A brief analysis of Peter and Fevronia of Murom. Monuments of ancient Russian literature

1) The history of the creation of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom”.

During the time of Ivan the Terrible, Moscow Metropolitan Macarius ordered the collection of legends from Russian cities about righteous people famous for their pious deeds. Subsequently, a church council proclaims them saints. Priest Ermolai received an assignment to write an essay about the Murom saints - Prince Peter and his wife Princess Fevronia. Ermolai-Erasmus wrote “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom,” who were canonized at the council in 1547, that is, declared “new miracle workers,” saints.

2) Features of the plot of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom”.

Plot sources. The source of the plot for the “Tale...” of Ermolai-Erasmus was a local legend about a wise peasant girl who became a princess (the village of Laskovo, five kilometers from the village of Solotchi and the former Solotchinsky monastery, where Fevronia was from, still exists today). Folk tradition had such a strong influence on Ermolai-Erasmus that he created a work not associated with the canons of the hagiographic genre: we have before us a fascinating plot narrative, not much reminiscent of the story of the feat of the saints for the glory of the church. Both in the plot, and in the content of individual episodes, and in asking and solving riddles, folklore motifs are noticeably manifested. It is significant in this regard that the story of Ermolai-Erasmus about Peter and Fevronia, recognized by the church as saints, was not included in the “Great Menaion-Chetia”, which, along with other texts, contained numerous lives of Russian saints.

Main stages of the plot. Exposition. “This is a city in the Rustei land, called Mur” - this is how the story begins simply. In this city, as the narrator says, the blessed Prince Paul reigned. And the rapist serpent began to fly to his wife. To outsiders, he took on the appearance of Paul. Pavel's wife told her husband about her misfortune, and both began to think about how to get rid of the rapist. One day, when the serpent again flew to Paul’s wife, she asked the serpent “with respect”: “You know a lot, do you know your death: what will it be and from what?” Seduced by the “good seduction” of Paul’s wife, the serpent replied: “My death is from Peter’s shoulder, from Agrikov’s sword.” Paul's brother, Peter, decides to kill the serpent, but does not know where he can get Agrikov's sword. He finds this sword on one of his trips to private prayer in a country temple in the altar between the “ceramides,” that is, ceramic tiles that usually covered burials. Having made sure that it is not Paul who is sitting in the temple of Paul’s wife, but a serpent who has taken on the appearance of Paul, Peter strikes him with Agric’s sword. His true appearance returns to the serpent, and he dies “trembling”, sprinkling Peter with his blood. From this blood Peter is covered with scabs. His illness cannot be cured.

The beginning of the plot action. Peter's terrible illness serves as the beginning of the second part of the story, where the wise maiden Fevronia appears and heals the prince. Fevronia is the “wise maiden” of fairy tales. External manifestations of her great inner strength are stingy. She is ready for the feat of self-denial, she has conquered her passions. Her love for Prince Peter is invincible externally because she is defeated internally, by herself, subordinated to the mind. At the same time, her wisdom is not only a property of her mind, but to the same extent - her feelings and will. There is no conflict between her feelings, mind and will: hence the extraordinary “silence” of her image.

Denouement. The life-giving power of Fevronia’s love is so great that the poles stuck in the ground bloom into trees with her blessing. She is so strong in spirit that she can unravel the thoughts of the people she meets. In the power of love, in the wisdom suggested to her by this love, Fevronia turns out to be superior even to her ideal husband, Prince Peter. Death itself cannot separate them. When Peter and Fevronia felt the approach of death, they began to ask God to die at the same time, and prepared a common foe for themselves. After that they became monks in different monasteries. And so, when Fevronia was embroidering “air” for the holy cup for the temple of the Mother of God, Peter sent her to tell her that he was dying, and asked her to die with him. But Fevronia asks to give her time to finish the bedspread. Peter sent to her a second time, ordering her to say: “I won’t wait long enough for you.” Finally, sending p for the third time, Peter tells her: “I already want to die and I’m not waiting for you.” Then Fevronia, who only had to sew the saint’s robe, stuck a needle into the bedspread, wrapped a thread around it and sent it to tell Peter that she was ready to die with him.

Epilogue. After the death of Peter and Fevronia, people put their bodies in separate coffins, but the next day their bodies ended up in a common coffin that they had prepared in advance. People tried to separate Peter and Fevronia a second time, but again the bodies were together, and after that they no longer dared to separate them.

What forces are at work at the beginning of the story? (the evil serpent is the devil)

What is Agrikov's sword? (Agrik is a fabulous hero. They said that he defeated giants and monsters. He collected a countless treasury of weapons, among which was a treasure sword.)

Why did Peter's body become covered with scabs and sores? (“...Peter, firmly convinced that it was not his brother, but a crafty serpent, struck him with a sword. The serpent turned into his natural form and fell dead in convulsions, splashing Prince Peter with his blood. From that enemy blood, Peter’s body was covered with scabs and Sores opened, and a serious illness attacked him."

3) Artistic features of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom”.

“The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” is a combination of two folklore stories: one about a seducing snake and the other about a wise maiden. These stories in “The Tale...” are connected and dedicated to Murom, and the whole story claims to be historically accurate.

The charm of “The Tale...” lies in the simplicity and clarity of presentation, in the sedate slowness of the story, in the narrator’s ability not to be surprised by the surprising, in the simplicity and good-naturedness of the characters that harmonizes with the narrator’s calmness.

^ ST. PETERSBURG STATE UNIVERSITY

as a manuscript

Mita Ayumi

POETICS OF THE PLOT OF “THE TALE OF PETER AND FEVRONIA”

Specialty 10.01.01 - Russian literature

St. Petersburg 1997

The work was carried out at the Department of History of Russian Literature of St. Petersburg State University.

