“A philosopher, legislator, historian - anyone who wants to understand their people to the end must take a closer look at their songs, proverbs, fairy tales, as well as their sayings, individual expressions and words. Behind a word there is always its meaning, behind the literal meaning there is a secret, allegorical meaning, under the strange colorful robe of a fairy tale lies the history and religion of peoples and nations,” the Italian folklorist Giuseppe Pitre (1843 – 1916) insightfully admonished everyone.
Today we are increasingly turning to Russian folk tales, trying to find the hidden truth in them, that magical little ball that will lead us to the distant kingdom, where our dreams will come true and everything will be fine.
Not only magical things help the hero on his journey, but also animals and plants. In our work we will try to understand not only symbolic meaning these images, but also in their structure. In my research work I will use such a concept as a totem. This concept taken from the language North American Indians, was introduced into scientific circulation in the 19th century. “Totem” is translated as “his kind” and means family affiliation, but not by family ties, but by uniting oneself and a kind of tribe with some animal, plant, element (for example, water, wind, lightning) or object (for example, stone). Despite the apparent non-Russian nature of the concept of “totem”, it is consonant with the most Russian words “father”, “fatherland”, “stepfather”, etc.
What are totems for and why did they appear? Every person needs to distinguish himself from others. How to emphasize your uniqueness and originality at the level of clan, tribe, ethnic group? This is where the tradition of distinguishing by totems developed, linking itself with inextricable ties to the world of living and inanimate nature. In this interconnected system, the totem was assigned the role of a talisman: it guarded, protected a person, and helped him in difficult situations. In turn, all totemic animals and plants are taboo: what was considered
2 totem, it was impossible to kill, offend or eat. The totem was worshiped, sacrifices were made to it, it was glorified and depicted by everyone accessible ways. IN Ancient Rome the most exotic totem was the woodpecker, and the most famous was the wolf (the Capitoline she-wolf that nursed Romulus and Remus).
Greek mythology is especially rich in the transformations of gods and heroes into animals, plants and some inanimate objects (stones, rocks, stars). Ovid wrote 15 books on this topic, combined into the famous “Metamorphoses”. Zeus turns into a bull; Helios - into a lion, boar, panther; Athena - into a deer, etc.
Among the Russian people, echoes of totemism have been preserved mainly in ritual folklore, associated with the veneration and glorification of trees, birds, animals, in fairy tales - especially about animals. This is clearly evidenced by the positive human traits that the people endowed with fabulous animals, as well as the protective functions that they perform (the primary purpose of the totem is to help everyone who is in a socially related relationship with it). Convincing confirmation of the totem-kinship relationship between animals and people in the vulgar can be at least the well-known nickname of the fox - Little Chanterelle-Sister (aka Kuma-Fox). Whose sister and godfather is she to?
Not a wolf, not a hare, not a bear, but you and me, or rather our distant ancestors!
Fox is bright female image in the animal world, the companion and embodiment of Mokosha - the goddess of fate and harvest. The Slavs revered the fox for its cunning, resourcefulness and ingenuity, and affectionately called it godfather and sister. For the red color
3 the fox was compared to fire, and also to a thundercloud because of the brown tint of its fur coat. In Siberia, the pre-dawn twilight, when the sun's rays painted the sky dark orange, was called fox darkness. But the fox was also associated with the winter cold, illnesses and illnesses caused by the cold. The fox owes this relationship to Mara, the goddess of winter, possibly an incarnation of Mokosh.
Fox time is the beginning and middle of winter. Colors - red, red, brown.
Proverbs and signs:
The fox is always fuller than the wolf
To pass by a fox is by cunning
Whoever entered the rank of fox will rule as a wolf
If the fox had not arrived in time, the sheep would have eaten the wolf!
The fox also counts chickens in a dream
The fox crossed the road, bad luck.
Hearing a fox bark is unlucky.
Animals - the main characters of Russian folk tales - are usually masculine: bull, horse, wolf, bear. Hare, rooster, cat, ram, etc. But there are, of course, animals too feminine: goat, frog, mouse, chicken. However, all of them, neither in popularity nor in importance, can be compared with Lisa Patrikeevna - the bearer of both the best and worst qualities of the entire female tribe, and to a certain extent - an exponent of the very essence of female nature.
The fox is the heroine of mainly everyday fairy tales. Here she lies on the road with glassy eyes. She was numb, the man decided, he kicked her and she wouldn’t wake up. The man was delighted, took the fox, put it in the cart with fish, covered it with matting: “The old woman will have a collar for her fur coat,” and started the horse from its place, he himself went ahead. The fox threw all the fish out of the cart and left. The man realized that the fox was dead. It's already late. There is nothing to do.
The fox is true to herself everywhere in fairy tales. Her cunning is conveyed in the proverb: “When you look for a fox in front, then she is behind.” She is resourceful and lies recklessly until the time when it is no longer possible to lie, but even in this case she indulges in the most incredible invention. The fox thinks only about his own benefit. If the deal does not promise her acquisitions, she will not sacrifice anything of hers. The fox is vindictive and vindictive. Having collected the fish thrown on the road, the fox began to have lunch. The wolf runs: “Hello, gossip, bread and salt!” - “I eat mine, and you stay away.” Why would a fox give a treat to a wolf? Let him catch it himself. The fox instantly has an epiphany: “You, little kuman, go to the river, lower your tail into the hole - the fish attaches itself to the tail, but look, sit longer, otherwise you won’t catch it. Sit and say: “Catch, fish, both small and large!” Catch, little fish, both small and great!
The proposal is absurd, wild, and the stranger it is, the more readily one believes in it. The wolf obeyed. Lisa volunteered to help. She is worried: as long as there is no thaw, as long as it is a frosty night. He walks around the wolf and says:
Make it clear, make it clear, there are stars in the sky,
Freeze, freeze, wolf's tail!
“I’m trying to catch the fish,” she explains to the wolf, who does not understand all her words. The wolf sat the whole night at the ice hole. His tail froze. The women came to the river for water and saw a wolf and began to beat it with rockers. The wolf was eager and eager - he tore off his tail and took off running.
