Myths and legends of the inhabitants of Siberia. Fairy tales and legends of the peoples of Russia. Unknown on the road

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Tales of the peoples of Siberia

Altai tales

Scary guest

Once upon a time there lived a badger. He slept during the day and went hunting at night. One night a badger was hunting. Before he had time to get enough, the edge of the sky had already brightened.

The badger hurries to get into his hole before the sun. Without showing himself to people, hiding from the dogs, he walked where the shadow was thickest, where the ground was blackest.

The badger approached his home.

“Hrr... Brr...” he suddenly heard an incomprehensible noise.

"What's happened?"

The dream jumped out of the badger, its fur stood on end, its heart almost broke its ribs with a pounding sound.

"I've never heard such a noise..."

– Hrrr... Firrlit-few... Brrr...

“I’ll quickly go back to the forest, I’ll call clawed animals like me: I alone don’t agree to die here for everyone.”

And the badger went to call all the clawed animals living in Altai for help.

- Oh, I have a scary guest in my hole! Help! Save!

The animals came running, their ears to the ground - in fact, the earth trembles from the noise:

- Brrrrrrk, hrr, whew...

All the animals' hair stood on end.

- Well, badger, this is your house, you go first.

The badger looked around - ferocious animals were standing all around, urging, hurrying:

- Go, go!

And they put their tails between their legs out of fear.

The badger house had eight entrances and eight exits. "What to do? - the badger thinks. - What should I do? Which way to enter your house?”

- Why are you standing there? - Wolverine snorted and raised her terrible paw.

Slowly, reluctantly, the badger walked towards the main entrance.

- Hrrrr! - flew out of there.

The badger jumped back and hobbled towards another entrance and exit.

There's a loud noise coming from all eight exits.

The badger began to dig for the ninth hole. It’s a shame to destroy your home, but there’s no way to refuse – the most ferocious animals have gathered from all over Altai.

- Hurry, hurry! - they order.

It’s a shame to destroy your home, but you can’t disobey.

Sighing bitterly, the badger scratched the ground with its clawed front paws. Finally, almost alive with fear, he made his way into his high bedroom.

- Hrrrr, brrr, frrr...

It was a white hare, lounging on a soft bed, snoring loudly.

The animals couldn't stand on their feet laughing and rolled on the ground.

- Hare! That's it, a hare! The badger was scared of the hare!

- Ha-ha-ha! Ho-ho-ho!

- Where will you hide from shame now, badger? What an army he gathered against the hare!

- Ha-ha-ha! Ho-ho!

But the badger doesn’t raise his head, he scolds himself:

“Why, when I heard noise in my house, didn’t I look in there myself? Why did you go screaming all over Altai?”

And the hare, you know, is sleeping and snoring.

The badger got angry and kicked the hare:

- Go away! Who allowed you to sleep here?

The hare woke up - his eyes almost popped out! - the wolf, the fox, the lynx, the wolverine, the wild cat, even the sable are here!

“Well,” the hare thinks, “whatever happens!”

And suddenly - he jumped into the badger’s forehead. And from the forehead, as if from a hill, there’s a leap again! - and into the bushes.

The white hare's belly turned the badger's forehead white.

White marks ran down the cheeks from the hare's hind legs.

The animals laughed even louder:

- Oh, barsu-u-uk, how beautiful you have become! Ho-ha-ha!

- Come to the water and look at yourself!

The badger hobbled to the forest lake, saw his reflection in the water and began to cry:

“I’ll go and complain to the bear.”

He came and said:

– I bow to you to the ground, grandfather bear. I ask for your protection. I myself was not at home that night, I did not invite guests. Hearing loud snoring, he got scared... He disturbed so many animals and destroyed his house. Now look, from the hare’s white belly, from the hare’s paws - and my cheeks have turned white. And the culprit ran away without looking back. Judge this matter.

-Are you still complaining? Your head used to be black as the earth, but now even people will envy the whiteness of your forehead and cheeks. It’s a shame that it wasn’t me who stood in that place, that it wasn’t my face that the hare whitened. What a pity! Yes, it’s a pity, it’s a shame...

And, sighing bitterly, the bear left.

And the badger still lives with a white stripe on its forehead and cheeks. They say that he has become accustomed to these marks and is already boasting:

- That's how hard the hare tried for me! We are now friends forever.

Well, what does the hare say? Nobody heard this.

Resentment of the deer

A red fox came running from the green hills into the black forest. She hasn’t dug a hole for herself in the forest yet, but she already knows the news from the forest: the bear has become old.

- Ay-ay-ay, woe is trouble! Our elder, the brown bear, is dying. His golden fur coat has faded, his sharp teeth have become dull, and his paws no longer have the strength they once had. Hurry, hurry! Let's get together, let's think about who in our black forest is smarter than everyone, who is more beautiful, who we will sing praises to, who we will put in the bear's place.

Where nine rivers united, at the foot of nine mountains, above a rapid spring, a shaggy cedar stands. Animals from the black forest gathered under this cedar. They show off their fur coats to each other, boast about their intelligence, strength, and beauty.

The old bear also came here:

-What are you making noise about? What are you arguing about?

The animals became silent, and the fox raised its sharp muzzle and squealed:

- Oh, venerable bear, be ageless, strong, live a hundred years! We argue and argue here, but we can’t solve the matter without you: who is more worthy, who is more beautiful than everyone else?

“Everyone is good in their own way,” the old man grumbled.

“Ah, wisest one, we still want to hear your word.” To whomever you point, the animals will sing his praises and place him in a place of honor.

And she spread her red tail, groomed her golden fur with her tongue, and smoothed her white breast.

And then the animals suddenly saw a deer running in the distance. With his feet he trampled the top of the mountain, his branched horns led a trail along the bottom of the sky.

The fox had not yet had time to close his mouth, but the deer was already here.

His smooth fur did not sweat from the fast run, his elastic ribs did not move more often, and warm blood did not boil in his tight veins. The heart is calm, beating evenly, big eyes are quietly shining. He scratches his brown lip with his pink tongue, his teeth turn white, and he laughs.

The old bear slowly stood up, sneezed, and extended his paw to the deer:

- That's who is the most beautiful of all.

The fox bit its own tail out of envy.

-Are you living well, noble deer? - she sang. “Apparently, your slender legs have weakened, and there is not enough breath in your wide chest.” The insignificant squirrels got ahead of you, the bow-legged wolverine has been here for a long time, even the slow badger managed to arrive before you.

The deer lowered his branch-horned head low, his shaggy chest swayed and his voice sounded like a reed pipe.

- Dear fox! The squirrels live on this cedar, the wolverine slept on the neighboring tree, the badger has a hole here, behind the hill. And I passed nine valleys, swam across nine rivers, crossed nine mountains...

The deer raised his head - his ears were like flower petals. The horns, covered with a thin pile, are transparent, as if filled with May honey.

- And you, fox, what are you bothering about? - the bear got angry. – Are you planning to become an elder yourself?

- I ask you, noble deer, take a place of honor.

And the fox is already here again.

- Oh-ha-ha! They want to elect a brown deer as an elder and are going to sing his praises. Haha, haha! Now he is beautiful, but look at him in winter - his head is hornless, hornless, his neck is thin, his fur hangs in clumps, he walks crouched, staggers from the wind.

Maral could not find words in response. He looked at the animals - the animals were silent.

Even the old bear did not remember that every spring the deer grows new horns, every year a new branch is added to the deer’s horns, and from year to year the horns become more branchy, and the older the deer, the more beautiful.

Out of bitter resentment, burning tears fell from the maral’s eyes, burned his cheeks to the bones, and the bones sagged.

Look, now the deep depressions under his eyes are darkening. But this made the eyes even more beautiful, and not only animals, but also people sing of their beauty.

Greedy capercaillie

The birch tree drops its golden leaves, the larch loses its golden needles. Evil winds blow, cold rains fall. Summer is gone, autumn has come. It's time for birds to fly to warmer lands.

For seven days they gathered in flocks at the edge of the forest, for seven days they called to each other:

- Is everyone here? Is everything here? Everything or not?

Only you can’t hear the wood grouse, you can’t see the wood grouse.

The golden eagle tapped a dry branch with its humped beak, tapped again and ordered the young cuckoo to call the wood grouse.

Whistling with its wings, the cuckoo flew into the forest thicket.

The capercaillie, it turns out, is here - sitting on a cedar tree, shelling nuts from its cones.

