All characters from Russian folk tales. Prototypes of heroes of Russian folk tales

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Russian folk tales with their amazing heroes familiar to us all from an early age.

Russian folk tales are the most beloved and popular genre Russian folklore and introduce readers to the history and culture of their ancestors. Russian folk tales- this is a treasure trove folk wisdom. In their entertaining, engaging form, they contain deep instructive meaning. Thanks to Russian folk tale, children open the world, get acquainted with the concepts of honor and conscience, using the example of relationships fairy-tale heroes learn goodness and justice.

Russian nationalFairy tales can be divided into three types: magical, about animals, and everyday, satirical. All of them came to us from those distant times when everyone natural phenomena and things were given a magical, sacred explanation. Therefore many mythological heroes, such as Vodyanoy, Kikimora Bolotnaya, Leshy, mermaids and brownies are associated with the elemental forces of nature and pagan beliefs.

Main hero in Russian folk fairy tale usually combined noble human qualities: such as courage, honesty, fearlessness, mercy and integrity. Ivan Tsarevich, heroes, peasant son Ivan is a fool, Emelya, they all went through trials and tribulations, and in the end Russian folkfairy tales evil forces were victorious. Often, the positive hero was accompanied by assistants, Gray wolf, symbolizing intelligence and cunning, or a horse, personifying devotion and fidelity.

Female images that occur in fairy tales, They also had kindness, a bright mind, wisdom and tenderness. Vasilisa the Wise, Elena the Beautiful, Marya the Princess, and the Snow Maiden were endowed not only with great beautiful appearance, but also with a pure soul.

Positive heroesRussian folk tales, usually opposed dark forces, mysterious and insidious characters. Baba Yaga, Koschey the Immortal, Serpent Gorynych, Nightingale the Robber are the most popular fairy-tale villains who brought harm to people, knew how to cast magic and expressed the people’s idea of ​​cruelty and greed.

Heroes of the Russians folk tales Often there were animals and birds that lived and acted like people. In each fairy tale story with animals, human types are allegorically described, with their different characters and vices. These fairy-tale characters are numerous - a bear, a wolf, a hare, a goat, a rooster, a chicken, a cat, a pig, a crane and a heron, and, of course, sly Fox, which met in Russian fairy tales more often than everyone else.

Russian folk tales They are so unique in their poetry and content, they so vividly convey the spirit of the Russian people that interest in them does not decrease over time. Although more modern language, fairy tales continue to be told in families and are filmed by animators, making children and adults laugh and empathize with their heroes.

Ivan the Fool

Ivan the Fool, or Ivanushka the Fool - one of the main characters Russian folk tales. According to some versions, a name with the epithet fool is a talismanic name that prevents the evil eye. Embodies a special fabulous strategy, which does not proceed from the standard postulates of practical reason, but is based on the search for its own solutions, often contradicting common sense, but ultimately bringing success.

According to other versions, “fool” is his property status. Since he is the third son, he is not entitled to a share in the inheritance (he remains a fool). As a rule, it social status low - a peasant's son or the son of an old man and an old woman. He was often the third in the family, youngest son. Not married.

With the help of magical means and especially thanks to his “not smart”, Ivan the Fool successfully passes all the tests and achieves highest values: he defeats the enemy, marries the king's daughter, receives both wealth and fame... Perhaps Ivan the Fool achieves all this due to the fact that he embodies the first (according to J. Dumézil) magical-legal function, associated not so much with deeds as with words, with priestly duties.

Ivan the Fool is the only one of the brothers who speaks in the fairy tale. Ivan the Fool makes and guesses riddles, that is, he does what a priest does in many traditions during a ritual dedicated to the main annual holiday.

Emelya

Emelya is a character in the Russian folk tale “Po pike command" Emelya is not allowed to take part in serious matters of the family. He is extremely lazy: his daughters-in-law have to beg him for a long time to do anything, even easy work. The only thing that can motivate him to action is the promise of gifts, which he is greedy for. This is a hidden, at first glance, unnoticeable irony; the name Emelyan, according to one version, translated from Latin means “hardworking.” However, this seemingly unattractive character has qualities that make him a real hero: he is dexterous and lucky, he managed to catch a magic pike in an ice hole with his bare hands and receive from it magical power(the pike becomes the “magic assistant” of the village fool).

