The heroes of Russian folk tales create a mythical, and sometimes even mystical reality of Russian folk tales, because these heroes are a separate part of the life of our ancestors. All those magical powers that they possessed and believed in by the ancient inhabitants have come down to us, although they are described in a more modern language, but at the same time they have not lost each of their uniqueness and type.
We are all familiar, as well as their heroes, characters, destinies. Let's see if you know all the characters and if they are all familiar to your children. Here are pictures of the heroes of Russian folk tales, so that it would be easier for you to remember and imagine them. Maybe you can even decide who your favorite hero of Russian folk tales is.
Ivan Tsarevich, who is also Ivan - a fool and Ivan - a peasant's son. His main qualities are always described as kindness and nobility. In all fairy tales, Ivan Tsarevich helps other people and, in the end, lives happily. The character of Russian folk tales, Ivan the Fool, teaches us to listen to our heart and to listen to intuition, to pass through all difficulties with honor and not to lose heart. Often we meet in such tales of a gray wolf or a horse loyal to Ivan. A wolf usually symbolizes intelligence and cunning, and a horse, for example, Sivka-Burka - devotion and loyalty, helping the hero in all his adventures.
The next character of Russian folk tales familiar to everyone is 
Snow Maiden. This heroine is a symbol of female tenderness and vulnerability, a bright soul and purity. Tales about her show that a person can create whatever he wants, that his potential is unlimited, but that which he created does not have a heart and therefore sooner or later disappears, goes into oblivion.
You can find one of the most beautiful versions of the fairy tale with the Snow Maiden in the section. And the Snow Maiden is like a white snowflake, eyes like blue beads, a blond braid to the waist ...
Not only kind and goodies occupy our children. They also like the negative characters of fairy tales, for example, Baba Yaga or sometimes Yaga Yaginishna. This character of Russian folk tales is the most ancient and most multifaceted. She lives in a big scary forest, which must be bypassed and God forbid to get to her hut on chicken legs. Baba Yaga is a Russian mythical creature, she knows how to conjure and bewitch, and often harms the heroes of fairy tales than helps. Baba Yaga is most often depicted with a large nose, in a mortar and with a broom. This is how we all remember it.
If you regularly read our blog, then you probably remember the post about the creation of a dog, a character in the mobile game "Evolution". It was drawn (and written by the post) by the project's lead artist Roman Amokrus Papsuev. However, like all talented people, Roman creates not only at work, but also in free time - for the soul. One day he came up with the idea to redraw all the well-known characters of Russian fairy tales and epics in a modern game fantasy style. The result is a whole series of wonderful pencil drawings, done with great attention to detail. The novel was not guided by the characters of any particular game, the images turned out to be collective. However, it is better to see a hundred times than read once.
Welcome under the cut, his story is waiting for you there (also see the second part). Lots of pictures inside!
As a CG artist, sometimes I amuse myself by remembering how to draw with a pencil. Once I spent a lot of time on a sketchbook, which I called Monsta Panopticum - there was a collection of various monsters, a kind of exercise for imagination. But the sketchbook ended, but the ideas remained, and then it occurred to me that there are a lot of cool characters in Slavic mythology and in Russian folk tales, and games based on our legends - one or two and run out of things. Since I have been working in game development for quite a long time, I am quite passable in the basic visual clichés (although I might disappoint someone, but I have never played Warhammer, Allods Online, Dota, Elder Scrolls, Dark Souls and even World of Warcraft, which is not prevents me from knowing what they look like).
The idea of \u200b\u200bthe project is as follows: develop and swing one topic, try to consider it from different angles. It occurred to me that it was worth trying to make our characters, but in the standard modern gaming fantasy style (you shouldn't try to define a specific game that inspired the pictures, there will be everything from everywhere).
At first it was just an exercise for imagination, then, when I began to carefully study the primary sources and look at reference books, the project became much more interesting for me, since it allowed me to interpret "in a playful way" not only the stereotypes that have been in everyone's mind since childhood, but also primary sources - Russians folk tales and epics. You will see for yourself how the descriptions for the pictures differ: the larger the description, the more time I spent studying the sources.
I do not invent characters, they are all in mythology, I only interpret their descriptions in my own way, I try to find common features in these descriptions and at the same time try to maintain a single style to make it look like the game world.
Most of all I am glad that some people who have looked at my pictures begin to re-read fairy tales-epics, learn a lot for themselves and understand why Vasilisa the Beautiful has a doll in her bag, why Water on a catfish, why Ilya Muromets has a sword in her hands, not a mace, etc. This return to the origins through my humble project pleases me most of all as an author.
I often hear that the characters turned out to be "not Russian", they say, remove the signatures - and it is not clear who is where. I would like to say right away that, firstly, I deliberately tried to get away from stereotypes and interpretations of individual authors, and secondly, I would like to know where is the canon by which it is possible to EXACTLY determine exactly how Baba Yaga looked, for example. After all, everything we know about the heroes of fairy tales is images from childhood, images presented to us by the brilliant Ptushko, Rowe, Vasnetsov, Bilibin. That is, the author's interpretations. So, my pictures are also interpretations, and in a very specific style. Just keep in mind that this project has nothing to do with realism and historical authenticity. And these are fairy tales that have entered the world of games. My goal is not to erase our great heritage, but only to try to look at it from a different point of view.
Thank you for reading the introduction. Now the actual pictures.
Ilya Muromets... I started, of course, with him. By the way, on his belt hangs a bottle of dead water, heal wounds. And with a shield, he can easily destroy enemies. I drew this picture from my head, just based on the types from childhood, but later, after checking the sources, I came to the conclusion that I had completely got into the image.
Dobrynya... What is known about him (in parentheses - how I played it). A relative of the prince (armor must be rich), the second most popular hero after Ilya (smaller in size, but still cool), a serpent fighter (a magic shield covered with fiery dragon skin, shooting fire), a seven-tailed whip, with which he whipped a horse so that trampled the snakes, and so on. It is difficult to depict diplomatic abilities, education and knowledge in the picture, but I put a scroll in a tube on his belt, like he reads at his leisure. Right there he has living water, it complements the set of Ilya, who, let me remind you, has dead water on his belt. Well, the motive of the sun, like Ilya's, is that they serve one prince.
Popovich... Well, obviously, he must be a witch hunter, right?
Sudden turn slightly to the side, towards Finistu.
The turn of the girls has come. I'll start with Vasilisa the Beautiful (not to be confused with Vasilisa the Wise, aka the Frog Princess). A battle mage, even there is nothing to think about, one skull that incinerates enemies (mentioned in the tale), which is worth it. And of course, the doll is in the bag, everything is as it should be. A small remark: perhaps it is not so clearly visible, but her kokoshnik is steel, part of a half-helmet.