After this, it would seem that the fox should be afraid of meeting her godfather. The wolf is angry with her: “That’s how you teach, godfather, how to fish!”
The fox managed to visit the hut, ate some dough from a kneading bowl from one woman and smeared herself in it. “Oh, kumanek! You don’t have a tail, but your head is intact, but they smashed my head: look at the brain - it’s come out!” And the wolf believed her, took pity on her, and sat her down: “The beaten one carries the unbeaten one.”
The tale depicts the triumph of the fox. She revels in revenge, feels complete superiority over her gullible and stupid godfather. How much resourcefulness she has and how much vengeful feeling she has! Both are so often found in people with a practical, resourceful mind, overwhelmed by petty passions. And the wolf is good! Envy and stupidity destroy him. This way you can lose your skin. For all its simplicity, the fairy tale with psychological truth conveys in these animals the traits of people, the peculiarities of their characters and behavior.
Of course, storytellers could tell about human vices without resorting to fantastic fiction, but how insipid this story would become! He would not have conveyed to us even a small part of the caustic, deep meaning that the satirical narrative contains.
The fairy tale tells us that the hero’s selfish invention, no matter how implausible and incredible it may seem (catch fish with the tail!), will always find a greedy fool who will believe it. Stupidity and gullibility are as endless as cunning and calculation. When they meet, everything is possible: you can fish with your tail, you can lose your head, you can feel sorry for the one who almost ruined you. Is the Wolf always stupid and funny in fairy tales? What is the attitude of our distant ancestors to this image?
6 The wolf is one of the central and widespread mythological figures of world folklore and one of the oldest totems of the Russian people. The duality (duality) of this fairy-tale image is clear. On the one side. The wolf is a bloodthirsty predator that attacks livestock and people; on the other hand, he is a faithful assistant and even a relative of fairy-tale heroes.
This is evidenced by some wedding customs, preserved in Rus' until the twentieth century. Thus, in the northwestern regions of Russia (in particular in Pskov), it was customary to call the groom’s groom’s representative a wolf, and the groom’s relatives in songs called the bride a she-wolf; She also did not remain in debt and in the traditional lamentation called the groom’s brothers gray wolves.
Cultural historian Edward Tylor (1832 – 1917) in his classic work “ Primitive culture" drew attention to the fact that the famous Russian fairy tale "The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats" contains fragments and mythologies of the ancient cosmic worldview, when the "wolf" was understood as the dark forces of chaos that absorbed the sun, moon and wandering heavenly bodies during eclipses (so in the old days were called seven observed naked eye planets) in their fairy-tale-symbolic guise, and “little goats” appeared, which were swallowed by the “wolf” and then (voluntarily or by force) released into the wild.
Among the Russians, traces of such an ancient identification are found, among other things, in an archaic riddle-proverb, where the dark night is identified with a wolf: “The wolf [dark night] came - all the people fell silent; the clear falcon [sun] flew up - all the people left!” Traces of such an ancient cosmic worldview and beliefs are found even in the simple children's game "Geese-Swans and the Wolf", where the latter personifies dark night trying to overtake and absorb the light ones sunny days- geese-swans.
It was widely distributed throughout Eastern Europe belief about wolf people. Herodotus in his “History” wrote about the Neuroi, a people who lived on the territory of present-day Belarus and, according to scientists, were undoubtedly associated with the Slavs. Herodotus relayed the stories of the Greeks and Scythians that “every year every Neuroi becomes a wolf for a few days, and then again takes on its previous appearance.” Isn’t this belief reflected in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”, which tells how Prince Vseslav “himself barked at night.”
The tale of Ivan Tsarevich and the gray wolf also preserved the meaning of the ancient mythical belief quite well. Folklorists classify it as a type of fairy tale. In the form in which we know it, it is truly a fairy tale.
The son is guarding his father's garden. The firebird pecks apples in it, the hero wants to catch it; he is looking for a golden-maned horse and getting himself a bride in distant lands - fairy tales love such plot points. At the same time, the fairy tale was influenced by ancient beliefs about animals. In the fairy tale, there is a werewolf. At times he takes on the appearance of a man and even a horse. The gray wolf faithfully serves the hero. Where does this arrangement come from? The wolf explains to Ivan Tsarevich: “Because I tore your horse to pieces. Then I will serve you faithfully.”
If we see the remnants of totemism in the beliefs about werewolves, then it’s clear why fairy wolf Having harmed a wolf or harmed a person, he considers himself obligated to compensate for the damage with faithful service. Family ties were considered sacred and violation of them was punishable. When actions went against ancestral morals, they demanded the most exact compensation. The wolf ate the horse. He himself serves the hero as a horse, he takes upon himself the responsibility of helping a person voluntarily, without coercion: and for him, family ties are sacred. The logic of primitive thinking here is undeniable. True, we do not know what specific form the ancient stories about wolves had, but it is quite possible that the fairy-tale situation we have taken is in some connection with them.
Wolf, like the bear folk beliefs appears as an animal in whose honor holidays were held. They did not call him by his real name, fearing that he himself would be called out by doing so. A hostile and dangerous creature, the wolf evoked respect and fear.
From experience, people knew that the wolf is a predatory, cunning, intelligent, resourceful, and evil creature. Meanwhile, in fairy tales the wolf is a stupid, always hungry, always beaten animal.
The ingenuous fairy tale “Kolobok” encodes information about the competition between the totems of the hare, wolf, bear and victorious fox for the right to be the keeper of the traditions of the cult of the sun-Kolo, personified by Kolobok, identical to the ancient luminary both in name and in ritual functions (he is eaten, as on Maslenitsa eat pancakes symbolizing the sun).
And in the equally popular fairy tale “Teremok”, the former totem struggle for “living space” is reflected: overpopulation of the “teremok” is resolved by displacing the totems of the Mouse, Frog, Hare, Fox and Wolf with a stronger contender for “living space” - the Bear clan.
Observations by ethnographers convince us that the bear was considered by people as a patron. They believed that a bear could lead a lost person out of the forest.