At first, Emelya uses the acquired gift for everyday purposes - she makes buckets go for water, an ax - to chop wood, a club - to beat her enemies. In addition, he travels on a self-propelled sleigh without a horse, and subsequently controls the stove (since he does not want to leave his favorite couch). Riding on the stove is one of the brightest episodes of the fairy tale. It's interesting that when managing your vehicles, Emelya mercilessly crushes people (“Why did they climb under the sleigh?”). Among folklorists, there is an opinion that this detail indicates the royal nature of Emelya, who for the time being remains a “dark horse”, and subsequently reveals his heroic, extraordinary essence.

Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga - character Slavic mythology and folklore (especially fairy tales) Slavic peoples, old sorceress, endowed magical power, witch, werewolf. In its properties it is closest to a witch. Most often - a negative character.

Baba Yaga has several stable attributes: she can cast magic, fly in a mortar, lives in the forest, in a hut on chicken legs, surrounded by a fence of human bones with skulls. Baba Yaga has the ability to shrink in size - this is how she moves in the mortar. She lures you to her good fellows and small children and roasts them in the oven. She pursues her victims in a mortar, chasing them with a pestle and covering the trail with a broom (broom). There are three types of Baba Yaga: the giver (she gives the hero a fairy-tale horse or magic item); child abductor; Baba Yaga is a warrior, fighting with whom “to the death”, the hero of the fairy tale moves to a different level of maturity.

Koschey (Kashchei)

Koschey is associated with the element of water: water gives Koschey supernatural power. After drinking three buckets of water brought to him by Ivan Tsarevich, Koschey breaks 12 chains and frees himself from Marya Morevna’s dungeon.

Koshchei the Immortal was represented as a skeleton, crowned with a crown, with a sword, sitting on a skeletal horse, and Koshchei was called Kostey the Soulless. He, according to legend, sowed quarrels and anger, and his horse personified the death of all livestock. She spread a variety of diseases that killed domestic animals.

In text Russian folk tales Koshchei’s enemy is Baba Yaga, who gives the main character information on how to kill him, but sometimes they are at the same time. Koshchei has many enemies, but few of them survived their meeting with him.

The word “koschey” in the 12th century meant a slave, a captive.

Dragon

Serpent Gorynych - a multi-headed fire-breathing dragon, representative evil beginning in Russian folk tales and epics.

The many-headed nature of a snake is its indispensable feature. IN different fairy tales the number of heads of the snake varies: there are 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12. Most often, the snake appears three-headed. In most cases, the kite has the ability to fly, but, as a rule, nothing is said about its wings. The body of a snake is not described in fairy tales, but popular prints, depicting a snake, favorite details are a long tail- an arrow and clawed paws. One more important feature the snake is its fiery nature, but how exactly the fire erupts is not described in fairy tales. The snake carries fire within itself and spews it out when attacked. Except fire element the serpent is also associated with the element of water, and these two elements do not exclude each other. In some fairy tales, he lives in the water, sleeping on a stone in the sea. At the same time, the snake is also the Serpent Gorynych and lives in the mountains. However, such a location does not prevent him from being a sea monster. In some fairy tales, he lives in the mountains, but when the hero approaches him, he comes out of the water.

Firebird

The Firebird is a fairy-tale bird, a character in Russian fairy tales, usually the goal of searching for the hero of a fairy tale. The feathers of the firebird have the ability to shine and their brilliance amazes human vision. The Firebird is a fiery bird, its feathers shine with silver and gold, its wings are like tongues of flame, and its eyes glow like crystal. It reaches the size of a peacock.

The Firebird lives in the Garden of Eden of Iria, in a golden cage. At night it flies out of it and illuminates the garden with itself as brightly as thousands of lit lights: heat is a bird as the personification of fire, light, sun. She eats golden apples, which give youth, beauty and immortality; When she sings, pearls fall from her beak.

The singing of the firebird heals the sick and restores sight to the blind. Leaving aside arbitrary mythological explanations, we can compare the firebird with medieval stories about the Phoenix bird, reborn from the ashes, very popular in both Russian and Western European literature. The prototype of the Firebird is the peacock. Rejuvenating apples, in turn, can be compared with the fruits of the pomegranate tree, a favorite delicacy of Phoenixes.