“Dear wood grouse,” said the cuckoo, “the birds have gathered in warm regions.” They've been waiting for you for seven days.

- Well, well, we were alarmed! - the wood grouse creaked. – There’s no rush to fly to warm lands. There are so many nuts and berries in the forest... Is it really possible to leave all this to the mice and squirrels?

The cuckoo has returned:

“The capercaillie is cracking nuts, there’s no hurry to fly south,” he says.

The golden eagle sent an agile wagtail.

She flew to the cedar and ran around the trunk ten times:

- Hurry up, wood grouse, hurry up!

- You are very fast. Before a long journey, you need to refresh yourself a little.

The wagtail shook its tail, ran and ran around the cedar, and then flew away.

- The great golden eagle, the capercaillie, wants to refresh itself before a long journey.

The golden eagle got angry and ordered all the birds to immediately fly to warmer lands.

And the capercaillie picked nuts from the cones for another seven days, and on the eighth day he sighed and cleaned his beak on his feathers:

- Oh, I don’t have the strength to eat all this. It’s a pity to leave such good things, but we have to...

And, flapping his wings heavily, he flew to the forest edge. But the birds are no longer visible here, their voices are not heard.

"What's happened?" - The wood grouse can’t believe his eyes: the clearing is empty, even the evergreen cedars are bare. These birds, when they were waiting for the capercaillie, pecked all the needles.

The capercaillie wept bitterly and creaked:

- Without me, without me, the birds flew away to warmer lands... How will I spend the winter here now?

The wood grouse's dark eyebrows turned red from tears.

From that time to the present day, the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of the wood grouse, remembering this story, cry bitterly. And all wood grouse have red eyebrows like rowan.

Literary processing by A. Garf and P. Kuchiyak.

Ermine and hare

On a winter night, an ermine went out hunting. He dove under the snow, emerged, stood on his hind legs, stretched out his neck, listened, turned his head, sniffed... And suddenly it was as if a mountain had fallen on his back. And the ermine, although small in stature, is brave - he turned around, grabbed it with his teeth - don’t interfere with the hunt!

- Ah-ah-ah! – there was a cry, a cry, a groan, and a hare fell from the ermine’s back.

The hare's back leg is bitten to the bone, black blood flows onto the white snow. The hare cries and sobs:

- Oh-oh-oh-oh! I was running from an owl, I wanted to save my life, I accidentally fell on your back, and you bit me...

- Oh, hare, forgive me, I also accidentally...

– I don’t want to listen, ah-ah!! I will never forgive you, ah-ah-ah!! I'll complain to the bear about you! Oooh!

The sun has not yet risen, and the ermine has already received a strict decree from the bear:

“Come to my village for trial right now!

The elder of the local forest is the Dark Brown Bear.”

The ermine’s round heart began to beat, the thin bones were bending with fear... Oh, and the ermine would be glad not to go, but there is no way to disobey the bear...

Timidly and timidly he entered the bear's dwelling.

The bear sits in a place of honor, smoking a pipe, and next to the owner, on the right side, is a hare. He is leaning on a crutch, with his lame leg pointed forward.

The bear raised his fluffy eyelashes and looked at the ermine with red-yellow eyes:

- How dare you bite?

The ermine, as if mute, only moves its lips, its heart cannot fit in its chest.

“I... I... was hunting,” he whispers barely audibly.

-Who were you hunting?

“I wanted to catch a mouse, to waylay a night bird.”

- Yes, mice and birds are your food. Why did he bite the hare?

- The hare was the first to offend me, he fell on my back...

The bear turned to the hare and barked:

“Why did you jump on the ermine’s back?”

The hare trembled, tears flowed from his eyes like a waterfall:

- I bow to you to the ground, great bear. An ermine has a white back in winter... I didn’t recognize it from the back... I was mistaken...

“I was also mistaken,” shouted the ermine, “the hare in winter is also all white!”

The wise bear was silent for a long time. A large fire crackled hotly in front of him, and a golden cauldron with seven bronze ears hung above the fire on cast-iron chains. The bear never cleaned this beloved cauldron, he was afraid that happiness would go away along with the dirt, and the golden cauldron was always covered with a hundred layers of soot, like velvet.

The bear extended his right paw to the cauldron, touched it slightly, and the paw was already black. With this paw the bear lightly patted the hare's ears, and the tips of the hare's ears turned black!

- Well, now you, ermine, always recognize a hare by its ears.

The ermine, rejoicing that the matter turned out so happily, began to run, but the bear caught him by the tail. The ermine's tail has turned black!

- Now you, hare, will always recognize an ermine by its tail.

They say that from that time to the present day, the ermine and the hare do not complain about each other.

Literary processing by A. Garf and P. Kuchiyak.

Dressy chipmunk

In winter, a brown bear slept soundly in his den. When the titmouse sang a spring song, he woke up, came out of the dark hole, shaded his eyes from the sun with his paw, sneezed, and looked at himself:

- Uh-uh, ma-ash, how I ate weight... I haven't eaten anything all long winter...

His favorite food is pine nuts. His favorite cedar - here it is, thick, six girths, standing right next to the den. The branches are frequent, the needles are silky, not even a drop drips through it.

The bear rose on its hind legs, grabbed the cedar branches with its front legs, did not see a single cone, and its legs dropped.

- Eh, ma-ash! – the bear became sad. - What happened with me? My lower back hurts, my paws don’t obey me... I’ve grown old and weak... How am I going to feed myself now?

He moved through a dense forest, crossed a stormy river with a shallow ford, walked in scattered stones, stepped on melted snow, smelled so many animal tracks, but didn’t overtake a single animal: I don’t have the strength to hunt yet...

Already at the edge of the forest, he didn’t find any food, he doesn’t know where to go next.

- Kick-kick! Syk-syk! - it was the chipmunk who shouted, frightened by the bear.

The bear wanted to take a step, raised his paw, and then froze: “Uh-uh, ma-a-a-sh, how did I forget about the chipmunk? Chipmunk is a diligent owner. He stocks up on nuts for three years in advance. Wait, wait, wait! - the bear said to himself. “We need to find his hole, his bins are not empty in the spring.”

And he went to smell the earth and found it! Here it is, the chipmunk's home. But how can you fit such a big paw into such a narrow passage?

It’s hard for an old man to scratch the frozen ground with his claws, but here the root is as hard as iron. Dragging with your paws? No, you can't pull it out. Gnawing with teeth? No, you won't chew it. The bear swung - bang! - the fir fell, the root itself turned out of the ground.

Hearing this noise, the chipmunk lost his mind. My heart is beating so hard it feels like it wants to jump out of my mouth. The chipmunk covered his mouth with his paws, and tears flowed from his eyes: “When I saw such a big bear, why did I shout? Why do I want to scream even louder now? My mouth, shut up!”

The chipmunk quickly dug a hole at the bottom of the hole, climbed in and didn’t even dare to breathe.

And the bear stuck his huge paw into the chipmunk's pantry and grabbed a handful of nuts:

- Eh, ma-ash! I said: the chipmunk is a good master. – The bear even shed tears. “Apparently, my time to die has not come.” I will still live in this world...

Again I stuck my paw into the pantry - it was full of nuts!

He ate and stroked his stomach:

“My thin stomach is filled, my fur shines like gold, strength plays in my paws. I’ll chew a little more and I’ll be completely stronger.”

And the bear was so full that he couldn’t even stand.

“Ugh, uh…” he sat down on the ground and thought:

“We should thank this thrifty chipmunk, but where is he?”

- Hey, master, answer me! - the bear barked.

And the chipmunk clamps his mouth even tighter.

“I would be ashamed to live in the forest,” the bear thinks, “if, having eaten someone else’s food, I don’t even wish the owner good health.”

I looked into the hole and saw the chipmunks' tail. The old man was happy.

- The owner, it turns out, is at home! Thank you, venerable, thank you, dear. May your bins never stand empty, may your stomach never growl from hunger... Let me hug you and press you to my heart.

The chipmunk has not learned to speak bear language, and does not understand bear words. When he saw a large clawed paw above him, he shouted in his own way, in a chipmunk’s way: “Kick-kick, syk-syk!” - and jumped out of the hole.

But the bear picked him up, pressed him to his heart and continued his bearish speech:

- Thank you, Uncle Chipmunk: you fed me when I was hungry, and you gave me rest when I was tired. Be unflagging, be strong, live under the fruitful rich cedar tree, let your children and grandchildren not know troubles and sorrows...

