What happens in the fairy tale hen ryaba. The fairy tale about the chicken Ryaba and its meaning

“Ryaba the Hen” is perhaps the shortest and simplest fairy tale for kids. She is the first of the world of fairy tales that parents begin to introduce their children to.

Decoding fairy tales is a creative process and everyone can see their own meaning.

I give my vision of the meanings of the symbols of a particular story. And this is how I see the fairy tale about the hen Ryaba.

This is a tale of possibilities in life.

Windows of new opportunities, new paths and directions are constantly opening for us, and we are given certain chances. If we don’t have time or don’t want to, or maybe we just don’t see them, then we miss the gifts of fate given to us. And sometimes we are not ready to fully use the full potential of what is provided and we cry over a missed opportunity, a missed chance.

But this does not mean that there will be no more of them. There is always hope that in the future a new window of opportunity will definitely open - it’s like trains in the subway, you didn’t have time to get on, another one will come later. True, subsequent chances may be less attractive, but within the capabilities of the level of development where the person is at the moment.

The fairy tale about the hen Ryaba describes a wonderful opportunity in the form of a magnificent gift from fate - a golden egg, but neither the grandfather nor the woman, that is, the man himself, could take advantage of it - they did not break it, although they tried.

Naturally, the person is upset that he missed such a great opportunity, but there is also consolation in the form of the hen’s words that a new one will definitely appear, although not as great as before (the egg is simple).

Take it while they give it ;)

In English there is such an expression as golden opportunity, which literally translates as “golden opportunity”. Why not the golden egg of opportunity from the Ryaba Hen?

What do you think of this unusual version of this fairy tale?

Once upon a time there lived an old man and an old woman, they had a Tatar hen that laid an egg in the closet under the window: motley, brightly boned, tricky! I put it on the shelf; The mouse walked, shook its tail, the shelf fell, and the egg broke.

The old man is crying, the old woman is sobbing, the stove is on fire, the top of the hut is shaking, the girl-granddaughter hanged herself out of grief. Mallow comes and asks: Why are they crying so much?

The old men began to retell:

-How can we not cry? We have a Tatar hen that laid an egg in the hut under the window: motley, colorful, boney, tricky! I put it on the shelf; The mouse walked, shook its tail, the shelf fell, and the egg broke! I, an old man, am crying, the old woman is sobbing, the stove is on fire, the top of the hut is shaking, the girl-granddaughter hanged herself out of grief.

When the breadmaker heard it, she broke all the bread and threw it away. The sexton comes up and asks the breadmaker: why did she throw away the bread?

She told him the grief; the sexton ran to the bell tower and broke all the bells.

The priest comes and asks the sexton: why did you break the bells?

The sexton recounted all the grief to the priest, and the priest ran and tore up all the books.

And this is the official version of the decoding of this tale:

The hen laid a golden egg as a gift to the old men. It was accidentally broken by a mouse.

Why are the grandfather and woman crying, because they themselves wanted to break it, but could not?
The fact is that they cry not because it broke, but because the egg turned out to be empty.
The egg is the prototype of all life on Earth. This is a symbol of the infinity of life, because without death there is no rebirth.
In general, since ancient times there has been a sacred meaning in beating and eating eggs - it is no coincidence that there is such a custom on Easter to beat and eat eggs (although the ritual of beating may also be associated with the death of Kashchei, i.e. evil). In any case, the egg had to be full, the world had to be filled.
The chicken reassures the old people: “I will lay you another egg - not a golden one, but a simple one,” that is, a viable one, from which life will be reborn.

Hello, dear readers of the Russian Word blog!

In a previous article about fairy tales, I wrote that storytelling fairy tales- This is an old Russian custom.

Each of us remembers our childhood, when adults told fairy tales, and we asked for more and more new fairy tales. The fairy tale immerses us in a fantastic world full of mysteries and secrets. Everything secret, unknown, unknown always attracts...

But here's what's interesting. Did you know that those fairy tales that we loved to listen to in childhood, and which we now tell our children, are

ADAPTED fairy tales?!

Actually in Russian folk tales not adapted the ancient ideas of the people about life are hidden. All unadapted fairy tales very scary. After reading such a fairy tale, an unprepared person will, at best, experience shock, and at worst, plunge into deep depression.

When reading an unadapted fairy tale, you need to understand that it was created several thousand years ago. Therefore, you need to have at least a general understanding of the rites and rituals of the ancient Slavs.

For example, our ancestors imagined life to be endless.

Since ancient times, the symbol of the infinity of life has been egg. The egg is the prototype of all life on earth! By the way, I remembered a question that always baffles me: what came first - the chicken or the egg?.. However, there is always new life in the egg!

