Everyone heard. But few people know that he rested in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, where his incorruptible relics are buried in caves, among a quarter of all the saints glorified in the Russian Orthodox Church for a thousand years.

The very name "epic" means a song about what was, that is, what took place in life. The word "hero" appeared in Russian chronicles in the XII century. It replaced the synonym "horobr", that is, "daring".

At that time, Russian soldiers had to constantly fight for the freedom of the fatherland with hordes of nomads on the eastern borders of Kievan Rus. The people called them heroes.

Their main features are fidelity to duty, disinterested love for the Motherland, readiness to always stand up for the offended and destitute, the ability to stand up for their dignity and honor.

It is with these features that the epics of Ilya Muromets endow:

“I am a simple peasant son,” he says. - I did not save you out of self-interest, and I do not need either silver or gold. I saved Russian people, red girls, little children, old mothers. I will not go to you as governor in wealth to live. My wealth is a heroic strength, my business is to serve Russia, to defend it from enemies.

His numerous feats of arms are described in epics in a fabulous form. But the nicknames of the enemies of the hero (“Ilya Muromets and the Nightingale the Robber”, “Ilya Muromets and the Poganoe Idolishche”) meant very specific nomadic peoples: the Pechenegs, Polovtsy, with whom Kievan Rus fought. In the old days, these epics were a kind of "military chronicles" that did not require deciphering who they were talking about.

But the biography of Ilya Muromets in epics is presented very sparingly. Details about the life of the hero were able to be established by historians as a result of lengthy painstaking research.

Presumably, Ilya was born on September 5, 1143 in the family of a peasant Ivan Timofeev's son, who lived in the village of Karacharovo near Murom in the Vladimir region (hence the name "Muromets"). From birth, he was weak - "did not own his legs" - and until the age of thirty he could not walk.

One day, when his parents were working in the field, “passable kaliki” came into the house. At that time, pilgrims to holy places were called Kaliki. It was believed that they were not only not inferior to the heroes, but also surpassed them in fortitude, and their "propaganda" feat was equated to military.

Kaliki ask Ilya to get up and bring them water. To this he replied: “But I have neither arms nor legs; I have been sitting on my seat for thirty years.” They repeatedly ask him to get up and bring them water.

Years of illness brought up in him great patience and a character of amazing strength. "Weak" Ilya sincerely wishes to fulfill the will of the elders. One can imagine his amazement when, having lowered his legs from the bench to the floor, he tries to stand on them and suddenly feels that they are holding him! An unknown force sent down from above instills in a helpless cripple...

After that, Ilya goes to the water carrier and brings water. The elders tell him to drink it himself. Ilya unquestioningly obeyed, drank and fully recovered. Moreover, after drinking the water a second time, he feels exorbitant strength in himself, and then he is ordered to drink a third time in order to reduce it.

Then the elders tell Ilya that in gratitude for the healing sent down, he should go to the service of Prince Vladimir in order to protect Russia from enemies. “You will be, Elijah, a great hero, and death is not written for you in battle,” they predict.

Scientific rationale

And now let's look at the miraculous healing of Ilya Muromets from the point of view of modern science. In 1926, when the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra was closed by the Bolsheviks and a museum was organized in its place, the incorruptible relics of the saints were opened and studied to explain the phenomenon of the preservation of their bodies in the caves. A medical examination was also carried out on the remains of St. Ilya Muromets, which were dated to the 12th century.
Anatomists have identified in the lumbar region of his body clearly expressed processes on the vertebrae, causing infringement of the nerves of the spinal cord. And the doctors made a diagnosis: a polyarthritis suffered in his youth, which hindered his movements, from which he later recovered. So modern medicine has confirmed the evidence of epics that "Elijah sat in his seat and did not have walking at his feet."

Obviously, the "transitional kaliks" who healed the "infirm" Ilya were not just wanderers, but psychic healers who cured him with the help of energetically charged water. In ancient recipes, in addition to various herbal infusions, there are instructions on how to prepare and use "healing water".

Studies also showed that Ilya Muromets was a head taller than a man of average height of that time - 177 centimeters, but in the 12th century such a warrior was considered a giant. In addition, he had a very powerful physique and apparently possessed great physical strength.

"Bogatyrsky lope". Viktor Vasnetsov. 1914. In the princely service

But back to the epic. Kaliki tell Ilya that on the way to Kyiv there is an unliftable stone with an inscription, at which he must definitely stop.

Saying goodbye to his family, Ilya goes "to the capital city of Kyiv" and comes "to that immovable stone", on which it was written that he should move the stone from its place. There he will find a heroic horse, weapons and armor. Ilya moved the stone away and found everything that was written there. And after that he rode to Kyiv.

There he gets to the princely feast at the Grand Duke Vladimir Monomakh (1113-1125), who gathers around him the most courageous and glorious people of Russia. This is not an ordinary feast, but above all, spiritual fellowship, a fraternal meeting.

The heroes gathered at the table are not lovers of fun, but defenders of the faith of the Orthodox and Russian land from enemies. No wonder in Russia such a feast was called a brotherhood, since it marks the spiritual unity of its participants.

Judging by the epics and chronicles, heroes from different cities sat at the fraternal table at Prince Vladimir, guarding the borders of Russia: Ilya Muromets - a peasant son, Alyosha Popovich - the son of a priest from Rostov, Dobrynya Nikitich - a princely family, Stavr - a boyar, Ivan - a merchant's son .

Ilya Muromets - the only one of the Russian knights - a peasant by birth. But it was he who was granted the greatest power - both spiritual and bodily. Therefore, a native of the distant Murom lands is honored not by estate, but by deeds and deeds. He quickly learned to master the mace, club, sword and spear. Combined with his enormous physical strength, this made him an invincible fighter.

Being in the service of Prince Vladimir, Ilya Muromets participated in countless "clashes" that constantly took place on the borders of Kievan Rus. In none of them he was defeated, but he never exalted himself and peacefully let go of defeated enemies. Even before the battle with the Polovtsy Kalin, he persuades him for a long time to leave voluntarily, without shedding blood in vain. And only having met the stubbornness and anger of the enemy, the Russian hero entered into a mortal battle.

But Russian professional warriors, headed by Ilya Muromets, not only successfully guarded the borders of Russia from numerous enemies. By their efforts, the struggle was transferred to the territory of the enemies. The annals tell that the valiant squads drove the troops of Khan Otrok Sharukovich “behind the iron gates” in the Caucasus, “drank the Don with golden helmets, taking all their land.”

Russian heroes reached the Sea of ​​Azov, conquered the Polovtsian camps on the Northern Donets, forced the enemies to migrate beyond the Don and the Volga, into the steppes of the North Caucasus and the South Urals.

There is no doubt that Ilya Muromets invariably took part in all these glorious campaigns, and he was always ahead in the course of bloody battles, invariably defeating the enemy knights.

Ilya Muromets. Reconstruction of the appearance on the basis of the relics. Sculptor S.A. NikitinInok of the Caves Monastery

In 1988, the Interdepartmental Commission of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine conducted an examination of his imperishable relics. To obtain accurate data, the most modern technique and ultra-precise equipment were used.

As a result of research, it was possible to establish that Ilya Muromets died at the age of at least 40-45 years. At that time, this was an age to which few civilians lived, and professional warriors almost never.

But the Murom hero survived. If we take into account that he took up military affairs after 30 years, and did not stay in the Pechersky Monastery after being tonsured for too long, it turns out that his “military service” was more than 10 years. For the twelfth century, this was simply unthinkable.

Moreover, as the medical examination of the imperishable relics established, Ilya Muromets received a severe wound in the region of the heart, which subsequently affected throughout his life. He also had other wounds, such as the left hand, received in battles.

Wounded and feeling that his physical strength was running out, Ilya Muromets took tonsure and became a monk. But before the hero had a family, and after him there were sons, from whom the family of the Kyiv noblemen Chebotkovs descended. And they got this surname from the nickname of their father.

The fact is that in the short life of the Monk Elijah, his nickname is indicated - “Chebotok”, that is, a boot. It appeared at Muromets after one memorable incident. Shortly after his tonsure, a gang of robbers (probably Polovtsy) broke into the monastery. At that moment, in his cave cell, Elijah was putting on shoes and managed to put on only one boot.

But, taken by surprise, the monk did not lose his head: straightening up to his full considerable height, he began to beat the attackers with such force and fury with his second boot that he put them to flight.

In the Pechersky Monastery, Ilya Muromets went into seclusion, hardly slept, spending almost around the clock in prayer. Thus ended his military service to the Fatherland in earthly battles and the prayer service of the Church and Holy Russia began.
***
Ilya Muromets left for the Kingdom of Heaven on January 1, 1188. He was canonized as a saint in 1643, and his incorruptible relics rest in the Anthony caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

In the caves you can approach his tomb, which is noticeably larger than others, but the growth of the deceased does not seem huge. The fingers of the right hand of Ilya Muromets are folded as the Orthodox are baptized: three fingers together, and two are pressed to the palm.

His left hand bears a trace of the wound inflicted by the spear. She, as it were, testifies to military service, and the right one - to the spiritual feat of an Orthodox monk.

Orthodox Christians begin each new year under the sign of a folk hero, the Reverend Warrior Ilia Muromets. The Russian Church celebrates his memory on January 1.

Bogatyrs are the defenders of the Russian land.

Summary of classes for children of senior preschool age

Goals:

To acquaint children with the great canvas of the artist V. Vasnetsov "Bogatyrs", with the names of Russian heroes Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich, Alyosha Popovich.

To instill in children pride in their ancestors, to make them feel their involvement in the history of our great people.

To teach to answer the questions posed coherently and consistently, to describe the appearance of the heroes and the surrounding landscape; talk about the characters of the characters and the mood of the picture; use synonyms and comparisons in speech.

Introduce children to the emblem and flag of Russia.

Materials:

Reproduction of "Bogatyrs" painting by artist V. Vasnetsov; large illustrations depicting forests, fields, meadows, rivers, mountains, books about heroes, an illustration of the emblem and flag of Russia.

Vocabulary work:

Russia, ancestors, Slavs, heroes, epics; armor - clothes of heroes (chain mail, shield, helmet, armor, aventail); weapons of heroes (spear, sword, bow with arrows, mace).

Stroke:

What do we call motherland?

The land where we grow up

And the birches along which

next to mom we go ...

