Bogatyr Ilya Muromets had a real prototype. Ilya Muromets: biography through history

He is a hero who embodies the ideal of a courageous warrior and hero. He appeared in the Kiev cycle of epics, thanks to which all adults and children know about the glorious warrior-hero. It is worth saying that those preserved in the Kiev-Pechersk monastery indicate that the glorious warrior actually existed. It is necessary to get acquainted with the biography of the mythical hero who once captivated many adults and children.

The glorious warrior who personified bravery and courage was Ilya Muromets. The character's biography is quite interesting, so many people who are interested in history know everything about the character's life, his successes and failures.

The legend about the grandfather of Ilya Muromets

A popular and famous character in the epic epic is Ilya Muromets. The character's biography begins with a legend associated with his grandfather. According to her, the grandfather of the glorious warrior was a pagan and refused to accept Christianity. Once he cut through an icon with an ax, after which a curse was placed on his family. All the boys that are to be born will be crippled.

Ten years passed, after which my grandfather’s grandson Ilya was born. Unfortunately, the terrible curse placed on his family was fulfilled. Ilya Muromets could not walk. He tried to get to his feet, but all his attempts were unsuccessful. Soon the future warrior began to train his arms, but even after that he was still unable to get to his feet. Probably, he was visited many times by the thought that he would forever remain a cripple and would not be able to walk like everyone else.

The hero of chronicles and epics, whom every child and adult knows, is Ilya Muromets. The biography of a warrior is quite interesting and fascinating. Let's get to know her further.

Biography of Ilya Muromets (summary). Legend of restoration

Ilya was born near the city of Murom in the village of Karacharovo, where he lived his life until he was 33 years old. On the birthday of Muromets, prophetic elders came to his house and asked for water. On this day the impossible happened. Muromets explained to the guests that he could not get up, but they seemed not to hear anything that the future warrior wanted to explain to them. They insisted on their own and asked for it until Ilya felt unprecedented strength and for the first time in his life stood on his feet.

Surprisingly, the scientists who examined the relics of Muromets confirmed that the bone tissue was completely restored, and this cannot but be called a miracle.

The way to Kyiv

Finally, the elders told Ilya that he should go to Prince Vladimir to serve. But they warned that on the way to the capital he would see a large stone with an inscription. Muromets went and saw him on his way. A call was written on the stone for the warrior to try to move it from its place. Here he found a horse, armor and weapons.

Fight between Ilya Muromets and Nightingale the Robber

As you know, after his recovery, Ilya Muromets accomplished many feats. The main and most revered of them was with the Nightingale the Robber. He occupied the road to Kyiv and did not allow anyone to enter it. Nightingale the Robber was a bandit who stole and raided on the road. It is known that this nickname was given to him for his ability to whistle loudly.

The exploits of Muromets

It is worth saying that Ilya Muromets accomplished a huge number of feats, and also participated in numerous battles, defending his native land. His contemporaries said that the warrior had superhuman strength, and this is probably why in people’s memory he remained the most powerful warrior.

A famous character that all adults and children know and remember is Ilya Muromets. The biography of this person is filled with various mysteries. They remain unsolved to this day.

With whom did Ilya Muromets participate in the exploits? Biography (briefly)

It is worth noting that in epics and legends it was often mentioned that Ilya Muromets, Alyosha Popovich and Dobrynya Nikitich often performed feats. However, in reality, these characters never met, much less participated in battles together. They lived in different centuries. It often happens that when legends are passed down from generation to generation, they become more and more overgrown with new untrue details.

One of the most famous and popular characters in legends and epics is Ilya Muromets. A biography for children usually excludes the facts that much of the information that is currently known about the legendary warrior is untrue.

Ilya Muromets is a great and glorious warrior who possessed superhuman strength, performed a huge number of feats and participated in battles for his beautiful homeland. There are several facts that confirm that he actually existed. Ilya Muromets managed to survive his death and leave a huge mark in the memory of people, and they still consider him the greatest and strongest glorious warrior. Who really is Ilya Muromets? Myth or real character?

The Three Heroes are traditionally associated with fairy tales and legends. Few people know that the prototypes of these semi-mythical characters were very real, living people.

Ilya Muromets

Ilyusha is the eldest and most beloved of the three heroes. Glorious feats of arms and real miracles are associated with him. It’s amazing that after 30 years of sitting on the stove, this marvelous fellow, gifted with remarkable strength, turned into a legendary defender of the Fatherland.

The prototype of Ilya Muromets was Ilya Pechersky. Now the relics of this holy associate are kept in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. It also contains a document mentioning a hero nicknamed “Chobotok” (translated from Ukrainian as “Boot”). This is exactly what they began to call Muromets after he managed to kill a countless number of enemies with one of his boots. There were no other weapons at hand at that time.

