Russian folk epic. Epic epic of Ancient Russia

It is impossible to determine the exact age of this or that epic, because they have evolved over the centuries. Scientists began to record them en masse only after 1860, when a living tradition of performing epics was discovered in the Olonets province. By that time, the Russian heroic epic had undergone significant changes. Like archaeologists removing one layer of soil after another, folklorists freed texts from later "layers" in order to find out how the epics sounded a thousand years ago.

It was possible to establish that the oldest epic plots tell about the clash of a mythological hero and a Kiev hero. Another early plot is devoted to the matchmaking of a hero to a foreign princess. The most ancient heroes of the Russian epic are Svyatogor and Volkh Vseslavievich. At the same time, the people often introduced characters contemporary to them into archaic plots. Or vice versa: an ancient mythological character, at the behest of the narrator, became a participant in recent events.

The word "epic" entered scientific use in the 19th century. Among the people, these stories were called antiquities. Today, about 100 stories are known, which are narrated in more than 3000 texts. Epic songs, epic songs about the heroic events of Russian history as an independent genre took shape in the 10th – 11th centuries - during the heyday of Kievan Rus. At the initial stage, they were based on mythological plots. But the epic, in contrast to the myth, told about the political situation, about the new statehood of the Eastern Slavs, and therefore, instead of pagan deities, historical figures acted in them. The real hero Dobrynya lived in the second half of the 10th - early 11th century and was an uncle to Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich. Alyosha Popovich is associated with the Rostov warrior Alexander Popovich, who died in 1223 in the battle on the Kalka River. The saint monk lived, presumably, in the XII century. At the same time, the Novgorod chronicle mentioned the merchant Sotko, who turned into a hero of Novgorod epics. Later, the people began to correlate the heroes who lived at different times, with a single epic era of Prince Vladimir, the Red Sun. The figure of Vladimir merged the features of two real rulers at once - Vladimir Svyatoslavich and Vladimir Monomakh.

Real characters in folk art began to intersect with the heroes of ancient myths. For example, Svyatogor, presumably, got into the epic from the Slavic pantheon, where he was considered the son of the god Rod and the brother of Svarog. In the epics, Svyatogor was so huge that the earth did not carry him, because he lived in the mountains. In one story he met the warrior Ilya Muromets ("Svyatogor and Ilya Muromets"), and in the other - with the farmer Mikula Selyaninovich ("Svyatogor and the earthly craving"). In both cases, Svyatogor died, but, remarkably, not in a battle with young heroes - his death was predetermined from above. In some versions of the text, dying, he passed on part of his strength to the hero of the new generation.

Another ancient character is Volkh (Volga) Vseslavievich, born of a woman and a snake. This werewolf, great hunter and sorcerer is mentioned in Slavic mythology as the son of Chernobog. In the epic "Volkh Vseslavievich" Volkh's squad set off to conquer a distant kingdom. Having penetrated the city with the help of witchcraft, the warriors killed everyone, leaving only young women for themselves. This plot clearly refers to the era of tribal relations, when the ruin of one tribe by another was worthy of praise. In a later period, when Russia repelled the attacks of the Pechenegs, Polovtsians, and then the Mongol-Tatars, the criteria for heroic prowess changed. The defender of the native land began to be considered a hero, and not the one who waged a war of conquest. In order for the epic about Volkh Vseslavievich to correspond to the new ideology, an explanation appeared in it: the campaign was against the tsar, who allegedly planned to attack Kiev. But this did not save Volkh from the fate of the hero of a bygone era: in the epic Volga and Mikula, the werewolf sorcerer gave way in cunning and strength to the same peasant Mikula, who appeared in the epic about Svyatogor. The new hero again defeated the old one.

Creating a heroic epic, the people presented outdated plots in a new light. So, at the heart of the later epics of the XI, XII and XIII centuries was the motive of matchmaking, redesigned in a new way. In tribal relations, marriage was the main duty of a man who entered a mature period, as many myths and tales told about. In the epics "Sadko", "Mikhailo Potyk", "Ivan Godinovich", "Danube and Dobrynya woo a bride for Prince Vladimir" and other heroes married foreign princesses, just as in ancient times brave men "got" a wife in a foreign tribe. But this act often became a fatal mistake for the heroes, leading to death or betrayal. We must marry our own people and, in general, think more about the service, and not about personal life - this was the setting in Kievan Rus.