Numerous Belarusian beliefs speak about the patron bear. There was a custom to invite a safecracker and a bear into your home. The bear was put in the red corner, under the icon, generously treated with honey, cheese, butter, and after the treat, they were led through all the nooks and crannies of the house and into the barn. They believed that the bear exorcised evil spirits. In other cases, the bear stepped over the patient or even stepped on him. It was as if the healing power of the beast was at work. This power supposedly freed people from witchcraft.
Bear - Beast Velesov
Bear - witch, black beast, forester, breaker, shaggy, bear, forest king. Hunters distinguish three breeds of bear: the large carnivore - the vulture, the medium - the fescue and the smallest - the ant.
The bear was the most revered Slavic animal. It’s not for nothing that Russian people are still compared to bears. According to legend, the bear was the incarnation of the god Veles, also very ancient god, the image of which has been preserved since the Stone Age. Images of bears can also be found on the walls of caves primitive man and on the coats of arms of many cities. Cave bears have long been neighbors of people; the Slavs considered them their ancestors (in addition to some other totem animals). The bear was considered the owner of the forest, the guardian of its wealth. It is possible that the bear's paws raised to the sky and its threatening stance were adopted by people in their dances and rituals.
While seemingly good-natured and clumsy, the bear is actually very strong, cruel and quick to kill. Hunters who risked going out with a spear to hunt a bear were called “inveterate” in Rus', that is, going to certain death. Unlike the predator wolf, the bear is omnivorous and does not disdain honey, raspberries and other sweet berries. For his passion for destroying the hives of wild bees, he received his nickname - Med-ved (who knows honey). His true name is ber, this is evidenced by the name of the bear's dwelling - den (ber's lair). By the way, the den was considered one of the passages to the Underworld, and its owner was the guard of the Navya kingdom. The bear climbs into its den with the onset of winter, and comes out with the first warm days of spring. On the days of winter confrontation (Kolyad), the bear turned over in its den, marking the turning of the annual wheel.
Just like the wolf, the bear could be a werewolf. Only, as a rule, the bear turned into a man, while with the wolf the opposite was the case. This feature suggests that people encountered the bear earlier and considered it their main ancestor, that is, man descended from the bear through the ritual of werewolf, and only then learned to take the form of a wolf, hare and other animals.
The time of the bear is the end of winter. Colors - brown, black
Proverbs and signs:
The bear is strong, but he lies in the swamp
A bear is not given the courage of a wolf, and a wolf is not given the strength of a bear.
The bear was wrong for eating the cow, and the cow was wrong for going into the forest.
Don't sell the skins without killing the bear
Two bears do not live in the same den
The bear is happy that he didn’t get caught by the shooter, and the shooter is happy that he didn’t get caught by the bear
A bear in a den turns over on the other side, winter meets summer (about Candlemas, celebrated on February 15).
The human type embodied in the bear is partly similar to that reproduced in the image of the wolf. It is not for nothing that the wolf often replaces the bear in fairy tales. These are the numerous versions of the fairy tales “The Man, the Bear and the Fox”, “The Bear, the Dog and the Cat”, etc. However, the similarity of the images is only partial. In the minds of any person familiar with fairy tales, the bear is a beast of the highest rank. He is the most powerful forest animal. When in fairy tales one animal replaces another, the bear is in the position of the strongest. This is the tale about the little mansion, the animals in the pit, and others.
One must think that this position of the bear on the animal hierarchy is explained in its own way by its connection with those traditional pre-story mythological legends in which the bear occupied the most important place as the owner of forest lands. Perhaps, over time, the bear began to be seen as the embodiment of the sovereign, the ruler of the district. Fairy tales emphasized enormous strength bear He crushes everything that comes under his feet. The fragile little mansion, a house in which a variety of animals lived peacefully, could not withstand its weight. Isn't this half-forgotten fairy tale a half-forgotten allegory? The world-community experienced pressure from princes and patrimonial lords: the masters decided to impose tribute on more people, and in case of disobedience they punished all disobedient people. “I’m oppressive to everyone,” the bear says about himself.
And in the final part of his research work I would like to pay attention to my favorite fairy-tale image - Sivka-Burka.
And I'll start at grandma's
I ask for a fairy tale;
And my grandmother will start for me
Tell a fairy tale:
Like Ivan Tsarevich
He caught the firebird
How can he get a bride?
The gray wolf got it
Ivan Surikov
Horses flying and galloping to the skies are favorite images of Russian and Slavic folklore.
Since childhood, mesmerizing lines have been etched in my memory, coming down from time immemorial and sounding like spells:
“The horse is running - the earth is trembling, smoke is pouring out of its ears, flames are burning from its nostrils.”
“Sivka-Burka, Prophetic Kaurka, stand before me like a leaf before the grass!”
“Get into your right ear, out of your left, and you will become such a handsome man as the world has never seen.”
Cosmic reflections appear in stories about horses galloping to the sky, and in stories about heroes born from a horse. So in famous fairy tale about Ivan-Kobylnikov's son, recorded in Siberia at the beginning of the twentieth century, the hero's companions and assistants are Ivan-Solntsev's son and Ivan-Mesyatsev's son.
In Russian folklore and the popular worldview, other things are associated with the consubstantiality of the horse and the sun. famous images and names. Thus, the fairytale horse Sivka-Burka (or in the fairy tales of other peoples - the Sun Horse, the Sun Horse), without a doubt, personifies daylight. His name also dates back to Proto-Indo-European beliefs (goddess Siwa "god Shiva").
In one of the most capacious in terms of mythological encoding, the tales about Vasilisa the Wise (the Beautiful) reveal the most ancient ideas of the Russian people about the change of day and night as cosmic riders: A clear day - “itself is white, dressed in white, the horse under it is white and the harness on the horse is white” ; The sun is red - the rider is “red himself, dressed in red and on a red horse.” The night is dark - again the horseman: he himself is black, dressed in all black and on a black horse.”