On November 4, our entire country will celebrate National Unity Day. Do you want to know what kind of holiday it is? At all times, Russian people loved their homeland. They composed songs, proverbs and poems about her, performed feats in the name of the native side.

Try to find the right beautiful words for the word Motherland(glorious, strong, rich, beloved, wonderful).

The peoples of Russia did not always live in unity. Unfortunately, throughout history, Russia has been tested many times for strength, more than once experienced times when its unity was violated, when enmity and hunger reigned in the country. 400 years ago, enemy invasions ravaged the country to the ground. The Russian land was occupied by the Polish enemies. It seemed that the Russian state was dead and would never regain its former power. But the Russian people could not and did not want to put up with the death of their state.

The Russian people took care of their native land, sang songs about it, worked for the glory of the wealth of the Motherland, defended it at all times. From time immemorial, the Russian people have been famous for their strength, prowess, and valiant dexterity. And there were always heroes in Russia - a kind of strong men with a good heart and a pure soul.

Today I will tell you about these heroes. (Points to the picture.) They actually lived in Russia, but for a very long time, they fought with its enemies. Then nomadic tribes - Polovtsy, Pechenegs, Khazars - attacked our land from all sides, ravaged and burned cities and villages, took children and women into captivity, and killed old men and men. Everyone who could hold a weapon in their hands stood up to defend the Motherland, and strong, courageous warriors stood out among them, they were called heroes, knights. Singers and storytellers composed legends, songs, epics about them. These are the epic heroes depicted by the artist.

Power, strength, hardness, reliability. Can you say the same about these people? (Points to the picture.) Who do you think they are? (children's answers.) That's right, Russian heroes. Bogatyr - who is this? This is the hero of Russian epics, performing military feats. How did you guess that they were heroes? They wear the clothes of ancient Russian warriors.

Teacher. Now I will tell you riddles about weapons and armor.

Such a shirt is not knitted, not sewn, it is woven from iron rings. (Mail)

An iron cap with a sharp end, and in front the beak hung over the face. (Helmet)

The weapon is not easy to pick up, not just pick up and hold in your hand. It was easy for them to take their heads off their shoulders ... Well, guess what? Of course… (Sword)

In order to protect the chest from the blows of the enemy, you already know this for sure, on the left hand of the hero hangs a heavy, shiny and round ... (Shield)

What protects their body? Chain mail. What are they? What do they have on their feet? What are the warriors armed with? Bow and arrows, spear, mace, swords, shields are the weapons of knights, brave warriors.

In the center, on a gigantic black horse, sits a sedate, portly Ilya Muromets from the city of Murom, the village of Karacharova. He was, according to legend, the son of a peasant. Ilya is no longer young, he is the eldest among the heroes. His beard gleams silver, and a strand of gray hair has escaped from under his helmet. Wide

forehead, compressed lips, direct and open look testify to the unbending strength of will, directness and honesty of his soul, generosity and kindness. Heavily, but confidently, Ilya sits on a horse, raised his hand to his eyes and peered tensely into the distance. Confidence, strength and power in his harmonious and powerful figure. They say about this - an oblique fathom in the shoulders (broad-shouldered, large growth). With surprising ease, he holds a damask mace “forty pounds” in his right hand, and his hand does not even bend under this weight. In his left hand he has a huge red spear, indicating, probably, where the enemy should be expected from. The epics tell about the extraordinary strength of Ilya Ivanovich. He alone killed four hundred robbers, exterminated countless hordes of Tatars, led by Pogany Idolishch and Kalin the Tsar. Defeated the Nightingale the Robber. Sincere devotion to the people, selfless service to the interests of ordinary people distinguish him:

I'm going to serve for the Christian faith

And for the Russian Land,

Yes, and for the capital Klev-grad,

For widows, for orphans, for poor people.

The horse under Ilya is a match for the hero, just as powerful and strong. He slightly lowered his head, arching his neck, proudly and calmly squinting with his large eye. Elegant and powerful in his harness.

To the right of Ilya on a white horse is another hero - Dobrynya Nikitich. The epics say that he is of a princely family, from Ryazan, a posadnik of Novgorod, an uncle of the Kiev prince Vladimir, and later a governor. Dobrynya Nikitich is a mature husband. strong, handsome, strict and noble. His face is expressive, his posture proud. He was distinguished, as the epics say, by "knowledge" - wisdom, thoughtfulness and knowledge. His chain mail, helmet and sword sparkle with silver and gilding. A red round shield burns and shimmers with golden rivets, a golden cross is heavy on a mighty chest. Dobrynushka is known for his bold struggle with the Serpent Gorynych and Batyga (Khan Batu). The hero's warhorse is strong and very beautiful - white, in an elegant red harness with gold ornaments. He seems to already see the approaching enemy, cautiously peering into the distance. The wind blows his lush snow-white mane and tail.

To the left of Ilya Muromets is another folk hero - Alyosha Popovich, the son of priest Leonty from Rostov. This young handsome man seems graceful, thin and slender. His clothes are elegant: a chain mail decorated with gilding is put on a red caftan, a gilded helmet is on his head, red patterned boots are on his feet, and rings are on his hands. It seems that he is armed easily - in his left hand "a tight bow is bursting and a red-hot arrow." At the belt on the left side is a sword and arrows in a quiver, behind a shield. In the right hand is a silk lash, and on the side are yarovchatye goslings. Ilya Muromets says

about Alyoshenka: “Although he is not strong in strength, he dared with an attack.” Alyosha does not get the better of his enemies with the power of a hero, but with dexterity, resourcefulness, ingenuity, dexterity and courage. He is a merry fellow and a sly joker, a harpist, a singer, a master of fiction. Even now he is plotting something - he cunningly looks towards the enemy.

The horse of the hero is brown - light chestnut, reddish color. He is not as powerful as other horses, but more light and swift. It was he who first heard the clatter of many enemy horses.

Alyosha Popovich is known as the winner of Tugarin Zmeevich, the fight against the Pechenegs and Tatars. According to legend, he fell a hero in the famous battle on the Kalka River.

These are the heroes of the Russian Land in front of you. Real knights who led a life full of dangers, exploits and courage.

And eternal battle! We only dream of peace Through blood and dust... The steppe mare flies, flies And crushes the feather grass...

Vasnetsov claims with his picture that the heroes of the Russian land are always ready:

Stand for the honor of the Motherland against the enemy,

Lay down your head for the Fatherland in need.

The picture depicts epic heroes, but we perceive them as living people. The artist glorifies the defenders of the motherland. Vasnetsov wants us all to be proud of our heroic ancestors, to remember them, to love the land where we were born. Such a picture could be created by a person who loved his people, his history very much. The picture makes people worry, experience the best feeling - a sense of pride for the Motherland.

To . Ushinsky: "Our Fatherland » ( excerpt)

Our fatherland, our motherland is Mother Russia. We call Russia Fatherland because our fathers and grandfathers lived in it from time immemorial. We call it Motherland because we were born in it, they speak our native language in it, and everything in it is native to us; and mother - because she fed us with her bread, made us drink with her waters, learned her language, like a mother protects and protects us from all enemies ... There are many good states and lands in the world and besides Russia, but a person has one mother - he has one homeland.

– Why do we call Russia our fatherland?Why do we call Russia our motherland?Why do we call her mother?

Like all countries of the world, all states that exist on earth, Russia has its own flags and coat of arms. (shows)

Flag of Russia.

White color - birch.

Blue is the color of the sky.

Red stripe -

Sunny dawn.

Coat of arms of Russia

Russia has a majestic

Double-headed eagle on the coat of arms

To the west, to the east

He could look right away.

He is strong, wise and proud.

He is the free spirit of Russia.

The national flag is raised during solemn events, holidays, and at this time the anthem of the Russian Federation is always played. (soundtrack of the anthem)

Synopsis on spiritual and moral education

TOPIC: "Bogatyrs - defenders of the Russian land".

Purpose: To form children's ideas about the heroic past of the Russian people of Ancient Russia, the great Russian heroes - the defenders of the Russian land.

To promote the development of interest in the language of epics, prayers - amulets, the words of the blessing of heroes, ancient testaments.

Fix the name of the ancient weapons of the heroes.

To instill a sense of pride in the heroic strength of Russia, respect for Russian wars, a desire to imitate them.

To introduce Ilya Muromets as a saint (assigned to the saints)

Dictionary activation: Hero, Rus, outpost, sword, shield, chain mail, helmet, spear, bow, arrows, ritual - worship, prayer - amulet, covenant, Ilya - Muromets, Dobrynya - Nikitich, Alyosha - Popovich.

Equipment: presentation, paper-cut oak leaves, music

A. Pakhmutova "Our heroic strength."

Previous work: Consideration of the painting by V.M. Vasnetsov “Heroes”, reading excerpts about the epic heroes “Ilya Muromets and the Nightingale the Robber”, “Dobrynya Nikitich and the Serpent Gorynych”; viewing illustrations and reading fairy tales "Finist - a clear falcon", "Snake - Gorynych", "The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Heroes", "The Tale of Tsar Saltan".

Drawing on the themes: "Weapons of heroes", "Horses of Russian heroes".

Conversations about heroes; about the glory of the heroic; about the Motherland, its defenders; learning proverbs and sayings about the Motherland.

STROKE:

Guys, you and I live in a country that has an amazingly beautiful name - Russia! (children prompt) ( SLIDE)

There are many different countries on Earth, people live everywhere, but Russia is the only extraordinary country, because it is our Motherland.

Motherland means native, like mother and father. What is our country?

Big, big, beautiful. There are rivers and seas, lakes, mountains and forests.

What was the name of our country before?

Holy Russia (SLIDE)

Why was she called that?

People praised God and lived according to his commandments.

What did our ancestors call themselves? (SLIDE)

Children: Slavs

Who defended the Russian land?

Bogatyrs (SLIDE)

Guys, who is this hero? How can you describe it in a word, a story or a poem?

Bogatyrs are people who defended our Motherland from enemies. Bogatyrs strong, brave, mighty …(SLIDE)

Student: Strong as a free wind,

Mighty like a hurricane

He protects the earth

From the evil bastards!

He is rich in good power,

He protects the capital city.

Saves the poor and children

And old people and mothers! (SLIDE)

Why did people defend their homeland?

Having created the beautiful world, God commanded man to protect it. The people who lived in Holy Russia loved and protected their Motherland. Among them were the heroes.