He wants to free himself, wants to run, scratches the bear’s hard paw with his claws with all his might, but the bear’s paw doesn’t even itch. Without stopping for a minute, he sings praises to the chipmunk:

“I thank you loudly, to the skies, I say thank you a thousand times!” Just take one look at me...

And the chipmunk didn't make a sound.

- Eh, m-mash! Where, in what forest did you grow up? What stump were you raised on? They say thank you, but he doesn’t answer, he doesn’t raise his eyes to the person thanking him. Smile at least a little.

The bear fell silent, bowed his head, waiting for an answer.

And the chipmunk thinks:

“I’ve stopped growling, now he’ll eat me.”

He rushed with his last strength and jumped out!

Five black bear claws left five black stripes on the chipmunk's back. Since then, the chipmunk has been wearing a smart fur coat. This is a bearish gift.

Literary processing by A. Garf.

A hundred minds

As soon as it became warm, the crane flew to Altai, landed on its native swamp and began to dance! It moves its legs and flaps its wings.

A hungry fox ran past, she envied the crane’s joy and squealed:

“I look and can’t believe my eyes—the crane is dancing!” But he, the poor fellow, only has two legs.

The crane looked at the fox and even opened its beak: one, two, three, four legs!

“Oh,” the fox shouted, “oh, there’s not a single tooth in such a long beak...

The crane hung its head.

Here the fox laughed even louder:

-Where did you hide your ears? You don't have ears! That's the head! Well, what's in your head?

“I found my way here from across the sea,” the crane almost cries, “that means I have at least some intelligence in my head.”

- Oh, you unfortunate crane - two legs and one mind. Look at me - four legs, two ears, a mouth full of teeth, a hundred minds and a wonderful tail.

Out of grief, the crane stretched out its long neck and saw in the distance a man with a bow and a hunting bag.

- Fox, venerable fox, you have four legs, two ears and a wonderful tail; you have a mouth full of teeth, a hundred minds - the hunter is coming!!! How can we be saved?!

- My hundred minds will always give a hundred pieces of advice.

She said and disappeared into the badger hole.

The crane thought: “She has a hundred minds,” and followed her there!

The hunter has never seen such a thing, a crane chasing a fox.

He stuck his hand into the hole, grabbed the crane by its long legs and pulled it out into the light.

The crane’s wings spread out and hung, its eyes were like glass, even its heart wasn’t beating.

“I must have suffocated in the hole,” the hunter thought and threw the crane onto a hummock.

He put his hand into the hole again and pulled out the fox.

The fox shook its ears, bit with its teeth, scratched with all four paws, and yet ended up in the hunting bag.

“Perhaps I’ll grab a crane too,” the hunter decided.

I turned around and looked at the hummock, but there was no crane! He flies high in the sky, and you can’t reach him with an arrow.

Thus perished the fox, who had a hundred minds, a mouth full of teeth, four legs, two ears and a wonderful tail.

And the crane used only its little mind and figured out how to escape.

Literary processing by A. Garf and P. Kuchiyak.

Children of the beast Maana

In ancient times, the miracle beast Maana lived in Altai. She was big, like a century-old cedar. I walked through the mountains, went down into the valleys, but nowhere did I find an animal similar to myself. And she has already begun to age a little:

“I will die,” thought Maany, “and no one in Altai will remember me, everyone will forget that the great Maany lived on earth. If only someone was born to me..."

You never know, how much time has passed, and Maana’s son was born - a kitten.

- Grow, grow, baby! - Maany sang. - Grow, grow.

And the kitten responded:

- Mrr-mrr, growing, growing...

And although he learned to sing and purr, he grew little and remained small.

The second born was a badger. This one grew larger than the cat, but he was far from the big Maana, and he was not like his mother in character. Always gloomy, he did not leave the house during the day, at night he walked heavily through the forest, did not raise his head, did not see the stars or the moon.

The third - wolverine - loved to hang on tree branches. One day she fell off a branch, fell on her paws, and her paws were crooked.

The fourth, the lynx, was pretty, but so timid that she even raised her sensitive ears to her mother. And at the tips of her ears there were elegant tassels sticking out.

The fifth born was the snow leopard. This one was bright-eyed and brave. He hunted high in the mountains, flying from stone to stone easily, like a bird.

The sixth - a tiger - swam no worse than Maana, ran faster than a leopard and a lynx. When lying in wait for prey, he was unhurried - he could lie low from sunrise to sunset.

The seventh - the lion - looked proudly, walked with his big head held high. From his voice trees shook and rocks crumbled.

He was the most powerful of the seven, but his mother playfully threw this son of Maana onto the grass, amusedly threw him up to the clouds.

“Not one of them looks like me,” the big Maana marveled, “and yet these are my children.” When I die, there will be someone to cry for me; while I’m alive, there will be someone to feel sorry for me.

Looking affectionately at all seven, Maana said:

- I want to eat.

The eldest son, the cat, purred a song, rubbed his head against his mother’s legs and ran with small steps towards the prey. He was missing for three days. On the fourth he brought a small bird in his teeth.

“This is not enough for me even for one sip,” Maana smiled, “you yourself, child, fortify yourself a little.”

The cat amused himself with the bird for three more days, but only on the fourth day did he remember about food.

“Listen, son,” said Maany, “with your habits it will be difficult for you to live in the wild forest.” Go to the man.

As soon as Maana fell silent, the cat was no longer visible. He ran away from the wild forest forever.

“I’m hungry,” Maany said to the badger.

He didn’t talk much, didn’t run far. He pulled the snake out from under the stone and brought it to his mother.

Maana got angry:

- Get away from me! For bringing a snake, feed yourself on worms and snakes.

Grunting and digging the ground with his nose, the badger, without waiting for morning, ran into the depths of the black forest. There, on the hillside, he dug a spacious hole with eight entrances and exits, made a high bed of dry leaves and began to live in his big house, without inviting anyone to visit him, without visiting anyone himself.

“I’m hungry,” Maany said to the wolverine.

A bow-legged wolverine wandered through the forest for seven days, and on the eighth day she brought her mother the bones of the deer whose meat she had eaten.

“Wolverine, if you wait for your treat, you’ll die of hunger,” said Maany. - Because she was missing for seven days, let your descendants hunt down prey for seven days, let them never eat their fill, let them eat whatever they have from hunger...

Wolverine wrapped her crooked paws around the cedar trunk, and since then Maana has never seen her.

The fourth one to go hunting was the lynx. She brought her mother a roe deer she had just killed.

“May your hunt always be as successful,” Maany rejoiced. – Your eyes are keen, your ears are sensitive. You can hear the crunch of a dry branch a day's journey away. It will be good for you to live in the impassable thicket of the forest. There, in the hollows of old trees, you will raise your children.

And the lynx, walking silently, ran away that same night into the thicket of the old forest.

Now Maany looked at the snow leopard. Before she even had time to say a word, the leopard had already jumped onto the peaked rock in one leap, and with one blow of his paw knocked down the mountain goat.

Having thrown it over his shoulder onto his back, the leopard caught the fast hare on the way back. With two gifts, he softly jumped down to the dwelling of old Maana.

“You, son of the snow leopard, always live on high cliffs, on inaccessible stones.” Live where mountain teke goats and free argali roam 1
Argali is a wild mountain sheep (Asian).

The leopard climbed the rocks, ran away into the mountains, and settled between the stones.

Maana did not know where the tiger went. He brought her booty that she had not asked for. He laid the dead hunter at her feet.

Big Maana began to cry and lament:

- Oh, son, how cruel your heart is, how uncalculating your mind is. You were the first to start hostility with a person, your skin is stained with stripes of his blood for eternity. Go and live where these stripes are hardly noticeable - in the dense reeds, in the reeds, in the tall grass. Hunt where there are no people or livestock. In a good year, eat wild boars and deer; in a bad year, eat frogs, but don’t touch a person! If a person notices you, he will not stop until he catches you.

With a loud, plaintive cry, the striped tiger went into the reeds.

Now the seventh son, the lion, has gone to prey. He didn’t want to hunt in the forest, he went down into the valley and dragged the dead rider and the dead horse from there.