Every event significant for the people was reflected in epics. The surviving texts mention the realities from the era and, the war with Poland and even with Turkey. But the main place in the epics starting from the XIII-XIV centuries was occupied by the struggle of the Russian people with the Horde yoke. In the 16th – 17th centuries, the tradition of performing epics gave way to the genre of historical songs. Until the 20th century, the heroic epic lived and developed only in the Russian North and in some regions of Siberia.

Russian folk epic

oral epic productions heroic character. Main genres - epics and legends. W. refers to one of the c. Russian epic storytelling. The first records of epic works. made in the 18th century, they were first published in Sat. "Ancient Russian Poems Collected by Kirsha Danilov" (Danilov Kirsha). Main plots rus. epics, recorded in different forms in the U.: "Svyatogor and Ilya Muromets", "Healing Ilya", "Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich", "Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin", "Dobrynya Nikitich and the Serpent", "Why the heroes were transferred to the Holy Rus "and some others. Lv. The traditions of epic storytelling are distinguished by certain specific features. Naib is fixed in the U. later performance of epics to the accompaniment of gusli - to the South. W. and in the bass. R. Vishera. Rus. bylinas were taken over by the Permian Komi and were partially performed at the k.-p. lang. In the legends about the origin of the stones Polyud and Vetlan, there was a contamination of the plots of toponymic legends and Russian. epics, when a conflict develops between Ilya Muromets and Vetlan. Until the end of the 1980s, folklorists fix the presentation of epic plots or their fabulous alterations.

Lit .: Berkh V. Travel to the cities of Cherdyn and Solikamsk to find historical antiquities; Beloretsky G. Storyteller-guslar in the Ural Territory // Russian wealth, 1902. No. 11; Kosvintsev G.N. Epics recorded in the city of Kungur, Perm province // Ethnographic Review, 1899. No. 4; Onchukov N.E. From the Ural folklore // Fairytale Commission of the State Russian Geographical Society. L., 1928.

Shumov K.E.

Ural Historical Encyclopedia. - Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of History and Archeology. Yekaterinburg: Academbook. Ch. ed. V. V. Alekseev. 2000 .

See what "Russian folk epos" is in other dictionaries:

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Books

• Russian folk epic,. Goslitizdat. 1947 year. Hard embossed binding. Enlarged format. The summary text of the Russian folk epic offered to the reader is made up of versions taken from the following collections: 1. ...

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Russian heroic epic. Epics

Relevance of the topic: to show how the heroic epic of the times of Kievan Rus is represented, what are its features, and also to acquaint with the most famous works of the heroic epic of Kievan Rus.

Great importance in the Kiev culture of the X-XII centuries. belongs to folklore. Songs, epics, proverbs, crying parables (at funerals and weddings), which have long lived in the memory of the people, were passed down from generation to generation, and with the advent of writing, they began to be written down. Of particular note is the heroic epic epic, in which the people glorify their defenders, in the form of good, strong and disinterested heroes who love the Motherland. The heroic epic expresses the interests of the whole people, plays an extremely important role in the formation of the national consciousness of each people.

This epic has several cycles.

1.the cycle of heroic epics is dedicated to the plowman Mikula Selyaninovich in the squad of Oleg Svyatoslavich with the Varangians.

2. The cycle of heroic epics is dedicated to Prince Vladimir Krasnoe Solnyshko, who did a lot for the defense against nomads. The main characters were Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich.

3. the cycle glorified the struggle of Vladimir Monomakh with the Polovtsian khans.

Epics are a poetic heroic epic of Ancient Russia, reflecting the events of the historical life of the Russian people. The ancient name of epics in the Russian north is "old". The modern name of the genre - "epics" - was introduced in the first half of the 19th century by the folklorist I.P. Sakharov on the basis of the well-known expression from "The Lay of Igor's Campaign" - "bylinas of this time."