Scientific supervisor - Doctor of Philology,

Associate Professor N.S. Demkova

Official opponents - Doctor of Philology,

A.G. Bobrov

Candidate of Philological Sciences M.V. Rozhdestvenskaya

Leading organization: Russian State Pedagogical University named after. A.I. Herzen

meeting of the dissertation council K 063.57.42 for the defense of dissertations for the degree of candidate of philological sciences at St. Petersburg University at the address: 199034, St. Petersburg, Universitetskaya embankment, 11.

The dissertation can be found in the scientific library named after A.M. Gorky St. Petersburg State University.

The defense will take place "/

Scientific secretary of the dissertation council associate professor

A.I. Vladimirova

“The Tale of Peter and Fevronia,” the Murom miracle workers, a monument of the 16th century, in terms of the harmony of its artistic form and the depth of its poetic images, occupies a special place not only in the history of Russian literature, but also of world literature in general; extensive research literature has been devoted to it (F. I. Buslaev, A. N. Veselovsky, M. O. Skripil, D. S. Likhachev, A. A. Zimin, etc.), however, before the appearance of the fundamental monograph by R. P. Dmitrieva1, many questions of its study remained unresolved, including such cardinal ones as the question of the time of creation of the “Tale” and its authorship, the relationship between editions and the original text, and the problem of the literary originality of the “Tale” was also not fully clarified.

As a result of a thorough textual analysis of R.P. Dmitrieva proved that the author of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” was the famous publicist of the era of Ivan the Terrible - Ermolai-Erasmus, a priest of one of the Kremlin cathedrals, the author of such significant theological and journalistic treatises as “The Ruler of the Tsar, “The Book of the Trinity,” “ A word about reasoning love and truth and defeating enmity and lies” (A. Popov, I.A. Shlyapkin, V.F. Rzhiga, A.I. Klibanov and others wrote about them). R.P. Dmitrieva also established the time of writing the “Tale” about Peter and Fevronia - the 40s. XVI century, the sequence of creation of its numerous editions, and gave a complete archaeographic description of all the manuscripts containing the “Tale”. Studying the literary originality of the Tale of the Murom Wonderworkers, which differs from traditional hagiographic texts in its special closeness to folklore subjects, R.P. Dmitrieva compared the plot of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” with fairy tale motifs. As a result of this comparison, the researcher came to the convincing conclusion that Ermolai-Erasmus did not retell the ancient legend underlying the “Tale,” as M.O. believed. Skripil,2 but created his own composition of folklore motifs; the artistic nature of the “Tale”, which R.P. Dmitrieva interprets it as close to a short story fairy tale. This is the point of view of R.P. Dmitrieva, who proved the presence of the “Tale” in the composition

1 Dmitrieva R.P. “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” / Preparation of texts and research. L„ 1979.

2Skripil M.O. “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” in its relation to the Russian fairy tale IITODRL. T.VII. M.;L., 1949. P.131-167.

strong authorship is one of the significant conclusions of her research. The main theme of the “Tale” is interpreted by R.P. Dmitrieva as follows: “An analysis of the composition of the Tale shows that its central theme is the history of the relationship between Peter and Fevronia and the preservation of harmony between them despite the environment hostile to the heroine.”

The artistic significance of the “Tale” in the literary heritage of Ancient Rus' and its dissimilarity from the monuments of the hagiographic genre, the folklore nature of the main plot points of the “Tale” and, at the same time, the clear Christian position of the author, a famous scribe and theologian of the 16th century, make the text of the “Tale” attractive to many researchers. In the 1980s A number of works by famous foreign Slavists (B. Conrad, R. Picchio) appeared, arguing that “The Tale” should be considered not only in connection with folklore materials, but that when analyzing its content it is necessary to take into account certain Christian ideas.

A study of the author’s concept of the “Tale”, based on an analysis of the foundations of the Christian worldview of Ermolai-Erasmus, was carried out by N.S. Demkova.3 The main conclusion of N.S. Demkova is that the plot of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” is allegorical in nature, that the “Tale” as a whole is dedicated to the idea of love, understood in the Christian sense, and that the author’s text was to show the need for Peter’s moral insight: the feat of Peter and his struggle with the inner “serpent” nesting in the human soul (pride) continues according to the plot of the “Tale” and further, after winning the duel with the serpent, leading Peter along the path of humility and knowledge of the highest value - the ideal meaning of life, indicated to him by Fevronia .

Very close to the position of N.S. Demkovoy position of two other researchers. Analyzing the use of the snake-fighting plot in the written tradition of the Middle Ages, S. B. Adonyeva emphasizes that in the “Tale” “Man, the hero is no longer unambiguous, his inner world has become a place of struggle between good and evil.”4 M.B. Plyukhanova understands snake fighting

3Demkoaa N.S. On the interpretation of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia”: “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” as a parable II Name-plot-myth. St. Petersburg, 1995. P.5-22.

4Adonyeva S.B. Features of the structure and semantics of the snake-wrestling plot in folklore and written tradition I Russian folklore. T.25. L., 1989. P.100-111.

Thus, it turns out that understanding the “Tale” is possible in a variety of ways, and the question of its literary originality still remains relevant.

The purpose of the research we are undertaking is to study the artistic originality of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” and, above all, the poetics of the plot in one specific and not yet fully studied. aspect - in the aspect of a holistic approach to the folklore origins of its plot and figurative system, the identification of those archetypal images - mythologemes, and their semantic connections in the context of a single work, which were used by Ermolai-Erasmus, a Christian thinker of the Russian Middle Ages, whose worldview was formed at the junction of Christian ideas and folk foundations of verbal culture.

The approach we have chosen to study the poetics of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” is fully consistent with modern literary scholarship, with interest in the historical and literary genesis of figurative leitmotifs, historical and mythological roots of individual artistic images (works by A. N. Afanasyev, A. A. Potebnya, and O M. Freidenberg, B.A. Uspensky, B. Gasparov, V.N. Toporov, etc. Of particular importance for our dissertation was the work of V.Ya. Propp “Historical roots of the fairy tale.”8

This study not only touches upon the problems of connecting “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” with individual folklore motifs, but also proposes a new layer of sources for consideration: calendar and family rituals. At the same time, the dissertation aims not only to analyze individual folklore motifs and images used by Ermolai-Erasmus (snake, sword, river, etc.), but also to understand them as parts of a single whole, since these rituals and motifs are closely related with an ideological author's plan. This is the novelty of the work performed.