Maana's mother almost lost her mind:

- Oh oh! – she moaned, scratching her head. - Oh, I feel sorry for myself, why did I give birth to seven children! You, the seventh, are the most fierce! Don’t you dare live in my Altai! Go to a place where there is no winter cold, where they do not know the fierce autumn wind. Maybe the hot sun will soften your hard heart.

Thus, the great Maany, who once lived in Altai, sent away all seven children.

And although in her old age she remained lonely, and although, they say, when she was dying, she did not want to call any of her children, yet the memory of her is alive - the children of the beast Maana settled all over the earth.

Let's sing a song about Maana the mother and tell a fairy tale about her to all people.

Literary processing by A. Garf and P. Kuchiyak.

The book brings together under one cover the best fairy tales and legends of numerous peoples of Russia, supplemented by background information about each nation - its place of residence, numbers, history, religion, peculiarities of life, folklore, famous people.

The publication presents examples of folk art of the Karelians, Nenets, Chukchi, Eskimos, Yakuts, Buryats, Tatars, Bashkirs, Chuvash, Chechens, Circassians and many others. The texts of fairy tales and legends are given in literary adaptation by the St. Petersburg writer and historian Evgeniy Lukin. The publication is richly illustrated with classical images of representatives of nationalities in national costumes, pictures of everyday folk life and natural landscapes. The book serves the idea of ​​tolerant communication, presenting Russia as a single, diverse country where dozens of talented peoples and nationalities live.

Preface 1

Tales and legends of the peoples of the North 2

Fairy tales and legends of the peoples of Siberia and the Far East 10

Fairy tales and legends of the peoples of the Urals and Volga region 18

Fairy tales and legends of the peoples of the Caucasus 31

About the compiler 42

Fairy tales and legends of the peoples of Russia

Preface

What a delight these tales are! Each is a poem!

A. S. Pushkin

Pauli G.-T. Chuvashka, Mordvinian, Cheremiska. "Ethnographic description of the peoples of Russia." 1862

The Tuvans, a people living in the south of Eastern Siberia, have a story about why a fairy tale cannot be hidden. It turns out that every fairy tale has its own invisible, but very active spirit, which can severely punish a person if he does not want to tell it, especially when children ask about it.

Indeed, fairy tales play a huge role in our lives. The fairy tale contains valuable information about the world around us. Through a fairy tale, we get initial ideas about a person, his life problems and possible ways to solve them. It is the fairy tale that forms in us those immutable moral values ​​that later allow us to make an unmistakable choice between good and evil.

A fairy tale knows no boundaries. It is present in the folklore of all nations. Moreover, often the plots of certain fairy tales echo each other, pass from one nation to another, acquiring a unique national coloring depending on the place of their existence. An outstanding expert on world folklore, Vladimir Propp, noted: “It is remarkable not only that the fairy tale is widespread, but also that the fairy tales of the peoples of the world are interconnected. To some extent, the fairy tale is a symbol of the unity of peoples.” With the help of fairy tales, peoples not only get to know each other better, but also understand each other better. Today, a fairy tale is the most faithful teacher of tolerance, because it initially professes the ideals of goodness, love and justice.

“What a delight these tales are! Each one is a poem!” - Alexander Pushkin exclaimed, listening to the stories of his nanny Arina Rodionovna on long winter evenings. The great Russian poet was one of the first who began to write down fairy tales directly from the storyteller - the bearer of the folk fairy tale tradition. His example was followed by other writers - Nikolai Gogol, Nikolai Yazykov, Vladimir Dal. Later they contributed their recordings to the first national collection of folklore - “Collection of Folk Songs by P. V. Kireevsky.”

Ryabushkin A. P. Singing guslar.

At first they talked only about Russian fairy tales. Tireless collectors went on expeditions to distant villages and hamlets to record fairy tales, legends, and true stories. The glory of the first Russian collector belongs to I. A. Khudyakov (1842–1876), who personally recorded many Great Russian fairy tales from folk storytellers. Subsequently, Khudyakov was exiled to Eastern Siberia, where he immediately began collecting and studying Yakut legends. Thus, passion for one’s legendary past inevitably dictates interest in the folklore of other peoples.

It must be said that the Russian Orthodox Church played a large, but still unappreciated role in the collection of local epics. Orthodox priests, going to the place of their ministry, considered it their duty not only to bring the light of Christ’s truth to the pagans, but also to compile the alphabet of the local language and collect samples of oral folk art.

On the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk in the Tauisky fort, for example, Archpriest Stefan Popov carried out his service, who translated the “Gospel of Matthew” into the Even language, and in 1858 published the “Tunguska Primer with Prayers.” Archpriest Vasily Verbitsky (1827–1890) did similar work in Altai, compiling the first grammar of the Altai language, as well as collecting local legends. Priest Grigory Vereshchagin (1851–1930) from the famous Udmurt village of Buranovo in 1886 published an entire monograph dedicated, in particular, to the fairy tales and legends of the Votyaks.

But the real study of the folklore of the peoples of Russia began only in the 20th century, when revolutionary transformations took place. Then many peoples of the former empire acquired writing, which allowed them to record works in their native language. But a teacher was needed, a shepherd was needed. And such an ordinary Russian intellectual became, inspired by the holy idea of ​​asceticism.

Among them is the folklorist G. A. Menovshchikov (1911–1991), who came to Chukotka as a young man, worked as a teacher, collected fairy tales and legends, and compiled a grammar of the Eskimo language. With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he fought bravely at the front, and upon returning, he began publishing textbooks of the Eskimo language and describing its dialects. Such ascetics worked in all corners of Russia. These are outstanding linguists and ethnographers S. N. Stebnitsky (1906–1941), Yu. A. Kreinovich (1906–1985), B. O. Dolgikh (1904–1971), N. A. Baskakov (1905–1995), N. M. Tereshchenko (1908–1987) and many others.

At the same time, the national intelligentsia also became involved in the matter. The son of a tsarist officer, Zaurbek Malsagov (1894–1935), became the founder of Ingush writing, developing the first Ingush alphabet in 1921, and his brother Ibragim Malsagov published the first collection of Ingush fairy tales in 1927. The son of a farm laborer, Ketsay Kekketyn (1918–1943), after graduating from the Institute of Northern Peoples in Leningrad, took part in the creation of the Koryak alphabet and became the first Koryak writer, in whose works the oral traditions of the Koryaks were refracted in a unique way.

Today in Russia, according to the latest census of 2010, there are almost 200 peoples. Of course, Russians make up an impressive majority - over 110 million. The Tatars are considered the second largest: about 6 million. The remaining nations occupy more modest positions in the census - from 1.5 million to 10 people. However, for us Russians, every nation, every individual is valuable. This is the guarantee of our peaceful coexistence, our thriving diversity.

The book "Fairy Tales and Legends of the Peoples of Russia" represents only a small fraction of the countless fabulous wealth that the peoples of our country possess. It includes the best examples of oral folk art collected over a century and a half. The compiler sought to present in the book all types of fairy tales - heroic, magical, everyday, and tales about animals, guided in the selection by that poetic flair, which, according to Vladimir Propp, is so necessary for understanding works of verbal art. At the same time, the compiler, subjecting the selected texts to minor literary processing, tried to carefully preserve their national flavor and originality.

The book is decorated with classic illustrations of national costumes, paintings of everyday life and natural landscapes created by a variety of artists. Among them are not only famous painters K. A. Korovin, V. I. Surikov, A. M. Vasnetsov, L. F. Lagorio, but also undeservedly forgotten masters E. M. Korneev, A. A. Borisov, G. I. Choros-Gurkin and others.

When designing this publication, materials from ancient books on ethnography were also used. First of all, this is the “Description of all the peoples of the Russian state, their way of life, religion, customs, homes, clothing and other differences” published in 1776–1780 by the German scientist Johann Gottlieb Georgi (1729–1802), who traveled extensively throughout Russia, explored the Volga region, Western Siberia, Baikal region, Dauria. He himself drew from life, and then wonderful engravings were made from his drawings, which are presented here.

Another book, “Ethnographic Description of the Peoples of Russia,” was written by a full member of the Russian Geographical Society, the German scientist Gustav-Theodor Pauli (1817–1867). It was illustrated with magnificent color lithographs and published in 1862, earning the approval of Emperor Alexander II. These lithographs are partially reproduced in our publication.