The time of addition of epics is determined in different ways. Some scholars believe that this is an early genre that developed back in the days of Kievan Rus (X-XI centuries), others - a late genre that arose in the Middle Ages, during the creation and strengthening of the Moscow centralized state. The genre of epics reached its peak in the 17th – 18th centuries, and by the 20th century it fell into oblivion.

Epics, according to V.P. Anikina, these are "heroic songs that arose as an expression of the historical consciousness of the people in the East Slavic era and developed in the conditions of Ancient Russia ...".

The epics reproduce the ideals of social justice, glorify the Russian heroes as defenders of the people. They reveal social moral and aesthetic ideals, reflecting historical reality in images. In epics, the basis of life is combined with fiction. They have a solemn and pathetic tone, their style corresponds to the purpose of glorifying extraordinary people and majestic events of history.

The main characters of the epics are heroes. They embody the ideal of a courageous man devoted to his homeland and people. The hero fights alone against hordes of enemy forces. Among the epics, a group of the most ancient stands out. These are the so-called epics about "senior" heroes associated with mythology. The heroes of these works are the personification of the unknown forces of nature associated with mythology. Such are Svyatogor and Magus Vseslavievich, Danube and Mikhailo Potyk.

In the second period of their history, the most ancient heroes were replaced by the heroes of modern times - Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich. These are the heroes of the so-called Kiev cycle of epics. Cyclization is understood as the unification of epic images and plots around individual characters and locations. This is how the Kiev cycle of epics was formed, associated with the city of Kiev.

Most of the epics depict the world of Kievan Rus. Bogatyrs go to Kiev to serve Prince Vladimir, they also protect him from the enemy hordes. The content of these epics is predominantly heroic, military in nature.

Novgorod was another major center of the ancient Russian state. The epics of the Novgorod cycle are everyday, short stories. The heroes of these epics were merchants, princes, peasants, guslars (Sadko, Volga, Mikula, Vasily Buslaev, Blud Hotenovich).

The world depicted in epics is the entire Russian land. So, Ilya Muromets from the heroic outpost sees high mountains, green meadows, dark forests. The epic world is "bright" and "sunny", but it is threatened by enemy forces: dark clouds, fog, thunderstorm are approaching, the sun and stars are fading from the innumerable enemy hordes. This is the world of opposition between good and evil, light and dark forces. Bogatyrs fight in it with the manifestation of evil and violence. The epic world is impossible without this struggle.

Each hero has a certain dominant character trait. Ilya Muromets personifies strength, this is the most powerful Russian hero after Svyatogor. Dobrynya is also a strong and brave warrior, a serpent fighter, but also a hero-diplomat. Prince Vladimir sends him on special diplomatic assignments. Alyosha Popovich personifies ingenuity and cunning. "He will not take it by force, so by cunning" - it is said about him in the epics. Monumental images of heroes and grandiose accomplishments are the fruit of artistic generalization, the embodiment in one person of the abilities and strength of a people or a social group, an exaggeration of what really exists, that is, hyperbolization and idealization. The poetic language of epics is solemnly melodious and rhythmically organized. His special artistic means - comparisons, metaphors, epithets - reproduce pictures and images that are epically sublime, grandiose, and when depicting enemies, they are terrible, ugly.

In epics, fabulous miracles are performed: the reincarnation of characters, the revival of the dead, werewolf. They contain mythological images of enemies and fantastic elements, but the fantasy is different than in a fairy tale. It is based on folk history. The famous folklorist of the 19th century A.F. Hilferding wrote:

“When a person doubts that a hero could carry a club of forty poods or one put an entire army in place, epic poetry is killed in him. And many signs convinced me that the North Russian peasant singing the epics, and the vast majority of those who listen to him, certainly believe in the truth of the miracles that are depicted in the epic. The epic preserved historical memory. Miracles were perceived as history in the life of the people. "

In the epics, there are many historically reliable signs: a description of the details, ancient weapons of warriors (sword, shield, spear, helmet, chain mail). They glorify Kiev-grad, Chernigov, Murom, Galich. Other ancient Russian cities are named. Events are unfolding in Ancient Novgorod as well. They contain the names of some historical figures: Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich, Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh. These princes were united in the popular performance in one collective image of Prince Vladimir - "Red Sun".

