of epics appear in most cases as retellings of stories and fairy tale epics. Bylinas in Muscovite Rus' undoubtedly did not remain unchanged; they introduced features of modern social and political struggle, culture and life; they were interpreted as works that spoke about the present, although they narrated about past times.

CLASSIFICATION OF EPICS

By their nature, epics are divided into heroic, the main theme of which is the fight against an external enemy and the defense of Rus', and novelistic, describing mainly social and family life medieval Russian state.

Due to the fact that the main attacks of the enemy fell on the southern Russian principalities and northeastern Rus', heroic themes heroic epics, telling about the defense of the homeland from the enemy, are concentrated around Kyiv. This is the so-called Kiev cycle of epics.

The Kyiv cycle of epics, whose main characters are Ilya Muromets, Dobryiya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich, is joined by Galician-Volyn epics. The difference between the Galician-Volyn epics and the Kyiv ones is that they usually talk about the fight against an enemy attacking from the west (see epics about Prince Roman).

Novellistic epics, as a rule, talk about the life of Novgorod and its people. The originality of Novgorod epics is determined by the historical destinies of Novgorod. It is known that Novgorod and the Novgorod land were placed in a special position in relation to Tatar yoke. The Novgorod lands, especially the outlying lands of the Russian North, suffered less from the Tatar yoke. It is quite clear that the topic of family and public life It was common for the Novgorod lands even at the time of the Tatar invasion. The best known are the epics of the Novgorod cycle about Sadko and Vasily Buslaev.