Numerous and varied images of solar horses are found in Russian ornaments, carvings, and utensils. Horse heads, mounted on the edge of the roofs, symbolize the sun chariot (in detailed scenes of embroidery, paintings and carvings, these horses are usually depicted together with the sun).
In the composition of a Russian hut, horses rushing into the sky seem to carry the entire house into space. The sun is present here in various decorations - it is inseparable from this flight, moreover, it is like a model of a solar chariot drawn by wooden horses.
The connection of the horse with the cult of fertility is obvious in calendar rites and customs. The custom of dressing up as a filly or horse on Christmastide is preserved, bringing light, work in the field, and a new time - New Year. IN distant times When laying the foundation of a house, a ritual of burying the horse's head took place, giving a connection with deceased ancestors. Among family rituals the horse was playing special role in the wedding: a horse was given as ransom for the bride; the horse and mare were tied in the entryway, where the newlyweds spent their first wedding night.
A horse was buried with its owner in pagan times; a fallen horse was buried with honors, like a devoted warrior.
The sensitive and devoted animal gave rise to many fortune-telling and beliefs. If a horse stumbles on its left leg, it means trouble. During Christmas fortune-telling, the horse was blindfolded, sat on it, and wherever it went, the girl would go to get married. When sending off to war or recruiting, if the horse flinches, this is considered a bad sign. A horse neighs - for good, stomps towards the road, draws in air through its nostrils - for arriving home, snorts for a good meeting or for rain. Horse skull is scary for evil spirits, that’s why many horse skulls used to be hung on fences in villages. A collar removed from a horse and water not drunk by the horse are considered healing.
Almost everything magic functions twin horses are successfully combined in the classical literary fairy tale Pyotr Petrovich Ershov’s “The Little Humpbacked Horse,” who carefully and meticulously used images of Russian folklore.
Two unprecedented horses with golden manes, their mother, a magical mare, who rushed Ivanushka to the skies, and, finally, the wonderful Humpbacked Horse, carrying his master even further, to the heavenly bodies.
Modern Russian word“horse” is an abbreviation of the Old Russian word “komon”. “The Komoni are laughing at Sula” - a memorable phrase from “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.” This root is preserved in the Old Russian words “orat” - “plow”, “ploughshare” - “plow”, “oratay” - “plowman”.
The history of totems - Russian and world - is an inexhaustible storehouse of knowledge about the distant past. The past must be preserved and remembered. The totemic past did not disappear without a trace. It lives in modern symbols, state and class heraldry, rituals, traditions, and, finally, in many surnames, names of rivers, lakes, ancient cities, villages and simply protected places. I want to know a lot, but these are the topics of my next research.
Wolf's image
Russian folk
fairy tales
Vekshin Yaroslav 3a class
Purpose of the study
The goal of my research was to understand why
The wolf in fairy tales is always depicted differently. That
like a stupid and narrow-minded animal, then how
faithful friend and assistant, then both creepy and
evil enemy.
Let's try to figure it all out.
It is not in vain that the wolves are shrouded in a peculiar aura of mystery
became heroes of legends and horror films, songs and novels.
They are credited with mystical abilities and incredible strength.
Which, strictly speaking, they don’t have. Yes, wolves can smell prey
or each other at a distance of 1.5 km, and if necessary, they
many hours will pass without fatigue.
Besides the fact that wolves are still one of the most dangerous
predators (yes!), they also make a huge contribution to the cleansing
territory of their residence from the sick, weak and even dead
animals. It’s not for nothing that they were given such a nickname: “Forest orderlies”.
All over the world, people tell stories to entertain each other.
Sometimes fairy tales help to understand what is bad in life, and
which is good. Fairy tales appeared long before the invention of books, and
even writing.
In fairy tales about animals, they argue, talk, and
animals quarrel, love, are friends, are at enmity: the cunning “fox”
there is beauty in conversation”, stupid and greedy “wolf-wolf - from under a bush
grabby", "gnawing mouse", "cowardly bunny - bow-legged,
skok slide." All this is implausible, fantastic.
The appearance of various characters in Russian fairy tales about animals
initially determined by the circle of representatives of the animal
peace, which is typical for our territory. That's why
It is natural that in fairy tales about
animals we meet with the inhabitants of forests, fields, steppes
open spaces (bear, wolf, fox, wild boar, hare, hedgehog, etc.). IN
In fairy tales about animals, animals themselves are the main characters -
characters, and the relationships between them determine the character
fairy tale conflict.
In fairy tales about animals one of
the main characters are
wolf. It's straight
the opposite of the image
foxes. In fairy tales the wolf is stupid, he
easy to deceive. No, it seems
such trouble, no matter what
this unlucky guy got caught
an eternally beaten beast. So,
the fox advises the wolf to catch
fish, lowering the tail into the hole.
The goat offers to the wolf
open your mouth and stand under
mountain so he can jump into
mouth The goat knocks over
wolf and runs away (fairy tale “Wolf-
fool"). The image of a wolf in fairy tales
always hungry and lonely. He
always gets into something funny
ridiculous situation.
However, in the ancients
cultures image of a wolf
associated with death
that's why in fairy tales this
animal character
often eats someone
("The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats")
or disturbs the peace
animal life (“Zimovie”
animals"). But in the end they are good
fairy tale characters
Russian fairy tales always
cheat or win
wolf For example, a wolf in
fairy tale "Little Fox-Sister"
and the wolf" remains without a tail.
"... meets young
gray wolf to the warrior..." This
also a symbol. The symbol itself
Perun. Mighty Storm God,
God of justice, light and
military valor,
appearing on earth
prefers the appearance of a wolf.
Wolf-Perun is wise, brave and
very fast. It's on him in
other fairy tales Ivan Tsarevich
covers huge
distances. Moreover, Perun
becoming a knight is not easy
friend, but also brother. ABOUT
what does this say? About the fact that
having himself as a brother
Peruna, Russian hero
capable of crushing anyone
whatever.
So now let's think
why is there a wolf in all fairy tales
so different? For this you need
remember that fairy tales were originally
no one wrote it down, they
were transmitted exclusively from
word of mouth. And only in a narrow circle.