5Plyukhanova M.B. Subjects and symbols of the Moscow kingdom. St. Petersburg, 1996.

6/7rollV.Ya. Historical roots of fairy tales. St. Petersburg, 1996.

Research objectives. In accordance with the purpose of the research, the following specific tasks were set in the dissertation: 1) to identify not only points of similarity between the main plot points of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” and fairy-tale motifs, but also differences in their interpretation by the author, since it is the differences that make it possible to judge the author’s position and plan; 2) to identify the plot-forming principle of the narrative, which allows us to understand the principle of combining in the “Tale” two fairy-tale plots “the winner of the snake” and “the wise misfortune”, which exist in the work in a single context; 3) consider the “Tale” in connection with calendar rituals.

In accordance with the objectives, the structure of the work was determined: the dissertation consists of three chapters, an introduction and a conclusion. Chapter one is devoted to the study of the semantics of snake fighting in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia”; chapter two examines the reflection of wedding rituals in the Tale; Chapter three examines the reflection of the motives of the Kupala ritual in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia.”

The sources of the research are: the author’s text of the “Tale” of Ermolai-Erasmus (autograph), identified and published by R.P. Dmitrieva, folklore records of legends and tales about Peter and Fevronia (E.V. Pomerantseva, V.K. Sokolov, etc.), as well as various collections of Russian and Slavic fairy tales, epic texts, ritual poetry, individual observations of ethnographers and folklorists over the life and beliefs of the Russian people.

Approbation and practical significance of the work. The dissertation was discussed at a postgraduate seminar and at the Department of History of Russian Literature at St. Petersburg State University; the section of the work devoted to the reflection of wedding rituals in the Tale was reported at an international conference dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of V.Ya. Propp (St. Petersburg, 1994).

The practical significance of the work lies in the fact that the researched materials and conclusions of the dissertation can be used to give general and special courses of lectures on the history of Russian literature and folklore, and also taken into account in the further study of the uniqueness of the Russian literary process of the 16th century. and identifying the special nature of the connections between medieval Russian

The introduction is devoted to the history of scientific study of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia”, raising questions about the artistic originality of the work; it also contains the rationale for the relevance and novelty of the dissertation, defines the goals and objectives of the study and indicates the methodological and theoretical foundations of the analysis undertaken.

Chapter I. Semantics of snake fighting in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia”

The poetics of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” was considered by researchers mainly in connection with the influence of folklore on this work. At the same time, when considering the composition of “The Tale,” it was customary to divide it into two parts: 1) the snake-fighting of Prince Peter and 2) Peter’s marriage to Fevronia. The first part was usually compared with a fairy-tale plot about snake fighting, and the second - with a plot about a wise maiden, and the tradition of considering them separately was established in scientific literature. When analyzing the single composition of “The Tale” by R.P. Dmitrieva, establishing its closeness to the short story tale, considered the first part - Peter's fight with the snake - as the beginning of the further narrative.

In our opinion, Peter’s struggle with the serpent, as shown by N.S. Demkoea is the leitmotif of the entire “Tale”. To verify this, it is necessary to once again consider the nature of the image of the snake and the snake-fighting plot in the “Tale”, in comparison with folklore materials. As a result of the analysis, not only similarities were discovered, but also differences between “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” and folklore materials. The significance of the discovered differences lies in the fact that they allow us to understand the author’s origin and intention in the “Tale”. The above-mentioned article by S. B. Adonyeva, who examined the snake-fighting plot in oral folk art and its transformation in folk tradition, was of significant importance in this direction of analysis for the dissertation. As you know, the image of a snake and the theme of snake fighting are widespread not only in Russian folklore, but also in the folklore of the peoples of the world, including in Japanese mythology (the fight of Susanoo with Yamata no Orochi - the scary snake).

When considering Russian folk tales about snake fighting, we notice two main initial situations: 1) a snake appears in this world (fairy tales like “animal milk”); 2) the snake appears in the next world (fairy tales like “the winner of the snake”)7

In the first case, the snake usually flies to a woman with whom he enters into a love affair, and in the second case, the snake demands that a woman (most often a princess) be given to him to be eaten.

The snake from fairy tales of the “beast’s milk” type and the snake from fairy tales of the “snake winner” type, according to the materials we have examined, never mix. In “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia,” on the contrary, this mixture of elements is observed: the initial situation of the “Tale” coincides with the type of fairy tales “animal milk” (a snake enters into a love affair with the wife of the Murom prince Pavel, Peter’s brother), and in the future we do not We observe actions characteristic of fairy tales of this type, when a woman who has entered into a love affair with a snake either dies herself, according to the fairy-tale canon, or causes harm to her husband or brother. In the Tale, Paul's wife acts differently: she tells her husband about the serpent's visit and thereby contributes to his death. Further, the “Tale” develops along the plot line of the second type of fairy tales - fairy tales of the “snake winner” type. Having received Agrikov's sword, like the hero of a heroic fairy tale, Peter defeats the snake, and even later finds his betrothed (we write about this in the second chapter of the dissertation).

Comparison of the “Tale” with later folklore records of Ryazan legends, perhaps going back directly to the retellings of the “Tale”, as R.P. believes. Dmitriev, allows us to highlight the special author’s intention of a literary work, which differs from the random and archaic plans manifested in these oral legends.

Throughout the development of the plot in “The Tale,” we note the author’s rethinking of the folklore images and motifs used.