Guys, I suggest you go the way of the heroes, see them, learn about their exploits? I know that you are friendly and brave. Friendship will help us overcome all obstacles.

But first, let's remember what the Russian hero had to choose?

the way.

That's right, he had to choose the path along which to go. In fairy tales and epics, the hero always stood at a crossroads near a stone. (SLIDE)

(REB CHIT): You go to the right

Money and fame

You go to the left

You will lose friends and you will not be brave,

Move straight ahead

Danger awaits and the heroic outpost.

And so, which way do we choose?

The road that goes straight

PLAY-L: Here's an obstacle on the way

It's not that easy to get through.

Need to quickly remember

And say proverbs!

(Children remember proverbs and sayings about courage, courage and the Motherland) (SLIDE)

1. That hero who is a mountain for the Motherland.

2. Die yourself, but help a friend out

3. To live - to serve the Motherland

4. Happiness of the Motherland is dearer than life

5. If friendship is great, the Motherland will be strong

PLAY-L: All barriers have been conquered

(Name the correct weapon used by the heroes) (SLIDE)

I propose to solve riddles

1. Such a shirt is not knitted, not sewn, it is woven from iron rings. (Mail)

2. An iron cap with a sharp end, and in front the beak hung over the face. (Helmet)

3. The weapon is not easy to pick up, not just pick up and hold in your hand. It was easy for them to take their heads off their shoulders ... Well, guess what? Of course… (Sword)

4. In order to protect the chest from the blows of the enemy, you already know this for sure, a heavy, shiny and round one hangs on the hero’s left hand ... (Shield)

What other weapons of heroes can you name? ..

Guys, you know, in order for the weapon in the hands of the hero to be strong, the heroes turned to God and said: (SLIDE)

“Give a great God, a damask sword on my hands! Share your strength, rage, righteous anger, let the arrows in my hands be as marks as the fiery arrows in your hands.

Look who do you see? ( SLIDE"Three heroes")

Heroes

Here they are the heroes of the Russian Land. Who is standing in the center?

Ilya Muromets! (SLIDE)

Ilya Muromets lay on the stove for 30 years and 3 years, his legs could not walk, and his hands did not move. Ilya prayed a lot, and day and night he asked God for help. And then one day a miracle happened. Passers-by wanderers knocked on his door, God's people, as they were called, and asked why he was sitting in the seat when the Russian land was groaning, it was necessary to protect it. Ilya replied that he would be glad to fight the enemy, but his legs would not let him. And they cured him with living water and holy bread. For a long time our glorious hero Ilya Muromets defended our Russia. ( REB READING)

And who is standing next to Ilya Muromets?

Alyosha Popovich and Dobrynya Nikitich

Going to the service, on a campaign for feats of arms, the heroes asked for a blessing from their father, mother for a blessing:

Mother: I bless you for good deeds, but for bad deeds, there is no my blessing

Father: Defend the Russian land not for gold, not for self-interest, but for honor, for the glory of the heroic.

Leaving on a campaign, the heroes bowed to all four sides and read a prayer. What is prayer?

Conversation with God.

Bogatyr: I put on a heroic harness, neither a spear, nor an arrow, nor an enemy will kill me in it. I speak the military man Dobrynya, with a strong conspiracy. But, mind the word, the end, the cause is the crown . (REB READING)

And now we have a game with the audience. Sometimes one letter changes the meaning of the whole sentence.

What happened to the proverbs? They just got ridiculous! And what should they really be? Help, good people, our heroes. Your task is to listen to the saying, find the mistake and give the correct version.

1. Appetite disappears while eating. (Appetite comes with eating).

2. The city is not an aunt. (Hunger is not an aunt).

3. Prepare the canopy in the summer, and the cart in the winter. (Prepare the sleigh in the summer, and the cart in the winter).

4. Drop a quitter. (To play the loafer).

5. Every crook praises his swamp. (There is nothing like leather).

7. You can't ruin a car with oil. (You can't spoil porridge with butter).

8. Caviar is worth the candle. (The game is worth the candle).

9. Pancake is knocked out with a pancake. (Fight fire with fire).

10. Do not sit in your baths. (Do not sit in your sleigh).

11. There is no goat without thorns. (There is no rose without thorns).

12. The first pancake is a stake. (The first pancake is lumpy).

13. Easier than fried turnips. (Easier than a steamed turnip).

14. Your burden does not sink. (Your burden does not pull).

In ancient Russia, oak was considered a family tree. Leaving on a campaign, the heroes approached the oak, took with them a leaf and a handful of their native land. This custom - to take a handful of native land with you has been preserved to this day from those distant times from our ancestors.

Oak is a mighty tree, it was revered in Russia for its power, vitality, it was believed that it gave strength to people, so they worshiped and saluted it.

Our trip has come to an end! I want to introduce you to another covenant that the heroes left to us, the descendants: ( SLIDE)

Protect your homeland, protect it. Protect the weak, the poor, the elderly and children. Be strong, brave, courageous, courageous. Love your native land, your people, your country and your homeland.

(Reb reads):

Strong, mighty heroes

In glorious Russia!

Do not jump enemies on our land!

Don't trample them on horses

Russian land

Glory to Russian antiquity!

Glory to the Russian side! (SLIDE)

Now I will give you the Oak Leaf talisman so that you are brave, honest, kind and brave, like epic heroes - the defenders of the Russian land.

(A. Pakhmutova’s song “Our Heroic Strength” sounds.)

Informational resources.

1. Knyazeva O.L., Makhaneva M.D. Introducing children to the origins of Russian folk culture: Program. Educational - methodical manual. - 2nd edition - St. Petersburg: "Childhood - Press", 2010.

2. Kuprina L.S., Budarina T.A. Acquaintance of children with Russian folk art: A methodological guide for teachers of preschool educational institutions. - 3rd edition - St. Petersburg: "Childhood - Press", 2010.

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Introduction

The Russian lands are vast and rich, there are many dense forests, full-flowing rivers, abundant golden fields. Hardworking and peaceful people have lived here since ancient times. However, peaceful does not mean weak, and therefore, quite often, farmers and plowmen had to put aside their sickles and plows and come out with weapons in their hands to protect their land from numerous enemies - nomadic tribes, warlike neighbors. All this was reflected in folk epic songs, epics, which sang not only the skill and hard work of the common people, but also their military prowess. Mighty and majestic images of heroes rise before us in epics, such as Ilya Muromets, Alyosha Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich, Svyatogor, Mikula Selyaninovich and others. I wondered what kind of heroes they are today, do they exist now?

In my work, I would like to figure out who the heroes are, who we can call a hero and whether there are heroes now.

In this regard, we have chosen the topic of our research work - "Heroes of the Russian Land".

Objective: find out who the epic heroes are and are there heroes in modern life now

To achieve the goal, the following tasks:

find out who the hero is;

find out what qualities a hero should have;

3) get acquainted with literature and works of art about Russian heroes;

4) get to know the “great” people of our time;

5) compare the qualities of epic and modern heroes;

conduct a survey of students in grades 2-4, in order to find out what qualities a real hero should have, who can be called a hero of our time;

analyze research results;

spend a class and an hour to make a project with students on the topic: “Russian heroes”, create a film about modern heroes.

The research is based on hypothesis: let's say that the heroes are defenders from enemies, warriors with great strength. It is possible that the heroes lived a very long time and now they are gone. But what if the hero is an example of the great spirit of a Russian person.

Object of study- Russian bogatyrs

Subject of study- qualities of heroes.

During the work, we used methods:

Information retrieval method (analysis and synthesis of literature on the research topic)

Observation;

Questioning.

Theoretical significance: systematization and generalization of material on the research topic.

Practical significance: practical use of the material received in the lessons, class hours, in extracurricular activities, in Everyday life parents in raising children

Bogatyrs of the Russian land

I.1. Where did the word "hero" come from?

At present, the word "hero" can be heard very often: "heroic strength", "heroic health", "heroic dream" we say, "hero" we call every strong and healthy person, athlete, commander, war veteran.

But even 150-200 years ago, every Russian, saying "hero", compared someone with the epic defenders of his native land.

What does this word "hero" mean and where did it come from in our language? At first, the opinions of scientists were of three types:

1. Some believed that the word "hero" was borrowed from the Tatar and Turkic languages, where it appears in various forms: bagadur, batur, batyr, bator. It is assumed that the word has a historical meaning, that its original form of the word was "bogatyr" and that it was originally used in the meaning of "Tatar governor" and the title, as the present "master".

2. Scientist F.I. Buslaev, deduced "bogatyr" from the word "God" through "rich".

3. Historian of Russian literature and folklorist O.F. Miller and others believed that the word "bogatyr" is Russian and goes back to ancient Slavic history (the Proto-Aryan beginning and the Sanskrit language). The opinion proceeded from the position that the word "bagadur" is not a Tatar one, but is borrowed from the Sanskrit baghadhara (possessing happiness, successful).

The philologist V. Kozhinov and the historian L. Prozorov are against borrowing from the Tatar language in favor of Slavic origin. They argue that the word "bogatyr", much closer to the epic form, appeared in the inscriptions of the Bulgarians - "bogotur" (some of these bogotours have quite Slavic names - Slavna).

Our opinion about the word "hero" is also in support of the Slavic origin. It did not come from anywhere, but was always primordially Russian. This opinion is based on the ancient Slavic culture of our people in the period before the Baptism of Russia. This is confirmed by many scientists and historians that Russia has a great past and is much older than previously described.

I.2. Epic heroes

The theme of heroes takes us more and more into the ancient culture and history of our people.

Epics are the ancient wisdom of our people. The bylina came from the word "truth", and it is from the ancient Slavic verb - "to be", that is, what was and happened. Epics were composed by storytellers - the keepers of Russian antiquity, the bearers of the historical memory of the people. They went from village to village and chanted (like a song) about the great events of our country, about the heroic heroes, their exploits, how they overcame evil enemies, defended their land, showed their courage, courage, ingenuity, kindness .

In our study, we tried to include ancient figurative thinking and get to know the epic heroes better.

We learned that, according to legends and ancient epics, there first existed giants-bogatyrs. Let's get acquainted with some of them.