Confirmation that the image of the glorious Russian hero was “copied” from Ilya Pechersky can be found in the book “Teraturgima” (1638). In it, the Lavra monk Afanasy Kalnofoysky indicates that Elijah, who before taking monastic vows was a famous knight and defender of the Russian land, found his last refuge in the Holy Lavra.

In 1988, the remains of Ilya Pechersky were examined by a commission from the Ministry of Health. It was established that during his lifetime he actually had a heroic height for Ancient Rus' (177 cm), was bedridden for a long time due to a spinal disease, and then served in the princely squad. The latter fact was evidenced by healed fractures and other traces of numerous combat wounds.

Nikitich

In epics, Dobrynya is portrayed as a kind-hearted person with a creative streak. He always strives to protect the orphaned and wretched. In addition, he plays the harp, sings well, and, if possible, indulges in gambling. All these qualities suggest that the hero could belong to the nobility.

Philologists Kireevsky and Khoroshev believe that the image of this epic knight was “copied” from Vladimir Svyatoslavovich’s uncle, whose name was Dobrynya Malkovich. A relative of the Kyiv prince was born in the village of Nizkinichi, where the nickname “Nizkinich” and then “Nikitich” came from.

The Tale of Bygone Years and the Joachim Chronicle contain information that Dobrynya Nikitich played a big role in the fate of Rus'. On his initiative, Vladimir was called to reign. Later, with his help, the baptism of Novgorodians was carried out, which ended with the burning of pagan houses and a large fire.

Alesha Popovich

Alyosha, the youngest of the heroes, did not have colossal physical strength, but was savvy, boastful and eager for the female sex. The prototype of this hero is considered to be a boyar from Rostov, a certain Alexander Popovich. The Nikon Chronicle mentions that he died in a battle on the Kalka River in 1223, and before that he became famous for his exploits during the Battle of Lipetsk.

According to another version, Alyosha appeared in epics thanks to the real-life boyar Olberg Ratiborovich. He was a warrior and ally of Vladimir Monomakh. In 1095, this man negotiated with the Polovtsian Khan Itlar, but did not complete his mission, as he was treacherously shot through a hole in the roof.

Researchers of the image of the hero (Boris Rybakov, Anatoly Chlenov) believe that Khan Itlar is precisely the prototype of the filthy Idol with whom the epic Alyosha Popovich fought. The pagan name “Olberg” was transformed from the Orthodox “Olesha”, and then “Alyosha”. This is how the third Russian hero appeared, who can now be seen in the famous painting by Vasnetsov.

Name: Ilya Muromets

A country: Kievan Rus

Creator: Slavic epics

Activity: hero

Ilya Muromets: character story

A stately fellow on horseback and in armor - this is the picture the imagination usually draws when mentioning Ilya Muromets. The controversy surrounding the identity of the great Russian hero has not subsided for many years. Did Ilya really exist? Where do the rumors about a man's magical healing come from? And did the hero really uproot trees from the ground?

History of creation

Every year on January 1, Orthodoxy commemorates the memory of St. Elijah. The man met old age in the Pechersk Lavra and died at the hands of the cruel Polovtsians. Studies of the remains of the martyr confirm the opinion that the hero Ilya Muromets is not a fictional character, but a real person.

An analysis of the relics, which scientists carried out in 1988, indicates specific features: the deceased man suffered from a rare disease that affects the ability to move. Traces of wounds were found on the bones and tissues of the saint. The listed facts give reason to assert that Elijah Pechersky (the man is buried under this name) is a prototype of a mighty hero.

Perhaps the exaggerations that are characteristic of tales and legends are the consequences of constant retelling. Or the creators of the epics added metaphors to the story to impress the listeners.

Muromets was indeed different from his contemporaries. The description of the hero (confirmed by scientists) proves that the warrior’s height was 177 cm. The average height of men in Ancient Rus' did not exceed 160 cm. It is necessary to mention quotes from Boris Mikhailichenko, a researcher of the relics:

“...on the bones of the mummy the so-called tuberosities are very well developed. And we know that the better a person’s muscles are developed during life, the more these tubercles he will have. That is, he had a developed muscular system.”

“In addition, an X-ray examination of the skull revealed changes in the part of the brain called the sella turcica.” At all times there are people with such symptoms, they say about them - “oblique fathoms in the shoulders.”

The first written mention of Ilya Muromets dates back to 1574. The Lithuanian governor, in a note to Ostafy Volovich, casually mentions the brave warrior “Ilii Murawlenina” and the imprisonment of the Russian hero in the dungeon of the Kyiv prince.

There is a theory that handwritten evidence of the exploits of Muromets was deliberately destroyed. The hero's supposedly humble origins cast a shadow on the boyar warriors and their descendants.

Biography

There are fierce debates about where Ilya Muromets is from. The initial theory says that the hero was born in the village of Karacharovo, which is located near the city of Murom, Vladimir region.

Researchers of the hero’s biography adhere to the explanation that the strongman’s homeland is the village of Karachev, located near Moroviysk, Chernigov region. The supposed places of birth of the hero are consonant, so the error easily crept into the epic.

