home For kids How Mikula Selyaninovich served his homeland. Mikula Selyaninovich - a collective image of a Russian farmer

How Mikula Selyaninovich served his homeland. Mikula Selyaninovich - a collective image of a Russian farmer

Early in the morning, in the early sun, Volta gathered to take tribute-taxes from the trading cities of Gurchevets and Orekhovets.

The squad mounted good horses, brown colts, and set off. The good fellows left for an open field, in a wide expanse and heard a plowman in the field. The plowman plows, whistles, the plowshares scratch over the pebbles. As if a plowman is leading a plow somewhere nearby. The good fellows go to the plowman, they go day to evening, but they cannot ride to him. You can hear the plowman whistling, you can hear the bipod creaking, the scraping of the plowballs, and you can’t even see the plowman himself.
The good fellows go the other day until evening, just as the plowman whistles, the pine creaks, the plowballs scratch, and the plowman is no more.

The third day goes to the evening, here only the good fellows have reached the plowman. The plowman plows, urges, hums at his filly. He lays furrows like deep ditches, twists oaks out of the ground, throws boulders aside. Only the plowman's curls sway, crumble like silk over his shoulders.
And the plowman’s filly is not wise, and his plow is maple, silk tugs. Volga marveled at him, bowed courteously:
- Hello, kind person, in the field of worker!
- Be healthy, Volga Vseslavevich. Where are you heading?
- I'm going to the cities of Gurchevets and Orekhovets, to collect tributes from merchants.
“Oh, Volga Vseslavievich, all the robbers live in those cities, tearing the skin from the poor plowman, collecting tolls on the roads. I went there to buy salt, bought three bags of salt, each bag a hundred pounds, put it on a gray filly and headed home to myself. Merchant people surrounded me, they began to take travel money from me. The more I give, the more they want. I got angry, got angry, paid them with a silk whip. Well, who was standing, he is sitting, and who was sitting, he is lying.
Volga was surprised, bowed to the plowman:
- Oh, you, glorious plowman, mighty hero, you go with me for a comrade.
- Well, I'll go, Volga Vseslavevich, I need to give them a mandate - do not offend other peasants.
The plowman removed the silk tugs from the plow, unharnessed the gray filly, sat on her astride and set off.
Well done galloped half the way. The plowman says to Volga Vseslavevich:
- Oh, we did something wrong, we left a plow in the furrow. You sent fellow vigilantes to pull the bipod out of the furrow, shake the earth out of it, put the plow under the willow bush.
Volga sent three vigilantes.
They turn the bipod this way and that, but they cannot lift the bipod from the ground.
Volga sent ten knights. They turn the bipod in twenty hands, but they cannot tear it off.
Then Volga went with the whole squad. Thirty people, without a single one, clung to the bipod from all sides, strained, went knee-deep into the ground, but did not move the bipod even a hair's breadth.
Here the plowman himself got down from the filly, took hold of the bipod with one hand, pulled it out of the ground, and shook the earth out of the ploughshares. Cleaned the plowshares with grass.
The deed was done and the heroes went further along the way.
So they drove up to Gurchevets and Orekhovets. And there people are cunning merchants: when they saw a plowman, they cut oak logs on the bridge over the Orekhovets River.
The squad almost climbed onto the bridge, oak logs broke, the good fellows began to drown in the river, the brave squad began to die, horses began to go to the bottom, people began to go to the bottom.
Volga and Mikula got angry, got angry, whipped their good horses, jumped over the river in one gallop. They jumped onto that bank and began to honor the villains.
The plowman beats with a whip, says:
- Oh, you greedy trading people! The peasants of the city feed them with bread, give them honey to drink, and you spare them salt!
Volga favors with a club for combatants, for heroic horses.
The Gurchevets people began to repent:
- You will forgive us for villainy, for cunning. Take tribute from us, and let the plowmen go for salt, no one will demand a penny from them.
Volga took tribute from them for twelve years, and the heroes went home.
The plowman Volga Vseslavevich asks:
- You tell me, Russian hero, what is your name, called by your patronymic?
- Come to me, Volga Vseslavyevich, to my peasant yard, so you will know how people honor me.
The heroes drove up to the field. The plowman pulled out a pine, plowed up a wide meadow, sowed it with golden grain ...
The dawn is still burning, and the plowman's field is rustling like an ear.
The dark night is coming - the plowman is reaping bread. In the morning he threshed, by noon he blew it out, by dinner he ground flour, started pies. By evening, he called the people to a feast in honor. People began to eat pies, drink mash, and praise the plowman:
- Oh, thank you, Mikula Selyaninovich!