Gorynya (Sverni-mountain, Vertigor) - a mountain giant with superhuman strength, twisted stones, broke mountains, violated (changed) the nature of things: “

Dubynya (Dubynech, Vernidub, Tear-oak) - A forest giant with superhuman strength. In his forests, he behaved like a caring owner:

Usynya (Usynych, Usynka, Krutius) - River giant, rules the water element

Danube Ivanovich - Powerful hero, »

Svyatogor - A giant of incredible strength. " (Attachment 1)

Epics about the heroes-elements, in our opinion, sing of the majesty and spirituality of nature and bring us through the centuries the wisdom of the unity and interconnection of everything in the world. The epic heroes-elements are not people, but they fully correspond to the original image of the hero. The power of natural elements is superior to human, powerful and of divine origin (creative and destructive). She is generous with natural gifts and patronizes everything: animals, vegetation, humans. We assume that therefore the elements were represented in a heroic image.

To replace the hero-element came hero-man. According to historians, epics about the same hero were written for centuries (in different centuries) and reflect the exploits of real warriors. That is, the images of most epic heroes are collective (collected from various folk heroes and events). Let's get acquainted with some heroes from the epics "Volga and Mikula Selyaninovich", "Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin the Serpent", "Dobrynya and the Serpent", "Ilya Muromets and Svyatogor", "Ilya Muromets and the Nightingale the Robber", "Healing of Ilya Muromets", "Ilya Muromets and Kalin - Tsar”, “Ilya Muromets and Idolishche”. (Annex 2)

The epic hero-man also correspond to the original meaning of the word "hero". The performers of epics gave a very simple explanation to the most incredible epic episodes: "In the old days, people were not at all the same as they are now - heroes."

According to epics, heroes are endowed with superior strength from birth or upon reaching spiritual maturity. According to legend, such power was given only to spiritually mature people, because a less spiritual person can use such power to the detriment of the environment. It seems like a fairy tale, but even my great-grandfather and great-grandmother told about such unusual people in their time. And also the heroes are spiritually strong. The strength lies in the fact that they perform feats for the benefit of all the people, not for rewards, but for the triumph of truth, justice, and freedom; protect Mother Russia without sparing their lives under any circumstances (unequal battle and more). Bogatyrs show the best qualities - love for their native land, selfless courage and fortitude, independence of spirit, struggle for justice, truth, honor, etc.

We think that the unification of Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich is a call and aspiration of the people for unity. The strength of the people is in unity. The combination of the qualities of the three heroes suggests that for the defense of the motherland, victory, not only the strength of the onslaught is important, but also resourcefulness and the ability to resolve the issue peacefully. "Three heroes" is an image of the heroic spirit and power of the Russian people. In the old days they said: “A Slav has hands in labor, and his mind is with the Almighty.”

I.3. Modern heroes

Are there heroes in the modern world now? To find out, we decided to meet some of the "great" people of the past centuries and our time.

Athletes: legendary champions - wrestlers I.M. Poddubny and I. S. Yarygin; champions - weightlifters V.I. Alekseev and L.I. Zhabotinsky and others.

Military leaders: the great Russian commander A.V. Suvorov; Russian commander, Field Marshal M.I. Kutuzov; marshals commanders of the Great Patriotic War A.M. Vasilevsky and G.K. Zhukov; air marshals I.N. Kozhedub and A.I. Pokryshkin and others.

Officers and privates of the Great Patriotic War. They are all true heroes of our country. They showed steadfastness, courage, ardent love for the Motherland, fought without sparing their lives for our future and the future of Russia. We will always remember their deeds! (Annex 3)

We tried to compare the "great" people of our Motherland with the characteristics of a hero.

Characteristics of the hero:

We could not find a hero in the native sense of the word among the "great" people of modern times. Warlords are more like knights. Athletes compete in competitions without a threat to the life of the country, and if suddenly there is a war, they may not go to it. Volunteers are strong in spirit, but may not exceed strength and participate in not all wars. But we do not want to say that there are no heroes. Maybe we don’t know about them, they don’t compose modern epics about them. And the meaning of the word "hero" is now blurry. (Annex 4)

Chapter I Conclusions

In this chapter, we have collected and studied the literature on this topic. Find out who the hero is. We studied legends and epics, as well as epic heroes. We found out what qualities real heroes possessed.

The totality of military prowess is one of the main features of the Russian hero, but physical prowess alone is not enough, it is also necessary that all the activities of the hero have a religious and patriotic character. These are valiant heroes, brave men who are looking for difficult feats of arms. Combat campaigns are the basis of their daily life. They form a kind of heroic community. Like the epic heroes, they were of enormous growth and immense strength; hardened in enduring hardships and hardships.

We asked ourselves whether my peers know about epic heroes, what qualities, in their opinion, real heroes should have, and whether there are modern heroes. To this end, we have carried out research work.

Chapter II. Research work

Having studied the literature, we decided to carry out practical work in order to investigate what qualities real heroes should have and to find out if there are modern heroes, we set ourselves the following tasks:

Conduct a survey among students in grades 2-4 and their parents in order to find out which epic heroes they know, what qualities heroes should have, how they learned about heroes, is it possible to become a hero now, is it honorable to be a hero and analyze the results.

2 . Interview the librarian of the school library to find out what kind of books children are reading today.

3 . Analyze what people of what professions can be attributed to modern heroes

5 . Create a film about modern heroes, release a panel on the topic: "Russian heroes"

II.1. Questioning of students in grades 2-4 and their parents

We conducted a survey among students in grades 2-4 and their parents. This survey involved 42 people (21 children and 21 adults). Poll results:

To the question "who are the heroes?" children and adults wrote similar responses. General description: Bogatyrs are powerful people of the Russian land, brave, courageous (strong in spirit), warriors, defenders of their homeland and people.

The most famous heroes:

Among children and adults, the most famous were Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich.

75% of children and 58% of adults would like to be like Ilya Muromets. Because he is the strongest, he always defended his native land and was our countryman.

8% of children - for Dobrynya Nikitich, because he was wise, and of adults 20% - for Alyosha Popovich, because he is strong, the youngest and most savvy.

2% of adults - on Peresvet and Oslyabya - who, after military life, thought about the high meaning of life, went into monasticism. 17% - 20% of children and adults wanted to be like themselves.

The main qualities of a hero

Children Adults:

Physical Strength (67%) - Physical Strength (75%)

Spirit (33%) - Spirit (16%)

Fortitude marked - love for the Motherland, courage, masculinity, resourcefulness, willpower, kindness, a sense of justice and others.

Military art (9%)

Children see the hero not necessarily as a warrior, but as a person who is always very powerful and strong in spirit. Adults see the hero not only as a powerful and strong spirit, but also knowledgeable in military affairs. Mighty strength is highlighted as the main quality.

Attracts in heroes

But both children and adults in heroes are attracted by their spiritual qualities (courage, self-confidence, nobility, helping the weak, fighting for justice, love for the Motherland and its defense).

How did you find out about the heroes?

Children Adults:

Books (epics, tales) (67%) - books (epics, tales) (50%)

Movies and cartoons (25%) - movies and cartoons (33%)

Stories, excursions (8%) - stories, excursions (17%)

Children and adults learned about heroes mainly from books.

67% of children and 25% of adults believe that they cannot, because a woman has less strength and this is not a woman's business, a woman is the keeper of the hearth and family. And 33% of children and 67% of adults believe that they can, because female wisdom, cunning and ingenuity help a woman win.

Are there any heroes now? Who can be named?

83% of children and 25% of adults believe that there are no real heroes anymore, because over time people have changed or do not know about them, and the heroes remained the heroes of antiquity. But 7% of children and 67% of adults believe that even now there are heroes - these are athletes, soldiers of war, commanders.

Is it possible to become rich?

Most children and adults think they can. To do this, you need to believe in yourself, go in for sports, be fair, kind, wise, honest, train willpower, spirit, help people, be a patriot. But some children and adults believe that it will not work. Because physical and spiritual data are laid from nature (God). You can become a good person, a strong athlete, a hero, but not a hero.

Half of the adults and some of the children believe that now it is not honorable to be a hero. Because over time, the character traits for which the heroes were respected ceased to be valued, and the aspirations of people changed towards the achievement of material values. But most children and 42% of adults think it's an honor. Because we lack such people as heroes, they believe in eternal human values, they look with hope and optimism into the future. (Annex 5)

II.2. Interview with the librarian of the school library

We interviewed a school library librarian to find out what children are reading today.

The librarian of the school library Krivenko Natalya Rafaelovna said that love and respect for the printed word is instilled in us from childhood. A book is the best gift, a book is a true friend and wise adviser. Children at all times loved rhymes, nursery rhymes, fairy tales. And such authors as Barto, Zakhoder, Marshak - they are, of course, timeless. But older guys are increasingly asking for science fiction and detective stories. According to the librarian, once the children took Krapivin, Kira Bulychev well. Dumas was read to holes. Today, these authors, although not so in demand, are still readable. At the same time, the guys still love Astrid Lindgren, and Mark Twain, and Daniel Defoe, they read Dragunsky and Nosov. But children read epics reluctantly, only as program material. (Annex 6)

II.3. Modern heroes

Analyze people of what professions can be attributed to modern heroes.

We note the main qualities of heroes:

Physical strength - very strong and powerful, endowed with superior strength from birth or later, when spiritually ready.

Strength of mind - brave, noble, resolute, with a sense of justice, dignity, has independence of mind, willpower, ingenuity, resourcefulness, loves his native land and the world around him, is ready to fight to the end even without hope of victory, to give his life for his homeland and people .

Martial arts - may or may not be trained in martial arts. Free in decisions and from duty.

The life's work is to protect the people and native land from a deadly threat, not out of duty or personal benefit (reward), but at the behest of the soul.

Such characteristics, in our opinion, include people of the following professions - a policeman, a rescuer, a firefighter, a military man.

After we found out who the hero is, identified his main characteristics, talked with the librarian of the school library, we decided to acquaint my classmates with what I learned new and interesting about the heroes. We spent a class hour (Appendix 7, 8), made a project with the students on the topic: “Russian heroes” created a film about modern heroes.

Chapter II Conclusions

Thus, we carried out research work in order to investigate what qualities real heroes should have and to find out whether there are modern heroes, we set ourselves the following tasks:

Thus, the totality of military prowess and a kind, honest disposition are the main features of the Russian hero, but physical prowess alone is not enough, it is also necessary that all the activities of the hero have a religious and patriotic character. In general, people idealize their heroes, and if they hyperbolically represent their physical qualities: strength, dexterity, heavy gait, deafening voice, prolonged sleep, then nevertheless they do not have that brutal gluttony of other monstrous giants who appear in epics, who do not belong to the category of heroes .