Every year, in the fall, the Firebird dies and is reborn in the spring. Sometimes you can find a fallen feather from the Firebird's tail, brought into a dark room; it will replace the richest lighting. Over time, such a feather turns into gold. To catch, Firebirds use a golden cage with apples inside as a trap. You cannot catch it with your bare hands, as you can get burned on its plumage.

Father Frost

Grandfather Frost (Dedko Morozko) is a character in Russian legends, in Slavic mythology he is a personification winter frosts, a blacksmith who binds water; in modern times - the main fairy tale character at the New Year holiday, a local version of the Christmas gift giver.

Frost (Morozko, Treskun, Studenets) is a Slavic mythological character, the lord of the winter cold. The ancient Slavs imagined him in the form of a short old man with a long gray beard. His breath is a strong cold. His tears are icicles. Frost - frozen words. Hair is snow clouds. Frost's wife is Winter herself. In winter, Frost runs through fields, forests, streets and knocks with his staff. From this knock, the bitter frost freezes rivers, streams, and puddles with ice.

Often depicted in a blue or red fur coat with a long white beard and a staff in his hand, wearing felt boots. Rides three horses. Inseparable from his granddaughter, Snegurochka.

Initially, he had in his wardrobe only blue (mostly) and white fur coats, but in the middle of the 20th century he changed into a red fur coat. Changing the color of the suit played two roles: on the one hand, the red color was national color USSR, on the other hand, the red color echoed the color of Santa Claus's fur coat, which was popular in Europe.

Snow Maiden

Snow Maiden - new year character Russian legends, granddaughter of Santa Claus. However, among the Slavs, Snegurochka was considered the daughter of Frost and Spring.

The image of the Snow Maiden is unique to Russian culture. In the New Year and Christmas mythology of other peoples of the world there are no female characters. In Russian folklore, she appears as a character in a folk tale about a girl made of snow who came to life.

The heroes of Russian folk tales create the mythical and sometimes even mystical reality of Russian folk tales, because these heroes are separate part the lives of our ancestors. All those magical powers, which they owned and which the ancient inhabitants believed in, have come down to us, although described in a more modern language, but at the same time each has not lost its uniqueness and type.

They are familiar to us all, as are their heroes, characters, and destinies. Let's see if you know all the heroes and if they are all familiar to your children. We will give pictures of heroes of Russian folk tales to make it easier for you to remember and imagine them. Maybe you can even decide who your favorite Russian folk tale hero is.

Ivan Tsarevich, who is also Ivan is a fool and Ivan is a peasant 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 hearts and listen to our intuition, to go through all difficulties with honor and not to lose heart. Often in such fairy tales we meet a gray wolf or a horse loyal to Ivan. The wolf usually symbolizes intelligence and cunning, and the horse, for example, Sivka-Burka, symbolizes devotion and fidelity, helping the hero in all his adventures.

The next familiar character from Russian folk tales 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 limitless, but what he creates has no heart and therefore sooner or later disappears, goes into oblivion.

One of the most beautiful options You can find fairy tales with the Snow Maiden in the section. And the Snow Maiden is like a white snowflake, with eyes like blue beads, a brown braid down to her waist...

Not only kind and positive heroes occupy our children. They also like negative heroes fairy tales, for example, Baba Yaga or sometimes Yaga-Yaginishna. This character in Russian folk tales is the oldest and most multifaceted. She lives in a big scary forest, which you need to avoid and God forbid you get into her hut on chicken legs. Baba Yaga – Russian mythical creature, she knows how to cast spells and bewitch, and more often harms the heroes of fairy tales than helps. Baba Yaga is most often depicted with a big nose, in a mortar and with a broom. This is how we all remember her.