It's impossible to imagine that
some merchant's son was listening
a fairy tale from an ordinary peasant.
Who could be afraid of wolves?
That's right, peasants. Wolves
could attack livestock, people,
and the peasants could suffer from this
terrible losses. For these people
a terrible wolf, that's in their fairy tales
he was scary, but still
conquerable. Yes, and peasants
children were told such tales,
so that it is discouraging to go into the forest
walk "a little gray top will come
and will bite you on the side.”
Krendelev Anton
Tales about animals are not only entertaining and funny, but also instructive.
Man attributed to animals the ability to reason and speak, but people’s misconceptions were also permeated by the desire to understand the life of animals, to master the means of taming them, protecting them from attack, and methods of hunting.
The most common heroes of fairy tales about animals are the fox and the wolf. This is explained by the fact that, firstly, a person most often had to encounter them in economic activity; secondly, these animals occupy the middle in the animal kingdom in size and strength; finally, thirdly, thanks to the previous two reasons, a person had the opportunity to get to know them very closely.
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IV regional youth “Philological readings”
Municipal educational institution Mikhailovskaya secondary school
Krendelev Anton
Municipal educational institution Mikhailovskaya secondary school, 5th grade, 11 years old
Genre: Exploration
"Images of animals in Russian folk tales»
Teacher-mentor:
Yablokova Svetlana Vladimirovna
Teacher of Russian language and literature
Mikhailovsky village, Yaroslavl municipal district, 2010.
1.Introduction 2 pages
2. Chapter “Images of animals in Russian folk tales”
1.1 The Fox of the Seven Wolves will spend 5 pages.
1.2. The wolf changes its fur, but not its character 7 p.
1.3. A bear, although old, is worth two foxes 9 p.
1.4. Soft paws, and in the paws there are scratches 11 p.
3. Conclusion 12 pages.
4. References 14 pages.
Introduction
What is a fairy tale? This is a beautiful world of magic and transformation in which we live in childhood, where reality ends and this world, amazing and incomprehensible, begins. This is a world in which good triumphs over evil, which is probably why this genre is so loved by children.
And speaking in scientific language, a fairy tale is a type of narrative, mostly prosaic folklore. Its history goes back a long way. Word " fairy tale " recorded in written sources of the 16th century. From the word"show". Meaning: list, list, exact description. Modern meaning the word has been acquired since the 19th century. Until the 19th century, the 11th century word was used - blasphemy.
There are several types of Russian folk tales: magical, everyday, tales about animals.The purpose of my work is to identify the features of animal images in folk tales. To achieve the goal, a number of tasks must be solved:
- identify the place and features of the depiction of animals in fairy tales;
- see whether they are the main or secondary person;
- consider character traits;
I used several folk tale sources to write my work.
This type of fairy tales differs significantly from other types of fairy tales. A fairy tale about animals is a work in which the main characters are animals, birds, fish, as well as objects, plants and natural phenomena. The question of the original origins of fantasy in fairy tales about animals has concerned scientists for many decades. The beliefs of the Russian people and, in general, the beliefs of the East Slavic peoples allow us to assume with all confidence which animals were the heroes of mythical stories and legends of ancient fables. The peculiarity of these legends was that the animals were endowed with a variety of human qualities, but the animals were seen as animals. Not all stories and legends of this kind have disappeared from the memory of the people. Their traces are preserved in fairy tales thattraditionally acceptedfrom ancient fables some of its essential features. This is the tale of the bear on a fake leg. This fairy-tale narrative is unknown in Western Europe. Its origin is purely East Slavic. The system of characters in Russian folk tales about animals is represented, as a rule, by images of wild and domestic animals. Images of wild animals clearly prevail over images of domestic animals: these are fox, wolf, bear, hare, and among birds - crane, heron, thrush, woodpecker, sparrow, raven, etc. Domestic animals are much less common, and do not appear as independent or leading characters, but only in combination with forest birds: this is a dog, a cat, a goat, a ram, a horse, a pig, a bull, and among domestic birds - a goose, a duck and a rooster. There are no tales only about domestic animals in Russian folklore.
In fairy tales about animals, animals implausibly argue, talk, quarrel, love, make friends, and quarrel: the cunning “fox is beautiful in conversation,” the stupid and greedy “wolf-wolf who grabs from under a bush,” the cowardly bow-legged bunny who jumps up the hill "
The fox will lead seven wolves
Favorite hero of the Russians fairy tales about animals, as, indeed, in all East Slavic fairy tales, a fox became.
The image of the fox is stable. She is portrayed as a lying, cunning deceiver: she deceives a man by pretending to be dead (“The Fox steals fish from a sleigh”); deceives the wolf (“The Fox and the Wolf”); deceives the rooster (“The Cat, the Rooster and the Fox”); drives the hare out of the bast hut (“The Fox and the Hare”); exchanges a goose for a lamb, a lamb for a bull, steals honey (“The Bear and the Fox”). In all fairy tales, she is flattering, vengeful, cunning, calculating.Lisa Patrikeevna, the beautiful fox, the butterfly sponge fox, the godmother fox, Lisafya. Here she lies on the road with glassy eyes. She was numb, the man decided, he kicked her, she wouldn’t wake up. The man was delighted, took the fox, put it in the cart with fish, covered it with matting: “The old woman will have a collar for her fur coat,” and started the horse from its place, walking in front. The fox threw all the fish out of the cart and left. The man realized that the fox was not dead, but it was already too late. There's nothing to do.
The fox is true to herself everywhere in fairy tales. Her cunning is conveyed in the proverb: “When you look for a fox in front, it is behind.” She is resourceful and lies recklessly until the time when it is no longer possible to lie, but even in this case she often indulges in the most incredible invention. The fox thinks only about his own benefit. If the deal does not promise her acquisitions, she will not sacrifice anything of hers. The fox is vindictive and vindictive.