The serpent in “The Tale” is not only a character of epic origin, as M.O. Skripil believed. It should also be considered as a Christian symbol of evil. Unlike fairy tales, the serpent does not go to Paul’s wife of his own free will, he is sent by the devil. The serpent of fairy tales is in itself the king of the underworld, but in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” he

7Andreev N.P. Index of fairy tales according to the Aarnv system. L., 192E.

plays a subordinate role, the role of an assistant of the devil, the purpose of whose actions is the desire to harm the human race, to destroy human souls. When Prince Paul learned about his wife’s connection with the serpent, he speaks of the need to save not only herself from the serpent, but also the salvation of her soul (“in the future age, the unhypocritical judge of Christ will be merciful to yourself”).

“Agrikov’s sword” is not just a folklore weapon - a treasure sword, but a weapon sent to Peter from above, it is associated with the idea of the life-giving cross (Peter receives a sword, walled up in the wall of the Monastery of the Exaltation of the Life-giving Cross, from the hands of a youth, apparently an angel ). However, unlike a number of fairy tales, where the hero does not doubt his role as a serpent fighter, Peter does not rely on Agrikov’s sword, nor on his own strength, but only on God’s help: “I’m going there to take on the serpent, but with God’s help I will be killed.” this evil serpent."

And Peter himself is not only a snake fighter, a hero. He is endowed with such Christian virtues as piety and brotherly love, and his main feat is the feat of humility, the rejection of class pride. In this light, the dissertation examines the meaning of the name Peter in the Christian tradition.

The description of the fight against the snake itself, compared to the fairy-tale versions in the Tale, is less developed and does not focus the reader’s attention on the fairy-tale moments. Fairy tales describe repeated fights with the snake. They usually happen three times. Moreover, during a battle, the hero of fairy tales often falls into a heroic sleep, from which he can only be awakened by the tears of the princess whom he saves. These fairy-tale elements are absent in the Tale. In the Tale, Ermolai-Erasmus describes in detail something else: the actions of Peter, trying to determine exactly where his brother Pavel is, so as not to kill him by mistake. For the author of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia,” therefore, what is important is not the scene of the victory over the serpent itself, but the depiction of Peter’s experiences.

In the "Tale" the semantics of the theme of Peter's snake-fighting and the image of Peter itself are ambiguous. The theme of the fight with the snake is reminiscent of the heroic feat of the hero, however, Peter’s fight with the snake in the “Tale” also has one more, second meaning associated with the Christian ideas of Ermolai-Erasmus.

Peter's fight with the serpent in the Tale is not a depiction of one specific event; Throughout the entire narrative, Peter’s struggle continues with the “serpent” - with his pride, with his refusal to recognize Fevronia’s equal status, with the human commitment to worldly, earthly passions. A.I. Klibanov in his article “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” as a monument to Russian social thought” makes a very interesting remark for our work: “The valor of the prince undoubtedly deserved the recognition of Fevronia. But the heroic-epic “good fellow” is not her ideal. Fevronia’s demands fit her spiritual world, and they are complex: the prince fought with the serpent of hostility and defeated him; will he defeat the serpent of class prejudices within himself and outside himself?”8 Peter’s final victory over himself takes place on the banks of the Oka - in the last episode, completing the plot narrative telling about this struggle. Thus, the main idea of the work is the spiritual transformation of Prince Peter. Heals, that is, resurrects him for a new life, by the peasant girl Fevronia - the personification of the highest Divine Providence, which at first was not understood by Peter.

Chapter II. Reflection of wedding rituals in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia”

We noted above that the various parts of the “Tale”, based on folklore sources (“the conqueror of the serpent” and “the wise maiden”), were considered by many authors separately, which led to a fragmentation of the perception of a single plot. From our point of view, the plot of the “Tale” should be considered as a single whole. In our opinion, the semantics of wedding rituals acts as a connecting link connecting both plots.

In the Tale there are vivid signs of the wedding ceremony. Individual characters in the “Tale” can be considered as heroes playing the role of “wedding officials” (Peter’s servant acts as a matchmaker, the prince is Peter himself, the princess is Fevronia, there are boyars, etc.). The place where Peter's healing takes place - the bathhouse - coincides with the place where, according to folk custom, “transitional” rites are performed, including rites preceding the wedding.

eKpibanoe A.I. “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” as a monument to Russian social thought // Historical Notes. 1959. T.65. S.ZOZ-315.

Meanwhile, the connection between the plot of snake fighting and victory over the snake with the plot telling about the connection of heroes - the winner and the things of the maiden - is known not only in Russian, but also in world literature. M.B. Plyukhanova in her monograph “Plots and Symbols of the Muscovite Kingdom” especially notes that the connection between the theme of snake fighting and the theme of wisdom has deep roots in the system of theological-theocratic ideas and symbols in the Byzantine-Slavic cultural tradition.

Considering the South Slavic and Russian epics B.N. Putilov devotes considerable space to the analysis of the motive of “heroic matchmaking” and especially notes the following: “Both Russian and South Slavic epics are familiar with images of brides representing a “different world” or endowed with fantastic features.”9

In an article devoted to the motives of “Tristan and Isolde” by I.G. Frank-Kamenetsky quite clearly formulates the scheme of “victory over the serpent (dragon) through union with the betrothed.” According to his observation, union with the betrothed is equivalent to victory over the snake.10

1. The image of the groom in Russian fairy tales and in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia.”

The plot of snake fighting in fairy tales and epics apparently reflects traces of an archaic initiation rite. From this point of view, fighting the snake meant a test for the hero, after which he receives a higher status in the community. Let us note that on Russian soil the initiation rite did not exist as a special rite. Many researchers believe that it was replaced to some extent by the wedding ceremony, and coming of age was understood as readiness for marriage.11 From the above, it can be noted that for the author of the “Tale” the motif of “snake fighting” was important as a decisive moment for the initiation of his hero - Peter . The theme of snake fighting, being closely connected with the rite of initiation (acquiring a new status in the community), in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” is the main theme of the author, developing it, he

9Putilov B.N. 1) Slavic epic songs about matchmaking // Folklore and ethnography. L., 1970. P. 144-157; 2) Russian and South Slavic heroic epic: Comparative typological study. M., 1971. P.130.

yuFrank-Kamenetsky I.G. Ishtar-Isolde in biblical poetry // Tristan and Isolde. From the heroine of love of feudal Europe to the goddess of matriarchal Afro-Eurasia. L., 1932. P.71-89.