We are talking about the main character's bride. Whether he is Ivan the Tsarevich or Ivan the Fool, he will certainly find Vasilisa the Wise or Vasilisa the Beautiful. The girl is supposed to be saved first, and then married - everything is honorable. But the girl is not easy. She can hide in the form of a frog, have some kind of witchcraft abilities, be able to speak with animals, the sun, wind and moon... In general, she is clearly difficult girl. At the same time, it’s also kind of “secret”. Judge for yourself: it is much more difficult to find information about her than about any other fairy-tale character. In encyclopedias (both classic, paper, and new, online ones) you can easily find lengthy articles about Ilya Muromets and Dobrynya Nikitich, about Koshchei the Immortal and about Baba Yaga, about mermaids, goblin and merman, but there is almost nothing about Vasilisa . On the surface lies only a short article in the Bolshoi Soviet encyclopedia which reads:

"Vasilisa the Wise - a character of Russian folk fairy tales. In most of them, Vasilisa the Wise is the daughter of the sea king, endowed with wisdom and the ability to transform. The same female image appears under the name of Marya the Princess, Marya Morevna, Elena the Beautiful. Maxim Gorky called Vasilisa the Wise one of the most perfect images created by folk imagination. The destitute orphan, Vasilisa the Beautiful, in Afanasiev’s unique text, is different in nature.”

Let's start, perhaps, with Vasilisa the Elder, with the one whom Gorky identified with Marya the Princess, Marya Morevna and Elena the Beautiful. And there was every reason for that. All these characters are very similar, for example, in that nothing is really said about them in fairy tales. Like, a beautiful maiden, the likes of which the world has never seen - and that’s all. Neither detailed description appearance, or any character traits. Just a woman-function, without which a fairy tale will not work: after all, the hero must conquer the princess, and who she is is the tenth matter. Let there be Vasilisa.

The name, by the way, hints at high origin. The name "Vasilisa" can be translated from Greek as "royal". And this royal maiden (sometimes in fairy tales she is called the Tsar Maiden) begins to subject the hero to tests. That is, sometimes it is not she who does this, but some fairy-tale villain like Koshchei the Immortal or the Serpent Gorynych, who kidnapped the princess and is holding her captive (in best case scenario) or is going to devour (at worst).

Sometimes the father of the potential bride plays the role of the villain. In the fairy tale, where Vasilisa appears as the daughter of the water king, the ruler of the sea waters puts obstacles in the way of the hero to destroy him, but loses because the enemy suddenly turns out to be dear to his daughter’s heart, and no witchcraft can defeat him. But here everything is more or less clear: there is some evil force (a dragon, a sorcerer, or the girl’s evil parents), and the hero must fight the enemy. In fact, this is how he becomes a hero. And a princess, princess or princess (it doesn’t matter) is a reward for the hero.

However, it also happens that Ivan the Fool or Ivan the Fool or some other central fairy-tale character is forced to undergo trials not because of dragons or sorcerers - he is tormented by the bride herself. Either the hero needs to jump on horseback to the windows of her little room and kiss the beauty on the sugar lips, then he needs to recognize the girl among twelve friends who look exactly like her, then he needs to catch the fugitive - or demonstrate enviable cunning in order to hide from the princess so that she didn’t find him. At worst, the hero is asked to solve riddles. But in one form or another, Vasilisa will test him.

It would seem that what is unusual about the tests? Testing a man is generally feminine character: is he good enough to connect his life with him or give birth to offspring, does he have the strength and intelligence to be a worthy husband and father? From a biological point of view, everything is absolutely correct. However, there is one small detail. If unfortunate Ivan does not complete the task, then death awaits him - and this is repeatedly emphasized in dozens of Russian fairy tales.

One wonders why beautiful princess demonstrates bloodthirstiness, which is more suitable for the Serpent Gorynych? Because in reality she doesn’t want to get married at all. Moreover, she is the enemy of the hero, believes the famous researcher of Russian folklore Vladimir Propp in his book “Historical Roots of a Fairy Tale”:

“The task is set as a test of the groom... But these tasks are also interesting to others. They contain a moment of threat: “If he doesn’t do it, he will cut off his head for his offense.” This threat gives another motivation. In the tasks and threats one can see not only the desire to have something for the princess best groom, but also a secret, hidden hope that such a groom will not exist at all.

The words “I guess I agree, just complete three tasks in advance” are full of deceit. The groom is sent to his death... In some cases this hostility is expressed quite clearly. It manifests itself outward when the task has already been completed and when more and more new and more dangerous tasks are asked.”

Why is Vasilisa, aka Marya Morevna, aka Elena the Beautiful, against marriage? Perhaps in fairy tales, where she constantly intrigues the main character, she simply does not need this marriage. She either rules the country herself - and she does not need a husband as a rival in power, or she is the daughter of a king who will be overthrown by her potential husband in order to seize the throne. Quite a logical version.