Fairy tales often depict the triumph of a fox. She revels in revenge, feels complete superiority over the gullible heroes. How much resourcefulness she has and how much vengeful feeling she has! Both are so often found in people with a practical, resourceful mind, overwhelmed by petty passions... Infinitely deceitful, she takes advantage of gullibility, plays on the weak strings of friends and foes.
I have a lot of pranks and pranks in my memory.foxes. She chases the hare out of the bast hut (“The Fox and the Hare”), exchanges the rolling pin for a goose, the goose for a lamb, the lamb for a bull, threatens the thrush to eat the chicks, forces him to water, feed, and even make herself laugh (“The Fox and the Blackbird”) . The fox marries the cat-voivode with the hope of seizing power in the entire forest district (“The Cat and the Fox”), learns to fly (“How the Fox Learned to Fly”), orders the wolf to take the oath to be sure of the correctness of his words: indeed Is the sheep wearing a wolf caftan? The wolf foolishly stuck his head into a trap and got caught (“Sheep, Fox and Wolf”). The fox steals the stored honey (“The Bear and the Fox”).
The fox is a pretender, a thief, a deceiver, evil, unfaithful, flattering, vindictive, clever, vindictive, cunning, selfish, calculating, cruel. In fairy tales, she is faithful to these traits of her character throughout.
The wolf changes its fur, but not its character
Another hero that the fox often encounters is the wolf. He is stupid, which is expressed in the attitude of the people towards him, he devours kids (“Wolf and Goat”), is going to tear apart a sheep (“Sheep, Fox and Wolf”), fattens a hungry dog in order to eat it, is left without a tail (“Fox and wolf").More often than other animals, the fox deceives the wolf and laughs cruelly at him. Who do people understand in this image?? In fairy tales, the wolf is infinitely stupid.Phenomenal stupidity discredits the wolf. Such an image expressed not so much the real features of that human type, which the wolf personifies, as well as the attitude towards him.
Let us think about why the wolf takes blows from angry women who come to the river by water, why, having barely survived one misfortune, the wolf ends up in another. The tale ends with the death of the wolf. The wolf dies a cruel death so that a new fairy tale come to life and again accept an evil death. What ineradicable evil is being driven out and executed by the people?
An insatiable thirst for blood, the traits of a rapist who recognizes one right - the right of the strong, the right of the teeth - without this trait a wolf is not a wolf. The social prototype of this fairy-tale character becomes clear. The people knew many scoundrels and criminals from whom they had a hard time.
Tales about the wolf do not hide who they mean... The irony of fiction lies in playing on a folk custom.
The tale of how a wolf slaughtered a pig (“The Pig and the Wolf”) depicts in the image of a wolf a cruel and unforgiving master who exacted money from the peasants for poisoning. There lived an old man and with him an old woman. The only livestock they have is a pig. The devil took her, and into someone else's lane - into oats. A wolf came running there, “he grabbed the pig by the bristles, dragged it away by the legs and tore it to pieces.”
Such tales contain that sharp social allegory that made the tale interesting for adults as well. Fantasy narratives talk about social class relations. We cannot ignore this meaning if we do not want to see Fairy tales are just fun.
Fantastic fiction in these tales is also associated with their ideological plan. Boyar, the master is cruel as a wolf, you cannot expect mercy from him, you can only deal with him as the proverb advises: “Trust the wolf in the torok,” that is, the killed one. The fairy tale conveys, as it were, the essence of the wolf law, according to which the weak becomes a victim of the strong. The prince, the boyar, did not need to be cunning. His right is the right of a cruel and strong master. Such is the fairy-tale wolf. The storytellers took revenge on the oppressors, exposed their moral rudeness and lack of intelligence: the system of social oppression, resorting to the force of the fist, rod and weapon, did not require mental effort from its founders and defenders.
A bear, although old, is worth two foxes
Another hero of fairy tales about animals is the bear. He personifies brute strength and has power over other animals. In fairy tales he is often called “the oppressor of everyone.” The bear is also stupid. Persuading with the peasant to harvest the harvest, he is left with nothing each time (“The Man and the Bear”).
The human type embodied in the bear is partly similar to that reproduced in the image of the wolf. It is not for nothing that the wolf often replaces the bear in fairy tales. These are the numerous versions of fairy tales: “A Man, a Bear and a Fox”, “A Bear, a Dog and a Cat”, etc. However, the similarity of the images is only partial. In the minds of any person familiar with fairy tales, the bear is a beast of the highest rank. He is the most powerful forest animal. When in fairy tales one animal replaces another, the bear is in the position of the strongest. Such is the tale of the little tower, the beasts in the pit, and other tales. One must think that this position of the bear in the animal hierarchy is explained in its own way by its connection with those traditional pre-story mythological legends in which the bear occupied the most important place as the owner of forest lands. Perhaps, over time, the bear began to be seen as the embodiment of the sovereign, the ruler of the district. Fairy tales constantly emphasized the enormous strength of the bear. He crushes everything that comes under his feet.
The stupidity of a bear is the difference between the stupidity of a wolf. The wolf is slow-witted, not stupid. The stupidity of a bear is the stupidity of a person in power. The bear does not use his strength wisely. There is an assumption that the bear represents a person in authority.
The bear is the owner of the forest, has great strength and a rich fur coat, which is obviously why he was assigned the role of a landowner. These tales describe the life of captivity of the Russian people, the period of serfdom. Then the peasants paid rent (half a field of wheat, which for some reason was called tithe) and worked off corvée (they worked in a bear’s house, sometimes it lasted 6 days). The bear decided when to let Masha go and how much to rip off the man. Through such a prism, it becomes clear not only the difficult life of the once free Russian people, but also why they constantly tried to outwit the bear, and even hunt it down with dogs. It is worth noting that in Russian fairy tales the landowner is always stupider than the peasant, and the image of the landowner - the bear - is endowed with the same intelligence. Behind these images is the thought: “You may be a strong gentleman, but I’m smart and will stick to my guns!”
There are fairy tales where the bear gives Masha gifts and punishes her lazy sister. Here the image of a bear carries within itself the image of nature, good and evil. If a person works honestly, then nature rewards him with its gifts, but whoever is lazy, water does not flow.