"" Beyburin A.K. Ritual in traditional culture. St. Petersburg, 1993.

shows the victory of the spiritual over the earthly. The condition for this victory is the union of Peter and Fevronia, therefore the “Tale” is filled by the author with images of wedding rituals. The semantics of wedding rites covers the text of the “Tale” more widely than the coming of age rite, since the semantics of initiation is present in the wedding rite itself.

In typical fairy tales, such as "Ivan the Fool" or "Crystal Mountain", the dominant element, as we see, is the movement of the hero, i.e. groom At the beginning of the fairy tale, as usual, the hero leaves his home for various reasons: for wonderful apples, for living water, and, perhaps, for trade matters (“Vasily the Merchant’s Son”). Sometimes a hero is driven away from his home.

This departure from his home is most likely intended to indicate the hero’s coming of age and his readiness to marry. To show this, the hero must seek his way outside his world, must make a long journey in order to become a recognized member of society, and for this he must overcome various kinds of difficulties and undergo various tests along the way.

In the first chapter we wrote that, in comparison with fairy tales like “the winner of the serpent,” in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” the very description of Peter’s struggle with the serpent is given very sparingly. In fairy tales, a duel with a snake is the culmination of the hero’s activities, stopping the development of the main plot. And in the “Tale,” from our point of view, the main plot associated with the depiction of Peter’s spiritual growth truly begins from the moment when Peter receives ulcers from the blood of the serpent. It is from this moment that the narrative begins to develop according to the scheme of the wedding ceremony, Peter’s movement takes place from his world to someone else’s. Peter's movement resembles the diagram of a wedding ceremony. However, these movements become noticeably more complicated: the seriously ill Prince Peter (like the groom) must cross the border and visit the underworld, but at the same time, born a prince, Peter must not rise up, but, on the contrary, “descend” in his social status in order to to save himself, since only an alliance with a simple peasant girl Fevronia can give him healing.

And in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia,” like archaic ideas, being a groom, Prince Peter must marry his betrothed in order to cross the border - from a foreign world to return back to his own world. Having married Fevronia, Peter returns to Murom and almost immediately becomes the ruler of the principality, as his older brother Pavel dies. Peter's social status increases. In this regard, marriage is a means of gaining not only a new life, but also a higher status for the bride and groom. The first stage of increasing status is associated with the first stage on the path of Peter's renewal.

2. The image of the bride in fairy tales about the wise maiden and in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia.”

Many researchers believe that with the appearance of Fevronia, the next part of the “Tale” begins, which can be compared with a number of fairy tales about the “wise maiden”. This was noted by F.I. Buslaev. R.P. Dmitrieva conducted a comparative analysis of “The Tale” and a number of fairy tales about the wise maiden, noting elements of their similarities and differences. She quite rightly says that not only a number of such fairy tales as “Seven Years”, “Strizhena Deeka”, etc., but also “The Tale” itself are associated with wedding rituals.

For example, in the fairy tale “Wise Answers,” the heroine acts as a bride from the very beginning. The matchmaker comes and asks various riddles, which the bride, of course, solves. Many researchers even believe that the very origin of the riddles is largely connected with the traditional tests of the heroes of the wedding ceremony (in other words, the competition between the bride and groom).

In “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” difficult tasks also act as a wedding test. However, when it comes to Fevronia’s mysterious speech, the main thing here is not the test before the wedding, but the manifestation of the wisdom of Fevronia, who knows the “secret speech”. In the dialogue with Peter’s servant, Fevronia seems to be asking riddles herself and solving them herself. Thus, she manifests herself as the bearer of the highest wisdom. From Fevronia’s speech it is clear that there is no one in the house except her. It should be noted that in fairy tales about the wise maiden, the heroines are always met alone in the house. From our point of view, this is far from accidental. There was a custom to remove

the bride before marriage to a dwelling specially built for her. V.I. Eremina writes in this regard that this custom is preserved only in fairy tales."

So, for the first time, a matchmaker comes to the house of the bride Fevronia and a competition with riddles takes place, and then, according to the rules of the wedding ceremony, the groom himself arrives. If Fevronia is a bride, then she seems to be in a state of temporary death, which is why she acquires extraordinary strength. Only she can heal the prince - precisely as a bride - Peter's betrothed.

3. Semantics of “healing” in the wedding ceremony and in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia”

In folklore records of legends and fairy tales about Peter and Fevronia, the scene of Peter’s healing is presented extremely laconically, they only mention her double treatment. In “The Tale,” the author devotes quite a lot of space to this, since this episode (one of Fevronia’s “miracles”) is closely connected with the idea of the “resurrection” of the main character (the transition through death to a new life). To heal Prince Peter, Fevronia orders a bathhouse to be heated and then anointed with an ointment specially made for him. This action corresponds to the fact that in fairy tales a hero who has died or is cut into pieces is first washed with dead water connecting the members of his body. To resurrect him, you need living water, which gives the hero new life. The function of living water - the second stage of healing - in the "Tale" is performed by Peter's marriage with Fevronia - he is united with the bride sent to him by Divine Providence.

An interesting statement by A.K. Bayburin regarding the ablution of the bride before the wedding. When the bride’s hair is unbraided in the bathhouse, it is as if divided into parts (the “beauty” department), after which the bride becomes as if dead. Through dead water (bathhouse) she regains integrity, but at the same time the bride has not yet been resurrected, but is in a transitional state, since she has not yet received a new status, which is acquired through a wedding - union with the groom).