There is a lot of fantasy and fiction in the epics. But fiction is poetic truth. The epics reflected the historical conditions of life of the Slavic people: the aggressive campaigns of the Pechenegs and Polovtsians to Russia, the devastation of villages, full of women and children, the plunder of wealth. Later, in the XIII-XIV centuries, Russia was under the yoke of the Mongol-Tatars, which is also reflected in the epics. During the years of national trials, they instilled love for their native land. It is no coincidence that the epic is a heroic folk song about the feat of the defenders of the Russian land.

However, epics depict not only the heroic deeds of heroes, enemy invasions, battles, but also everyday human life in its social and everyday manifestations and historical conditions. This is reflected in the cycle of Novgorod epics. In them, the heroes are noticeably different from the epic heroes of the Russian epic. The epic stories about Sadko and Vasily Buslaev include not just new original themes and plots, but also new epic images, new types of heroes that other epic cycles do not know. The Novgorod heroes, unlike the heroes of the heroic cycle, do not perform feats of arms. This is explained by the fact that Novgorod escaped the Horde invasion, the hordes of Batu did not reach the city. However, the Novgorodians could not only rebel (V. Buslaev) and play the harp (Sadko), but also fight and win brilliant victories over the invaders from the West.

One of the most poetic and fabulous epics of the Novgorod cycle is the epic “Sadko”. V.G. Belinsky defined the epic "as one of the pearls of Russian folk poetry, the poetic apotheosis of Novgorod." Sadko is a poor guslar who made his fortune thanks to his skillful playing on the psaltery and the patronage of the Sea King. As a hero, he expresses infinite strength and infinite prowess. Sadko loves his land, his city, his family. Therefore, he refuses the untold riches offered to him and returns home.

Epics are created by tonic (it is also called epic, folk) verse. In works created by tonic verse, lines of poetry may have a different number of syllables, but there should be a relatively equal number of stress. In an epic verse, the first stress, as a rule, falls on the third syllable from the beginning, and the last stress on the third syllable from the end.

The epics are characterized by a combination of real images that have a clear historical meaning and are conditioned by reality (the image of Kiev, the capital prince Vladimir), with fantastic images (the Serpent Gorynych, the Nightingale the robber). But the leading in epics are images generated by historical reality.

The epic usually begins with a beginning, defining the place and time of the action. This is followed by an exposition in which the hero of the work stands out, most often using the technique of contrast.

The image of the hero is at the center of the whole story. The epic grandeur of the image of the epic hero is created by revealing his noble feelings and experiences, the qualities of the hero are revealed in his actions.

Trinity or trinity in epics is one of the main methods of depiction (there are three heroes at the bogatyr outpost, the bogatyr makes three trips - “Three trips of Ilya”, Sadko three times the Novgorod merchants do not invite to the feast, he casts lots three times, etc. .). All these elements (trinity of persons, triple action, verbal repetitions) are present in all epics. Hyperboles, used to describe the hero and his heroic deeds, also play an important role in them. The description of enemies (Tugarin, Nightingale the robber), as well as a description of the strength of a warrior-hero is hyperbolic. This is where fantastic elements emerge.

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

Particularly noteworthy is the question of the relationship between the epic epic and historical reality (the so-called “problem of the historicism of the Russian epic”), which caused heated debates in the 19th and 20th centuries (especially between historians and philologists).