As the same Propp writes, the plot about the machinations that the future father-in-law perpetrates on the hero together with his daughter or in defiance of her could well have had a real basis. According to Propp, the struggle for the throne between the hero and the old king is a completely historical phenomenon. The tale here reflects the transfer of power from father-in-law to son-in-law through a woman, through a daughter. And this once again explains why fairy tales say so little about the appearance and character of the bride - this is a character-function: either a prize for the hero, or a means of achieving power. Sad story.

Meanwhile, in the Russian tradition there is a fairy tale that tells about Vasilisa’s childhood, adolescence and youth. It was Gorky who mentioned her, saying that she was not like the usual image of a princess whom the hero is trying to win. In this fairy tale, Vasilisa is an orphan girl. It's not a fact that this is the same character. However, this Vasilisa, unlike other fairy-tale namesakes, is an absolutely full-blooded heroine - with a biography, character, and so on.

I'll sketch it out in dotted lines. storyline. A merchant's wife dies, leaving him with a little daughter. The father decides to marry again. The stepmother has her own daughters, and all this new company begins to tyrannize Vasilisa, loading her with backbreaking work. In general, it is very similar to the fairy tale about Cinderella. It seems, but not entirely, because Cinderella was helped by a fairy godmother, and Vasilisa was helped by a creepy witch from the forest.

This is how it turned out. The stepmother and her daughters said that there was no more fire in the house, and they sent Vasilisa into the forest to Baba Yaga, of course, hoping that she would not return. The girl obeyed. Her road is through dark forest was scary - and strange: she met three horsemen, one white, another red, and the third black, and they were all riding towards Yaga.

When Vasilisa reached her abode, she was met by high fence made of stakes planted with human skulls. Yaga's house turned out to be no less creepy: for example, instead of servants, the witch had three pairs of hands that appeared out of nowhere and disappeared to God knows where. But the most terrible creature in this house was Baba Yaga.

The witch, however, received Vasilisa favorably and promised that she would give her fire if Vasilisa completed all her tasks. Completing difficult tasks is an indispensable path of the hero. Unlike the fairy tales mentioned above, in this one it is a woman who goes through it, and therefore her tasks are female, there are simply too many of them: to clean the yard, and sweep the hut, and wash the linen, and cook dinner, and sort the grains, and that’s it. - for one day. Of course, if the tasks were completed poorly, Baba Yaga promised to eat Vasilisa.

Vasilisa washed Yaga's clothes, cleaned her house, prepared food for her, then learned to separate healthy grains from infected ones, and poppy seeds from dirt. Afterwards, Yaga allowed Vasilisa to ask her a few questions. Vasilisa asked about the three mysterious horsemen - white, red and black. The witch replied that it was a clear day, a red sun and a black night, and all of them were her faithful servants. That is, Baba Yaga in this fairy tale is an extremely powerful sorceress.

Afterwards she asked Vasilisa why she didn’t ask further, about dead hands, for example, and Vasilisa replied that if you know a lot, you will soon grow old. Yaga looked at her and, narrowing her eyes, said that the answer was correct: she doesn’t like people who are too curious and eats them. And then she asked how Vasilisa managed to answer her questions without errors and how she managed to do all the work correctly.

Vasilisa replied that her mother’s blessing helped her, and then the witch pushed her over the threshold: “I don’t need blessed ones here.” But in addition she gave the girl fire - she removed a skull from the fence, whose eye sockets were blazing with flame. And when Vasilisa returned home, the skull burned her tormentors.

A creepy tale. And its essence is that Vasilisa the Beautiful, while carrying out the tasks of Baba Yaga, learned a lot from her. For example, while washing Yaga’s clothes, Vasilisa literally saw what the old woman was made of, the famous fairy tale researcher Clarissa Estes writes in her book “Running with the Wolves”:

"In the symbolism of the archetype, clothing corresponds to the persona, the first impression that we make on others. A persona is something like a camouflage that allows us to show others only what we ourselves want, and no more. But... a persona is not only a mask behind which you can hide, but there is a presence that eclipses the usual personality.