Analysis of the “Tale” shows that in the depiction of Fevronia (as a bride), Ermolai-Erasmus deviates from the fairy-tale canon, giving

12 Eremina V.I. Folklore and ritual. L., 1991.

Fevronia has traits that allow her to be considered as a bearer of special, higher Wisdom. In this regard, an essential point, in our opinion, is the similarity of the description of Fevronia at the weaving mill and the images of the Virgin Mary on the icons of the Annunciation. Like the Mother of God, who gave human nature to Christ, Fevronia contributes to the healing of Peter and his transformation, rebirth in a new quality.

The adoption of Christianity did not destroy popular ideas about living and dead water, but their transformation took place in Christian literature. Peter receives healing through his union with Fevronia and an increase in social status (after returning to Murom with Fevronia, Peter becomes the ruler of the Murom principality, and Fevronia, as the author especially emphasizes, became a princess).

4. “Heavenly marriage” of Peter and Fevronia

“The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” does not end with the earthly marriage of the heroes. The final scene of the Tale makes us recall the scene of the initial acquaintance of Peter and Fevronia, when Peter sent his servant to look for a doctor for him. Peter and Fevronia in both descriptions communicate through a third person, and in both cases Peter’s messenger catches Fevronia doing needlework.

The semantics of the thread are also interesting here. This also applies to yarn. It turns out that Fevronia does not finish her work on earth, but leaves it to others. The thread connects the earthly and heavenly kingdoms, since the earthly work on the heavenly air remained unfinished.

The very end of the Tale is indicative in this regard, describing the miracle of the union of the bodies of Peter and Fevronia in one coffin. Let us note in passing that the attempt to separate Peter and Fevronia during burial was made three times, which fully corresponds to the trinity of episodes in the author’s description, telling about the increasingly strong and complete connection of the heroes: 1) Peter’s marriage to Fevronia; 2) their union on the banks of the Oka after the boyar rebellion; 3) the combination of their bodies in one coffin.

This miracle, in addition to its main function in the hagiographic context - to testify to the holiness of the heroes (their last wish is fulfilled contrary to the wishes of people), in another - mythopoetic - system of meanings, it is a landmark event that confirms for all participants and

subsequent generations, the final union, their completed “heavenly marriage”.

CHAPTER 111. Reflection of the Kupala ritual in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia”

At first glance, there is nothing in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” that could be considered as a reflection of calendar rituals. However, let us pay attention to the fact that the day of remembrance of saints on June 25 (the day of remembrance of the Byzantine martyr Fevronia) follows one of the largest national holidays - the Nativity of John the Baptist (“Ivan Kupalo”) (this connection was first mentioned by N.S. Demkova).

This holiday is more pagan than Christian, and Kupala rituals were condemned by the Christian church. That is why the clergy condemned the colorfulness of the Kupala games as demonic (see the message of the Pskov abbot Pamphilus).

The main elements of the holiday: lighting fires, jumping over them (on the night of June 23-24), collecting herbs, burying a ritual tree or scarecrow (Kupala or Mara). The Kupala games were known for free relations between the sexes.

It was believed that on the Kupala night an evil spirit roams (on the Kupala night a passage was opened on the earth from the other world to this one and vice versa.) However, contact with another world gives all creatures on earth magical power, and the theme of life and death was clearly present in the Kupala ritual , the theme of healing (resurrection) occupies a large place in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia.” In this regard, this chapter examines several episodes of the “Tale”: Fevronia’s miracle over the trees, the episode of Fevronia’s temptation on the ship, the episode of the boyar feast before the expulsion of Peter and Fevronia from Murom.

In the first episode, motifs comparable to the Kupala ritual are especially clearly observed: 1) overnight stay and meal on the banks of the Oka; 2) lighting a fire and cutting down trees. In addition, when describing the miracle above the trees, the author repeatedly draws the reader’s attention to the time of the event and orients the time of action to the opposite concepts of “evening - morning”. The Kupala games took place precisely within the boundaries of these two time periods. In addition, in popular belief, evening was identified with

death, and morning with life. The process of the Kupala ritual action represents the reproduction of the transition from the old (dead) to the new (living). In “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia,” the semantics of healing (the transition from old to new) is depicted inverted. Such images of Kupala rituals as the river bank, firelights, trees, rather serve to describe the mental state of Prince Peter.

In our interpretation, the episode of the temptation of Fevronia is connected with the Kupala theme in the Tale, which was usually considered by researchers when analyzing the composition of the Tale as an insertion: in this episode the theme of condemnation of “adultery” clearly sounds, which contrasts Fevronia’s behavior with the customs of the Kupala night.

Food in the archaic consciousness was perceived as one of the most important components of a sacred act (sacrifice). According to many scientists (OM. Freudenberg, V.N. Toporov, etc.), the act of “eating” is associated with the resurrection of a person. Peter's meal on the banks of the Oka is associated with the episode preceding his final renewal, and is associated with the theme of the transition from death to life.

The feast of the boyars in connection with the expulsion of Peter and Fevronia from Murom can also, from our point of view, be considered in connection with the reflection in the “Tale” of the elements of the Kupala holiday: the boyar feast is accompanied by noise, fun, all kinds of outrages, which is typical for Kupala games.

Let us note that the final renewal of Peter coincides in the Tale with the death of the Murom boyars, personifying the earthly, carnal, base principle. Both events occur almost simultaneously. Thus, the plot of the “Tale” asserts that Peter’s final victory over the serpent has been achieved.

In conclusion, the main conclusions of our research are given: Research of the mythopostic basis and folklore sources, individual* images of the “Tale” confirms that the text of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” has an allegorical parable character. The “Tale” must be considered not only in comparison with folklore materials, but also in the light of the Christian tradition.

2) “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” is subordinated to the author’s single plan of transformation, the spiritual insight of the hero Peter through union with Fevronia, the bearer of the highest Divine Providence.

3) The main plot-generating principle in the “Tale” is the wedding ritual, which connects all the images and motifs used by Ermolai-Erasmus to fully express his own author’s intention. It is the wedding theme that allows us to express the central idea of “The Tale”: the resurrection of the hero Peter through marriage.