In addition to color illustrations, the book "Tales and Legends of the Peoples of Russia" is supplied with background information about each nation - its place of residence, numbers, history, religion, lifestyle, folklore, famous people. The book will be of interest to both residents of the capitals and residents of the farthest corners of our country - from the Far North to Primorye and the Altai Territory. Both adults and children will read it with pleasure in the family circle.

Evgeniy Lukin

According to legend, there is a country hidden from human eyes. Everyone is equal in it, everyone is happy. The lands are fertile and the air is healing. And good and righteous people live there, with pure hearts and thoughts.

Many have tried to find this country. And those who claim to have been there say that Belovodye is located in Siberia, among the Altai Mountains.

The land of great wisdom. The origins of the legend of Belovodye

The first mention of Belovodye dates back to the 10th century, when a sage came to Prince Vladimir the Red Sun. He said that in the east there is a country where no one needs anything, the wheat grows on its own, the cattle graze without danger in the endless meadows. And water flows from a huge white mountain, forming rivers in which fish live in abundance. And the wisest of the wisest live there, knowing the answer to any question. And this country is hidden from evil people. And it opens only to pure hearts. And this country is called Belovodye.

The Prince admired the sage's story, gathered a squad, put the monk Sergius at its head and sent them on a search.

According to legend, after many years of campaigning the country was found. The warriors, having fallen in love with these places, decided to stay there. And Father Sergius set off on the way back to tell about the good place. He returned home already a very old man. Since then, the legend of Belovodye has lived on.

Belovodye – the land of freedom

New mentions of Belovodye appeared after the split of the Orthodox Church. Adherents of the old faith, the “Old Believers,” went to Siberia, where they allegedly found a country where there is no human power and everyone is equal.

One of the Old Believers, Mark, wrote the book “Travelers,” which describes the path to Belovodye from Moscow: through Yekaterinburg, then to Siberia to Altai, to the village of Uimon, where the elders will suggest the further path.

Bird's eye view of the village of Verkhniy Uimon

The book was a kind of propaganda for serfs: to throw off the shackles of slavery and flee to the land of freedom, where a righteous and hardworking person is always welcome.

And indeed, in the 18th-19th centuries, thousands of serfs fled to Siberia in search of Belovodye. Many, not having found the treasured country, remained in Siberia: some joined the settlements of the Old Believers, others organized their own settlements with their families, again and again repeating attempts to find the blessed land of Belovodye.

Belovodye - Shambhala in Siberia

At the beginning of the 20th century, the traveler, member of the geographical society Nicholas Roerich, began searching for Belovodye. Together with his family, he came to Altai, to one of the oldest villages in these places - Verkhniy Uimon. From there he went in search of the sacred country. And judging by his diaries, he found Belovodye.

Painting by Roerich N.K. "Wanderer of the Bright City"

Roerich also drew a parallel between the Tibetan legend about the wonderful country of Shambhala and Belovodye. Allegedly, this is the same place, and it is located in the Altai Mountains.

Legends written by Roerich are still alive in the Uimon Valley. To this day, pilgrimages are made to these places by followers of the famous traveler and philosopher.

In the mythology of the peoples of Siberia, the universe, its parts and elements (sky, earth, moon, sun, etc.) appear in the form of living beings. The earth is perceived as a huge female, usually a moose or a deer, giving birth to all living things. Trees, grass, moss are the wool of the Earth, animals are insects living in its wool, and birds are the midges flying above it. According to traditional Nganasan beliefs, one of the main figures of their pantheon, Mou-nyama (Earth Mother), has the appearance of a moose cow, on whose back people live. In the spring, she sheds like all animals (the old fur on Mou-nyama’s body - old moss, grass - comes out, and new fur grows); The Nganasans believe that they originated from her wool. According to Evenki legend, one day a heavenly elk stole the sun from people, and night fell on earth. Hunter Mani, chasing an elk, rose to the sky and returned the sun to people. The participants in this cosmic hunt turned into stars: Mani, his dogs and the elk are the Big Dipper, and Mani's ski trail is the Milky Way.

Various versions of the myth about the hunt for the cosmic deer-elk, explaining the origin of the constellation Ursa Major, are recorded among many peoples of Siberia. However, not all of them preserve the connection of this myth with the theme of the change of day and night. It is all the more remarkable that relatively recently this myth was recorded among the Evenks living in the southeastern part of Yakutia:

“It was a long time ago, when the earth had not yet grown and was very small, but vegetation had already appeared on it, animals and people lived. At that time there was no night, the sun shone around the clock. One autumn day, elk-buga (elk -male during the rut) grabbed the sun and ran towards the sky. The mother elk, who was walking with the elk, ran after him. Night fell on the ground. People were confused. They did not know what to do.

At that time, the famous hunter and strongman Mani lived among the Evenks. He was the only one of the Evenks who was not at a loss. He took a bow, called two hunting dogs and ran after the elk. At this time, the moose left and ran across the sky. Mani's dogs quickly caught up and stopped them. The elk, seeing that the two of them could not escape the dogs, handed the sun to the moose cow, and he himself began to distract the dogs. The female, seizing the moment, turned sharply and ran towards the north towards the hole in the sky to hide from her pursuers. Mani arrived in time and shot the elk, but he didn’t have the sun. Guessing that the elk had given the sun to the moose cow, he began to look for it with his eyes across the sky and saw that she was already close to the hole in the sky and could hide. Then he began to shoot at her from his heroic bow.

The first arrow hit two measurements of her body from the front, the second - one, and the third hit the target exactly. As soon as Mani took away the sun and returned it to people, all participants in the cosmic hunt turned into stars. Since then, there has been a change of day and night and the cosmic hunt is repeated. Every evening, moose steal the sun, in turn, Mani chases them and by morning returns the sun to people."

* Told in 1976 by N.I. Antonov from the Chakagir clan, born in 1902. on the Amutkachi river, the left tributary of the Amur; publ.: Mazin A.I. Traditional beliefs and rituals of the Evenki-Orochons. Novosibirsk, 1984, p.9

According to the narrator's explanation, “the four stars that form the bucket of the constellation Ursa Major are the traces of a male moose. The three stars of the handle of the bucket, three stars of the fifth magnitude around them and the star closest to the constellation Canes Venatici are the traces of Mani’s dogs, who stopped the moose. Mani himself is five stars located below the bottom of the bucket, included in the constellation Ursa Major. The bucket of the constellation Ursa Minor is the traces of a moose cow trying to escape from her pursuers. The first and second stars of the bucket handle are the arrows of Mani. The third star of the bucket handle (Polar Star) is the hole, or the hole through which the moose tried to escape."

In other versions, the hero pursuing the cosmic elk-deer is named Mangi and is depicted in the guise of a bear, which drives the solar elk from east to west, overtakes and kills it. The constellation Ursa Major is interpreted as the legs of an elk that were not eaten by a bear, the hunter himself is represented by the constellations Volotis and Arcturus, the trace of his skis is the Milky Way, and the two stripes in the western side of the sky are explained by the fact that the bear, who had eaten too much elk, eventually became so heavy that he could barely drag legs and therefore left two paths (see Anisimov A.F. Evenki religion in historical and genetic study. M.-L., 1958, p. 71).

Among the Yerbogachen Evenks, the first star from the handle of the constellation Ursa Major from the bucket is interpreted as a calf, which, during a space hunt, darted to the side in fright, fell into a hole in the sky (the North Star) and thus ended up on earth; From him came the present-day elk of the earth.

The secret return of the Aryan goddess to the vastness of the Siberian ancestral home

Instead of a preface

This book talks about the Siberian ancestral home of the Aryans and the great past of the Russian people. It is known for certain that ancient Caucasians came to Europe several thousand years ago and brought with them a special culture, which became the substrate on which Indo-European myths and fairy tales subsequently grew. On the other hand, the whimsical and magical fairy tales and legends of Europeans miraculously preserved and brought to us the real historical layer of the culture of our ancestors. Archaeological and historical research in Siberia in recent years can shed new light on the past of the Russian people, as well as on the past of all peoples of the Indo-European language group. The Great Eurasian steppe still conceals many mysteries that scientists have yet to discover. However, today it is becoming clear that the peoples who lived in ancient times in the vast expanses of the Great Steppe are the direct ancestors of modern Europeans, Indians, Iranians and other peoples. The similarity of Indo-European myths and legends testifies to a single cultural space; this is also proven by the cult of the Mother Goddess, widespread among all Indo-Europeans.