It is not yet possible to obtain reliable information about the man’s origins. The possibility that Ilya Muromets is Ukrainian cannot be ruled out. By the way, the patronymic of the famous hero is Ivanovich:

“And in the glorious Russian kingdom,
And in that village of Karacharovo,
Honest, glorious parents, mother
The son Ilya Ivanovich was married here,
And by nickname he was the glorious Muromets.”

The baby, who was born into a peasant family, suffered from an unknown disease since childhood. The child had no feeling in his lower limbs and could not move independently. It was rumored in the family that the cause of the disease was a curse. Elijah’s grandfather did not want to accept Christianity and cut up the Orthodox icon. The descendant of a pagan paid for disrespect for the saints.

A detailed biography of the hero can be traced from the hero’s 33rd birthday. Ilya, suffering from his own weakness, lay on the stove. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. “Kaliki wanderers” (aka folk healers) helped the future warrior get back on his feet. For the miraculous salvation, Ilya gave his word that he would protect the Russian land from enemies and atone for his grandfather’s sin.

Having received the long-awaited freedom, the man left his native village and set off to perform heroic deeds. On the way to Kyiv, Ilya encountered his first serious opponent. terrorized the area, not allowing travelers to cross the Bryn Forest.

The fight ended quickly, and the man took the troublemaker to his chambers. The Lord of Rus' was impressed by the man’s feat, but the peasant attire displeased the reigning person. Instead of the reward promised for the robber, the king threw a worn fur coat at Ilya’s feet. The brave man could not bear the insult. Muromets was locked up for his impudent behavior.

Perhaps this would have been the end of the man’s exploits, but the Polovtsians attacked Rus'. Having shown military talents, physical strength and peasant ingenuity on the battlefield, Muromets earned a place in the tsar’s squad.

For just over 10 years, the hero restored order in the territory of ancient Rus'. The man accomplished many feats about which legends and songs were written. Ilya’s favorite weapons are a heavy mace and a treasure sword, which was given to the man by the hero Svyatogor.

There is a change of power, and a new ruler ascends to the throne. , about whom “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” narrates, leads the squad into battle with the old enemy. But there are too many nomads, Ilya Muromets is seriously wounded. And here theories about the fate of the hero diverge again:

“... from these Tatars and from the filthy ones, his horse and heroic horse became petrified, and the relics and saints and from the old Cossack Ilya Muromets became.”

In other words, the hero died during the battle. Another epic claims that a faithful horse carries its owner from the battlefield. The man regains consciousness at the walls of the monastery and remembers his promise to atone for his grandfather’s sin. Ilya throws away his ammunition and takes monastic vows. The man spends the remaining years in the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery, making a promise not to take up arms.

The Tale of Bygone Years mentions the internecine war between Rurik Rostislavovich and Roman Mstislavovich. In addition to the Russian princes, Polovtsian mercenaries took part in the battle. The robbers reached the monastery and killed the clergy. Ilya, faithful to his vow, did not take up arms and died from a spear in the heart.

Film adaptations

Ilya Muromets stopping by a stone is an image familiar from childhood. It is not surprising that many films and cartoons have been made about the hero, and many paintings have been written.

They were the first to try on the role of a powerful warrior. The film “Ilya Muromets” was released in 1956. The plot is based on classic epics about the hero and scenes from fairy tales.

The Soviet cartoon about a warrior was released in 1975. The second part was released three years later. Animated films tell about significant events in the life of a warrior. The musical setting is compositions from the opera “Ilya Muromets”.

In 2007, the animation film studio "Melnitsa" released the cartoon "Ilya Muromets and Nightingale the Robber." The image of a taciturn strongman, beloved by kids and their parents (the one who voiced the hero did not have to memorize much text), will later appear in four more cartoons dedicated to Russian heroes. The voice of Muromets was Valery Solovyov and.

In the film “Real Fairy Tale” (2010), the epic character was transferred to modern reality. Ilya holds the position of guard for Koshchei the Immortal and does not at all look like a true hero.

In addition to films, the image of a strong and courageous man is reflected in paintings, musical compositions, performances and computer games.

• Ilya Muromets is mentioned in German epics. In legends, the hero is named Ilya the Russian.
• Foreign sources also mention the wife and children of a warrior, whom the man misses on long campaigns.
• Researchers claim that Ilya died at the age of 45-50 years.
• For unknown reasons, the remains of Ilya Muromets (or rather, the alleged prototype) did not succumb to complete decomposition. Believers believe that the holy relics of the hero heal diseases of the spine.

Quotes

“I am going to serve for the Christian faith, and for the Russian land, and for the capital city of Kyiv...”

“I am from the city of Murom, Ilya, son Ivanovich. And I came here along the direct road past the city of Chernigov, past the Smorodina River.”

“My father of light had a voracious cow. I also ate a lot. Yes, by the end her belly was cracked.”