1. Semantics of snake fighting in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” // From Ermolai-Erasmus to Mikhail Bulgakov. Articles about Russian literature. St. Petersburg, 1997. P.6-17.

1) The history of the creation of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom”.

2) Features of the plot of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom”.

What forces are at work at the beginning of the story? (the evil serpent is the devil)

What is Agrikov's sword? (Agrik is a fabulous hero. They said that he defeated giants and monsters. He collected a countless treasury of weapons, among which was a treasure sword.)

3) Artistic features of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom”.

"The Tale of Peter and Fevronia" was created in the middle of the 16th century. writer-publicist Ermolai-Erasmus based on Murom oral traditions. After the canonization of Peter and Fevronia, this work became widespread as a hagiography. However, Metropolitan Macarius did not include it in the “Great Mennaia”, since both in content and form it sharply diverged from the hagiographic canon. The story with extraordinary expressiveness glorified the power and beauty of female love, capable of overcoming all life's adversities and winning victory over death.

The heroes of the story are historical figures: Peter and Fevronia reigned in Murom at the beginning of the 13th century, they died in 1228.

Genre originality.

In theory, this work was created as a hagiography. But it was not recognized as a life due to numerous deviations from the canon in the central part, and in the process of reworking it became a story. The basis of its plot was formed on the basis of two oral-poetic, fairy-tale motifs - about the hero-snake fighter and the wise maiden, widespread in folklore. The source of the plot was a local legend about a wise peasant girl who became a princess. Folk tradition had a strong influence on Ermolai-Erasmus, and he created a work not associated with the canons of the hagiographic genre: it is a fascinating narrative narrative, not much like the lives of saints with their exploits and martyrdom for the glory of the church. "The work consists of 4 parts, plot-connected. 1-story about a snake fighter. 2-heroes go to get a doctor for a snake victim. They meet a girl who speaks in riddles. What follows is the motif of riddles and

tests. 3-life of Peter and Fevronia in marriage, there are elements of folklore narrative. 4-story about the death of Peter and Fevronia and the posthumous miracle. The problem with genre is that a work combines many elements from different genres. The work does not say anything about the childhood of the heroes (unconventional for life), folklore motifs can be traced in all parts. For example, a fairy-tale plot about a snake-fighting hero, the motif of riddles, when Fevronia says that “it’s not right for a house to have no ears and a temple to have no ears” (a dog has ears at home, a child has eyes at home) and when asked where her family answers : “Father and mother borrowed posters. My brother went through his legs in Navi to see,” which means “mother and father went to the funeral, and my brother went to beekeeping.” There is also a folklore motif in the 3rd part, when Fevronya, after a meal, collects crumbs in her hand, and then they turn into incense and incense. This is an echo of the fairy tale about the frog princess, when leftovers turned into swans and a lake. And the departure of Peter and Fevronia from Murom, and then the nobles’ request for their return, also has an echo in the folk tale. But the work also has a spiritual side, characteristic of hagiography. Peter and Fevronia do not talk about love, because Peter does not even want to marry her at first. Their marriage is not carnal, but spiritual and is based on keeping the commandments. Fevronia performs miracles thanks to her spirituality. Another element of life is the posthumous miracle, when Peter and Fevronia, contrary to their dying instructions, are buried in different places, but overnight they still find themselves together in a coffin for two, which remains empty. And their death in one hour is also something unusual, which can only be characteristic of saints. The combination of folklore, hagiography and story elements in one work makes the work multifaceted, but this is the author’s special skill and innovation in literature.

Folklorism and hagiography.

In general, the story combines two folk poetic plots: a fairy tale about a fiery serpent and a fairy tale about a wise maiden.

The image of the central heroine, Fevronia, is associated with the oral and poetic folk tradition. In the story, her extraordinary wisdom comes to the fore. The boy (servant) of Prince Peter finds her in the hut at the weaving loom in simple clothes, and Fevronia greets the prince’s servant with “strange” words: “It is absurd for a house to be without an ear, and a temple without an eye.” When the young man asks where any of the men living in the house are, she replies: “My father and mother went to borrow money. My brother went to face Navi (death) through his feet.”

The boy himself is unable to understand the meaning of Fevronia’s wise speeches and asks to explain their meaning. Fevronia willingly does this. The ears of the house are a dog, the eyes of the temple (house) are a child. She has neither one nor the other in her house, so there was no one to warn her about the arrival of a stranger, and he found her in such an unsightly state. And mother and father went to the funeral to cry, because when they die, they will also cry for them. Her father and brother are “tree climbers” collecting honey from wild bees, and now her brother “is doing just that”; climbing a tree and looking down through his legs, he constantly thinks about how not to fall from such a height and die.

Peter was suffering from an incurable disease, and only Fevronia could cure him, but in return she asked to marry her, although she was only a peasant. Fevronia also wins over Peter, competing with the prince in wisdom. Wanting to test the girl’s intelligence, Peter sends her a bunch of flax, suggesting that while he washes in the bathhouse, she can make a shirt, pants and a towel out of it. In response, Fevronia asks Peter to make a loom out of wood chips while she “combs” the flax. The prince is forced to admit that this is impossible to do. “Is it possible for a man who has grown up to eat a man’s manhood in a single bundle (bundle) in his youth, and then remain in the bathhouse in the same year, create srachitsa and ports and ubrusets?” - asks Fevronia. And Peter is forced to admit that she is right.

And when the prince’s body was again covered with ulcers, he was forced to return to her in shame, asking for healing. And Fevronia heals Peter, having previously taken a firm word from him to marry. So the daughter of a Ryazan peasant forces Peter to keep his princely promise. Like the heroines of Russian folk tales, Fevronia fights for her love, for her happiness. Until the end of her days she keeps sacred love for her husband. The boyars “furiously” tell the prince that they do not want Fevronia to dominate their wives.