Vasilisa the Wise (The Frog Princess)... It turned out to be not so simple with her. There are as many as three common versions of the tale (in one of them she is generally called Elena the Beautiful), so I decided to try to collect everything that is known about her in one image. So, the sorceress. He conjures with the help of his own power, and with the help of mothers-nannies (grandmothers-nannies, mothers-dreamers, etc.). I decided that the nannies in my version will be plump flying fairies. The magic of nursing mothers individually is not that strong, but if they start doing something together, just hold on.
I did not find confirmation in fairy tales that Vasilisa is the daughter of Koshchei the Immortal (although there is such a version, and it is quite logical), therefore I did not begin to make obvious necromantic paraphernalia. But the Wise, it seems to me, could play with dark magic, she has such a character ... I completely forgot to mention - an arrowhead hangs on her chest in the form of a pendant. The same one.
Princess Nesmeyana... First I wanted to make my face open, then I decided to show the visor mask right away. Kokoshnik is part of the helmet. Observant viewers will pay attention to the wineskin and horn on her belt. Why? Because because of the eternally bad mood, he is constantly addicted to alcohol. By the way, when she laughs (and she laughs extremely rarely), it means that she has a seizure and she becomes a berserker - a very scary ability.
Marya Morevna... Everything is clear here. The only remark is that since the fairy tale indicates that she is a steppe warrior, I slightly added Asian elements.
Barbara beauty... Mound Raider. Strictly speaking, this is a cinematic character; in the mythology of the Barbara beauty, it seems that there was no. But, firstly, everyone probably knows Rowe's film, and secondly, her name was already too noble, I could not pass by. I think it's clear who was the reference. A few comments: the hatchets are attached to the scabbard on the hips, amulets-amulets dangle from the belts, the kokoshnik, as always, is metal. When there are many opponents, she attacks, spinning with a top, and mows down enemies (ha ha). The braid itself may well be made of leather, like a whip, that is, it is not the hair pulled back, but part of the helmet.
Baba Yaga... V. 1.0.
Koschey... It feeds on the souls of the victims. He also drew this, based on stamps from his head, then carefully studied the sources and came to the conclusion that I would change Koshchei's head. So later there will be Koshchey Mark 2. :)
Nightingale the robber... Part one. Upper. We'll have to explain something. In fairy tales, the Nightingale sits on nine oak trees, sits high, looks far away, whistles like a nightingale, screams like an animal. I thought for a long time how to beat it all ("sitting on nine oak trees" was the biggest problem - a giant, or what? Or are the oak trees small?), In the end I came to the conclusion that the Nightingale will be a monster-rider. He will ride an oak tree. Its scream whistle is a sonic weapon. Whistle - aimed blow, shout - wide-range wave. He will also have a magic staff to control the oak. And notice the acorn necklace around his neck. It is not without reason, it is a solution to the problem with nine oak trees. Yes, many have strange associations with his mouth, I advise you to go to the mirror and try to make "chicken sponges" - be surprised. :)
Nightingale the robber... Part two. Riding an oak tree. In general, he lives on a tree, this is his storage and fortress. Chests (trophies) and shields are hung on the branches, which move if the Nightingale is threatened. The oak also has chains with hooks with which it pulls the victim to itself in order to eat it.
The oak moves both like a spider and a centipede, that is, it supports the trunk with large branches, and finely touches the roots. Moves slowly, but if it gets there, the hero will be fucked. Now about the problem of nine oaks. Acorns are magic. When the Nightingale throws one acorn on the ground, a minion oak rapidly grows from there, ground support, so to speak. I drew one of them on the left. They are faster and more aggressive than the fortress oak. They run up to the hero and beat him. There are eight acorns on the necklace plus a fortress oak, nine in total. Oaks themselves are pretty weird trees, but when nine oak trees, plus the Nightingale with his sonic weapon, move on the hero, the hero should be uncomfortable.
Yes, and the scale here is a bit arbitrary (otherwise it would not fit), but roughly be guided by the skulls on the branch, these are the skulls of adults. That is, the Nightingale is slightly larger than an ordinary person. Yes, and in the picture he just screams like an animal.
Tugarin Snake... This is probably the last picture where I use complex frames - they take too much time, the characters are more important, so the frames will be very arbitrary further on.
Lesovik... Owner of the forest. I will share the forest spirits, this one is the most important. He, in principle, is kind, but stern and fair, if anything, he can punish harshly.
Visually, I decided to start from zooanthropomorphic descriptions, with elements of phytoanthropomorphism, for each forest spirit I will choose the main animal and I will dance from this.
Leshy... I tried to embody in this handsome man the main thing that is known about the goblin in the generally accepted (and most importantly, evil) sense. Leshy's character, to put it mildly, is not very pleasant. One eye is normal (left), the right one is usually larger than the left and is "dead", motionless. The beard and hair are gray. They often write about a cone-shaped head, in my interpretation - because of the hair gathered in a bun. He wraps his clothes to the left and wears them inside out (it turned out to be not so easy to show in a pencil that this is the wrong side). Arms and legs are covered with wool. In some versions of the legends it is belted, in others it is necessarily not. On the belt hang trophies and essential things: the skulls of defeated, lost and impolite travelers, a horn for drinking, and bast shoes, because my Leshem just likes bast shoes, he collects them. In the legends, the classic Leshy also has some kind of fixation on bast shoes. But considering that he is often described as ungulates, the question is - how did he wear them? The logical answer is that he did not wear them on his feet, he just carried them with him as souvenirs.
As for the general appearance, then the rationale is as follows.
- First, the legends indicate that Leshy often appears in a zooanthropomorphic form, in particular, in the form of a bear. There is such a saying: "The goblin is not his brother - he will break all bones no worse than a bear."
- Secondly, there are beliefs that he goes into hibernation (hello, bear).
- Thirdly, what animal is considered the most ferocious among us and embodies Russian nature?
- Fourth, as my friends from LJ suggested to me, according to many researchers (in particular, Dmitry Zelenin), Leshy can be considered the personification of Veles, whose basic hypostasis is just a bear.
Since he is still a forest spirit, I also added phytomotives. Leshikh is often associated with aspens (aspens seem to indicate demonicity), so he is hung with the leaves of this tree. On the chest hang the cut cores of magic aspens, in the center of which magic stones grow (this is a fairy tale, I remind you). These cuts on the chest are Leshy's magical protection. Well, the roots-twigs hold the skin on the shoulders.