“Run, you damned ones, to your places, and create such glory everywhere: Rus' the land does not stand empty.”

“Forgive me, mother, I am not a worker in the field, not a breadwinner. Tsar Kalin prepared a mortal arrow in the heart of Kyiv. It’s not a great honor for me, good fellow, to sit in Karacharovo.”

Historical prototype

Ilya Pechersky

Ileiko Muromets

Sensational research

Murom or Morovsk

Labors of Russian Hercules

Literature

art

Computer games

Ilya Muromets(full epic name - Ilya Muromets son of Ivan) - one of the main characters of the ancient Russian epic, a hero who embodies the common folk ideal of a warrior hero.

Ilya Muromets appears in the Kiev cycle of epics: “Ilya Muromets and the Nightingale the Robber”, “Ilya Muromets and the Poganous Idol”, “The Quarrel of Ilya Muromets with Prince Vladimir”, “The Battle of Ilya Muromets with Zhidovin”. In the epic "Svyatogor and Ilya Muromets" it tells how Ilya Muromets studied with Svyatogor; and dying, he breathed into him the heroic spirit, which increased the strength in Ilya, and gave up his treasure sword. Prose stories about Ilya Muromets, recorded in the form of Russian folk tales and passed on to some non-Slavic peoples (the Finns), also do not know about the Kyiv epic relations of Ilya Muromets, do not mention Prince Vladimir, replacing him with a nameless king; They contain almost exclusively the adventures of Ilya Muromets with the Nightingale the Robber, sometimes with the Idol called the Glutton, and sometimes attribute to Ilya Muromets the liberation of the princess from the serpent, which the epics about Ilya Muromets do not know.

According to the assumption of some historians of the Russian Empire, his small homeland could not have been the village of Karacharovo near Murom, but the village of Karachev, near the city of Moroviysk in the Chernigov region (the modern village of Morovsk, Kozeletsky district, Chernigov region of Ukraine), which leads from Chernigov to Kyiv. This conclusion is based on the possibility of merging in the folk epic the image of Ilya of Murom with the Monk Ilya of Pechersk. This version has gained particular popularity in the works of modern Ukrainian historians.

Epic stories, the main character of which is Ilya Muromets

According to S. A. Azbelev, who counts 53 plots of heroic epics, Ilya Muromets is the main character of 15 of them (No. 1-15 according to the index compiled by Azbelev).

• Finding strength by Ilya Muromets (Healing of Ilya Muromets)
• Ilya Muromets and Svyatogor
• Ilya Muromets and Nightingale the Robber
• Ilya Muromets and Idolishche
• Ilya Muromets in a quarrel with Prince Volodymyr
• Ilya Muromets and Goli Kabatskie (rarely exists as a separate story, usually attached to stories about a quarrel with Vladimir)

I am going to serve for the Christian faith,

And for the Russian land,

And for the capital city of Kyiv,

For widows, for orphans, for poor people

And for you, young princess, widow Apraxia,

And for the dog of Prince Vladimir

Yes, I would not have left the cellar.

• Ilya Muromets on the Falcon-ship
• Ilya Muromets and the robbers
• Three trips of Ilya Muromets
• Ilya Muromets and Batu Tsar
• Ilya Muromets and Zhidovin
• Ilya Muromets and Tugarin (about the wife of Ilya Muromets)
• Ilya Muromets and Sokolnik
• Ilya Muromets, Ermak and Kalin Tsar
• Kama massacre
• Ilya Muromets and Kalin the Tsar
• Duel between Dobrynya Nikitich and Ilya Muromets
• Ilya Muromets and Alyosha Popovich

For each plot, the number of individual versions recorded from different storytellers is in the dozens and can exceed a hundred (No. 3, 9, 10), mostly there were from 12 to 45 or more.

Epic biography of Ilya Muromets

A large number of stories dedicated to Ilya Muromets make it possible to present in a more or less complete form the biography of this hero (as it seemed to the storytellers).

According to the epic Healing of Ilya Muromets, this hero “did not control” his arms and legs until he was 33 years old (the age at which Christ died and rose again), and then received miraculous healing from the elders (or passers-by). Who they are is omitted in all Soviet publications; in the pre-revolutionary edition of the epic it is believed that “Kaliki” is Christ with two apostles. Kaliki, having come to Ilya’s house when there was no one else there, asked him to get up and bring them water. Ilya replied to this: “I have neither arms nor legs, I’ve been sitting on a seat for thirty years.” They repeatedly ask Ilya to get up and bring them water. After this, Ilya gets up, goes to the water carrier and brings water. The elders tell Ilya to drink water. Ilya drank and recovered, after the second drink he feels an exorbitant strength in himself, and he is given a drink a third time to reduce it. Afterwards, the elders tell Ilya that he must go into the service of Prince Vladimir. At the same time, they mention that on the road to Kyiv there is a heavy stone with an inscription, which Ilya must also visit. Afterwards, Ilya says goodbye to his parents, brothers and relatives and goes “to the capital city of Kyiv” and comes first “to that motionless stone.” On the stone was written a call to Ilya to move the stone from its fixed place. There he will find a heroic horse, weapons and armor. Ilya moved the stone and found everything that was written there. He said to the horse: “Oh, you are a heroic horse! Serve me faithfully." After this, Ilya gallops to Prince Vladimir.