The founder of Russian historical science, V. N. Tatishchev, wrote about the epics in the 1730s: “Although they were not put together in such an order that it was possible to take it as history, a lot can be found in the lack of history. use ". However, in the future, disregarding Tatishchev's warning, some historians too bluntly and unequivocally "tied" epic texts to the data of written and archaeological monuments, considering, as, for example, the Soviet historian academician B. D. Grekov, that "an epic is history, narrated by the people themselves. " However, one must understand that the heroic epic, due to the peculiarities of its "folding", does not reflect historical events, but transforms them; the song-epic memory of the people is not the volume of the annals on the shelf, it does not store the deeds of the past exactly, but represents the people's understanding of history, the recreation of the model of the structure of society and the state, and, passed from mouth to mouth for centuries, changes, hiding the historical the fundamental principle under the later layers. Here

Folklorists of various scientific schools have developed several basic options for solving the problem of historicism bylinas. Here is how they are presented by Professor FM Selivanov: “1) A historical event is layered by separate realities on an already existing (mythological, borrowed, bookish) plot; 2) the event depicted in the epic was inevitably obscured by later and repeated historical layers, which makes it difficult or impossible to search for the original content; 3) the initial response to the event was carried out in works of a different genre (song of praise, legend, legend), the content side of which was absorbed by the epic " (Selivanov, With. 29). It also follows from the third position that the epics themselves, in the form as they are familiar to us, took shape later than the times of Kievan Rus - already in the era of appanage principalities and the Tatar-Mongol yoke, and at the time of a single ancient Russian state, only the so-called. "Protoforms" of future epics (chronicle songs that reflected the event that had just happened; songs of glory in honor of the princes sounded at feasts, and also, possibly, their opposite - vilification songs; military lamentations performed at funerals and commemorations), and not among the masses of ordinary people, but in a retinue environment, surrounded by the prince.

It was that important role that the epics began to play in the national liberation struggle, the revival of the Russian state after the foreign yoke, and provided them with such a long life in the oral tradition - they survived the Kievan Rus, glorified by them for a whole millennium.

Work description

Relevance of the topic: to show how the heroic epic of the times of Kievan Rus is presented, what are its features, and also to acquaint with the most famous works of the heroic epic of Kievan Rus.
Great importance in the Kiev culture of the X-XII centuries. belongs to folklore. Songs, epics, proverbs, crying parables (at funerals and weddings), which have long lived in the memory of the people, were passed down from generation to generation, and with the advent of writing, they began to be written down. Of particular note is the heroic epic epic, in which the people glorify their defenders, in the form of good, strong and disinterested heroes who love the Motherland. The heroic epic expresses the interests of the whole people, plays an extremely important role in the formation of the national consciousness of each people.

If myths are sacred knowledge, then the heroic epic of the peoples of the world is important and reliable information about the development of a people, expressed in the form of poetic art. And although the epic develops from myths, it is not always the same sacred, because on the path of transition there are changes in the content and structure of the heroic epic of the Middle Ages or the epics of Ancient Russia, expressing ideas glorifying Russian knights who protect the people and glorifying outstanding people and the great events associated with them.

In fact, the Russian heroic epic began to be called epics only in the 19th century, and until then they were folk "antiquities" - poetic songs that glorify the history of the life of Russian people. Some researchers attribute the time of their addition to the X-XI centuries - the period of Kievan Rus. Others believe that this is a later genre of folk art and it belongs to the period of the Moscow state.

The Russian heroic epic embodies the ideals of courageous and loyal heroes who fight against the enemy hordes. The mythological sources include later epics, describing such heroes as Magus, Svyatogor and Danube. Later, three heroes appeared - the famous and beloved defenders of the Fatherland.

These are Dobrynya Nikitich, Ilya Muromets, Alyosha Popovich, who represent the heroic epic of the Kiev period of the development of Rus. These antiquities reflect the history of the formation of the city itself and the reign of Vladimir, to which the heroes went to serve. In contrast to them, the Novgorod epics of this period are dedicated to blacksmiths and guslars, princes and noble farmers. Their heroes are amorous. They have a dodgy mind. These are Sadko, Mikula, who represent the bright and sunny world. On his defense, Ilya Muromets stands at his outpost and leads his patrol near the high mountains and dark forests. He fights against evil forces for the good on Russian soil.

Each has its own character trait. If the heroic epic gives Ilya Muromets great strength, similar to Svyatogor, then Dobrynya Nikitich, in addition to strength and fearlessness, is an outstanding diplomat who can defeat the wise serpent. That is why Prince Vladimir entrusts him with diplomatic missions. In contrast, Alyosha Popovich is cunning and savvy. Where he lacks strength, there he puts cunning into action. Of course, the heroes are generic.