Reincarnation of Albasta and the Altai “princess”

In the mythology of the Turkic-speaking Altai peoples, there is a very remarkable character - albasta. This name refers to a tall, naked, white-skinned maiden with flowing yellow hair. To this day, albasta is considered almost a fiend of hell among the West Siberian Tatars, Altaians, Kazakhs and Uzbeks. It tends to appear suddenly, as if growing out of the ground, and always brings misfortune. This evil spirit of the Turks did not allow more than one generation to sleep peacefully - they frightened children with it.

However, albasta does not look at all like a “devilish spawn”. She has a comb, a magic book and a coin with her. From time to time, the albasta looks into the book and compares with it the fate of every person she sees. She combs her beautiful blond hair with a comb. The albasta gives the coin to the man who likes her. After this, the man becomes fabulously rich. For this coin has a habit of returning to its owner. True, the man after this, until the end of his life, cannot get rid of the charms of the beautiful albasta and is forced to serve her until his death.

These magical attributes of the “white maiden” indicate a once creative function. According to scientists, the name albasty comes from the Iranian word “al” - “deity” and the Indo-European word “basty” - “spirit”. Apparently, the mythological ancestry of Albasta, as well as her name, dates back to the time of Indo-European unity, or at least to Scythian times. Perhaps in the old days she was the goddess of fertility, guardian of the hearth and patroness of wild animals. According to myths, albasta often appears naked, accompanied by wild animals; and this, by the way, makes her similar to the Greek goddess of love and fertility Aphrodite, who also used to appear in the company of wild animals: lions, wolves, bears, pacified by her love desire.

A very interesting question arises: how did the Turkic-speaking peoples of Altai appear to have such an unusual mythological character? Among the current Mongoloid population there are no tall blond maidens, who also walk around the valleys and villages naked with magical objects, accompanied by wild animals.

The current population of Southern Siberia is usually attributed to the South Siberian transitional race, which, according to scientific data, arose in the 1st millennium BC. e. at the junction of the habitats of Caucasoids and Mongoloids.

However, before this, Altai was inhabited by tall, stately people with blond hair and skin. For example, at the end of the last century on the territory of China, in the Turim Basin, surrounded on all sides by mountains, Chinese archaeologists unearthed about a hundred mummies belonging to ancient Eurasians. By a strange coincidence, among the mummies that have lain in the sand for many centuries, there is also a blond maiden...

And not so long ago in Altai, where the borders of four states now meet: Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan, ancient burial mounds of the Scythian era were excavated. Among the most famous finds is the mummy of the “Princess of Altai”. The Altai “princess” is perfectly preserved. She was buried in a larch log, and the space around her was filled with highland ice. Archaeologists, gradually thawing the ice, revealed the “princess” to the world in almost virginal beauty. She had a yellow wig on her head, the princess was dressed in a silk shirt, her skin was covered with an intricate tattoo design. The “princess’s” clothing and objects from the burial are well preserved.

Anthropologists lovingly reconstructed the facial features of the “princess” from her skull. And before us, as if alive, cast in plaster, a girl of about twenty-five with a Caucasian appearance appeared.

Well, how can we not remember the legend about the blond albasta?

On the other hand, according to Chinese chronicles, in northwestern China in the 1st millennium BC. e. Tall people with “white hair” lived; they were called “bai”. However, in the 3rd century BC. e. in the northwest, tribes of the Huns (Huns) appear, who subjugate the “Bai”.

A logical question arises: what does the blond albasta, as well as the “Princess of Altai” recovered from ice captivity, have to do with today?

I remember about forty years ago, during Soviet times, when our relations with China cooled noticeably, an unusual feature film based on historical materials was released on cinema screens. The film takes place in Scythian times. The fortress, located in the Altai mountains, was besieged from all sides by countless hordes of Huns. Its defenders, a tribe of tall Eurasians, took refuge inside the fortress. Realizing that the outcome of the battle will not be in their favor, the tribal leaders make a difficult decision: using an underground passage to take their children beyond the mountain range. The entire tribe - both men and women - showing miracles of valor and heroism, distracting the enemy, perishes in a bloody battle. The fortress was looted, burned and destroyed. Nevertheless, the children were saved and led to a safe place under the leadership of the elder. Before his death, the elder gives parting words to the children to remain faithful to the behests of their ancestors. Growing up, these children enter into marriage relationships with each other, jealously guarding their lineage. They establish their settlement high in the mountains. They believe in reincarnation - the reincarnation of souls, in the fact that their dead ancestors will be able to be born again in new bodies.

Next, the film’s action “smoothly moves” to Soviet days. To this day, in a mountain refuge, lost somewhere in the Altai mountains, there lives a certain Caucasian tribe that has preserved its culture intact. Observing the ancient covenant of their ancestors, they continue to marry only among themselves. Next to them live local Mongoloid peoples, descended from the conquering Huns.

One of the young representatives of this small Caucasian tribe goes to study in Moscow and, having trained as an archaeologist, returns to his native village. He undertakes excavations of an ancient fortress where his distant ancestors once perished, but in this he is obstructed by the local Chinese authorities, consisting of representatives of the titular ethnic group. They are not at all interested in “raking up the past” and bringing to the surface the memory of fallen heroes, who, moreover, were of a different kind of tribe.

Agree, a very interesting plot for a Soviet film. The theme of cultural continuity is clearly used here for ideological purposes. Among other things, the theme of reincarnation is clearly present here.

There is no smoke without fire. The high-altitude Ukok plateau in the area of ​​Mount Belukha, 54 km long, right where the borders of four states meet and where the mound that kept the mummy of the “Altai princess” is located, has become a zone of confrontation with China. In the 1960s, a fortified area was built here, the stones for which were taken from ancient mounds.

It was here, not far from abandoned pillboxes and barriers with rusted barbed wire, that in 1993 archaeologist Natalya Polosmak dug up the mummy of the Altai “princess”. The mummy was immediately transported to Novosibirsk, where in the museum, under glass, illuminated by special lamps, it is still kept. However, this caused numerous protests from the local population. The protests have intensified especially recently. “The princess must be buried where she was dug up... Crop failures, drought and famine are what awaits the Altai region if she is not buried immediately,” say local residents. At the same time, some call the “princess” the “shaman’s daughter.” It’s as if two cults collide here - the ashes of the shaman’s daughter, like the ashes of the shaman himself, should not be disturbed, as this threatens with various disasters and cataclysms. Archaeologists and staff of the Novosibirsk Museum have a different motivation: they literally cherish the “princess”, although they do not consider her their foremother. It is very interesting that one doctor of science generally speaks of her as alive, having received a “rebirth within the walls of the museum.” And one of the journalists defending the right of the “princess” to a “second life,” either jokingly or seriously, called the young archaeologist Natalya Polosmak, who dug up the mummy, the reincarnation of the “princess.”

It seems that in this conflict of interests not only local patriotism can be traced. The conflict is probably deeper: it has its roots in the past of the people. Some part of the Mongoloid population of Altai clearly wants to bury the Caucasian “princess” a second time. Is it possible that today the heirs of the Mongoloid Huns and the heirs of the white Caucasians continue to quarrel, as they did thousands of years ago?

However, quite recently a “Solomon decision” was made, which should reconcile everyone: the “princess” from Novosibirsk will be transported to Gorno-Altaisk, where she will be included in the exhibition of a local history museum specially built for this purpose. She will lie in a glass sarcophagus, like a sleeping princess from Pushkin’s fairy tale. Thus, the “princess” will become closer to her native land, but at the same time she will retain her second life, which she recently acquired.

Who was Albasta in her “past life”?

But who was the mythological albasta, since today hardly anyone seriously considers her a reincarnation from the past? Meanwhile, this mythological character could well have been perceived by the ancient Turkic-speaking Mongoloids from the ancient Caucasians who lived in Southern Siberia in Scythian times. But, as research shows, the image of albasta dates back to even more ancient times. This is particularly indicated by etymological parallels in the mythologies of different peoples. Yes, there is an evil demoness albasti among the Tajiks, associated with the water element. The Chechens and Ingush had evil spirits, mainly in female form; they were called diamonds. They are extraordinarily beautiful and are distinguished by their enormous growth. Diamonds protect wild animals. In hunting myths you can often find stories about encounters between a hunter and diamonds. Sometimes diamonds enter into marriage relationships with hunters. According to legend, luck favors such hunters.