And finally - he has woodpecker skulls hanging. Since Leshy has a violent and bad disposition and at the same time he loves to sleep, he is terribly annoyed by pounding woodpeckers. Therefore, he destroys them. Well, he exterminates rats simply because they are rats, Leshy is afraid of their bare tails. On this basis, the Leshies often quarrel with the Lesoviks. Those, though relatives, are, in fact, Greenpeace residents and in general - protect any forest living creatures. And the Leshies believe that some forest dwellers disgusting and must give.
Swamp... A disgusting creature living in swamps pretends to be a hummock, eats everyone. Throws "swamp lights" from the bracelet to paralyze the victim. Poisonous.
P. S. I also want to add a decoy, like an angler fish. The decoy is long, telescopic, in fact a symbiote, that is, a separate creature, lures and hypnotizes travelers, leads them right into the bog to the Bolotnik.
Spirits of the forest... Part 1. It was impractical to draw a separate picture for each small spirit of the forest, so I decided to divide them into groups. All these guys are Lesovik's retinue. I tried to do it according to the descriptions that I could find, but it was not without arbitrariness.
Vodyanik, for example, is like one of the names of the Water One. But I decided that small ponds, streams and small rivulets should also have their own spirits, so I separated the name "Vodyanik" into a separate group of small spirits. All the spirits of the forest are quite neutral to themselves, but if they are pissed off, they can attack.
The most aggressive of this group is Mokhovik; according to legend, he could eat children, if that.
The berry, for all its external harmlessness, can also cause damage (with poisoned berries).
Rustic - in one character he combined Rustic and Kornevik - stupid, awkward, but quite strong, can entangle with roots and drink juices from the victim with them.
Spirits of the forest... Part 2. Mushroom picker, Leafman, Herbalist, Kustin. I call this picture "Russula is late for the meeting." Finishing the theme of forest spirits and Lesovik's retinue, let's quickly go over the characters and abilities.
The mushroom picker is not a very kind character (in mythology, mushrooms are generally not very fond of, there is a lot about genitals and excrement), not very strong, but very tenacious and touchy (he believes that people stipulate him). Can infect offenders with rapidly growing fungi. His dream is to conquer the whole world.
The herbalist is a hippie. In case of danger, he can think of the offender's head and even kill if he gets very angry.
Leaflet (combined with Steblevik so as not to produce essences) - the most harmless of all, usually acts as a support group for Derevyanik and Kustin, giving them additional strength and protection.
Kustin (Kuschanik) is the younger brother of Derevyanik, they are very similar in character and usually work in pairs. Kustin knows how to remotely braid the offender with branches, paralyzing him.
Water on catfish... For this picture, I will simply list the main characteristics with explanations why this is so, and we will talk about the details of the Waterman's character in the next picture. I must say right away: I tried to incorporate everything that the Internet knows about Vodyanoy, at the same time proposing some of my own solutions. Please, immediately forget the song of the Water One from The Flying Ship. So let's go.
It is known that Vodyanoy is a fat old man with a big belly (done), he is often seen in a red shirt (I have a chain mail made of scarlet gold), he has a thick beard and a green mustache (here I cheated and made him a SOMOV mustache, part of his beard - also catfish probes, hence the greenish color). Among the northern peoples of Russia, the Water One is often represented with a club. In general, the Water One is a serious evil, and he has a very nasty character (quote: "The embodiment of the element of water as a negative and dangerous principle"). And the main quote for the picture, from which, in fact, the image itself was born. “He is credited with catfish as his favorite fish, which he drives around and which delivers drowned people to him. For this, the catfish is popularly called the "devil's horse". " Then I came up with the idea to make a mount boss. Since the Water One is sometimes still seen on land, I made the catfish not quite a catfish. In fact, there is a whole mix of animals (everyone quite lives on the territory of Russia, by the way), whoever defines them all is a pie.
I paid special attention to the harness, harness and saddle, I had to fantasize, of course, but there are no combat pack catfish in nature, so I apologize, if anything. This is not the last picture of Vodyanoy: here he is too small and details are not visible, so I will make it separately, as the Nightingale did.
Water and Vodyanitsa... Forgive that many letters, but necessary. I present to your attention a family photo, because of which I spent a sleepless night at work, it was so covered. Let's start with Vodyanitsa, because the new character. There is very little information about Vodyanitsy (where the emphasis should be placed, I prefer to put on and), there is very little information, it is known that she is NOT a mermaid, she is dressed in a torn sundress, she has big breasts, she is a mischievous woman, but in general she does not offend anyone much, i.e. . quite a positive character. I drew her at forty (headdress married women) to emphasize marital status. And this character also has a key feature that really hooked me. "The Vodyanitsa is a drowned woman among the baptized, and therefore does not belong to the undead." Do you understand, yes? The baptized drowned woman is the wife of the Water One, who is actually undead (undead). There is a huge scope for imagination, of course. And that's what I fantasized.
As I wrote earlier, Vodyanoy has an extremely nasty character. He seems to be neutral, but with a greater bias towards evil. He constantly needs to be appeased, otherwise he does dirty tricks, and drowns, and waves his club. However, he can provide a catch and save, if anything, and in my version all his good deeds are directly related to Vodyanitsa. Since his wife is essentially kind, but young, mischievous and quarrelsome, she twists the old man as she wants. And often forces hubby to do good deeds, although this is contrary to his impure nature. And vice versa, when they quarrel, the Merman goes on a campaign and rages even more, letting off steam. Vodyanitsa herself is not particularly visible to people, and in my interpretation she is not even a separate character, but simply an addition to the image of the Water One. She buffs (increases strength) the Water One when she yells at him.
Now a little about the images themselves.
All river spirits in Slavic mythology are distinguished by a passion for combing hair (all of them are necessarily long and loose). Vodyanitsa is no exception. In one of the sources I saw that she was combing her hair with fish bones, but I decided to give her a steep comb (hanging on the belt). This is a gift from the Sea King, a distant relative of the Water One (Bolotnik, by the way, is also a relative, but feral, “the family has its black sheep,” as they say). Vodyanitsa's hair is green, she herself is very pale. Her jewelry is mainly pearls and all sorts of things with shell-water motives. On the belt, in addition to the comb, there are amulets, but they do not work on the Water One, because he is a husband. Vodyanoy does not object to amulets (even hangs all sorts of lunar fish on his battle catfish), but he does not wear it himself, because he sincerely believes that he does not need them and he does not care.
More about the Water One. As I mentioned, he has a chain mail of scarlet gold, a shirt of nets under it, a shell plate to protect the belly, you can see for yourself. But he took off his shoulder pads because he was at home. He has a whip on his side, since he “grazes herds of his cows - catfish, carp, bream and other fish at the bottom of rivers and lakes”. He has short legs, because he usually rides a catfish, and they are not particularly developed. I would also like to note the "crown". The merman is also described with a horn on his head, I replaced the horn with a crown - in the form of catfish probes sticking out of the head.