Epics have a delicate rhythmic organization, and their language is melodious and solemn. In quality there are epithets, comparisons. Enemies are presented as ugly, and Russian heroes are grandiose and sublime.

Folk epics do not have a single text. They were transmitted orally, so they varied. Each epic has several options, reflecting specific plots and motives of the area. But miracles, characters and their reincarnations in different versions are preserved. Fantastic elements, werewolves, resurrected heroes are transmitted based on the people's historical perception of the world around them. It is unambiguous that all the epics were written at the time of independence and power of Russia, therefore the era of antiquity has a conditional time here.

The Russian (oral) epic belongs to the genres of folk art: songs, legends, narrative legends, works about events from the lives of heroes, which were created orally, performed and remembered by ear, passed down from generation to generation. The most ancient type of oral epic, preserved in the people's memory for many centuries, were the so-called epics(in the popular environment in the XIX - XX centuries they were called antiquities) - songs of a large volume, consisting of several hundred, sometimes thousands of verses.

Reading epics, we plunge into a special world, it is inhabited by characters that are unlike real people; extraordinary events take place in it that could not occur in the real world, it is full of things that have wonderful properties. From a modern point of view, this is a fantastic world.

Symbolic meaning epic images repeatedly attracted the attention of Russian and Soviet writers, among whom we find the names of G.I. Uspensky and N.A. Nekrasov, A.P. Chekhov and A.M. Gorky.

In Russian historical and philological science, the epic aroused keen interest and became the subject of many-sided research after the publication in 1818 of the epic songs of the famous collection of the 18th century "Ancient Russian Poems Collected by Kirsha Danilov". The publisher of the collection is K.F. Kalaydovich prefaced him with a preface, which was the first scientific work devoted to the study of epics and historical songs. Attention to the epic heritage especially increased and intensified in connection with the discovery by P. N. Rybnikov of the existence and live performance of epics in the Russian European North in the middle of the 19th century.To date, the history of the scientific study of the bylaw epic has more than 150 years.

During this time, the main paths and the most significant topics in the study of the epic were determined. 1 In connection with the study of singing schools in the notes and works of the very first collectors of epic songs, a great and stable interest in the personality and talent of the storyteller is reflected. AF Hilferding makes an important observation of the relationship between traditions and personal initiative in the singing of Onega singers.

The ratio of the collective and individual principles in epic creativity continues to arouse interest in all subsequent folklore studies up to the present day.

In the epic it is concentrated, poetically and philosophically comprehended, artistically attested to the rich historical experience of the people.

This experience concerns the most diverse aspects of national life: the struggle against foreign oppressors, the formation of the state, family relations, the social struggle of the people with their oppressors, social ideals, etc. In the course of this struggle, an idea of ​​moral values ​​was developed, the historical ideal of human behavior and way of thinking was gradually formed, an ideal type of Russian epic hero arose, who embodied the people's ideas about personal dignity, humanism, love for their native land, love of freedom, social activity and fearlessness in the struggle for your goals.

In the center of the epic world are its heroes - heroes. The very word "hero" was well known in Ancient Russia. It is repeatedly found in the annals, often with the epithets "glorious", "wondrous", "brave", "great".

1 A.M. . Astakhova. Epics. Results and problems of the study. M.-L., 1966.

It is not for nothing that Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich, Alyosha Popovich, Sadko, Vasily Buslaevich seem to us not only epic images brought to life by folk fantasy, but also peculiar and deep symbols of folk historical aspirations, strengths and opportunities.

For centuries, epics have existed exclusively in the oral tradition, therefore they are variable and multi-layered, they have preserved signs of different eras, in particular, pagan and Christian elements are combined.

All Russian epics can be subdivided according to the place of creation and peculiarities of content into two cycles - Kiev and Novgorod. Kiev epics are heroic songs about the exploits of heroes - warriors defending the Russian land from countless hordes of enemies. Novgorod epics speak of a peaceful life, everyday life, trade, and the adventures of merchants.