In this sense, the persona or mask is a sign of rank, dignity, character and power. This is an external indicator, an external manifestation of mastery. By washing Yaga’s clothes, the initiate will see with her own eyes what the person’s seams look like, how the dress is cut.”

And so - in everything. Vasilisa sees how and what Yaga eats, how she makes the world revolve around her, and makes the day, sun and night walk as her servants. And a terrible skull, blazing with fire, which the witch hands to the girl, in this case- a symbol of the special witchcraft knowledge that she received while being a novice with Yaga.

The sorceress, by the way, might have continued her studies if Vasilisa had not turned out to be a blessed daughter. But it didn’t work out. And Vasilisa, armed with force and secret knowledge, went back to the world. In this case, it is clear where Vasilisa got her magical skills, which are often mentioned in other fairy tales. It is also clear why she can be both good and evil.

She is still a blessed child, but Baba Yaga’s school is also here to stay. Therefore, Vasilisa ceased to be a meek orphan: her enemies died, and she herself married a prince and sat on the throne...

Characters invented in Russia are symbols of the childhood of each of us, while different countries world they are perceived completely differently. For example, if in Russian mythology Baba Yaga is evil spirits, then among the Scandinavians similar character- this is the goddess of the kingdom of the dead, Hel.

Female images: “my light, mirror, tell me...”

Vasilisa the Wise, Elena the Beautiful, Marya the Mistress, Frog Princess, Snow Maiden, Alyonushka - female images who possessed not only stunning female logic, but also kindness, wisdom, beauty, and sincerity. The most striking of them are:

1 A fragile little girl, Santa Claus's assistant - a favorite New Year's guest, a role model for naughty children. Since the mid-19th century, the image of a little granddaughter has been replaced by a young beauty, with the obligatory kokoshnik or fur hat, preferred clothing of Russian women.

No country in the world can boast of the same magical and romantic biography as the Russian Snow Maiden. In Italy, this is the fairy Befana, an old woman with a hooked nose who flies to children on a broom, giving gifts. A kind of “Santa Claus” in a skirt. The Mongols call their Snow Maiden Zazan Okhin, the girl Snow. The heroine traditionally asks riddles and gives gifts only after hearing the answer. In the USA, Santa has only reindeer as his assistants, but there is no Snow Maiden.

It is curious that if you try to translate the word Snow Maiden into English using the Google Translate service, the result will always be different. Yesterday Snegurochka was translated as “Snow - boy” (literally - snow boy). Today, Snegurochka in the service database is translated as Snow-maiden (Made from snow).

2 Masha, the Bear's restless companion, a naughty character in the record-breaking 3D cartoon.

The green-eyed fidget is fluent in hand-to-hand combat techniques, loves to be capricious and mischievous, and asks questions that are difficult to answer. The prototype of the animated series was the folklore heroine of a Russian folk tale. Director O. Kuznetsov borrowed character traits from the hero of O. Henry’s story “The Leader of the Redskins.” The team behind the series does not adapt native Russian characters for broadcast in different countries.

3 Baba Yaga- a witch, a heroine of Slavic mythology, endowed with magical powers. The negative character lures good fellows into his hut on chicken legs, without fail giving the heroes a fairy-tale horse and a magical navigator of those times - a ball of thread. The Russian witch is not always friendly, but if you have the gift of eloquence, she can help.

4 Firebird, a fabulous bird that heals the sick and restores sight to the blind, is the sister of the Western European bird Phoenix, which knew how to resurrect from the ashes. The father of the two fiery heroines was most likely Peacock.

Each heroine is an individual, embodying good or evil, her actions and actions are directly related to her character and mission.

Male images: “there are still no shortage of heroes on the Russian land!”

No less colorful is the top positive male images, vividly conveying the spirit of the Russian people. The main images are always antagonistic: in contrast to the beautiful, there is always something bad. Without which male characters are Russian fairy tales unthinkable?

1 Father Frost.

In the Russian version - Morozko, Studenets, mighty ruler winter blizzard. The character adored by children rides three horses, binds ponds and rivers with the sound of a staff, and sweeps away cities and villages with his cold breath. IN New Year together with the Snow Maiden gives gifts. During the Soviet era, Grandfather was dressed in a red fur coat, the color of the country’s flag. The image of the popular Grandfather, who “wanders through forests and meadows” is played out differently in different countries: Santa Claus, Joulupuki, Jouluvana.