The political conflict between the prince and the boyars is resolved by life practice. On the ship, Fevronia guesses the wicked thoughts of a certain married man who looked at her with lust. She makes him taste the water from both sides of the vessel and asks: “Is the water equal, or is it the same?” Fevronia dies at the same time as her husband, because she cannot imagine life without him. And after death, their bodies end up lying in a single coffin. Twice they try to bury them and put them in different coffins, and each time their bodies end up together.
A characteristic feature of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” is its reflection of some details of peasant and princely life: a description of a peasant hut, Fevronia’s behavior at dinner. This attention to everyday life, private life, and a person was new in literature.

Their marriage is not carnal, but spiritual and is based on keeping the commandments. Fevronia performs miracles thanks to her spirituality. Another element of life is the posthumous miracle, when Peter and Fevronia, contrary to their dying instructions, are buried in different places, but overnight they still find themselves together in a coffin for two, which remains empty. And their death in one hour is also something unusual, which can only be characteristic of saints. The combination of folklore, hagiography and story elements in one work makes the work multifaceted, but this is the author’s special skill and innovation in literature.

Thus, “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” is one of the most original highly artistic works of ancient Russian literature that posed pressing social, political, moral and ethical questions. This is a true hymn to the Russian woman, her intelligence, selfless and active love.

It was created in the mid-16th century (but for a long time it was attributed to the 15th century) by the priest and publicist Ermolai-Erasmus. In theory, this work was created as a hagiography. But it was not recognized as a life due to numerous deviations from the canon in the central part, and in the process of reworking it became a story. The basis of its plot was formed on the basis of two oral-poetic, fairy-tale motifs - about the hero-snake fighter and the wise maiden, widespread in folklore. The source of the plot was a local legend about a wise peasant girl who became a princess. Folk tradition had a strong influence on Ermolai-Erasmus, and he created a work not associated with the canons of the hagiographic genre: it is a fascinating narrative narrative, not much like the lives of saints with their exploits and martyrdom for the glory of the church. "The work consists of 4 parts, plot-connected. 1-story about a snake fighter. 2-heroes go to get a doctor for a snake victim. They meet a girl who speaks in riddles. What follows is the motif of riddles and

39. “Kazan History” as a new type of historical narrative. Using experience from different genres in a work.

The historical story “Kazan History” was written in the mid-60s 1* in It belongs to the best examples of ancient Russian fiction and occupies a special place in the formation of new forms of historical narration. It poetizes the power of a single centralized state, the activities of Ivan the Terrible and his supporters, and the annexation of the Kazan kingdom to the Moscow state. The author is trying to create a new type of narrative with a clearly expressed ideological plan, theme and a clearly expressed position of the author. “History” consists of several short stories connected by chronology. The introduction talks about the purpose of the work - to tell about the history of the Kazan kingdom and its relationship with Russia. The author speaks about the novelty of the story: “This red new story deserves us to listen to joyfully.” The author calls Ivan 4 chosen by God, clearly expressing the author’s position. The central part splits into 2 subparts: before the campaigns of Ivan the Terrible and after that. In subpart 1, the narrative follows a chronological path: the beginning of the Kazan kingdom, where folklore motifs about a two-headed snake and a hero-snake fighter who defeated him with the help of magic are traced; The main characters are the Moscow and Kazan kings. The plot is built on the principle of antithesis - Russian victories are replaced by defeats, the action is constantly transferred from Moscow to Kazan and back. This subpart uses a combination of local microplots. There are many military stories of both types here, brought into the general course of events. Basis 2 subparts - stories about the campaigns of Ivan the Terrible. They are presented in the form of military stories with an idealized main character, Ivan 4. But the narrative is multi-figured, Kazan rulers, warriors, and boyars act in it. This part contains less dating of events, but many symbolic elements: signs, visions, wonders. For example, the dream of the Kazan king, where the bright month absorbs the dark one, and the animals that came to Kazan eat the Kazan animals, which predicts future events. Also the vision of Ivan 4 about the construction of Sviyazhsk and the departure of the patron demon of the city from the mosque. They play different roles in the episode. A significant place is occupied by genres traditional for ancient military history: laments (the tribute to the Kazan queen Sumbeki), praises, prayers. Sumbeki's cry addressed to Kazan plays a symbolic role, predicting his death. The “History” ends with chapters in which praise is given to Kazan, the Principality of Moscow and Ivan 4. The author evaluates the significance of the victory, speaking about the Beauty of Moscow, the OGR of the kingdom. The author's innovation can be traced in the image of the main character - Ivan the Terrible is depicted in many ways, his actions and thoughts are shown in different situations. His desire to avoid bloodshed was noted, which was not the case before, as shown in the tsar’s seven embassies to Kazan. All this speaks about the author’s approach to creating character, although the main method of creating the image of the king—idealization—remains. The image of episodic characters also changes: there was no distinction between positive and negative on national and religious grounds. A traitor can be either one of your own or a stranger, and both will be punished. The images of the troops are also drawn in an unusual way: the author often emphasizes the determination of the enemies, evoking respect for them. And the capture of the city by the Russian army is more like a plunder. The author's attitude is also innovative - he expresses his opinion much more actively, which is shown in the introduction and conclusion, digressions, which are most often of a summary nature. Innovation is also manifested in style: the widespread use of tropes, metaphors, military formulas lose their meaning (spreads them in other words, which destroys them). “History” made extensive use of the traditions of life, military stories, walking, teaching, symbolic and lyrical genre formations. A military tale: a combination of local microplots (“The Tale of Mamaev’s Massacre”); indication of the landscape at the time of day; the combination of the traits of a commander with Christian traits in the main character; a vision of the departure of the patron demon of their city, the penetration of rhetorical techniques into the pictures of the battle-traditions of “The Tale of the Capture of Constantinople.” Life: mention of the virtues of Ivan 4, characteristic of him since childhood; rhetorical devices. Walking: static descriptions of nature expressing the author's admiration. Teachings: artistic means used in laments. Due to such an abundance of genres, it is impossible to decide the genre of a work.