As for the abilities of the Water One, he draws his strength, of course, from the water and from the screams of his wife. He is a boss mount (which means he is very cool and rides on horseback), together with the battle catfish, they make up a formidable unit. The merman uses mostly brute force, magically can only summon lower water spirits (akin to the Kelpies from Celtic mythology) - stupid, but aggressive. Perhaps there are other magical abilities, but I have not thought about them yet.
Here is such a sweet couple. In general, they have a happy marriage, live and enjoy, make good. Not without quarrels and abuse, of course. But it's the same for everyone, probably, right?
Sister Alyonushka, brother Ivanushka
Another sweet couple. I understand that I shock many with this picture, but before judging, I ask - re-read the tale. However, I will briefly explain everything to you. In the tale (in many of its iterations) there are several key points that are the same for all variants. So the facts:
- Ivanushka became a kid.
- Alyonushka was drowned.
- Almost in all variants there is a "fierce snake", which sucked Alyonushka's heart (and there is also a "heavy stone" on the neck, "the white-fish ate his eyes", "yellow sands on his chest lay down", "silk grass on his hands", dust, decay, despair, that's all).
- There is a witch-witch who arranged all this confusion with drowning.
- Alyonushka was taken out of the river, "they dipped her, rinsed her in clean water, wrapped her in a white cloth, and she became even better than she was."
- In all versions of the tale, where Ivanushka turned into a goat, he remained so. Well, you understand what I mean, right?
Ten years have passed. The little goat has grown ...
He became her bodyguard and brute force tool. Both characters are magic-bound creatures. Both are generally positive and on the side of good, but they do not hesitate to use and black magic, in contrast to the same Popovich, who is all correct from himself. They are professionals of the highest standard, merciless with evil spirits, unsurpassed masters of close combat: Ivanushka takes force, Alyonushka - agility. Ivanushka is generally strong as a bull (ha-ha), so he carries on himself all of his belongings and his sister, plus a huge hammer, which he naively calls the "Hammer of the Witches." Ivanushka is complex about his appearance and can kill if someone suddenly calls him a goat.
Now in images. The idea of \u200b\u200ba little girl and a big companion is not new, in the same Juggernaut we have Una, for example. Here this scheme just suggested itself. So it turned out like this. Well, some details, just for information.
Alyonushka:
- the wreath is woven of water lilies (a drowned woman in fact), poppy (a flower against witches), aspen leaves and twigs (a magic tree);
- a cross on the neck - protection of an immortal soul. The tale did not say whether Alyonushka was baptized, I believe that she was baptized;
- witches are afraid of any piercing and cutting weapon, including scythe. Alyonushka has a damask sickle braid, created specifically to fight evil spirits;
- Alyonushka's costume is partially and very loosely based on the clothes of the Krivichi and Drevlyans;
- the necessary things against witches hang on the belt - a bottle of spring water (a bun for someone who will tell you why it is spring water), a bag with poppy seeds, obligatory amulets and a bag with all sorts of things. Well, semi-drowned women also love combs.
Ivanushka:
- in addition to a two-handed war hammer, he carries with him a large damask knife on his side (one of those with which they wanted to stab him), a cleaver strapped to the "backpack", and in the same place an aspen stake. Not a peg, as is usual for everyone (at the same Popovich), but a really hefty stake. He can string several unclean enemies on him at once;
- all his armor is painted with the sign of witch hunters, so that it is immediately clear who he is and why he came;
- on his belt, a tooth dangling from the first wolf he killed (his own skin is on his shoulders), and the collarbone of the very witch who drowned Alyonushka;
- amulets-bells hang on the shoulder pads;
- well, in the end, before saying that goats have only two horns, google "a goat with four horns", you will see everything for yourself, I was also surprised at the variety of genetic mutations.
Now about the runes. I was not too lazy and still compiled my own "dictionary of runes". They, of course, are fictional, based on the Scandinavian and those scribbles that I dug up in the pre-Christian writing of the Slavs. Moreover, I invented the meanings of the runes myself, not really looking back at the real ones. My version, my runes, I turn what I want. There will be an additional game for the audience - to read what the characters have on their clothes. And here are the runes themselves:
I also have
Thinking, fantasy and worldview of many generations are formed on fairy tales. Fairy tales not only entertained us in childhood, but the actions of the heroes of Russian fairy tales taught us to distinguish between good and evil, to be brave and to act justly.
At the same time, the fairy tales reflect the beliefs, views and ideas of the people of different times. In the course of its development, the tale has changed significantly, and its functions have also changed. If initially it was used with a magical incantatory purpose (to summon good luck on a hunt, to protect yourself from enemies or to ensure victory in battle), then over time, having lost its ritual meaning, the tale acquired an aesthetic, educational or entertaining character.
Fairy tale characters have also remained conditional. They are types, not individuals, which means that they are described in general terms, often idealized, exalted, exaggerated. The main images here are always antagonistic: one embodies the good, the beautiful; the other is evil forces. Hence - their characteristics - actions, deeds, intentions, language. According to their functions, the heroes of Russian fairy tales are conventionally divided into good-naturers, evil-doers and the disadvantaged.
The largest group of fabulous folk epic is made up of magical, fantastic tales. The explanation of many motives and features of fairytale heroes can be found only in comparison with ancient rituals, elements of the social and religious way of life of the Proto-Slavs and ancient Eurasians. Let's try to analyze some of the most famous characters in Russian fairy tales.
Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Baba Yaga
Baba Yaga is a character of Slavic mythology and folklore. Usually an ugly old woman, endowed with magical powers and magical items. Often a witch, a sorceress. Most often - a negative character (lures children and good fellows to his hut on chicken legs to eat), but sometimes acts as an assistant to the hero. According to folklore specialist Vladimir Propp, three types of Baba Yaga can be distinguished in fairy tales: the giver (gives the main character a fairy horse), the kidnapper and the warrior (fights the main character “not for life, but for death”).
In modern ideas, Baba Yaga is the mistress of the forest and the guardian of the borders of the “other world” (the far-off kingdom). Therefore, she has a bone leg - to stand in the world of the dead. In many tales, Baba Yaga drowns a bathhouse and vaporizes the hero, performing a ritual ablution. Then he feeds him, that is, he performs a kind of funeral feast with him. And you female image Baby Yagi is associated, according to researchers, with matriarchal ideas about the structure of the social world.
Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Water
In Slavic mythology - a spirit living in water, the master of the waters, the embodiment of the element of water as a negative and dangerous principle. He appears before us in the form of a flabby old man, goggle-eyed, with a fish tail. Has a huge beard and mustache, sometimes - fish features, paws with membranes and a horn on his head. Lives in whirlpools, whirlpools, but especially loves water mills. Therefore, the millers coaxed them in every possible way, and also buried them under a log where there would be a door to the mill, a live black rooster or other security attributes. Often the Water One is associated with the sea king.
Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Firebird
The fairy bird is usually the target of the search for the hero of the fairy tale. The feathers of the Firebird glow and amaze with their beauty. Lives in the Garden of Eden, in a golden cage. He feeds on golden apples, heals the sick with his singing and restores sight to the blind. At a deep mythological level, it is the personification of fire, light and sun. Therefore, every year in the fall, the Firebird dies and is reborn in the spring. At the intercultural level, it has an analogue - the Phoenix bird, reborn from the ashes.
Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Dragon
A fire-breathing dragon with several heads, the personification of evil in fairy tales and epics. Usually he lives in the mountains, near the fiery river and guards the "Kalinov Bridge", through which one gets to the kingdom of the dead. The number of heads of the Serpent-Gorynych is usually three (3, 6, 9 or 12). In fairy tales, the fire element is usually associated with the snake. Serpent-Gorynych kidnaps girls (often princesses) to feast on. After that, the main character comes to him for a duel, first killing his cubs-vipers.
Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Ivan the Fool
A very popular image in mythology, which, when solving problems, is guided by its own, non-standard solutions, often contrary to common sense, but bringing success. The designation "fool" is interpreted in different ways. Some of the researchers consider this a talisman against the evil eye. According to another version, Ivan is called a fool, since usually in fairy tales he is the third son who is not entitled to a share of the parental inheritance (hence the ability to think outside the box, find a way out of difficult situations). Etymologically, the image of Ivan the Fool is associated with the image of a priest, because he can sing and play different instruments, and also speaks in riddles. In the finale of fairy tales, Ivan the Fool receives wealth and a princess as his wife.
Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Cat Baiyun
A huge man-eating cat with a magical voice. On the one hand, he speaks and lulls travelers to sleep with his tales, on the other, his tales can heal. The word "bayun" itself means "talker, raskazchik". In fairy tales, Bayun the Cat sits on a high pillar far away in the thirty kingdom or in a lifeless forest where there are no animals. In one of the tales, he lives with Baba Yaga.
Catching Bayun the Cat is usually a test for the main character, who catches him in an iron cap and iron gloves. But the caught Cat Bayun then serves at the royal court, heals the sick with his stories.
Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Gingerbread man
A fairy-tale character in the form of a spherical wheat bread, which escapes from grandparents, from various animals, but is eaten by a fox in the end. This character clearly embodies the reverent attitude of the Slavic people to bread, and its sacred meaning. Namely, the round shape of the Kolobok, which also rolls, which refers us to the cult of the sun.
Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Koschey (Kashchey) Immortal
An evil sorcerer whose death is hidden in several magical animals and objects nested inside each other. "There is an island on the sea, on the ocean, on that island there is an oak, under the oak there is a chest, a hare in a chest, a duck in a hare, an egg in a duck, and Koschei's death in an egg." Often kidnaps the bride of the protagonist. In appearance - a thin (Koschey - from the word "bone") a tall old man or a living skeleton. Sometimes on a talking and flying horse. A powerful sorcerer, which also makes it possible to name the priests as his prototypes.
Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Leshy
Spirit-master of the forest in the mythology of the Slavs. His appearance is different, even the opposite of breeds in different fairy tales - he is small in stature, then a giant, then an anthropomorphic creature, then he has an animal appearance. In any case, his nature is otherworldly. The attitude of people towards him is also ambivalent. On the one hand, they are afraid of him, he can make a person go astray, sometimes he plays pranks, he can punish him for improper behavior in his domain. At the same time, it is the Leshy who guards the forest, on which human life largely depends.
Heroes of Russian fairy tales. Miracle Yudo
The character of folk tales and epics, and even proto-Slavic mythology. The positive or negative character of the character is not clearly indicated, as well as his gender - in different eras he was both feminine, masculine, and average. Miracle Yudo is a character so ancient that researchers find it difficult to link him to any phenomenon.
It can be a sea animal, a mythical serpent, a dragon. And in the author's fairy tale "The Little Humpbacked Horse" by Pyotr Ershov (1834), there is the Miracle Yudo Fish-whale - fish-island.
"A ball rolls along wide valleys, along deep ravines ..." Fairy tales, tales, stories ... In ancient times, people did not invent fairy tales. People simply talked about what surrounded them, about what they knew and what their ancestors knew. And these stories have existed for thousands of years. In fact, just imagine, some fairy tales are seven to ten thousand years old (and maybe much more?)!
Fairy tales are filled with metaphors and images. You just need to be able to understand them. But more often than not, we can only guess what is behind these images. Probably, thanks to this, in fairy tales, the original that was laid down in them is preserved. Not fully understanding the meaning of the images, people telling fairy tales did not bring their thoughts into them, but simply conveyed everything as it was.
Therefore, each known fairy tale has several levels or layers at once, knowledge about the structure of the world and man, about the foundations of life, deeply hidden and not immediately revealed. There is not a single random empty word or event in a fairy tale. Everything is harmonious and harmonious .. And it will take us a long time to reveal its secrets.
For the ancient Slavs, life seemed endless, in the form of a vicious circle, where there was no beginning or end. There was no death .. In search of what they wanted, the fairytale heroes went to distant lands to the thirtieth kingdom, fearing neither time nor space, wearing out three pairs of iron boots on the way, grinding off three iron staffs….
We went so far and so easily ... Why? What is there - in this distant unknown ..? Far away lands, the thirtieth kingdom .. Probably, some secret is hidden in these numbers.
Russian people have always been attracted by everything unknown and mysterious. And although fairy tales had their origins in real, real life, there is no doubt that people believed in miracles. The characters in fairy tales were creatures similar to humans, but possessing magical powers. They could become invisible or change shape, often appearing in the form of animals or birds. They could predict the future. Some were immortal, others lived for hundreds of years.
“But in the old days everything was. Are old people really going to tell lies? Old people gutar the truth, they will not lie. And the dead rose, and the beasts spoke. "
This is what the famous storyteller Agafya Zaitseva used to say: "But it seems to me that fairy tales have survived not because of this belief in miracles and magic, but because of my faith in man - his intelligence, nobility, selflessness, wisdom and disinterestedness."
"The thought of ordinary benefits is lost there ..." said the unusually talented, but unfortunately now almost forgotten, Russian storyteller Stepan Pisakhov. Nowadays, few people remember this name. And it was a real Storyteller.
Reading his works, you begin to understand how a fairy tale is born, and how then it leaves to live its own life. How, being transported from place to place, from person to person, leaving behind years and centuries, it turns into an eternal and imperishable treasure ..