Conclusion

Based on the main goal of our work - to explore what qualities real heroes should have and find out if modern heroes exist:

Selected and studied the literature on this topic.

We learned from additional literature who the heroes are, studied legends and epics with epic heroes. We found out what qualities real heroes possessed.

A survey was conducted among students in grades 2-4 and their parents in order to find out what epic heroes they know, what qualities heroes should have, how they learned about heroes, whether it is possible to become a hero now, whether it is honorable to be a hero and analyze the results.

3 . We interviewed the librarian of the school library in order to find out what books modern children read.

4 . We analyzed the people of what professions can be attributed to modern heroes.

6 . They created a film about modern heroes, to release a panel on the topic: "Russian heroes"

During the study, our hypothesis was confirmed. We are confident that the topic of our research is very important for any generation, because we must know our past, the great deeds of our people, our heroes. They are an example of courage and valor, the pride of our land and bring up the Russian spirit in us.

Although modern heroes do not completely look like heroes, they have absorbed part of their strength. They are also strong in spirit, stand guard over peace and life, show the power and strength of our Motherland. And as long as we have such heroes, as long as we remember them, the heroic spirit of the Russian people is also alive.

We think that if we combine the qualities of athletes, military leaders and people's volunteers together, then we will get the image of a real hero.

In our time, Russia needs heroes.

Bibliography

1. Anikin V.P. Epics. Russian folk tales. Chronicles. Moscow: Higher school, 1998.

2. Epics. Russian folk tales. M.: Children's literature, 2002.

3. Epics. Russian folk tales. Old Russian stories / Anikin V.P., Likhachev D.S., Mikhelson T.N. M.: Children's literature, 2009.

4. Rybakov B.A. Russia: Legends. Epics. Chronicles. M.: Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences, 1998.

5. Selivanov V.I. Bogatyr epic of the Russian people / Epics. M.: Children's literature, 2010, v.1. - p.5-25.

6. Wikipedia website

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%82%D1%8B%D1%80%D0%B8

Pictures from the site on the Internet

http://go.mail.ru/search?mailru=1&q=%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%BA%D0%B8+%D0 %B1%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%82%D1%8B%D1%80%D1%8C

Thesaurus

• Bogatyr - characters of epics and legends, distinguished by great strength and performing feats of a religious or patriotic nature. In historical records and annals, there are indications that some events that turned into epics really took place. The heroes stood guard over Russia, at the outpost.

  Bylina - about the exploits of heroes and reflecting the life of Ancient Russia in the 9th-13th centuries; a kind of oral folk art, which is characterized by a song-epic way of reflecting reality.

  Epic heroes are the main characters of epics. They embody the ideal of a courageous person devoted to his homeland and people. The hero fights alone against hordes of enemy forces.

Attachment 1.

Hero-element

Bogatyr	Description and skills
Gorynya (Sverni-mountain, Vertigor)	The mountain giant, possessing inhuman strength, twisted stones, broke mountains, violated (changed) the nature of things: “ It captures the mountain, carries it to the log and lays out the road, or shakes the mountain on the little finger "
Dubynya (Dubynech, Vernidub, Vyrvi-oak)	A forest giant with superhuman strength. In his forests, he behaved like a caring owner: “Dubye makes up (levels): which oak is high, that one shoves into the ground, and which is low, pulls from the ground” or “dubye tears”
Adoption (Usynych, Usynka, Krutius)	River giant, rules the water element : “he stole the river with his mouth, he catches fish with his mustache, he cooks and eats on his tongue, he dammed the river with one mustache, and along the mustache, as if over a bridge, footmen are walking, horsemen are jumping, carts are going, he is with a nail, a beard with an elbow, a mustache is dragging along the ground , wings lie a mile away.
Dunay Ivanovich	mighty hero, “The Danube is not like other heroes; obviously a stranger from other countries, exuberant in spirit, he is distinguished by some special proud posture. He was in the service of the Lithuanian king, was married to the youngest daughter of the king, Nastasya, a “warrior-woodpile”. In the epic, the Danube, in the competition, falls into Nastasya, and she dies. In despair, he threw himself on his spear and died next to his wife, the Danube River overflows, and the wife - the Nastasya River: “ And he fell on a knife with a zealous heart; Since that time, from hot blood, Mother Danube flowed»
Svyatogor	The bogatyr is a giant of incredible strength. " He is taller than the dark forest, he props up the clouds with his head. He gallops along the Holy Mountains - the mountains stagger under him, he will drive into the river - water splashes out of the river. There is no one with whom Svyatogor can measure his strength. To travel around Russia, to take a walk with other heroes, to fight with enemies, to shake the strength of the hero, but the trouble is: the earth does not hold him, only stone cliffs under his weight do not collapse, do not fall.

Appendix 2

Bogatyr-man

Bogatyr	Description and skills
Mikula Selyaninovich	Strongly powerful hero-plowman (oratay). He is stronger than not only Volga, but also his entire squad. ... a good friend of a bipod is spinning around, but the midges cannot pull it out of the ground ... Then an oratayushko came to a maple bipod. After all, he took the bipod with one hand, he pulled the bipod out of the ground ... ". Mikula helped defend his land from enemies, but he did not give up his agricultural work. He said: " Who will feed Russia then? Mikula's strength is in connection with the land and the common people.
Alyosha Popovich	Russian young hero from Rostov, who was distinguished by strength, courage, prowess, onslaught, audacity, resourcefulness, sharpness and cunning. Where there was not enough strength in battle, he won with ingenuity. He is boastful, overly sly and evasive. He is distinguished by decisiveness, wit and cheerfulness. Knows how to call for help natural phenomena (rain, hail ..) “... Alyosha had a profitable prayer ...”
Nikitich	Russian hero from Ryazan, warrior hero and diplomat (negotiated without bloodshed). He combined great strength, boundless courage and courage, military skill, nobility of thoughts and deeds, education, foresight and foresight. He knew how to sing, play the harp, was skilled in chess, and had outstanding diplomatic skills. Dobrynya in all epics expresses his heroic qualities, jealously protects the dignity of the Russian warrior, he is reasonable in speeches, restrained, tactful, caring son and faithful husband.
Ilya Muromets	The great Russian hero from near Murom, a hero-peasant. He has great spiritual power. And endowed with powerful physical strength. He is distinguished by selfless, unbounded love for the motherland (patriotism), a sense of justice, self-esteem, courage, courage and prowess. He is honest to the smallest detail and straightforward. He is magnanimous and kind when it does not concern enemies. This is a mature and experienced defender of the Russian land.

Appendix 3

Prominent people of Russia

Athletes: legendary champions - wrestlers I.M. Poddubny and I. S. Yarygin; champions - weightlifters V.I. Alekseev and L.I. Zhabotinsky and others.
Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny (1871-1949) professional wrestler and athlete	He comes from a poor peasant family from the Poltava region to a poor peasant family. From an early age, he helped his father plow the land, thresh rye. The simplicity of the peasant way of life, the hard physical labor laid down unusual perseverance in the character of the boy, helped to accumulate powerful strength, for which the Russian nugget became famous in the future. While working as a loader in the Sevastopol port, he shouldered a huge box, which was beyond the strength of even three, rose to his full huge height and walked up the trembling gangway. Honored Artist of Russia (1939), Honored Master of Sports (1945). Cavalier of the Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1939) "in the development of Soviet sports." In 1905-08. world champion in classical wrestling among professionals. Wrestled in the circus arena until the age of 70. For 40 years of performances, he has not lost a single competition. He won brilliant victories over almost all the strongest professional wrestlers in the world, for which he was recognized as the "champion of champions". This title was awarded to him by popular rumor. The people called him "Ivan the Invincible", "Thunderstorm of Champions", "Man-Mountain", "Ivan Iron". When the occupation of the Germans began in the Second World War, Poddubny's heart was already aching at that time, he was 70 years old, but he refused to be evacuated and stayed. The Germans offered him to train German wrestlers, but he remained faithful to his homeland: “I am a Russian wrestler. I will remain“After the liberation of Yeysk, Ivan Maksimovich traveled to nearby military units and hospitals, spoke with memories and raised the morale of the people. A monument was erected in Yeysk, there is a museum and a sports school named after him. On the gravestone of I.M. Poddubny is carved: "Here lies the Russian hero."
Warlords: the great Russian commander A.V. Suvorov; Russian commander, Field Marshal M.I. Kutuzov; marshals commanders of the Great Patriotic War A.M. Vasilevsky and G.K. Zhukov; air marshals I.N. Kozhedub and A.I. Pokryshkin and others.
Alexander Vasilievich Suvorov (1730-1800) great Russian commander	Born into a military family of noble origin. He spent his childhood on his father's estate in the countryside. Suvorov grew weak, was often sick, but from an early age, the craving for military affairs and the decision to become a military man inspires Suvorov to strengthen his body. He hardens and goes in for physical exercises, in any weather he makes long journeys on foot, develops endurance. During his life, the legendary commander fought 63 battles, and all of them were victorious; passed all stages of army service - from private to generalissimo. In two wars against the Ottoman Empire, Suvorov was finally recognized as the "first sword of Russia." Awarded with numerous awards. Possessing extraordinary personal courage, he threw himself into the heat of battle, paying for it with repeated wounds. Unselfishness, generosity, good nature, ease of handling attracted all hearts to him. Suvorov showed a humane attitude towards the civilian population and prisoners, severely pursued looting. Suvorov's patriotism was based on the idea of ​​serving the fatherland, a deep belief in the high combat abilities of the Russian warrior ( "In the world there is nowhere a braver Russian"). Suvorov entered the history of Russia as an innovative commander who made a huge contribution to the development of military art, developed and implemented an original system of views on the methods and forms of warfare and combat, education and training of troops. Suvorov's strategy was offensive in nature. Suvorov's strategy and tactics were outlined in his work "The Science of Victory". The essence of his tactics is the three martial arts: eye, speed, onslaught. His name has become synonymous with victory, military skill, heroism and patriotism. The Suvorov heritage is still used in the training and education of Russian troops. “My offspring, please take my example! ..”
Officers and privates of the Great Patriotic War. They are all true heroes of our country. They showed steadfastness, courage, ardent love for the Motherland, fought without sparing their lives for our future and the future of Russia. We will always remember their deeds!

Appendix 4

In library…

Annex 5

Who would you like to be like? (in %)

The main qualities of a hero? (in %)

How did you find out about the heroes? (in %)

Can a woman be a hero?