Folklore outside the Russian North

Only a few epic stories with the name of Ilya Muromets are known outside the provinces of Olonets, Arkhangelsk and Siberia (Collection of Kirsha Danilov and S. Gulyaev). Outside of these areas, only a few stories have been recorded so far:

• Ilya Muromets and the Nightingale the Robber;
• Ilya Muromets and the robbers;
• Ilya Muromets on the Falcon-ship
• Ilya Muromets and son.

In the middle and southern parts of Russia, only epics are known without the attachment of Ilya Muromets to Kyiv and the prince. Vladimir, and the most popular plots are those in which robbers (Ilya Muromets and the robbers) or Cossacks (Ilya Muromets on the Falcon-ship) play the role, which indicates the popularity of Ilya Muromets among the freedom-loving population who lived on the Volga, Yaik and were part of the Cossacks .

There is often a confusion between Ilya of Muromets and Ilya the Prophet. This confusion also occurred in the supposed epic homeland of Ilya Muromets, in the minds of the peasants of the village of Karacharovo (near Murom), and in the stories of these peasants, Ilya Muromets’s relationship with Kyiv and Prince Vladimir is not mentioned at all. A study of the epic biography of Ilya Muromets leads to the conviction that the name of this popular hero is covered with many fairy-tale and legendary wandering stories.

The hero Ilya is a hero not only of Russian epics, but also of German epic poems of the 13th century. In them he is presented as the mighty knight of the princely family, Ilya the Russian.

Historical prototype

Ilya Pechersky

Some researchers consider the prototype of the epic character to be a historical character, a strong man nicknamed “Chobitok”, originally from Murom, who became a monk in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra with the name Elijah, and was canonized in the Orthodox Church in 1643 as “Reverend Elijah of Murom”.

According to this theory, Ilya Muromets lived in the 12th century and died in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra around 1188. Memory according to the church calendar - December 19 (January 1).

The theory of the identity of the epic hero with the monk - Chobitko, Kiev-Pechersk Lavra is quite plausible.

Russian chronicles do not mention his name. After a miraculous healing, he converts to Orthodoxy and chooses a new name, Ilya.

The relics rest in the Near Caves of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. The tombstone of Ilya Muromets is located near Stolypin’s grave. Part of the relics of Ilya - the middle finger of the left hand, is located in one of the churches in the city of Murom, Vladimir region.

Ileiko Muromets

In the 17th century, Ileiko Muromets (Ilya Ivanovich Korovin) was known - the impostor False Peter of the Time of Troubles, executed in 1607. According to scientists, in particular the Russian historian Ilovaisky, the expression “old Cossack” is explained by the fact that at the end of the reign of Boris Godunov, Ileika Muromets was in a Cossack detachment, part of the army of the governor Prince Ivan Khvorostinin. B. M. Sokolov wrote that a significant fact of the peasant processing of epics was the transformation of Ilya Muravlenin from Muroviisk and the city of Karachev in the Chernigov region into the peasant son Ilya Muromets and the village of Karacharovo near Murom.

Sensational research

IN 1988 year, the Interdepartmental Commission conducted a study of the relics Venerable Ilya of Muromets. The results were amazing. He was a strong man who died at an age 45-55 years old, tall - 177 see The fact is that in XII century, when Ilya lived, such a person was considered quite tall, because the average height of a man was 165 see Moreover, on the bones of Ilya, scientists found traces of many battles - multiple fractures of the collarbones, broken ribs, traces of a blow from a spear, saber, sword. This confirmed the legends that Ilya was a mighty warrior who took part in fierce battles.

But most of all, scientists were struck by something else: they claim that, in full agreement with folk legends, Ilya really could not walk for a long time! According to the researchers, the cause was a serious illness - bone tuberculosis or polio. This was the cause of leg paralysis.

Ilya Muromets was born approximately between 1150 And 1165 gg. And he died at the age of about 40–55 years are assumed to be when taken Kyiv prince Rurik Rostislavich V 1204 when the Pechersk Lavra was defeated by the Polovtsians allied with Rurik. The cause of death was apparently a blow to the chest from a sharp weapon (spear or sword).

Curse and miraculous healing

The people passed this story from mouth to mouth. As if the grandfather of Ilya Muromets was a pagan and, not recognizing Christianity, once cut the icon. Since then, a curse has fallen on his family - all boys will be born crippled.