This is how Pisakhov himself wrote to himself: “I began to compose and tell fairy tales a long time ago, I rarely wrote them down. My grandparents and grandmother from my mother's side are from the Pinezhsky region, near Arkhangelsk. My grandfather was a storyteller. His name was the storyteller Leonty. It occurred to no one to write down the tales of grandfather Leonty. They talked about him: he was a great inventor, he told everything by the way, everything to the point. For fishing, grandfather Leonty was taken as a storyteller.
In bad weather, they crammed into a fishing hut. In cramped quarters and in the dark: the light was burning in a bowl with animal fat. They did not take books with them. There was no nobility about the radio. The storyteller begins a long fairy tale or leads him to an unbelievable tale. He speaks for a long time, stops, asks: - Friends, comrades, are you sleeping? Someone will respond in a sleepy voice: - No, we are not sleeping yet, tell me.
The storyteller weaves a fairy tale further. If no one gave a voice, the storyteller could sleep. The storyteller received two shares: one for fishing, the other for fairy tales. I did not find grandfather Leonty and did not hear his tales. Since childhood, I have been among the rich northern word-creation. In the work on fairy tales, memory restores individual phrases, sayings, words.
For example: - "How hot you are, touching you - you will burn your hands." A girl, a guest from Pinega, talked about her life: "Utresi mamma wakes me up, but I am asleep, in a hurry!" At the meeting, the old woman asked: - "What have you not seen for a long time - not in a sheaf or in a handful?"
They asked me where do I get themes for fairy tales? The answer is simple: After all, rhymes easily live with me, two will come by themselves, the third will lead. I often write fairy tales from nature, almost from nature. Much is remembered and much asks for a fairy tale. It takes a long time to enumerate what gave this or that fairy tale. I will say for example. One visitor asked what year I have been living in Arkhangelsk. The secret is not great.
I said: - "Since 1879."
"- Tell me, how many houses were there before in Arkhangelsk?"
There was something carelessly condescending in the tone, in the question. I answered in the same tone to the visitor: “Before there was one pillar, on the pillar there was a board with the inscription: A-r-h-a-n-g-e-l-s-k. The people huddled around the pillar. There were no houses, and they did not know about them. Some were covered with coniferous branches, others buried in the snow, in winter in animal skins wrapped up. I had a bear. In the morning I shook the bear out of the skin, climbed into the skin myself. It is warm to walk in bearskin, and frost is an extraneous matter. I gave the skin to the bear for the night. "
It was possible to weave a fairy tale. And the visitor is ready to believe. He got to the "wild north". He wanted polar impressions .. I left the visitor to think out: what was the city without houses.
One day an old Nenets man comes. He talked about this and that, drank some tea and asked: “Tell me, artist, you know, therefore, a hundred people come from those people, two truths, but we have one? I'm trying .. I don't understand :. Like two truths .. identically one .. They have both good and bad, and bad, bad, but we have bad - bad, good - good. "
They talked a lot, and whether in that year or in 1907, when I lived again before the autumn voyage, they told me fairy tales. Two of them, it seems to me, I remember. I kept it in myself like an expensive gift. Now many years have passed, and it is possible to convey, as then recorded. More I like the dream of a happy land, where there is no anger, enmity, where they only love:
“If you go through the ice, going all the way to the north, and jump over the walls of the whirling winds, you will get to people who only love and know neither enmity nor malice. But those people have one leg, and each separately they cannot move, but they love and walk embracing, loving. When they hug, they can walk and run, and if they stop loving, they immediately stop hugging and die. And when they love, they can work miracles. If you need to chase a beast or escape from an evil spirit, those people draw sledges and deer in the snow, sit down and ride so fast that the east wind cannot catch up. "
And here is the second tale: “The hero of the tale found a grave-house in the forest: four low pillars, driven into the ground and surrounded by boards, like a box. Near a sleigh with a cart, overturned, and deer in harness. The hero looked around, there was no one, he began to call:
- Is there anyone here? A voice from the grave answered: - Here I, girl, is buried.
- Why are you buried?
- I'm dead.
- How did you know, or who told you that you were dead?
- I have been dead all my life, I did not have a soul, but I did not know about it and lived, like all living beings. And when I was a bride and was sitting with the groom and family around the fire on the eve of the wedding, coal jumped out of the fire and fell on me, my family and I, and the groom learned that I had no soul, but only one appearance. They buried me, and with me everything that was mine. The hero said:
- If you want, I will break my grave and you will live. No, I have no other soul. But I will give you half of my soul, you will be my wife!
The girl agreed. The hero of the fairy tale broke the grave frame, freed the girl and took with him. "
Throw a crumb into the forest, you will go and find it. They don't call me stingy, but can I recall something new?
He asked the old man: - “What haven’t come in for a long time? "There was no deal." The Pomor came - the captain was alone. - “Why didn't your wife come? - Not in a hurry. "
Do not take offense that some sayings and go wrong. By the way, they run to the place, line up ... They are light on bow, quick on the word, round dances lead, with words weave a pattern. Just have time to write down: where they take them from, where they put them! So fairy tales: I sit and write ... And it also happened that the fairy tale will not let go! If I flew to the moon in my grandmother's skirt with two samovars? No stopping! We must fly, take a look and return home!
Do not think that I am that - I am talking ... You cannot put a ban on thought. Let it fly, curl. They say: a person cannot come up with what cannot be. "
It cannot ... A person cannot come up with what cannot be ...
So maybe the power and immortality of fairy tales is not in the fact that they created an amazing magical world - a world in which you can hide from reality, forget about the dullness and dullness of life with its monotonous feelings and desires. And in the fact that it gives a person hope for his humanity, that she keeps in herself an absolute, inexhaustible faith in a person and in the best that is in him. She has no doubts that Good will overcome Evil, that loyalty and nobility will be rewarded with love and happiness. And if you are for justice, for the truth, if you are real, then you will find your true value in this world, what you are called to this world for. And then everything is achievable ..
We are now living in the world of an enchanted fairy tale, in the world of a certain accursed space, in what the ancient Slavs used to say - a world where everything has a reverse value, where the meaning of such concepts as honor, justice, conscience, knowledge has been lost. Maybe the same offended, evil fairy from the fairy tale touched us with her magic wand and we all fell asleep ..? And you just need to shake off this dream and wake up .. Maybe a fairy tale will help? After all, she lives, she has not left, she just patiently waits for her time, her turn, when people will need her again.