Everyone knows the “simple” fairy tale about the Ryaba Hen:

Once upon a time there lived a grandfather and a woman. They had Ryaba chicken. The chicken laid an egg, not an ordinary one - a golden one. Grandfather beat and beat, but did not break. The woman beat and beat, but did not break. The mouse ran, waved its tail, the egg fell and broke. The grandfather is crying, the woman is crying, and the chicken is clucking: “Don’t cry, grandfather, don’t cry, woman!” I will lay you a new egg, not a golden one, but a simple one!

I confess I never understood the meaning of this tale! Why do grandpa and grandma suddenly start crying and are worried about a broken testicle?! They themselves wanted to break it! And by the way, why did they want to break it?!

The meaning of this story will become clear if you read the unadapted text of the fairy tale. Here he is:

There lived a grandfather and a woman. And they had grouse hen, old old lady.

She laid an egg in the hay on a shelf, on rye straws. Wherever the mouse came from, it split this egg.

The grandfather is crying, the woman is grieving, the magpie has broken her leg, the backbone has become loose, the oak tree has knocked off its leaves.

The priest's daughter went for water, broke the buckets, and came home without water. Popadya asks: “Why are you daughter, did you come without water?” She said:

What grief is upon me, what great grief is upon me! There lived an old man and an old woman. And they had a hazel hen, an old little old lady. She laid an egg in the canopy on a shelf, on rye straws. Wherever the mouse came from, it split this egg. The grandfather is crying, the woman is grieving, the magpie has broken her leg, the backbone has become loose, the oak tree has knocked off its leaves. And I went for water, broke the buckets, broke the rocker. At least you, dear, leave the pies out of the window out of grief!

The priest got upset and threw the pies out the window. The priest goes: “What are you doing, priest?!” And she answers:

What grief I feel, what great grief I feel! There lived an old man and an old woman. And they had a hazel hen, an old little old lady. She laid an egg in the canopy on a shelf, on rye straws. Wherever the mouse came from, it split this egg. The grandfather is crying, the woman is grieving, the magpie has broken her leg, the backbone has become loose, the oak tree has knocked off its leaves. Our daughter went to fetch water, broke the buckets, and broke the rocker. And out of grief, I left all the pies out the window. And you, priest, at least hurt yourself on the doorframe out of grief!

The priest ran away, and how he hit the doorframe! That's where he died. They began to bury the priest and celebrate a wake.

What an expensive egg!..

There is another, even more creepy, version of this story, where the granddaughter, having learned that the testicle was broken, took it and... hanged herself! Horror!

Once upon a time there lived a grandfather and a woman, and they had a chicken, Ryaba.
One day a chicken laid an egg, not an ordinary one, but a golden one.
Grandfather beat and beat, but did not break. The woman beat and beat, but did not break.
The mouse was running, its tail touched it, the egg fell and broke.
The grandfather is crying, the woman is crying, and the chicken is clucking:
- Don’t cry, grandfather, don’t cry, woman: I will lay you not a golden egg, but a simple one.

The meaning of the fairy tale

Life has always been compared to an egg, and Wisdom too, which is why the saying has survived to this day: “This information is not worth a damn.”
The Golden Egg is the hidden Ancestral Wisdom, which no matter how much you hit, you can’t take it in a swoop. And if you accidentally touch it, this integral system can be destroyed, broken into small fragments, and then there will be no integrity. The Golden Egg is information, wisdom that concerned the Soul, you need to study it little by little, you can’t take it rudely.
A simple testicle is simple information. Those. since the grandfather and woman had not yet reached this level, were not ready for golden (deep) Wisdom, the chicken told them that she would lay a simple egg, i.e. will give them simple information.

It seems like a small fairy tale, but there is so much deep meaning embedded in it - whoever cannot touch the Golden Egg, start learning with simple, superficial information. And then some immediately: “give me sacred Wisdom, I’ll figure it out now”... and to a psychiatric hospital with the “greats”. Because you cannot suddenly approach the knowledge of Wisdom; everything is given gradually, starting with a simple testicle. Because the World is diverse, multi-structured, but at the same time it is brilliant and simple. Therefore, even hundreds of human lives may not be enough to know the small and the great.

The folk tale about the chicken Ryaba has been known to everyone since early childhood. It is easy to remember, children love it very much.

What is this tale about?

She talks about how one day a chicken that lived with her grandfather and woman suddenly laid a golden egg. The grandfather and woman could not break it, despite many attempts. But the mouse was able to do this by accident. All she had to do was wave her tail. But instead of being happy, for some reason the grandfather and woman were very upset. The hen calmed them down and said that they would have a new egg, an ordinary one, not a golden one.

However, this story has several variations. In some of them new characters appear: the priest and the priest.

The meaning of the fairy tale

This is, at first glance, a simple story. But what about the chicken Ryaba? This question is of interest to many. Some people believe that the fairy tale has no meaning at all. Most people are unlikely to agree with this statement. Fairy tales have long been told not only for fun, but also to teach something good. The meaning of this tale remains to be understood.