Born 10 years later Ilya, and it seemed that the curse had come true: the boy had not been able to walk since childhood. All attempts to cure him were unsuccessful. But Ilya did not give up, persistently trained his arms, developed his muscles, becoming stronger, but, alas, he still could not walk. The years passed, and, probably, more than once it seemed to him that he needed to come to terms with his fate: he would forever remain a cripple.

But when Ilya turned 33 year, something inexplicable happened. The day came that dramatically and forever changed his life. Prophetic elders - kaliki passers-by (beggar wanderers) entered the house and asked the boy to bring water. He explained that he could not walk. But the guests persistently repeated the request, which sounded like an order. And Ilya, suddenly feeling unprecedented strength, stood on his feet for the first time...

What is this? Miracle healing? Maybe. But how did the strange guests manage to heal the seemingly hopelessly ill? There are different assumptions on this matter. For example, that the wanderers were the Magi and magicians and knew the secrets of ancient conspiracies.

And other scientists suggest that this was a case self-healing, which science is not yet able to explain...

Be that as it may, Ilya got to his feet after 33 years of immobility. And scientists who conducted research on the relics confirm that the bone tissue of this person was miraculously restored. Moreover, according to their conclusion, after thirty years he led an active lifestyle, which is fully consistent with the epics.

Murom or Morovsk

There are also different versions regarding the place of birth of Ilya. The most common one is that he comes from a village Karacharovo, near the city Muroma. This village, located on the banks of the Oka, still exists today.

But some researchers claim that Ilya was born near Kyiv- V Morovsk(Moroviisk) under Chernigov, which in ancient times was called Muromsk. Since the legends say that Ilya reached Kyiv very quickly, in one day (which is hardly possible in the case of the city of Murom, which is located about 1500 km from Kyiv), this version is very plausible. Yes, but according to the epics, Ilya came from the village of Karacharovo? It turns out that there was an ancient city not far from Chernigov Karachev. Moreover, a river flows not far from Karachev Currant, and on its shore there is an ancient village Nineblade. Local old-timers point to the place where the nest was supposedly located Nightingale the Robber. And now on the bank of Smorodinnaya there is a huge stump, which, according to legend, has been preserved from nine oak trees.

Labors of Russian Hercules

After a miraculous healing Ilya Muromets, as befits heroes and heroes, performs numerous feats. His most famous feat is the victory over Nightingale the Robber.

Researchers believe that Nightingale the Robber- not a fairy-tale monster, but also a real historical figure, a robber who hunted in the forests on the way to Kyiv. And this robber was nicknamed Nightingale because he announced his attack with a whistle (or, perhaps, gave a signal to his gang to attack with a whistle). In the future Ilya Muromets accomplished many other feats, participated in battles, defending the Russian land from enemies. Contemporaries noted his incredible, superhuman strength, so in the memory of people he remained, probably, the greatest Russian hero. Suffice it to recall the painting “Three Heroes”, in which Ilya Muromets is depicted in the center - as the strongest and most powerful.

In epics and legends, three heroes - Ilya Muromets, Alyosha Popovich and Dobrynya Nikitich - often perform feats together. But they never actually met. They were separated by centuries - Dobrynya Nikitich lived in the 10th century, Alyosha Popovich in the 13th century, and Ilya in the 12th century. But when legends are passed down from one generation to another for centuries, they acquire new details, famous characters begin to perform new feats, and time frames gradually blur and shift. Contrary to legends, Ilya Muromets never served Prince Vladimir the Great. They simply could not meet because they lived in different centuries. Ilya served Prince Svyatoslav, defending Rus' from the Polovtsians.

But if this is really the case, and Ilya Muromets- a historical figure, then why is there not a word about him in the chronicles? Firstly, not many written sources have survived from those times, which is quite natural if you remember what a turbulent history Rus' went through. Hordes of conquerors more than once burned and completely destroyed cities. In one of the fires, the books of the Pechersk Lavra were also burned.

And secondly, there are references in foreign sources. For example, in Germanic epic poems recorded in XIII century, but based on earlier legends, the great hero is mentioned Ilya Russian The legend says that in one fierce battle, Ilya almost died, but miraculously remained alive and vowed to retire to a monastery, devote himself to God and never pick up a sword again. Ilya came to the walls of the Lavra, took off all his military armor, but could not throw away the sword and took it with him. He became a monk Pechersk Lavra and spent all his days in his cell in prayer.

But one day the enemies approached the walls of the monastery, and Ilya saw with his own eyes the death of the abbot of the Lavra, struck by a fatal blow. And then Ilya, despite the vow, again picked up the sword. But he felt that his legs were refusing to serve him again. He still managed to shield his hand from the fatal blow from the spear, but his strength was already leaving him...

Was this really so? It's unlikely we'll ever know. But one thing is certain: scientists have established that Ilya really died as a result of a blow to the chest with a spear and that he apparently tried to stop the spear in mid-flight, and this slightly weakened the blow. But the wound never healed and ultimately became the cause of the death of Muromets.