Are there any heroes now?

Is it honorable to be a hero in our time?

Appendix 6

Interview with a librarian

Annex 7

Classroom hour

"Bogatyrs - defenders of the Russian land"

Not so long ago we celebrated the holiday "Defender of the Fatherland Day". Motherland, Fatherland - holy, dear words for every person. It is the duty of the people to defend their land. Defenders are serving in the name of the fatherland.

Strong and mighty Russia. Russia has always been famous for its defenders from ordinary soldiers to generals. The famous commander Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov believed that there is no better soldier than a Russian anywhere in the world. He himself will not disappear, and he will save his comrade, and where his strength decreases, he will reach with ingenuity. And the opinion of the legendary generalissimo can be trusted. The Russian soldier is truly rich.

Historically, our people had to fight against foreign invaders for centuries. The names of the Kyiv princes Svyatoslav Igorevich and Vladimir the Red Sun sounded menacing for the Polovtsians, Khazars, and Pechenegs.

Where do Russian soldiers draw their inexhaustible strength from? They say that they inherited it from distant ancestors, about whom songs and legends are composed - from epic heroes who lived 1000 years ago, but the glory of their exploits, as the defenders of the Russian land and their Fatherland, has come down to our days from ancient times. . We will talk about these strongmen, intercessors and just warriors today.

Glory to our side

Glory to Russian antiquity!

And about this old

I'll start telling you

For all of you to know

About the affairs of the native land.

Times are different now

Like thoughts and deeds -

Russia has gone far

From the country that was!

Smart, strong our people

Looking far ahead

But the legends of old

We must not forget!

Glory to Russian antiquity,

Glory to our side!

Strong as a free wind

Mighty like a hurricane.

He protects the earth

From the evil bastards!

He is rich in good power,

He protects the capital city.

Saves the poor and children

And old people and mothers!

Our mother Russia is great!

High is the heavenly height,

Deep is the depth of the ocean-sea,

Wide expanse over the whole earth.

Sorochinskiye mountains are deep,

The dark forests of Bryansk,

Smolensk stones are large,

Fast - bright Russian rivers.

And also strong, mighty heroes in glorious Russia.

The Russian land is glorious with heroes!

What associations do you have with the word "hero"? (strong, brave, fearless, protector...)

And how does the explanatory dictionary interpret the meaning of this word?

Let us turn to the dictionary of Sergei Ivanovich Ozhegov.

Bogatyr - 1) the hero of Russian epics, performing military feats in the name of the Motherland. 2) a man of immense strength, stamina, courage.

Complete the task: choose cards with those words that fit the description of the image of the hero.

Strong, lazy, warrior, defender, fool, brave, kind, cowardly, evil, weak.

What is the name of the folk songs in which the heroic deeds are glorified? (epics)

It has long been loved in Russia to get together on long winter evenings or bad weather. They wove nets, repaired fishing gear, made various household utensils, and the storyteller said in a singsong voice:

You listen, good people,

Yes, my epic, the truth - the truth!

And what is an "epic"?

Let's turn to the dictionary.

Bylina- Russian folk epic song about heroes.

(Russian folk song legend)

The word "epic" - comes from the word "true", that is, what you really were. They were created for performance at holidays, at feasts. They were performed by special people - storytellers who, from memory, recited epics in a singsong voice and accompanied themselves on the harp.

Let's hear the harp play.

Remember, guys, the names of Russian heroes.

Each of us knows the names of these glorious heroes from childhood.

Russian artist - Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov, depicted portraits of the most famous heroes in his famous painting.

What do you think the name of this painting is? The picture is called "Bogatyrs".

(reproduction of V.M. Vasnetsov's painting "Bogatyrs" is shown)

What helped you guess that the name of the painting is "Bogatyrs"?

Vasnetsov worked on the painting "Bogatyrs" for about 20 years.

Against the backdrop of the boundless steppe, the artist depicted three heroes guarding the borders.

What heroes are depicted on it? (Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich, Alyosha Popovich)

What are rich people doing? (All three vigilantly peer into the distance; does not threaten the Russian land with trouble.)

They are ready to stand up for the Motherland. Behind them is the whole Russian land - its fields, forests, rivers.

The picture convinces us that the Russian land is strong and powerful. And she is not afraid of any enemy. Kyiv-grad stands on high hills. In the old days, it was surrounded by an earthen rampart, surrounded by deep ditches.

Steppes stretched beyond the forests without end and without edge. And a lot of goryushka came from these steppes to Russia. Nomads flew from them to Russian villages - they burned and robbed, took Russian people into captivity.

And in order to save the Russian land from enemies, they began to set up small fortresses in the steppes - heroic outposts. They guarded the path to Kyiv, protected from enemies and strangers. And the bogatyrs began to ride across the steppe on bogatyr horses. Vigilantly they peered into the distance - not to see enemy fires, not to hear the clatter of other people's horses?

Days and months, years and decades, Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich protected their native land - all of them in the steppe and in the open field carried out military service. Occasionally they gathered in the courtyard of Prince Vladimir to rest - to listen to the guslars, to talk to each other.

The main friend of the heroes was a horse, a horse. What is on a horse is called a harness. What does this include? (bridle, stirrups, saddle)

The heroes rode tirelessly on mighty horses, in heroic equipment, and armed, to defend the Russian land.

How are the heroes dressed? (A chain mail is put on the body - an iron shirt)

Why does the rich need it? (She protected the heroes from the blows of a spear, arrows and a sword). The chain mail weighed 7 kilograms.

What is worn on the heads of heroes? (Helmet)

The helmet was made of metal, it was decorated with an ornament, a pattern. And who was richer, decorated the helmet with gilding, silver plates. The helmet protected the head of the warrior - the hero from blows.

What other armor do the heroes have? (Shields, bow, quiver with arrows, flail, club, ax, sword - mace)

The sword was the main weapon of warriors - heroes and warriors - warriors at that time in Russia. The sword was a Russian weapon. An oath was sworn on swords, the sword was revered. It was an expensive weapon, it was inherited from father to son. The sword was carried in a scabbard to keep it from rusting. The sword hilt and scabbard were decorated with ornaments and patterns. The patterns on the scabbard and hilt of the sword were applied not only for the purpose of decoration, but also in order to help their owner, who wields the sword.

Ilya Muromets is the most famous and, at the same time, the most mysterious hero of the Russian epic. It is difficult to find such a person in Russia who would never have heard of this glorious hero from the ancient city of Murom.

But Ilya Muromets did not immediately become a hero. He sat in jail for thirty years and three years, and let's see what happened next.

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Ilya Muromets embodies the best qualities of a person: courage, honesty, loyalty, love for the motherland. Epics tell about his miraculous strength, about the fight against the Nightingale the Robber. (Slide 29)

The images of heroes are the national standard of courage, justice, patriotism and strength. No wonder one of the first Russian aircraft, which had an exceptional carrying capacity for those times, was named - "Ilya Muromets".

For many modern people, it is a revelation that the popular hero of the epic is revered as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church. Ilya Muromets was officially canonized in 1643 among sixty-nine saints of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. The memory of the holy hero is celebrated on January 1. The relics of the monk are still in the caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv.

The memory of Ilya Muromets has always been kept in his homeland - in the village of Karacharovo and the city of Murom, where they did not doubt his real existence and origin. And where a monument was erected to him.

Dobrynya Nikitich is the second most popular hero of the epos of Kievan Rus after Ilya Muromets.

He is often portrayed as a service hero under Prince Vladimir. Dobrynya is the hero closest to the prince and his family, who fulfills their personal assignments and is distinguished not only by courage, but also by diplomatic abilities.

He embodies education, excellent upbringing, knowledge of etiquette, the ability to play the harp, intelligence (Dobrynya plays chess superbly). In epics, he often represents the interests of Prince Vladimir in foreign lands. He, like all heroes, is brave and courageous. Already from childhood (from the age of 12 or 15), Dobrynya has excellent command of weapons.

Dobrynya Nikitich became famous for defeating the Fire Serpent in a difficult battle, freeing many people, among them the niece of Prince Vladimir - Zabava Putyatichna.

Alyosha Popovich - the youngest of the three heroes, the main heroes of the Russian epic

Alyosha Popovich is the son of the Rostov priest Levontiy. He often visited fairs, helped people and had heroic strength. Alyosha Popovich is distinguished by courage, daring, onslaught, on the one hand, and resourcefulness, sharpness, cunning, on the other.

Alyosha Popovich saves the prince's wife Apraksia from Tugarin Zmeevich, and the Russian people from incredible hardships and taxes.

Volga Svyatoslavich is a hero of Russian epics. As a child, Volga grows by leaps and bounds, and soon becomes a powerful hero, possessing not only the art of fighting enemies, but also the ability to understand the language of birds and animals and turn around different animals.

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There are other epics - about the heroes of peaceful labor. The most famous of them is about the plowman - the hero Mikul Selyaninovich. He plows the land, feeds Russia. In the epics of Mikula Selyaninovich, the Russian people so exalted his work that no one could compare with him in strength and power.

Volga, bowed to the plowman:

- Oh, you, glorious plowman, mighty hero, you go with me for a comrade ...

The plowman removed the silk tugs from the plow, unharnessed the gray filly, sat on her astride and set off.

The fellows galloped halfway. The plowman says to Volga Vseslavevich:

- Oh, we did something wrong, we left a plow in the furrow. You sent fellow vigilantes to pull the bipod out of the furrow, shake the earth out of it, put the plow under the willow bush. Volga sent three vigilantes. They turn the bipod this way and that, but they cannot lift the bipod from the ground.

Twice Volga sent combatants to pull out that plow, on the third time he himself and his squad did not overcome the whole. Mikula pulled out that plow with one hand.

They know the epics of a wonderful musician - this is Sadko, a Novgorod merchant. No one can compare with him in the art of playing the harp. And once the King of the Sea himself heard and invited him to visit him.

The oldest epic is considered to be about Svyatogor the Bogatyr or Kolyvan, as he is also called.

Svyatogor is a Russian hero, of enormous growth, incredible strength. He is taller than a dark forest, props up the clouds with his head. He gallops along the Holy Mountains - the mountains stagger under him, he will drive into the river - water splashes out of the river. Svyatogor has no one to measure his strength with. To travel around Russia, to take a walk with other heroes, to fight with enemies, to shake the heroic strength, but the trouble is: the earth does not hold him, only stone cliffs under his weight do not collapse, do not fall, here there he lived. It is hard for Svyatogor from his strength.