This is interesting:

According to the most conservative estimates of scientists, Santa Claus is already more than 2000 years old. For two thousand years, Santa Claus has appeared in different images. First - in the guise of the pagan god Zimnik: an old man of small stature, with white hair and a long gray beard, with his head uncovered, in warm white clothes and with an iron mace in his hands. And in the fourth century, Santa Claus was reminded of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, who lived in Asia Minor in the city of Patara.

Grandfather began coming to the house with gifts with the beginning of the New Year celebration in Rus'. Previously, he gave gifts to the obedient and smart, and beat the mischievous ones with a stick. But the years have made Santa Claus more compassionate: he replaced the stick with a magic staff.

By the way, Father Frost first appeared on the pages of books in 1840, when Vladimir Odoevsky’s “Children’s Tales of Grandfather Irenaeus” was published. In the book, the name and patronymic of the winter magician became known - Moroz Ivanovich.

In the twentieth century, Santa Claus almost disappeared. After the revolution, it was considered that celebrating Christmas was harmful for the people, because it was a real “priestly” holiday. However, in 1935, the disgrace was finally lifted, and soon Father Frost and the Snow Maiden appeared together for the first time at the Christmas tree celebration in the Moscow House of Unions.

2 Three heroes. Strong, brave, cheerful heroes have long become a symbol of Russia, thanks to a series of full-length adventures by Alyosha Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich and Ilya Muromets. In fact, the brave fellows never met in life; according to epics, they even lived in different centuries.

This is interesting:

In 2015, the 6th part of the saga, “Three Heroes: Knight's Move,” released on screens, collected 962,961,596 rubles. Almost 1 billion rubles! Thus, the film became the highest grossing animated film of the year. Although it all started modestly: the box office of the first part - “Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin the Serpent” (2004) - amounted to 48,376,440 rubles. Then the fees grew steadily.

3 Ivan the Fool(third son) is a character who embodies a special “magic strategy”: the hero acts contrary to common sense and always succeeds! The fool excels at solving riddles, defeats evil spirits and valiantly saves the main character.

Pinocchio, Crocodile Gena, Doctor Aibolit, Barmaley, Winnie the Pooh, Leopold the Cat and Matroskin the Cat are also among the most popular and beloved heroes of Russian cinema, who rightfully occupy high positions in the ranking of fairy-tale characters.

Evil spirits: guardians of forests, swamps and houses

Most large group Russian folk epic make up mythical creatures. Vodyanoy, Kikimora, Goblin, mermaids, Brownie, Baba Yaga - magical images, which appeared along with by inexplicable forces nature. In his actions and character - this is more negative characters, but at the same time, they are charming and charismatic in modern films and cartoons, these include:

1 Koschei the Deathless. A character with supernatural powers. According to legends, he is a treacherous old man who kills domestic animals. The sorcerer often kidnaps the protagonist's fiancee in the hope of "mutual love."

This is interesting:

In Soviet cinema, Koshei was brilliantly played by actor Georgy Millyar. Basically, he played all sorts of evil spirits and he had to apply complex makeup. But for the role of Koshchei the Immortal, makeup was practically not needed, since the actor himself resembled a living skeleton (after contracting malaria, the actor’s weight was only 45 kg).

• Article

Fairy tales play a significant role in a person’s life. This is one of the first things he hears after birth; she also accompanies him in the next stages of growing up. Not only children, but also adults love fairy tales. Their deep philosophical meaning gives you the opportunity to look at ordinary things differently; understand the principles of good and evil; learn to believe in miracles and not forget about your own role.

Moral values ​​are transmitted through typical characters, each of which has its own folk prototype.

Hare

Runaway bunny, gray bunny, scythe - as they name the animal in Russian folk tales. He is endowed with a cowardly, but at the same time friendly character. Fairytale hare possesses cunning, dexterity and resourcefulness. A striking example- the fairy tale “The Fox and the Hare”, where a small animal turns from a cowardly animal into a savvy hero who managed to deceive even the evil wolf and help his friends.

In nature, hares do have cautious habits that help them avoid the teeth of predators. Our ancestors also knew this feature of the animal.