Ilya Muromets in Russian culture

Monuments

• In 1999, a monument to Ilya Muromets by sculptor V. M. Klykov was erected in the Murom city park
• In 2012, a monument to St. Ilya of Muromets by sculptor Zinich was erected in Admiralsky Square in Vladivostok. The monument is a gift from the Stimex group of companies and the public of Krasnoyarsk to the city of Vladivostok.

Objects named after Ilya Muromets

Geographical objects

• Located on the Medvezhiy Peninsula, one of the highest waterfalls in Russia is named Ilya Muromets.
• In the Kyiv area on the Dnieper there is Muromets Island - a landscape park and a favorite vacation spot for citizens.

Organizations

• Film studio for children's and youth films "Ilya Muromets"
• Open-end mutual investment fund "Troika Dialog - Ilya Muromets"

Technique

• Ilya Muromets is a frigate of the Russian Imperial Navy.
• In 1913, the name of the hero was given to a bomber aircraft created by aircraft designer Igor Sikorsky.
• “Ilya Muromets” is one of Gulkevich’s armored tractors.
• Ilya Muromets - armored car
• Ilya Muromets - Russian and Soviet icebreaking steamship built in 1915
• The name “Ilya Muromets” was worn by a red armored train during the Civil War
• Ilya Muromets- light armored train of the Don Army of the White Movement during the Civil War.
• "Ilya Muromets" - one of the KS tanks
• Ilya Muromets - Soviet armored train during the Great Patriotic War. His armored locomotive is currently installed as a monument in the city of Murom.
• In 1958, the cruise ship Ilya Muromets was put into operation.
• Ilya Muromets - Soviet port icebreaker built in 1965, lead ship of Project 97K
• "Ilya Muromets" - Soviet strategic bomber Tu-160 with tail number 06

Literature

Fiction

• “The History of Ilya Muromets” - a handwritten folk book of the 18th century
• Ilya Muromets - unfinished poem (“heroic tale”) by N. M. Karamzin
• “Ilya Muromets” - ballad by A. K. Tolstoy
• Jan Rainis wrote the tragedy “Ilya Muromets” (1922)
• Ilya Muromets is a character in Vasily Shukshin’s story “Until the Third Rooster.”
• Ilya Muromets is the main character of the novel of the same name by Ivan Koshkin.
• Ilya is the central character of Oleg Divov’s novel “The Brave,” which, according to the author, aims to “immerse itself in the atmosphere of that time.” The struggle of the hero with the Nightingale the Robber is interpreted in the novel using the hypothesis of the Neanderthals who survived up to that time, and the nickname “Muromets” is interpreted as a distorted “Urmanin”, that is, a Viking, Varangian. In addition to the novel, the book contains an extensive popular science appendix that provides fairly detailed historical information and an overview of various hypotheses about the prototype and origin of the epic hero.
• Ilya son Ivanov is one of the main characters in the historical novel The Ninth Savior by Anatoly Brusnikin. The work reveals images of other fairy-tale characters: Dmitry Nikitin, Alexey Popov, Vasilisa.

Modern folklore

• In modern Russian folklore, Ilya Muromets is the hero of a small cycle of jokes (usually together with Alyosha Popovich and Dobrynya Nikitich).

art

Painting

• Ilya Muromets is a character in Viktor Vasnetsov’s painting “Bogatyrs”; under the impression of the epic “Ilya Muromets and the Robbers”, he also painted the painting “The Knight at the Crossroads”.
• “Ilya Muromets at a feast with Prince Vladimir” - painting by V. P. Vereshchagin
• Ilya Muromets - painting by Nicholas Roerich
• “Ilya Muromets frees the prisoners”, “Ilya Muromets and Gol Kabatskaya”, “Ilya Muromets in a quarrel with Prince Vladimir”, “The Gift of Svyatogor” - paintings by Konstantin Vasiliev

Illustrations

• Ivan Bilibin created illustrations for the epics about Ilya Muromets: “Ilya Muromets”, “Ilya Muromets and Svyatogor”, “Ilya Muromets and the Nightingale the Robber”, “Ilya Muromets and Svyatogor’s wife”.

Engravings

• There are popular prints about Ilya Muromets: “Ilya Muromets and the Nightingale the Robber”, “Strong and Brave Hero Ilya Muromets”.

Plastic

• “Ilya Muromets and Nightingale the Robber” - porcelain composition by sculptor S. M. Orlov

Music

Operas

• Katerino Kavos wrote the opera “Ilya the Bogatyr” to a libretto by Ivan Krylov.
• In the farce opera “Bogatyrs” by composer Alexander Borodin, there is the role of Ilya Muromets.
• Composer Leonid Malashkin wrote the opera “Ilya Muromets, or Russian heroes”
• Ilya Muromets is a character in Mikhail Ivanov’s opera “Fun Putyatishna”.
• “Ilya Muromets” - opera by Valentina Serova
• Opera “Ilya Muromets” by composer Boris Feoktistov.