Georgians have a similar character Ali. These demonesses have a terrifying appearance: they have copper teeth, glassy eyes and long fiery hair. According to legends, Ali live in old ruins, rocks, and deep forests. Alis tend to appear in front of lonely travelers, who can easily be driven crazy or lured into the water and drowned there. Ali can take the form of different animals, thus luring the hunter pursuing them into a trap.

A kind of incarnation of Ali is the golden-haired goddess of the hunt Dali. Dali helps the chosen hunter as long as he keeps the secret of their meeting. Anyone who violates this condition dies immediately. The son of Dali and an unnamed mortal hunter is the hero of the Georgian epic Amirani. He is swallowed by the Veshapi monster, but Amirani cuts the monster's stomach and comes out unharmed, while he frees the sun that was previously swallowed by the Veshapi.

Amirani is a very ancient character. It is recorded among Georgians everywhere. In addition, the image of Amirani can be traced through archaeological sites of the 3rd millennium BC. e.: bronze belt from Mtskheta, Kazbegi treasure, Trialeti silver cup. It can be assumed that the name Amirani is somehow connected with the drink of immortality Amrita, which we know about from ancient Indian myths. The very word Amirani, akin to the Russian word for “death,” indicates an etymological connection of this kind. According to Georgian myths, Amirani is immortal.

The hero kidnaps the heavenly maiden Kamari - the personification of heavenly fire, and teaches people blacksmithing - the ability to forge swords. For his fight against God, he is punished by the gods and, like the Greek Prometheus, chained to a rock. An eagle constantly pecks at his liver. Amirani's torment increases, but by definition he cannot die. Georgians say that once every seven years, the cave located in the depths of the Caucasus ridge, where Amirani is chained, opens up and he can be seen.

Amirani's body is marked with the signs of the moon and sun; some parts of the body are made of pure silver and gold, which, in turn, makes this ancient character of Georgian myths similar to Ivan Tsarevich - the hero of Russian fairy tales, whose legs are knee-deep in gold, arms are in silver up to the elbow, and there are often stars in his hair .

Thus, we see that Dali’s golden-haired goddess of hunting appears not as a demoness at all, but as the progenitor of the hero, the liberator of the sun and the valiant “getter” of the heavenly fire brought to people. It is clear that Dali cannot be “younger” than his son - her image also goes back to ancient times. But besides this, Dali is forever young, and also immortal. Dali's connection with heavenly fire is eloquently evidenced by her fiery curls.

According to legend, the ancient Eurasians (this anthropological type is called Paleo-European) had fiery red hair and very fair skin. Apparently this ancient type is preserved here and there in the mountain refuges of the Caucasus and the Balkans, as well as in Ireland. Thus, the Ossetians - the heirs of the Alans - have a certain percentage of the red-haired population. Balkan Montenegrins are also carriers of a similar Dinaric type. They are tall, have a wide face, high cheekbones and pronounced short-headedness (brachycephaly). Among other things, the Irish are also classified as an ancient anthropological type of Eurasians, among whom even today there is a high percentage of red-haired people. Unlike Ossetians and Caucasians, they retained the whiteness of their skin.

According to Georgian myths, Ali can become a man's faithful and obedient servant if he manages to cut off her golden locks. A similar female character goes by the name Al pub among the Lezgins, Tats, Rituls, Aguls and Andians. However, this maiden has an evil disposition; she steals the heart of a newborn child and throws it into the water. After which the newborn immediately dies.

In Armenian mythology, similar characters are named Aly (alk). They also harm newborns and women giving birth. They kidnap children and take them to their king. Ala has fiery eyes, copper claws, iron teeth. In Christianized myth, God created Aly as the first girlfriend for Adam. But Adam, being a man of flesh, rejected the love of the fiery woman. And after that, God created Eve, who became Adam’s wife. Because of everything that has happened, Aly is hostile to women giving birth and their offspring.

Some scholars see significant parallels between Aly (and other similar female characters) and the Goddess of the Sky Allat (Alilat, al-Lat) among the ancient Arabs. Cultural and ethnic continuity between Arabs and Armenians is clearly visible. Obviously, this is where the name of Adam's first failed wife comes from. Lolita. Perhaps the name Allat is derived from the forbidden name of the deity "ilahat"- goddess. Allat acts as a female parallel and the wife of Allah, as well as the mother of the gods. In Palestine, Allat was part of the pantheon and was considered the wife of El (Ilu). Some peoples of Palestine revered Allat as the sun goddess. Sometimes Allat was identified with Aphrodite. In the city of Taif, Allat was revered as a patron goddess. There was her sacred territory, a sanctuary and an idol - a white granite stone with ornamental decorations.

How can one not recall the white-flammable stone Alatyr from Russian tales and conspiracies, which was said to be “the father of all stones”?

Having destroyed the Taif sanctuary, Muhammad nevertheless forbade hunting and cutting down trees in the sacred Allat grove. At first he recognized her divine nature, but then rejected it.

To this we must add that Allah in ancient Arabic mythology, this is the supreme deity, revered in Northern and Central Arabia as the ancestor god and demiurge, the creator of the world and people. He is the god of Heaven, the head and father of the gods. According to experts, the word “Allah” itself is a substitute for the name of the deity and is derived from the common noun "ilah"- God. This is where the ancient Semitic supreme deity comes from: Elu (Ilu, Elohim)- meaning “strong”, “mighty”. Muhammad is believed to have combined elements of these pre-Islamic beliefs with the monotheism of Islam.

These are the heights to which comparative etymology can lead us. Thus, the very name of Albast can go back to the time of a community that was not yet divided into Indo-European and Semitic branches. This assumption is confirmed by the fact that the root “al” is related to “il” in the meaning of “deity” among the ancient Semites, and the root “basta” is related to “spirit” among the Indo-Europeans. Word "strikes" partly exists among Russians, and corresponds to the lexeme "demon", as well as among Ossetians - "was", which implies approximately the same thing, namely, a demon.

Everything is changing in this world: once divine characters could lose their divinity and retrain into something completely opposite. This is especially evident among the Turkic-speaking peoples - the “yellow-haired maiden” appeared in them in the form of a terrible demoness. The deity acquired terrifying features. There are also long hanging breasts, which the maiden throws over her shoulders when she runs quickly. The maiden has sharp claws on her hands, which she plunges into her opponents. This image is present among the West Siberian Tatars. Azerbaijanis imagine albasta with a bird's foot. The Kazakhs have it even worse - the albasta have twisted feet and hooves on their legs. According to Tuvan myths, the albasta has one eye in its forehead, and its nose is made of stone or red copper. According to the Kazan Tatars, the albasta has no flesh on its back and its insides are visible from behind.

In the mythology of the Turkic-speaking peoples, there is clearly a rejection of the “yellow-haired maiden”; They are afraid of her and they scare children with her. However, the Turks have a belief that you can stick a needle into an albasta’s hair and this will make her submissive and fulfill any man’s desires. What does a man want? Sexual satisfaction, hunting prey, enrichment. Albasta, conquered in this way, can provide all this. How can we not once again recall Russian fairy tales in which characters stick pins into the clothes of their chosen ones and this makes them submissive to their will. The pacified albasta helps around the house, meekly carries out all the orders of the owner, treats livestock and people, and contributes to enrichment. But God forbid that a pin stuck in your hair should accidentally fly out. Then the albasta will get even with the offender in full. Albasta instantly throws her long, saggy breasts over the offender, and he immediately dies.

It is believed that only a very strong shaman can pacify the raging albasta. He can drive her away from the woman in labor so that she does not do anything bad.

How Vasilisa the Wise did not outwit her betrothed

A goddess reduced to the role of a slave can, of course, evoke pity and compassion. However, shamans warn that under no circumstances should albasta be released out of compassion. Otherwise, misfortunes may befall the entire family. Such stories about Vasilisa the Wise chained in a deep basement can be found in Russian fairy tales. However, the main character Ivan Tsarevich neglects the practical advice of Baba Yaga, he gives Vasilisa a drink of water, and she, filled with incredible strength, breaks off her chains. Then things will go badly for Ivan Tsarevich. But still, with cunning and with the help of his werewolf friends, he achieves his goal and pacifies the obstinate sorceress.

Vasilisa the Wise looks into her magic book and tries to see where Ivan Tsarevich hid from her. She finds him both under the clouds, sitting on a flying eagle, and under water, in the stomach of a huge pike. However, she cannot find him when he, turned into a pin, is stuck in this very magical book by a nosy mouse. Ivan Tsarevich wins the competition.