There are questions that are and will always be asked .. Because the answer to them is very important, sometimes it is the most important in a person's life. Here is one of them - do you believe in a fairy tale? Apparently this question still worries people. In any case, on the Internet, in various forums and discussions, you come across amazing words and thoughts that people share with each other. Here are just a few of them:
“I do not believe in a fairy tale - I live in it. I see the unusual in the ordinary and the fairy tale in everyday life. In the morning I meet the sunrise - it rises from the trees. For me we are one with the sun - it takes your breath away, it rises from me. Then birds fly to the festive table - the sky is full of many wings, but first the Raven, my friend, arrives. He is the first. When He flies away, the air explodes with the hubbub of birds: magpies chirp, sparrows chirp, ... - this is how birds observe the hierarchy, the order that exists in nature. Cats, dogs, birds, plants in my garden - this is all I, only in other guises. And at night I sleep under my beloved birch - I open my eyes - fantastic !!! Life is a mystery !!! Mystery!!! I dance with the moon, with the stars. Once I saw a fireball on the grass, it was alive.
Pulsed, then slowly floated across the grass and disappeared. When you do not separate yourself from nature, from the existence of what is, then you live in a fairy tale .. "
“I believe, I believe with all my soul in fairy tales, I believe in magic, I believe in true love.. I am almost sixteen years old and I believe in the magical world .. and I am not ashamed. I believe in the best, in the fact that peace and balance will soon reign on earth, that the most worthy of the worthy will rule the world. But every day, I understand what the adult world is. I don't want to go there, I have no place there, why? I do not want to enter this kingdom .. Everything is overgrown with selfishness, there are so few normal people, people who have not succumbed to this world of imaginary pleasures, have not forgotten what truth, honor and dignity are. But there are so few of them. "
“When I was little, I was terrified by Russian cartoons and Russian fairy tales. My heart ached for the poor grandfather from the "goldfish", I cried for Ivanushka, who turned into a kid, and when the fox ate the bun, it was a shock to me, like a sudden lightning ... there was a bun and bang! ate! I was insanely worried, I looked at the fairy tale as if this ominous story was actually happening to my mom or dad, who were in danger…. Whether the case is foreign! It is easy and simple to watch, even the most turbulent fairy tale with unpredictably tragic events arouses interest and a desire to find out "what will happen next?" a powerful and unsolved idea ... "
“It seems to me that the hero of a Russian fairy tale is not looking for a home at all. And not yourself. The hero is looking for a WORLD in which he is needed and useful. Not your place in the existing world, not your home. And the whole world for oneself ... The Russian fairy tale is a search for a better world for oneself. Search for the city of Kitezh, Heavenly Russia, Far-away Kingdom, Communism, Half a Day, Kingdom of Kashchei. In my opinion so ... "
“When you read fairy tales, you involuntarily begin to believe in them. And then it’s very hard to return to the gray and boring reality .. But when the moment comes to return, you just need to find a way to color and change this very reality. Make it the way you want it! After all, everything is possible in this life, you just need to try a little! ... The main thing is to understand that the fairy tale is beautiful not with castles and magic wands, but with PEOPLE, ordinary people who love, hate, fear, rejoice .... Just live ... just like us ... We cannot fly on brooms, we cannot turn cups into mice, but we can live and be happy! Live, create, create, be able to appreciate beauty, be able to LOVE, be able to FORGIVE and BE HAPPY! "
"If you make out every moment of life more clearly, then they are all a bit like the chapters of one big fairy tale)) so until it ends, I cannot answer .., but I know one thing for sure, it is very interesting!"
“A fairy tale is born right in ourselves… When we allow it to be born…. But sometimes she herself breaks out ... straight from our soul ... And then the world becomes fabulously beautiful. "
In the land of Russian fairy tales everything is possible - happiness, loyalty, love .. And good always triumphs over evil .. And evil, which almost always helps good. Like the One who said somehow to himself, "I am a part of the power that always wants evil and always does good ...". Because both good and evil in this country are, as it were, parts of one whole and everything happens there according to some unknown, incomprehensible to us, but surprisingly fair rules .. Where everything knows its place and time and everything seems to be created for this to tell you something very, very important ...
In this country you can live thousands of lives, visit everywhere, see and feel everything - ride tirelessly and fearfully on a wonderful horse, cross the seas and oceans, rise to the stars. Monsters, giants, sorcerers appear before you - but you are not afraid, and you cannot be afraid, because you know that you are invincible, and nothing threatens you - as long as you are honest and just, as long as you remain yourself. it is not difficult, not at all difficult. One has only to want .. And behind everything that happens in this country is another secret meaning invisible to the ordinary eye, an amazing secret .. And it must be solved ..
And also what I would like to say - a Russian fairy tale and Russian folk art. It is impossible to imagine how one could exist without the other. Probably many thousands of years ago, the hand of an ancient master gave the first visible forms to those images that lived next to him, excited his soul and heart.
For thousands of years, fairy tales have lived and thousands of years have lived, were born and died people who kept their secrets in the creations of their imaginations and their hands. Times changed, styles and forms changed, but the main thing remained unchanged - deep, continuous love and devotion to everything that our history and culture created and brought to us through the centuries.
Take a look at the work of today's masters. They are so different. But they all keep intimate knowledge and thoughts. They can tell a lot. You just have to listen.
Russian folk tales - This is a significant element of national history, through the prism of which it is possible to consider not only the people as an integral entity, but also its individual aspects. Belief in good and evil, justice, family foundations, religious views, awareness of their own place in the world around them. Russian folktale always carries a teaching component, hiding it under the shell of an easy, unpretentious story.
Heroes of Russian folk tales - this is collective images the most typical folk traits. The breadth of the Russian soul, praised by proverbs, perhaps, or a fool getting rich in thoughts - everything is reflected in folklore narratives. Whatever fairy tale we take, the deep meaning is hidden around. Often, under the guise of a clumsy clubfoot bear, a gullible hare or a sly fox, one can see the vices of the human character, much more clearly than it would be noticeable in "adult" narratives.
It's not for nothing that they say - a fairy tale is a lie, but there is a hint in it ...
Animal heroes in Russian folk tales closely related to the ideas of the world of the ancient Slavs. Close proximity to the natural environment, vast forests and valleys of deep rivers, settled in fairy tales typical representatives of the surrounding landscape - foxes, bears, wolves, hares. Cattle and small ruminants also often act as fairy tale characters. Especially in cases where the cult of the hearth, prosperity, family is emphasized ( for example, in the fairy tale Tiny-Khavroshechka). Poultry is also revered ( Ryaba chicken), and small rodents ( Mouse Norushka).
It is important to remember that the ability not only to listen, but to hear and understand what is hidden in russian folk tales, as valuable as, for example, understanding foreign language... By themselves, symbol words do not matter. It is much more important what depth they keep in themselves. And, since fabulous legends have survived the troubled and well-fed times, since they have survived, it means that they are indeed a storehouse of folk knowledge.