Symphonic works

• In 1909-11, composer Reinhold Glier created the 3rd symphony entitled “Ilya Muromets”.

Choral music

• In 2011, composer Andrei Mikita wrote “Doxology to St. Elijah of Murom” for a mixed choir, soloists and three children’s voices.

Mass music

• The group "Sector Gaza" has a song "Ilya Muromets"
• The group Sector Gazovoy Ataki has an album “Rock epic Ilya Muromets”

Theater

• The play “Ilya Muromets, Peasant Son” of the Puppet Theater named after. S. V. Obraztsova (1951).
• Ilya Muromets - one of the characters of the Russian district

Movies

• In 1956, based on the epics about Ilya Muromets, the feature film “Ilya Muromets” was shot in the USSR. Director Alexander Ptushko, leading actor - Boris Andreev.
• The image of Ilya Muromets was used in the film “That Scoundrel Sidorov” (1984).
• In 1975-1978, a duology of cartoons “Ilya Muromets (Prologue)” and “Ilya Muromets and the Nightingale the Robber” were filmed.
• At the end of 2007, the animated film “Ilya Muromets and the Nightingale the Robber” was released, in 2010 - Three Heroes and the Shamakhan Queen, the main character of which is also Ilya. The first of them tells how the crafty Kiev prince and Ilya Muromets went to rescue Ilya’s horse and the treasury stolen by Nightingale, who fled to the Byzantine lands, to the city of Constantinople, where Emperor Basileus ruled. In the second cartoon, the heroes, led by Ilya, save the prince from the spell of the insidious Shamakhan queen.
• In 2010, the film “Adventures in the Thirtieth Kingdom” was released, where Ilya Muromets was played by Stanislav Duzhnikov.
• In 2011, the film “A Real Fairy Tale” was released, where Alexey Dmitriev played Ilya Muromets.

Computer games

• At the end of 2008, the computer adventure game “Three Heroes” was released. The first episode”, in which Ilya is presented along with Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich. According to the plot of the game, the heroes will have to fight the robbers rampaging through Rus' and in the final defeat their leader - Nightingale the Robber. Moreover, Ilya leads the final battle with Nightingale one on one.
• In the game based on the cartoon of the same name, Ilya Muromets sets off in the footsteps of the Nightingale the Robber, in some missions he will be accompanied by the Kiev prince. They will have to talk with Alyosha Popovich, his assistant Eremey, Kashchei the Immortal, Baba Yaga and others.
• In the game Mechwarrior Online, one of the variants of the Cataphract combat robot is named Ilya Muromets.

14 out of 53 unique stories are associated with the name of Ilya Muromets in ancient Russian chronicles. Each such story has many variations and retellings. But almost all versions have something in common - the origin and miraculous healing, the battle with the Nightingale the Robber.
Scientists suggest that the prototype of the epic Elijah was Saint Elijah of the Kiev-Pechersk, whose relics rest in the Near Caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra among 69 saints. It was these relics that were examined and gave the following results for historians.

Ilya Muromets (reconstruction by S. Nikitin)

1. Healing by walking kalikas

The first part of Ilya’s life looks the same in all epics. He was a strong man, but he spent 33 years in almost complete immobility; he had no strength in either his arms or legs. But then one day Ilya’s house was visited by “passing Kaliki,” who completely healed the man and sent him to the princely service.
It turned out that the remains of Saint Elijah really belonged to a tall man, 177 cm tall. In those days, 160-165 was considered normal for men. In addition, the bones had developed tuberosities, which indicated a well-developed muscular system of the host.
Scientists conducted an X-ray examination of the relics and found signs of acromegaly. This disease is characterized by disproportionate growth of bones and internal organs. For patients with this disease, it is common to have large limbs, a large head, and broad shoulders. In addition, it turned out that the saint suffered from spondyloarthrosis; this disease could make movement difficult. And a good chiropractor could cure it by realigning the vertebrae. So passing healers could actually restore Ilya’s mobility.

2. Ilya and the Nightingale the Robber

This is the second mandatory plot of different versions of epics about hero Ilya Muromets. They say that Ilya’s first task after arriving at the court of the Kyiv prince Mstislav was to clear a direct trade route to the city. During that historical period (around 1168), trade caravans were constantly robbed by the Cumans. The nightingale, most likely, was a robber who “sat” on the road; the robber got his name for his talent for whistling. Muromets managed to defeat Nightingale, thereby freeing the direct road. This feat had a truly colossal economic effect.

3. Death of Ilya Muromets

The end of the life of Muromets is practically not reflected in the epics. Judging by historical data and survey data, Ilya left for the monastery at a respectable (for his time) age of 40-55 years. The cause may have been injury. Judging by the monastery records, the saint did not remain a monk for long. It is assumed that Ilya died in 1204 defending the monastery from the Polovtsians, allies of Rurik Rostislavich, who took Kyiv. The remains were found to have injuries to the left side of the chest, which resulted in instant death.