Soft paws, and scratches in the paws
Among domestic animals and birds, the cat is a positive hero in fairy tales. In a Russian folk tale, a cat (it's a cat, not a cat) is often found in the image of a savior from various misfortunes. For example, take the cycle of fairy tales" Cat, rooster and fox", which A.N. Afanasyev go by numbers. These tales are very similar, and in essence almost the same. They only replace some of the heroes. He acts as a gallant defender of the rooster. Moreover, the cat has excellent hearing, he is smart and caring. That is, in these fairy tales the cat acts as goodie. To summarize the conversation about the cat, we can note some common features. Firstly, animals everywhere are afraid of cats. Secondly, a cat always has a name, and with a patronymic. The cat is selfless in friendship. The warlike rooster is ready to come to the aid of anyone who is offended. However, the positivity of these characters is very conditional. The tale of how a rooster drove a fox out of a hare's hut (“The Fox, the Hare and the Rooster”) is basically a cheerful humoresque. The irony is that the rooster - the fox's prey - managed to scare the lover of white chicken meat. The fairy tale “Cat in the Voivodeship” is ironic - it makes a lover of hut warmth, a bakery resident, a hero by coincidence of circumstances: the wolf, hiding in a pile of leaves, began to stir; the cat thought there was a mouse there, jumped, the wolf jumped to the side, and a general commotion began - the flight of the animals. Only in the fairy tale “The Cat, the Rooster and the Fox” is the cat truly a hero. This fairy tale was probably created for children from the very beginning.
It should be concluded that in all the Russian fairy tales reviewed, the cat is shown to be dexterous and cunning. In a number of fairy tales, he is a warrior and comes to the aid of his friends. He loves to bask on the stove and enjoy sour cream or fresh mouse. He might stage a “massacre”, or he might resign himself to death. The characteristics of fairy tales certainly depend on the characteristics of the people of a particular region. After all, despite the fact that there is one people - Russian, people are still different.
Conclusion
In the course of working on this topic, we conducted a survey among students in grades 3-6. The following questions were proposed:
- How many fairy tales about animals have you read?
- What animals were most common in fairy tales?
- What features are present?
- What do fairy tales about animals teach?
The survey yielded the following results:
1 question: 1 fairy tale-6%
2 fairy tales -18%
Several - 76%
Question 2: wolf - 7%
Bear-18%
Fox – 75%
Question 3: The fox is cunning
Bear - stupidity
The wolf is angry
- question: Kindness
Love
Don't hurt the little ones.
To summarize all of the above, it should be noted: fairy tales about animals are not only entertaining and funny, but also instructive.
Man attributed to animals the ability to reason and speak, but people’s misconceptions were also permeated by the desire to understand the life of animals, to master the means of taming them, protecting them from attack, and methods of hunting.
The most common heroes of fairy tales about animals are the fox and the wolf. This is explained by the fact that, firstly, people most often had to deal with them in economic activity; secondly, these animals occupy the middle in the animal kingdom in size and strength; finally, thirdly, thanks to the previous two reasons, a person had the opportunity to get to know them very closely.
The wolf, like the bear, in popular beliefs appears as an animal in whose honor holidays were held. They did not call him by his real name, fearing that he himself would be called out by doing so. A hostile and dangerous creature, the wolf evoked respect and fear.
From experience, people knew that the wolf is a predatory, cunning, intelligent, resourceful, and evil creature. Meanwhile, in fairy tales the wolf is stupid and easy to deceive. There seems to be no such trouble, no matter what this unlucky, always hungry, always beaten beast might find himself in.
The respectful attitude towards the fox expressed in beliefs also contradicts the outright mockery with which fairy tales tell about its frequent mistakes and failures. The beliefs of the Russian people and, in general, the beliefs of the East Slavic peoples allow us to assume with all confidence which animals were the heroes of mythical stories and legends of ancient fables.
Literature used
- Anikin V.P. Russian folk tale M., “Enlightenment”, 1977
- Afanasiev. A.N. Russian folk tales / Ed. Georgian. - Ed. 3rd. - 1897.
- Vedernikova N .M. Russian folk tale M., “Science”
4) Fokeev A.L. “An inexhaustible source. Oral folk art» ed. "Lyceum"
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In culture Eastern Slavs The wolf is an animal - a myth.
The wolf belongs to the “alien” world.
The appearance of the wolf in legends is associated with the earth. According to legend, the Devil was jealous of God, who sculpted a man. The devil sculpted a wolf from clay. But having created the form, he could not revive him.
The devil suggested that if a wolf was directed against God, it would come to life. The devil began to run around the wolf and shout: “Bite him!” But the wolf did not come to life. This continued until God shouted, “Bite him!”
The revived wolf attacked the Devil. The devil got scared and climbed onto the alder tree.
But the wolf managed to grab the Devil by the heel. Blood from the Devil’s wounded heel fell onto the tree trunk. Since then, alder wood has been reddish.
And the Devil became fifthless. People call him Antipka (Anchutka) Fingerless or Fingerless.
In folk culture, the image of a wolf is associated with death and the world of the dead.
The wolf acts as an intermediary between the world of people and the forces of other worlds.
Proverbs and sayings about the wolf.
If you're afraid of wolves, don't go into the forest.
And the wolves are fed - and the sheep are safe.
No matter how much you feed the wolf, he looks into the forest.
The wolf can also be seen in sheep's clothing.
A wolf won't eat a wolf.
Poems about the wolf.
"Wolf" Sasha Cherny
The whole village sleeps in the snow.
Not a word.
The month disappeared for the night.
Snow is blowing.
The kids are all on the ice,
On the pond.
The sleighs squeal together -
Let's go in a row!
Some are in the harness, some are the rider.
The wind is sideways.
Our convoy has expanded
To the birches.
Suddenly the front line shouts:
"Devils, stop!"
The sleds have become. The laughter stopped.
"Brothers, wolf!.."
Wow, they sprayed back!
Like hail.
Scattering everything from the pond -
Who goes where.
Where is the wolf? Yes, it's a dog -
Our Barbos!