List of heroes of Russian folk tales
1. Baba YAGA
An evil woman in the mythology of the Slavic peoples. Acts as a negative hero. Endowed with magical powers. Its main attributes are: a black cat, a hut on chicken legs, a mortar with a broomstick.
In various fairy tales, the image of Baba Yaga has a different emotional color. Sometimes she confronts the main character; in some cases, supports, instructs him; less often - she herself opposes evil.
Baba Yaga is a very ancient mythological image. It allows you to look differently at the life and philosophy of our ancestors.
Tales about Baba Yaga:
2.Vasilisa the Beautiful
Collective idealized image of the feminine principle in fairy tales. Combines the mind - worldly wisdom and beauty. Considered a daughter Sea King, and goes to the main character as a reward for defeating evil. Other names: Elena the Wise, Vasilisa the Wise, Marya the Artisan, Marya Morevna. Often changes images, transforming into animals.
Vasilisa is a very ancient Slavic image that idealizes the feminine principle. By carefully reading fairy tales, you can learn a lot about ancient social institutions, relationships between men and women.
Tales about Vasilisa the Beautiful (Wise):
3. Water
The lord of the water element in the view of the Slavic peoples. Moreover, in contrast Sea King, reigns over stagnant, musty waters: pools, swamps, openings. Usually depicted as an old man with fish features, a long shaggy beard, dressed in mud.
Legends about Vodyanoy are very diverse. He is powerful and, despite his bad temper, favors beekeepers. He does not touch the fishermen who are ready to share their catch with him. But he does not regret the unbaptized or those who forgot to sign the sign of the cross before bathing.
The Tale of the Water One:
4. Firebird
A fire bird; usually a search object the main character of the tale... You cannot take it with your bare hands. Singing the Firebird heals the sick, restores youth, drives away sorrows. Able to give its owner untold wealth.
5. Serpent Gorynych
The mythical dragon in Slavic mythology. Has multiple heads. Capable of spewing flames. Lives in the area Fiery river and guards the passage to Kingdom of the Dead... In fairy tales, he acts as a negative character, an integral link in the balance of the forces of good and evil.
6. Ivan the Fool
A comical character in Russian folk tales. This is a collective image of the poorest peasant class - illiterate, artless and outrageously simple in everyday affairs. It is for these qualities that Ivan the Fool is given what he deserves. The late Christian cultural layer plays an important role in this image.
Truly I say to you, if you do not turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven ”(Matthew 18: 3)
7. Ivan Tsarevich
Hero of Russian folk tales. In most stories, he is a positive character. Name "Tsarevich" indicates rather the royalty of intentions and deeds, rather than a real title. Usually, according to the plot, he performs a difficult task for which he receives a reward.
8. Gingerbread man
The protagonist of the eponymous Russian folk tale; rolled dough ball, a symbol of contentment and satiety of the Russian people... For its preparation, a limited number of ingredients are used, but despite this, the Kolobok turns out to be ruddy and appetizing. This is hidden the main moral of the tale... True, in the end, for his arrogance, Kolobok faces retribution.
But, all the same, it is emphasized - Bread is the head of everything.
9. Cat Bayun
A mythical creature endowed with magical powers. Usually, negative hero... It has enormous size and the ability to speak in a human voice. "Bayun" means talker. With his stories - fairy tales, the cat can chatter to death the interlocutor. However, for those who manage to tame him or get him as a trophy, the cat will give eternal health, youth and strength.
10. Koschey (Kashchei) Immortal
Skinny, wrinkled old man... Always a negative character in fairy tales. Possesses magical powers. Immortal. His life is enclosed in several objects, placed one in another. For instance, an oak, under it is a cave, there is a chest, in a chest - a box, in a box - an egg, in an egg - a needle... In Slavic mythology, it guards the passage to the Kingdom of the Dead. Enters into an alliance with the Serpent Gorynych.
According to the plot of a fairy tale, he often kidnaps the bride of the protagonist.
11. Chicken Ryaba
Magic chicken from the fairy tale of the same name. Carries golden eggs... It personifies the special role of domestic animals in the peasant economy. Reasonable and wise. Shows that not always gold can be more important than an ordinary eggthat is used for food.
12. Goblin
Owner of the forest, incorporeal or corporeal being... Able to change appearance. It transforms into animals, trees, dwarfs, giants, and even takes the form of familiar people. Leshy neutral... And depending on his attitude towards the hero, he becomes either a good or an evil character. Knows how to emit all the sounds of the forest. Often the approach of Leshy is guessed in the rustle of foliage in calm weather.
13. Dashing
Living incarnation hard human life, fate. Usually appears as one-eyed ugly monster with slobbery toothy mouth. The prototype of Likh in Slavic mythology is the Greek myths about the one-eyed Cyclops.
14. Frost
Morozko, Santa Claus. it gray-bearded old man in a long fur coat with a staff in his hands. Is an patron saint of cold... Snowfalls, blizzards and blizzards obey him. Usually fair. Gives gifts to those he likes. Helps in difficult situations and punishes those who deserve it. Rides a large sleigh pulled by three horses.
(In Western tradition - Santa Claus, rides a sleigh with reindeer).
15. Sea King
Lord of all earthly waters. Possesses untold riches, remaining after the ships sunk in different historical eras. The Tsar lives in a huge palace in the very depths of the sea. He is surrounded sea \u200b\u200bmaidens, which are capable of capturing sailors and men just accidentally walking along the shore. The king is subject to storms. He sinks ships of his own free will.
16. Snow Maiden
Granddaughter of Santa Claus. In Slavic mythology, it is referred to as a girl made out of the snow... In winter, the Snow Maiden has fun and behaves like an ordinary child. And as soon as the sun warms up, it melts, turning into a cloud until next Winter.
Winter frightens summer, but it still melts.
17. Soldier
The hero of Russian fairy tales, devoid of any supernatural power. Is an impersonation common Russian people... As a rule, after the end of the service, he finds himself in difficult situations, from which he is helped to get out magical creatures and objects.
The fire heats up the soldier, the rain washes, the wind blows, the frost burns through, but it still happens the same.
18. Princess Nesmeyana
Tsar's daughterwho never smiled. According to the plan of fairy tales, main character thinks out how to make the princess laugh and for this gets her as a wife, along with half of the kingdom.
Laughter is not a sin, since it is pleasant for everyone.
19. The Frog Princess
Usually, under the guise of the Frog Princess hides Vasilisa the Wise... She is forced to be in the body of an amphibian until the main character frees her. Possesses magical abilities and worldly wisdom.
20. Miracle Yudo
Unusual fairytale character, inhabitant of the seas and oceans... Does not bear a pronounced emotional coloring ( not good and not evil). Usually perceived as a wonderful fish.