The main contradiction of the fairy tale is that the grandfather and grandmother are crying because the golden egg has broken. But they wanted it so bad! Perhaps the egg turned out to be empty, and the grandparents were disappointed. Maybe they just wanted to eat, and an egg accidentally broken by a mouse spilled across the floor? It is possible that it was not golden, but simply with a golden shell, but the old people thought that it was especially tasty.

Hidden meanings

Some researchers of the fairy tale have devoted many years to find its connection with mythology. Often the fairy tale is associated with ancient myths about the World Egg, from which either the entire Universe, or part of the world, or one of the gods is born. The image of a mouse is also symbolic. The myths of many peoples say that this animal was born from the earth. Thus, the fairy tale is associated with myths about the creation and end of the world.

In some fuller versions of the tale, after the egg broke, some misfortune befell everyone who knew about it.

There is an opinion that the fairy tale has a connection with pagan rituals. In this case, the egg is compared to the moon or the sun. The golden egg is the sun. The image of a gray mouse - evening. Broken golden egg - sunset. A simple egg is the moon.

M. E. Vigdorchik’s interpretation of the fairy tale is interesting. He believes that the golden egg represents a symbol of a child. Trying to break an egg is a symbol of raising a child. But the grandfather and grandmother didn’t succeed, but the mouse did. The mouse is a symbol of a frivolous daughter-in-law, who for her husband’s parents seems to be some kind of rival. They are offended that she was able to raise a child, but they were not.

Supporters of psychoanalysis (for example, S.Z. Agranovich) believe that the egg in the fairy tale plays the role of a savior, it is a kind of symbol of life. Gold symbolizes death. That's why the old people tried so hard to break it. But when the mouse did this, they were afraid, because they did not know what to expect next. The mouse is an intermediary between the world of the living and the world of the dead; it can do both good and bad deeds. At your own discretion. And when the hen says that she will lay an ordinary egg, everyone rejoices, since the future has become clearer. Life has won.

The relevance of the fairy tale in our time

Children's stories are a collection of folk wisdom, even if not in the form of a lesson. The tale about the chicken Ryaba is no exception. However, times are changing, new realities are emerging. Many authors try to tell a well-known legend in their own way. A very interesting tale about the chicken Ryaba in a new way by Olga Akhmetova. In her interpretation, the mouse, seeing the egg, wanted to steal it; she envied the fact that her grandfather and grandmother “would become rich,” but she, too, “worthy of a million.” They, in turn, thought for too long about what to do with the wealth that had fallen on their heads. As a result, the egg broke and no one got it. The meaning of this fairy tale is that everyone can have a lucky chance in life, but they need to use it wisely.

Another tale about the hen Ryaba tells that the egg turned out to be not golden, but just a kinder surprise. In Igor Shandra’s fairy tale, Ryaba demolished it and took it to the bank for safekeeping so that it certainly wouldn’t break. But even in this version, tears awaited the grandparents. But the computer mouse turned out to be to blame: it “wagged its tail,” and the entire bank disappeared. And Ryaba consoled her with the fact that the fake had disappeared, and the real egg was safe and sound.

These are such interesting stories, and this is only a small part. Everything suggests that in our time the fairy tale about the chicken Ryaba arouses interest not only among children, but also among adults.

Disputes about the moral of the tale

Serious research into a fairy tale commands respect, but it is unlikely that an ordinary person will look for hidden meanings. But what does this story teach? What is the moral of the story about the chicken Ryaba?

Everyone can understand it in their own way. There is an opinion that the egg is a symbol of love that the grandfather and grandmother could not protect. The speckled chicken is a symbol of the Higher Mind, which is why it is black and white, since it combines both good and evil. The mouse is some kind of gossip. If you break love for a long time, then the relationship may end because of some little thing like gossip. And a simple egg is not love, but a habit that appeared over time. Moral - we must value relationships, cherish love.

Some people think that the fairy tale says that one should not be stupid and envious. After all, the grandfather and grandmother did not even understand why they wanted to break the egg, and when the mouse did it, they simply envied her. Moral - you need to think about your actions and not be envious.

Perhaps the golden egg represents a symbol of wealth, which one does not need to strive for so desperately. Grandfather and grandmother struggled for a long time to achieve material wealth, but then a mouse (by chance) showed them by breaking an egg that there was nothing special about it. A simple egg, which the chicken later promised, is a symbol of eternal values. Moral - you can be happy without the desire to accumulate wealth.

There is also a version that the fairy tale teaches not to plan life down to the smallest detail. There is always room for chance.

Is the child able to understand this fairy tale?

It is not for nothing that they say that through the mouth of a baby Despite many interpretations, the fairy tale about the chicken Ryaba is still a children's work.

Grandfather and grandmother, according to many kids, are crying because they themselves could not break the golden egg. This is where so many worries come from.

Of course, later parents can offer their child their own version of what this fairy tale teaches. It would be a good educational conversation.