Laughter, roar, laughter and talk:
"Oh, yes, a wolf!"
Counting rhymes about the wolf.
One, two, three, four, five.
There is no place for the bunny to jump.
There's a wolf walking everywhere, a wolf.
He uses his teeth - click, click!
And we will hide in the bushes.
Hide, bunny and you!
Wolves prowl
They are looking for food.
We'll catch them first
And then we'll play
Tales of the Wolf.
The wolf is the hero of many fairy tales. Everyone knows them.
Vladimir Propp in the book "Mythology" fairy tale" writes that in Russian fairy tales there is admiration and respect for the wolf. The wolf is an assistant and friend in "The Tale of Ivan the Tsarevich, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf."
In the fairy tale "The Tale of the Little Fox - Sister and the Wolf" a simple-minded wolf is deceived by a fox. In the fairy tale “The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats,” the wolf is bloodthirsty and wants to eat the kids. In the fairy tale "Teremok", the wolf, like all animals, asks to go to the tower and lives amicably with other animals.
Outdoor game "Wolves and Koloboks"
For a group of children
Purpose of the game: development of speech, development of dexterity and attention, adherence to the rules of turn-taking.
Progress of the game:
All children stand in one big circle. Each child holds an object in his hands (a cube, a circle made of cardboard, a small hoop for ring throwing, a round or oval lid of a bright color, or something else.) One half of the circle of children is “Wolves”, and the second is “Koloboks”. And there is a dialogue between them.
Wolves: Kolobok - Kolobok,
We know that you are timid.
Get into our bag
Shut your mouths,
Wait quietly for your result.
Koloboks: We won’t get into the bag.
We know that the wolf is cruel!
The gray wolf occupied almost the entire territory of Eurasia, the Arabian Peninsula and Indochina 200 years ago.
In addition, the animals lived in North America. But today these predators are no longer in the United States, and in Europe they are found only in Russia and northern Spain. In Asia, the gray wolf is also found, but not everywhere: in Turkey, Mongolia, Central Asia and in China. But in Canada, Siberia and Alaska there are quite a lot of these animals.
The “gray” species consists of 30 subspecies. Predators living in the northern regions are much larger than their southern counterparts. Canadian individuals grow to 140-160 centimeters, and in height they reach 85 centimeters. The length of the tail reaches 30-50 centimeters. They weigh at least 38 kilograms, the average weight is 55 kilograms. European brothers weigh no more than 40 kilograms, and gray wolves those living in Turkey weigh 25 kilograms, representatives living in Pakistan and Iran weigh even less - 13 kilograms. Males are approximately 15% larger than females.
Appearance of a gray wolf
The gray wolf has fluffy and dense fur. From severe frosts predators are warmed by a short undercoat, which resembles down in its structure.
The wool is coarse and long, it also serves as protection from the cold, and it does not get wet. The longest hair grows on the neck and in front of the back. The length of hair on these parts of the body reaches 110-130 millimeters. The ears are framed with short and elastic fur. The same fur is found on the paws. The length of the hair on the back and sides does not exceed 70 millimeters. The fur is so warm that these predators practically do not feel the frost of 40 degrees.
When a gray wolf buries its muzzle into the ground, its warm breath prevents frost from forming on the hairs. The southern inhabitants have much less and coarser fur than the northerners.
The color has large number shades. Gray wolves living in Alaska are light in color, sometimes dark beige. Taiga wolves have gray-brown skin.
Predators living in the Mongolian steppes and Central Asia have a light red color. In some areas, completely black or dark brown predators live. But the most common color is dark gray. Wolves with such fur are found in the south and north. There is no difference between the color of females and males.
Behavior and nutrition of the gray wolf
Gray wolves know how to dig holes, but they do not like this activity, so they often make a den in thickets or crevices between rocks. These predators live in steppes and forest-steppe areas. They enter the forest extremely rarely.
The diet mainly consists of ungulates: roe deer, saigas. In the southern regions, gray wolves hunt antelope. Pets can also fall prey to these predators.
The gray wolf is a dangerous predator and an excellent hunter. Gray wolves attack people quite often. These animals engage in cannibalism. They also eat carrion. They enjoy hunting arctic foxes, foxes and rodents. Predators do not refuse wild fruits and berries. A gray wolf can go without food for 2 weeks.
Listen to the voice of the gray wolf
These animals have excellent physical characteristics. While running, they can accelerate to 65 kilometers per hour. But at this pace they can run no more than 20 minutes. In search of food, these hunters travel up to 60 kilometers.
Gray wolves hunt large animals in packs, with some waiting in ambush, while others chase prey into it. If the chase continues for a long time, then the predators replace each other. This indicates that gray wolves have high intelligence.
Representatives of the family live in flocks, the number of which reaches 40 individuals. This society is controlled by a dominant couple. After the couple, on the hierarchical step there are her close relatives, mostly young individuals who have not reached sexual maturity. The next step is occupied by wolves who have joined the pack. Children are at the lowest level.
Basically, the dominant female is responsible for procreation. Upon reaching sexual maturity, young animals leave the flock and form their own family. Marriages are never formed between brothers and sisters. Gray wolves look for partners on the side.
Reproduction and lifespan
These animals are monogamous, they form pairs for life. There are fewer females than males, so it is easier for females to find a partner. Females come into estrus at the end of winter, and pregnancy lasts 2.5 months. The female gives birth to 5-6 babies, but there can be significantly more of them in the litter, 14-16. Newborn puppies are deaf and blind, they weigh no more than 400-500 grams. 2 weeks after birth, their eyes open, and a month later their teeth erupt.
At 1.5 months, wolf cubs stand confidently on their feet. The mother does not leave her puppies for 2 months. At this time, the male is engaged in obtaining food. He makes a sacrifice, the female eats it, and regurgitates food for the babies. Puppies begin to eat solid food at one month of age. Puppies grow quickly and at the 5th month of life they catch up with their parents in size. In females puberty occurs at 2 years, and in males 1 year later. The lifespan of these predators is about 15 years.