Before judging epics in general, one should define song genres. V.Ya. Propp highlights epics heroic, fabulous, novelistic, as well as those on the verge of a ballad, spiritual verse, etc. one Heroic epics constitute the main backbone of the folk song epic. For heroic epics, battle, open confrontation, heroic battle of the hero, the people's defender, and the fighter for the national cause with the enemy are characteristic. The enemy can be a monster (Serpent, Nightingale-robber, Tugarin, Idolische). Fighting with him, the hero frees Kiev, cleans the Russian land from the rapist and the villain (epics about Dobryna the snake-fighter, Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin, Ilya Muromets and Nightingale the robber, Ilya and Idolische). The enemy can be the Tatar-Mongol hordes that threaten the very existence of the Russian state. Ilya Muromets is the main hero liberating Kiev from the enemies who besieged it. A significant part of the heroic songs are devoted to the topic of social struggle.

1 Propp V.Ya. Genre composition of Russian folklore // Russian literature. - 1964. - No. 4. - S., 58-76.

The hero of these songs fights against the prince and his boyar entourage for his trampled dignity (the epic about Sukhman), rebelles against the power of the rich and noble, leading the protest of the poor and commoners (the epic about the rebellion of Ilya Muromets against Prince Vladimir; the story about the struggle of Vasily Buslaevich with the Novgorodians) ... Among the epics of this genre, there are also songs about heroic matchmaking (for example, the epic about the Danube wooing Prince Vladimir). But matchmaking, the search for a wife, unless it is connected with the struggle with foreign enemies, is usually no longer heroized in the epic epic, although historically this was not always the case. Many matchmaking plots have moved into the genre fabulous epics. They are characterized by typical images and situations of a fairy tale. So, for example, in the epic about Sadko, we meet a magic donor who sends Sadko from the bottom of Ilmen - lake a wonderful gift (magic remedy) - a fish with golden feathers. This gift allows the hero to win a rich mortgage from Novgorod merchants in a dispute. In this epic, like a fairytale hero. Sadko finds himself in another world, an underwater kingdom, where he is offered to choose a bride among the daughters of the sea king. The hero of another fabulous epic - Mikhail Potyk - is buried together with his deceased wife. But, being buried, he prudently kills the snake that is trying to destroy him with the prudently stored metal rods.

Bylinas have a special artistic form and method of poeticization of heroes. novelistic. There is no open fight, battle, or military clash in them. There is an everyday episode of a meeting, dispute, matchmaking or any other incident. An example of a novelistic epic is the song about Mikula and Volga. The peasant-toiler, the mighty farmer is opposed in it to the prince-feudal lord. The theme of another novelistic epic about Nightingale Budimirovich is matchmaking, but not related to the heroic struggle with foreigners, not complicated by the hopelessly tragic disagreement between the future spouses. The epic is of a light character, its tone is cheerful, and it ends with a happy union of lovers.

Epic tradition starting from the X111-X1U centuries. can serve as one of the sources of the newly emerging genres of oral folk art, such as the ballad, for example. There are famous epics that are, as it were, halfway to the ballad B Russian folk ballad sung tragic stories of love and family relationships 1. The same is, for example, the song about Danil Lovchanin or the final part of the epic about the Danube and Nastasya, which tells how the hero, jealous of his warrior wife for his heroic glory, kills her, awaiting the birth of a son, and then he himself commits suicide in a fit of despair

On the periphery of epic creativity are bylinas-buffoonery, which are united with other epic songs by the commonality of some poetic techniques. Their world is close to the mocking world of folk tales, satirical songs, folklore parody.

But it is the heroic epics, both in their poetic form and in content, that represent the most characteristic and specific type of song-epic creativity for the bygone epic as a whole.

Epic is a unique phenomenon of Russian culture. It is not reproducible in new historical conditions. Its rich content could only be embodied in those peculiar, archaic artistic forms, which in their totality make up the amazing and largely mysterious poetic world of the heroic epic song.

1 Propp V.Ya. Decree. op. S. 63-65.