Fox

Cunning, resourceful, smart, insidious, vindictive...What traits are not given to a fox in fairy tales? She deceives animals, seeks profit everywhere, and is not afraid of people. The fox makes friends with the strong, but only for its own benefit.

The image of the animal embodies cunning. People's prototype can be considered dishonest, thieving, but at the same time smart person. The fox is feared, despised and respected at the same time. This is evidenced by the appeal to her in fairy tales as Fox Patrikeevna, Little Fox-Sister.

Wolf

The wolf in Russian fairy tales embodies anger. He preys on weaker animals; doesn't always act cunningly. Other characters take advantage of the wolf's shortsightedness. In the fairy tale “Little Fox Sister and the Gray Wolf,” a formidable predator was deceived by a red-haired cheat, and in “The Three Little Pigs”

He was tricked by harmless pigs.

Our ancestors also associated the wolf with death. Indeed, in nature, this predator is considered a kind of forest orderly who hunts weak and sick animals. And the human prototype of a wolf can be considered one who is too angry, greedy and vindictive.

Bear

The fairytale bear is the owner of the forest. He is strong, rude, clumsy and not entirely smart. It is believed that the common people wanted to show the landowners in the image of a bear. Therefore, in fairy tales this animal is often deceived by weaker animals with which ordinary people are associated.

At the same time, in fairy tales you can find another image of a bear: kind, calm, honest and freedom-loving. It is enough to remember how the bear helped the lost girl Masha in the work of the same name.

Man (peasant)

The image of a man in fairy tales has different meaning. In some works he appears as a personification working people: somewhat simple-minded, works all the time, does not put up with the injustice of rich bosses. On the other hand, traits such as wisdom and cunning were embodied in the man. He is hardworking, not rich, but much more cunning and resourceful than the landowners and generals.

Baba Yaga

A hut on chicken legs, a black cat, a mortar and a broom are the main attributes of any fairytale Baba Yaga. This old woman is both evil (her threats are worth it) and kind (she helps in difficult situations). She is wise, strong-willed, purposeful. She can be an advisor, or she can be a threat.

The image of Baba Yaga in Russian fairy tales is one of the most controversial and controversial. She personifies matriarchal traits. Among our ancestors, Baba Yaga was closely connected with the clan.

Koschei the Deathless

In fairy tales, his image can be seen in three forms: a sorcerer with special powers, the king of the underworld, and an old man who may be the husband of the Snake or a friend of Baba Yaga. Possesses unusual abilities: turns heroes into animals and birds. You can defeat him only through certain rituals (using a magic horse, a club, burning). Despite his name, he is not at all immortal, because his death is at the tip of a needle (or, as an option, in an egg), which are securely hidden.

The folk prototype of Koshchei is a powerful, evil, cunning and vile person endowed with magical properties.

Ivan the Fool

Despite the ambiguous name, Ivan is not at all the personification of stupidity, even if he is called a fool in the work. In fairy tales, he is the youngest of the sons, who often does nothing, is lazy, but achieves a lot in life, thanks to cunning and luck. This positive hero, embodying the characteristics of something people would like to have. Some kind of dream, where without special effort, by chance, everything works out: to become rich and to marry a princess. Our ancestors, in the image of Ivan the Fool, wanted to show a successful person.

Ivan Tsarevich

Unlike Ivan the Fool, who gets everything simply and effortlessly, Ivan Tsarevich, in order to achieve his goal, must overcome many obstacles, showing his strength, intelligence and skills. He becomes a prince not only by the fact of birth, which he is not even aware of, but by merit. Like Ivan the Fool, he is most often the youngest of the brothers, only of royal blood.

Kikimora

Kikimora in fairy tales can appear in the form of an ugly creature of indeterminate age (this is a girl, an old woman, and even a man). Is the personification evil spirits. She tries to hide from people, but lives near residential buildings or in a swamp. Her job is to cause mischief and frighten.

The mythological meaning of kikimora among our ancestors is a person who died in an unrighteous way. Therefore, his soul finds no peace.

Water

The merman is the master of water. This is half old man, half fish. Lives near mills, in pools and wormwood. Scares people and drags them to the bottom; breaks mills and drowns cattle. But a merman can be deceived and defeated by cunning.