Ivan Tsarevich, by agreement, takes Vasilisa the Wise as his wife, and she serves him faithfully, like a good wife to a good husband. In another folk tale, Vasilisa the Wise helps Ivan Tsarevich get rich and successfully hunt, obtaining a noble trophy - the golden antlers of a deer. Here we see in Vasilisa the Wise the ancient functions of albasta - the goddess of the hunt.

In the end, in the image of the golden-haired swan maiden one can recognize the same image of the “yellow-haired maiden” that is familiar to us. And according to Pushkin, she has a star burning in her forehead, and a moon shining under her scythe. This gives the swan maiden truly cosmic features, and at the same time similarity with the Tuvan legends about the albast and her only eye located in the forehead.

As we see, Russians, like other Indo-Europeans, generally retain a more favorable attitude towards the “blond beast” in female form.

In connection with the mythology of albasty, another piquant question arises: the Turkic-speaking population of Central and Asia Minor, as well as Southern Siberia and Altai, see in albasty a real demonic character, and not a goddess at all. Hence the sharp claws, hooves, bird feet and other animal attributes. However, these zoomorphic features may indicate that albasta initially had the function of the goddess of the hunt. Albasty can turn into various animals and birds, as well as inanimate objects: a haystack, a cart, a spruce tree. And all in order to fool and mislead a lonely traveler or hunter.

It would be very interesting to know why Albasty turns into one thing or another, is it really only because of his malice? The Georgian goddess of hunting Dali asks the hunter riddles: if he guesses them, he can become her husband; if not, he will die. Dali is often enchanted and turned into a trembling doe, dove, and snake. She asks the hunter in a human voice not to destroy her. The hunter agrees, and for this he is generously rewarded - from that moment on, Dali begins to help him and fulfills his wishes. Dali is wise and perspicacious; she foresees all the collisions that await her betrothed on the path.

We can find something similar in Russian fairy tales. Here, for example, is the fairy tale “The Frog Princess,” in which the Tsar’s youngest son, Ivan Tsarevich, fulfilling his father’s behest, shoots arrows with his older brothers. The agreement is this: in whose yard the arrow lands, the brothers will marry that bride. The arrow of the eldest son hit the prince's court, the middle one hit the merchant's court, and the youngest Ivan Tsarevich landed in a swamp. The Frog Princess brings the arrow. At the king’s feast, the Frog Princess waved her hand and immediately fields and gardens appeared, waved another - a lake appeared and white swans swam across it. The wives of the older brothers waved their hands after the Frog Princess, but only hurt their father-in-law and mother-in-law.

While that was the case, Ivan Tsarevich ran home and threw the frog skin into the fire. Then the Frog Princess told him that the evil wizard had bewitched her, and that if Ivan Tsarevich wanted to find her, he would have to walk many miles. She said so and disappeared.

So the hero went to look for his betrothed. He meets a pike. Ivan Tsarevich wanted to kill and eat that pike, but she said to him in a human voice: “Don’t kill me, I’ll be useful to you.” Ivan Tsarevich goes further and meets a bear. He just wanted to kill him and eat him, but the bear said to him in a human voice: “Don’t kill me, I’ll be useful to you!” The hero goes further and meets a falcon. I wanted to kill her and eat her. And she tells him in a human voice: “Don’t kill me, I’ll be useful to you.” Tsarevich Ivan goes further and meets a crayfish. He just wants to catch him and eat him, but the cancer tells him in a human voice: “Don’t kill me, I’ll be useful to you!”

Thus, Ivan Tsarevich refuses hunting trophies. He believes in omens and will be rewarded for his perseverance. In the end, he gets to the hut of Baba Yaga, who shows him where beyond the sea lies a magic stone (alatyr), and in that stone sits a duck, and in the duck is an egg (the sun). Baba Yaga orders Ivan Tsarevich to bring her that egg. The pike helped Tsarevich Ivan cross the sea, the bear broke the magic stone. A duck fluttered out of the stone, and the falcon overtook it and lifted it up. An egg fell out of a duck and fell into the water. Then a crayfish crawled ashore and brought Tsarevich Ivan an egg.

Obviously, these animals that help the hero get the egg were not simple, but magical. Perhaps Vasilisa the Wise herself turned into these animals, helping her betrothed.

Ivan Tsarevich brought the magic egg to Baba Yaga. She prepared a cake from the egg (symbol of the sun), and then the Frog Princess flew in. From the threshold she shouts to her mother: “Something smells of the Russian spirit here, if Ivan Tsarevich appeared here, I would instantly bite him to death.” Baba Yaga answers: “You, daughter, flew around holy Rus', and you picked up the Russian spirit!” - and Ivan Tsarevich herself hid under the bench. “Sit down, daughter, eat some flatbread,” Baba Yaga says to her daughter. The Frog Princess entered the hut, sat down at the table, ate a flatbread and immediately said: “Oh, how I missed my dear Ivan Tsarevich, if he had appeared here, I would have shared this little thing with him.” Then Baba Yaga ordered Tsarevich Ivan to come out from under the shop. The Frog Princess picked him up under her wing and took him to the distant kingdom to live.

We see the metamorphosis that occurred with the Frog Princess. She was ready to tear Ivan Tsarevich apart, and after tasting the magic cake, she was inflamed with love for him. Here, as we see, there is a different attitude of the Frog Princess towards her betrothed. There is also a connection between the Frog Princess and heavenly fire, and with the sun stone alatyr. In the old days, the frog princess could be the personification of the water element, which brings this character of the Russian fairy tale closer to albasta, which is also associated with water. In addition, albasta, like the Georgian goddess of hunting Dali, constantly asks riddles to the hunter, turning into one thing or another.

In the Russian folk tale, which is called “The Princess Solving Riddles,” the riddles are not posed by the princess, as might be expected, but by her future chosen one. The princess solves riddles by sending her maid to Ivan the Fool, who extracts the answers from him. Meanwhile, the riddles concern different animals, which also points to the original hunting magic. The last riddle was about that princess’s maid, who all the time elicited the correct answers from Ivan the Fool. The princess was embarrassed to tell the correct answer in front of everyone. Because that would give her away. She had to marry Ivan the Fool, and this was the fool’s plan, who turned out to be not a fool at all.

Thus, in Russian fairy tales we see how demonic and divine traits are combined in the image of Vasilisa the Wise. This can hardly be interpreted as a subsequent transformation of the image of the ancient Russian goddess. Most likely, initially in her image there was a certain chthonic force that needed to be somehow pacified and overcome.

Here we can recall a remarkable image from Little Russian fairy tales, when a soldier meets a golden-haired maiden and says to her: “She’s a good girl, but, it’s a pity, she’s not well-trodden.” And she answers him in tone that it is still unknown who will travel around whom. A soldier came to his native village on leave, and there his hundred-year-old grandfather was still alive. The soldier asks his grandfather: “So, they say, and so; I met a girl, and she said such strange words to me, as if she had asked me a riddle, what does this mean, grandfather?” And the grandfather answers him: “Your granddaughters’ business is bad. A golden-haired maiden will come to you at midnight and say: “Tru, stop, you are my horse.” And instantly you will turn into a horse at her word. She will saddle you and fly over the ground on you all night until she kills you completely.” “What should I do, grandfather?” - asks the soldier. “And here’s what: stand behind the door of the hut at midnight, when you see that girl with flowing golden hair come to you, you tell her: “Whoa, stop, you are my mare!” She will instantly turn into a mare.” You jump on it right away and give yourself a boost. She will carry you high above the ground. You hold on tight and don’t let go of the reins. In the morning she will get tired and then ask you for mercy. This is where you tell her that you will marry her. Let her give you her word..."

This tale exists in different versions. Including this one, when a soldier kills a maiden mare, and she begins to take revenge on him after death, and all this results in the Gogol plot of “Viy” with the funeral service for the deceased in the church for three nights. That is, this girl is a witch. And it’s not enough to kill her; you still need to cope with her spell after death. Here we see echoes of the pagan immortality of the queen. However, such a storyline is most likely more recent, and it is formed under the influence of Christianity, with its sharp rejection of witchcraft. The female character himself, full of magical power, probably dates back to ancient pagan times. In it you can guess the same ancient image of the goddess of the hunt, turning into different animals at will. She can turn her unlucky groom into different animals.