When the heroes gathered all together, they became so strong that it was impossible to defeat them. This is what proverbs say.

Task: collect proverbs

The hero is not by birth glorious, …………. but a feat.

There is nothing better than that…………. than to protect their native land from enemies.

Courage ………. the strength of the governor.

To the brave to sip peas, ……… but to the timid and not to see the cabbage soup.

Our conversation about Russian heroes has come to an end. Heroes of epics, their feats of arms remain in memory for a long time.

Remember: there is always a place for a feat. There are always those who need your protection, support, approval, friendly smile. I wish you peace, good luck, kindness, happiness.

Appendix 8

People need heroes, more precisely, not so much themselves as legends about them. After all, when the life of a real person is overgrown with myths, it is so easy to love and admire him. And even better - set an example. Such people are not humanly ideal - they are honest and disinterested, and they do not die out of stupidity in a drunken fight, but only by accomplishing a great feat, in the name of the common good. And although all these are fairy tales, they help those who believe in them to become better and work on themselves in the hope of reaching the level of their hero. Let's learn about one of the varieties of such ideals - about the heroes and knights of the Russian land. Indeed, although over the past centuries it is hardly possible to establish the truth about their lives, they were great people, since the memory of them has been preserved to this day.

Who are the heroes, and where did this word come from?

From time immemorial, this noun has been called warriors with superhuman abilities, as a rule, physical strength and endurance. Most often, these valiant knights were the heroes of folk medieval Slavic epics and legends. The main occupation of the heroes of the Russian land was to protect it from enemies, as well as measure strength and demonstrate prowess by performing feats.

Most linguists agree on the Turkic origin of the term "bogatyr" ("brave", "brave hero"). Probably, especially distinguished warriors began to be called that with the beginning of raids on the lands of Russia by the steppe nomads. And among them, the word Bahādor meant a hereditary title, which went to especially distinguished fighters, an analogue of the European knightly title. In this sense, this noun was first mentioned in the Chinese chronicle of the 8th century.

There are also mentions of the Mongol knights-bogatyrs in the Italian chronicles of the 13th century, as well as in the famous Slavic document of the 13th-14th centuries. - Ipatiev Chronicle.

It is not known exactly when and why Slavic knights began to be called a foreign word, who just specialized in protection from the steppe "heroes". But already in the annals of the XV-XVI centuries. this term is used precisely in the meaning of the Slavic hero-defender.

There is an opinion that, faced with the valiant Russians, the Mongols called them knights, that is, "heroes". The Slavs liked this name because of the similarity with the word "God", and they themselves began to call their own heroes that way, as if hinting at godlikeness. Moreover, some heroes of the Russian land were identified with ancient deities, such as Svyatogor. And although at the time of the emergence of this concept, Russia had already been baptized, the process of full-fledged Christianization itself took several centuries, and Orthodoxy took root only because it absorbed a good half of pagan rituals and beliefs.

The question of the cultural affiliation of the epic knights

Almost all legends, tales and epics about the heroes of the Russian land relate to the period of Kievan Rus, namely the times of Vladimir the Great. Because of this, disputes about the nationality of the knights do not subside. After all, they are simultaneously claimed by Belarusians, Russians and Ukrainians.

To understand why this happened, it is worth remembering where the Old Russian state was located. Under Prince Vladimir, it included the lands of modern Ukraine (except for its steppe part), Belarus and a small piece of Poland and the Russian Federation. Pay attention, according to the chronicles, during the time of Kievan Rus, the lands of Novgorod, Smolensk, Vladimir, Ryazan, Rostov and Galich were not considered Russian.

The spread of Christianity is tightly intertwined with the concept of "Rus". By the XIV century. in the annals, it was precisely the lands where Orthodoxy was spread that began to be called Russian. And all of the above cities also began to be referred to as such. This is evidenced by the chronicle document "List of Russian cities near and far", which lists these great Slavic trading cities, in addition to them, there are Bulgarian and Lithuanian ones. This, according to historians, indicates that the concept of "Russian" was a synonym for "Orthodox" in the minds of the people of that time.

In this way, this name spread to the inhabitants of other Slavic territories, which were not originally considered as such. And after the final collapse of Kievan Rus, it was Novgorod, Smolensk, Vladimir, Ryazan and Rostov who were able to increase their influence in this region and took responsibility for protecting it from the steppes. They became the core on the basis of which the Moscow principality arose and strengthened in the future, which turned into Russia years later. And its indigenous inhabitants, according to tradition, began to call themselves Russians. This name stuck with them to this day.

This version is supported by the fact that the main occupation of the classical heroes of the Russian land, according to epics and legends, was not just the defense of the borders from the Mongols and other steppe dwellers, but also the defense of the Christian faith. This feature of theirs is repeatedly emphasized in legends.

Therefore, when talking about the heroes of the Russian land during the existence of the Kyiv state, Ukrainians and Belarusians have every right to rank them as part of their own culture. Indeed, in those centuries, it was these peoples who left Russia.

On the other hand, the popularization of most epic heroes occurred in a later era precisely through the efforts of the inhabitants of the future Russia, who not only sang the exploits of the legendary knights of Russia, but also added many of their own to their pantheon. So her people also have rights to Slavic defenders from the steppes. Moreover, it was this literature that gave the world numerous beautiful poems about the heroes of the Russian land.

Disputes about the cultural affiliation of the legendary knights between the three peoples are unlikely to ever stop. But they do provide some benefit. The fact is that Belarusians, Russians and Ukrainians have their own view on the interpretation of the biography and the very image of the hero. The defenders of the Russian land in the epic of each nation are endowed with special features that are characteristic of its mentality. This provides a lot of interesting material for research by historians and linguists. And who said that truth is not born in disputes?

What categories are the epic heroes and knights of the Russian land

Scientists also argue about how to classify the heroes of legends and legends. The most famous 3 theories:

• Knights are divided into older and younger generations.
• There are 3 heroic eras: pre-Tatar, Tatar and post-Tatar.
• The heroes of the Russian land are divided into those who lived in the pre-Christian and Christian periods. It is worth noting that pre-Christian knights are few in number. Their images are often close to the ancient pagan deities.

While the heroes of the era after the baptism of Russia are often more humane. Most of them accomplished their exploits during the reign of Vladimir the Great. This is probably because this period was considered the most successful in the history of the Kievan state. And although the years of the reign of Yaroslav were the highest point of development, almost all events from the life of classical Christian heroes are associated with the era of the Red Sun. Perhaps, in order to more successfully spread the new religion among the Slavs, the exploits of all the heroes respected by them began to be associated with the era of its implementer. By the way, he himself was declared a saint, but meanwhile he was a rapist and murderer, as mentioned in the annals.

Some historians believe that in fact there were fewer knights themselves. There were simply wandering stories about nameless heroes. In each locality, special names and biographies were invented for these nameless heroes of the Russian land in order to tie them to their own history. That is why their exploits are often similar: to woo a bride, kill a snake, fight a horde, suffer from boasting.

Pagan heroes

The most famous hero of this period is Svyatogor. He is described as a knight of gigantic proportions, who, by the way, lived outside Russia - in the Holy Mountains.

This character is unlikely to have had one prototype and is prefabricated, and besides, borrowed. Legends about him describe, as a rule, 3 fragments from life:

• Death due to boasting of one's own strength.
• Finding the predicted spouse.
• The betrayal of his wife and acquaintance with Ilya Muromets, to whom Svyatogor before his death gave his sword and part of his strength.

Svyatogor, who is identified with some pagan deity, exists outside the Kyiv or Novgorod epic cycles. While Mikula Selyaninovich and Ilya Muromets are one of their brightest representatives. Therefore, probably, the legends about their meetings with Svyatogor are later (especially judging by the names) and were invented in order to show the continuity of these characters.

The hero-plowman Mikula Selyaninovich also belongs to the pagan heroes from the Novgorod cycle. Judging by the structure of the name, to which a nickname was added, indicating the origin, this image is later than Svyatogor.

All legends about Mikul emphasize his connection with the land and labor on it. She was the source of his strength. Subsequently, this plot element was borrowed by epics about other heroes.

It is noteworthy that there is no information about Mikula's wife, but two glorious daughters are known.

By the way, when Christianity appeared, the character of Nicholas the Wonderworker, as well as the holidays associated with him, were "borrowed" from Mikula.

The third cult superhero, that is, the legendary hero of the pagan era, is Volga Svyatoslavich (Volkh Vseslavievich).

He was not only strong, but also able to understand the language of animals, birds and fish, and also turn into some of them.

It is believed that he was the son of Princess Marfa Vseslavievna and a snake. Hence the werewolf abilities. If Svyatogor is considered a deity, then Volga is a demigod. In epics, he is spoken of as a hero of noble birth, leading a squad by birthright. At the same time, he takes the commoner Mikula Selyaninovich as his assistant for his valor and courage.

As for the nobility of the soul, then Volga is hardly worth setting as an example. The story of meeting Mikula describes the bogatyr as a mediocre ruler, strangling the people with taxes.

Epics about Svyatoslavich's campaign against the Indian kingdom describe the hero not as a valiant warrior, but as a cunning and far-sighted commander who, turning into different animals, successfully led his soldiers through all difficulties and led to victory. On the conquered land, he raped the wife of the defeated ruler and, taking her as his wife, reigned there. He gave local girls to his soldiers to be torn to pieces. So Volga is more of an anti-hero, especially in comparison with the noble plowman Mikula.

Some identify this character with Prophetic Oleg. There are those who compare him with Prince Vladimir. Agree, there is a lot in common between their destinies. In addition to the same patronymic, in the life of Vladimir there was an episode with the rape of the daughter of the Polotsk prince, who became the mother of Yaroslav the Wise. True, the mother of the future baptist of Russia was a slave, and not a princess, like Volga.

golden trinity

Most of the other epic knights belong to the Christian period.

First of all, you should pay attention to the trio from Vasnetsov's painting. Everyone can easily say what the names of the heroes of the Russian land were. These are Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich.

Many epics, often contradicting each other, tell about the biography of the first. They agree only in a few aspects. So, Ilya could not walk until the age of 33 (perhaps this date is given as an analogy with Christ), but then the wandering magicians heal him and punish him to go to Vladimir's squad, where Muromets performs most of the feats. At the same time, the hero’s attitude towards the ruler himself was not the best.

It is also known that the hero was married, which did not prevent him from often having fun on the side.

According to legend, in his old age, Ilya Muromets was tonsured in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, where he spent the last years of his life. After his death, he was canonized. The announcement of Elijah as a saint contributed to the preservation of his remains to our times. Thanks to this, in the 80s they were investigated. Scientists have confirmed that their owner suffered from paralysis of the legs in his youth, and died at the age of 40-55 due to a wound in the heart area.

Dobrynya Nikitich is the second most popular character. It is generally accepted that he existed in the same historical period as Ilya. Unlike him, he was close to Vladimir. The hero is identified with his maternal uncle.

Unlike Muromets, Nikitich is known not only for strength, but also for his intelligence. He is well educated and even plays several musical instruments.

It is worth saying that in future centuries, some features of pagan and Christian deities were attributed to the heroes of the era of Vladimir. Ilya Muromets is identified with the biblical prophet Elijah and the pagan god of thunder. Rumor equates Dobrynya with George the Victorious, who slew the Serpent. This is reflected in the legends about the victory over the snake that kidnapped the beautiful Zabava.

Unlike Ilya Muromets, this hero was a faithful husband. In later centuries, in order to link the image of Dobrynya and Alyosha Popovich, a story was spread about the latter's attempt to deceive him into marrying the knight's wife.

Little is known about the last years of his life. According to legend, he died in the battle of Kalka. On the site of his grave, a mound was poured, which still bears the name "Dobrynin".

The positioning of Alyosha Popovich as the youngest arose not because of age or physical data, but because of the later period of his appearance. Thanks to the masterpiece of Vasnetsov, as well as modern cartoons, we get the impression that these heroes of the Russian land acted together. But they lived at different times, and the difference between Dobrynya, Ilya and Alyosha Popovich is 200 years. Despite this, the image of the latter penetrated tightly into most epics about heroes. In them, he often plays a completely negative role and is distinguished by boasting and cunning, and not daring. In this he is close to Volga and, perhaps, "borrowed" several plots from him.

What do we know about his life from epics? He was the son of a priest and from childhood he was distinguished by intelligence and strength, although his lameness is sometimes mentioned. Like Dobrynya, he was a good musician.

Very few independent feats are attributed to him. The most striking is the battle with Tugarin on the way to Kyiv.

As for his heartfelt preferences, in addition to trying to deceive him into marrying Nikitich's wife, there are many stories about his relationship with his sister Alena Zbrodovich. According to one version, due to the fact that Popovich disgraced the girl, her brothers cut off his head. In other versions of this story, the hero manages to avoid death.

The Rostov boyar Olesha Popovich is considered the real prototype of Alyosha.

Seven popular heroes with unusual stories

Folk epics are alive not only with the heroes of Vasnetsov's painting. They often feature other characters as well. Let's look at the most famous of them and find out the names of the heroes of the Russian land, who became famous in later periods.

Dunay Ivanovich. This knight is known not for exploits, but for a sad love story. Together with Dobrynya, he went to the Lithuanian prince to marry his daughter to Vladimir the Great. In a foreign land, he meets her sister Nastasya, and love arises between them. The girl helps the Danube escape from death by ransoming him from the executioners and letting him go to Kyiv.

During the next visit to Lithuania, the hero no longer pays attention to his savior. Offended, the girl changed into a man's dress and, catching up with the Danube in the field, started a battle with him. The hero did not recognize her and, having won, almost killed her. However, past feelings prevailed, and the knight took her as his wife.

At the wedding, Danube boasted of his prowess, and his wife - of accuracy. The newly-made husband decided to shame his wife and demanded to show his skill. Nastasya shows accuracy, from which even William Tell and Robin Hood would cry in the corner with envy - she hits a thin silver ring on the head of the Danube hero three times. The disgraced husband decides to repeat her feat, but turns out to be not so good and accidentally kills his wife with an arrow. Before her death, he realizes that she was pregnant, so he also killed his child. In despair, the knight commits suicide.

Sukhman Odikhmantievich. Such an unusual name for the inhabitants of Russia belongs to the hero, who became famous for fighting the Tatars. Perhaps he himself was from the steppes, but then he went to the service of Prince Vladimir, who again played a bad role in this story. He ordered the knight to deliver a white swan to him, either for the zoo, or this is an allegorical name for the bride.

Sukhman could not fulfill the order because he was badly wounded in battle with the Tatars. Overcoming the pain, he returned to Kyiv empty-handed, but spoke about his victories. The prince did not believe him and sent him to prison.

Dobrynya goes to foreign lands in order to find out the truth, and finds confirmation of the words of the hero. Vladimir is going to reward him, but the proud hero chooses death.

By the way, the distrust of the prince and the resentment of the knight testify in favor of the version that Sukhman was a stranger.

Another hero of the period of Vladimir the Great is Nikita (Cyril) Kozhemyak, mentioned in The Tale of Bygone Years. According to her, this knight defeated the Pecheneg hero in a duel, and after the popular rumor attributed to him the victory over the serpent.

Perhaps the legends about him are partially borrowed from the Bible. So, the duel with the enemy is a clear reference to the story of David and Goliath. And the victory over the serpent makes him similar to George the Victorious. Although, maybe the snake is a metaphorical description of the Pecheneg.

Duke Stepanovich. This is another hero of the time of Prince Vladimir. However, he can be called a hero of the Russian land only reluctantly. Since he was originally from Galich, which, as we remember, did not belong to the Russia of Vladimir. It is difficult to understand why this character is called a hero, because apart from wealth and bragging, there are no other special "feats" behind him. According to legend, he comes to Kyiv and begins to actively criticize it and all its inhabitants. To prove his case, he has to participate in a boasting marathon, in which he wins, and proud of his "achievement", leaves the princely city.

Khoten Bludovich - the hero, whose name bears an undisguised sexual context, became famous for his desire to marry. Epics tell that, despite his strength and glory, he was very poor. Because of this, the mother of his beloved China Sentry (another "Slavic" name in this story) refused the noble knight. This did not stop the brave hero, who systematically finished off all the relatives of his beloved, and at the same time laid down the army of the local prince. In the finale, he combined the bonds of marriage with his charmer, and at the same time took away the wealth left after the dead.

However, not all heroes were associated by rumor with the period of Vladimir's reign. After the collapse of Kievan Rus, other heroes of folk epics began to appear. For example, the defender of Ryazan is Evpatiy Kolovrat. Unlike the classic heroes, he was not a composite image, but was a real historical figure who risked giving an unequal battle to the Mongol-Tatar army in retaliation for the destruction of the city. Unfortunately, he died, but his courage earned respect even from his enemies.

The warrior monk Alexander Peresvet, who participated in the Battle of Kulikovo, also belongs to the heroes. Although he is more positioned as a monk, and then a warrior. However, combat skills do not arise out of thin air, and, therefore, before taking the tonsure, Peresvet had its heroic history. He, too, was numbered among the saints.

Belarusian asilki

Standing apart from other heroes are such epic heroes as velets or asilki. The most common stories about them are in Belarusian folklore.

Asilks are called pre-Christian giant heroes. They not only fought snakes and other enemies, but created rivers and mountains. It is believed that for pride they were cursed by God and turned to stone or left alive in the ground. Mounds arose on the site of their graves.

Some researchers attribute Svyatogor to this category. Other scholars correlate velets with ancient Greek titans or biblical giants (children of angels who rebelled against God).

Women-knights

At all times, the Russian land was glorious for heroes. But they were not always men. The people's memory has preserved the mention of several heroes, who were usually called "logs".

These women were able to resist not only enemies, but also seriously compete with the epic heroes, and sometimes even surpass them.

The most famous raspberries are the two daughters of Mikula Selyaninovich, Vasilisa and Nastasya.

The first became the wife of the Chernigov boyar Stavr Godinovich, whom she saved from prison by dressing in men's clothes and winning the competition.

The second went for Dobrynya, having previously defeated the knight in a duel.

The aforementioned wife of the Danube hero Nastasya also belongs to the logs.

Many stories about heroes are associated with Ilya Muromets. Apparently, before taking the tonsure, he loved a lot of strong women. His wife Savishna (she saved Kyiv from Tugarin), as well as her temporary beloved Zlatygorka, who gave birth to his mighty son Sokolnik, is considered a woodpile. Also, the nameless daughter of Muromets was a hero - another random fruit of love, seeking to avenge her mother.

Marya Morevna stands apart from the others. She is considered one of the most popular female characters and is the prototype for Vasilisa the Wise and Princess Marya. According to legend, this steppe warrior defeated Koshchei the Immortal. So modern feminists have someone to look up to from domestic heroines.

Children-heroes

The chanting of heroes and their deeds was done not only in order to preserve the memory of them, but also in order to set them as an example for others. That is why the epic knights and their exploits were embellished and multiplied. This was done especially actively when it was necessary to tell children about the heroes of the Russian land. Then these characters were turned into moral ideals that you need to be equal to.

Often adult characters with their problems were too difficult to understand. Therefore, stories about the exploits of children were told especially for them. Such characters were called seven-year-old heroes.

Epics and legends about them were more often characters for Ukrainian literature, but they were also found among other peoples.

Heroes could be both boys and girls, as well as twins.

One of the first stories about the boy-knight concerns the period of Vladimir's father, Prince Svyatoslav. In those days, a nameless boy got out of Kyiv, surrounded by the Pechenegs, and managed to bring help to his native city.

So the tradition to set as an example the heroes of the Russian land for preschoolers and schoolchildren has very deep roots.

Interesting facts

Worth noting:

• In Mikhail Lermontov's poem "Borodino", his hero-narrator compares the generation of the classic with the epic knights, not in favor of the first ("Yes, there were people in our time, Not like the current tribe: Heroes - not you!"). But if we talk about physical data, then the average height of the legendary heroes-defenders of the Russian land was 160-165 cm (except for Ilya Muromets, who was a real giant at that time and was 180 cm tall), while under Mikhail Yurievich, such growth was clearly not heroic.
• According to legend, the father of Svyatogor is considered to be a certain supernatural creature that kills with a glance. Many identify him with Gogol's Viy.
• The Budyonovka hat, which for a long time was part of the mandatory uniform of a Red Army fighter, outwardly looked a bit like a erihonka helmet, in which artists often depicted knights. Therefore, among the soldiers, she was often called the "hero".