In the early morning, in the early sun, Volga gathered to take tribute, taxes from the trading cities of Gurchevets and Orekhovets.

The squad mounted good horses, brown colts, and set off. The good fellows left for an open field, in a wide expanse and heard a plowman in the field. The plowman plows in the field, whistles, plowshares scratch over the pebbles. As if a plowman is leading a plow somewhere nearby. The good fellows go to the plowman, they go day to evening, but they cannot ride to him. You can hear the plowman whistling, you can hear the bipod creaking, the scraping of the plowballs, and you can’t even see the plowman himself.

The fellows ride the other day until evening, just as the plowman whistles, the pine creaks, the plowballs scratch, and the plowman is gone.

And the plowman's filly is not wise, and his plow is maple, silk tugs. Volga marveled at him, bowed to the plowman:

Hello, good man, worker in the field!

Be healthy, Volga Vseslavevich. Where are you heading?

I am going to the cities of Gurchevets and Orekhovets, to collect tribute-taxes from trading people.

Eh, Volga Vseslavievich, all the robbers live in those cities, skinning a poor plowman, collecting tolls on the roads. I went there to buy salt, bought three sacks of salt, each sack a hundred poods, put it on a gray mare, and headed home. Merchant people surrounded me, they began to take travel money from me. The more I give, the more they want. I got angry, got angry, paid them with a silk whip. Well, who was standing, he is sitting, who was sitting, he is lying.

Volga was surprised, bowed to the plowman:

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

Well, I'll go, Volga Vseslavievich, I must give them an order - do not offend other peasants.

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

Well done galloped halfway. The plowman says to Volga Vseslavevich:

Oh, we did something wrong, we left a plow in the furrow. You sent the young vigilantes to pull the bipod out of the furrow, shake out the earth from it, put the plow under the willow bush.

Volga sent three vigilantes. They turn the bipod this way and that, but they cannot lift the bipod from the ground.

Volga sent ten knights. They turn the bipod in twenty hands, but they cannot tear it off.

Then Volga went with the whole squad. Thirty people, without a single one, clung to the bipod from all sides, strained, went knee-deep into the ground, but did not move the bipod even a hair's breadth.

Here the plowman himself got down from the filly, took hold of the bipod with one hand, pulled it out of the ground, shook the earth out of the plows, picked it up, and waved it at the willow bush. The plow flew up to the cloud, the plow fell behind the willow bush, and went into the damp earth up to the handle.

So they drove up to Gurchevets and Orekhovets. And there people are cunning merchants: when they saw a plowman, they cut down oak logs on the bridge across the Orekhovets River. The squad almost climbed onto the bridge, oak logs broke, the good fellows began to drown in the river, the brave squad began to die, horses began to go to the bottom.

Volga and Mikula got angry, got angry, whipped their good horses, jumped over the river in one gallop. They jumped onto that bank, and began to honor the villains.

The plowman beats with a whip, says:

Oh you greedy trading people! The peasants of the city feed them with bread, give them honey to drink, and you spare them salt!

Volga favors with a club for combatants, for heroic horses.

The Gurchevets people began to repent:

You will forgive us for villainy, for cunning. Take tribute from us, and let the plowmen go for salt, no one will demand a penny from them.

Volga took tribute from them for twelve years, and the heroes went home.

The plowman Volga Vseslavevich asks:

You tell me, Russian hero, what is your name, called by your patronymic?

Come to me, Volga Vseslavyevich, to my peasant yard, so you will know how people honor me.

The heroes drove up to the field. The plowman pulled out a pine, plowed up a wide meadow, sowed with golden grain ...

The dawn is still burning, and the plowman's field is rustling like an ear.

The dark night is coming - the plowman is reaping bread. In the morning you threshed, by noon you blew it out, by lunchtime you grinded flour, started pies. By evening, he called the people to an honorable feast. People began to eat pies, drink mash, and praise the plowman.

The famous fairy-tale characters, whose images seem familiar from childhood, have a long history. Warriors and heroes from legends and legends told by grandparents are not just representatives of traditional folklore, but characters that embody the spirit and traditions of the great Russian people. Heroes of epics are endowed with remarkable talents for protection native land. In the string of mighty warriors there is a place for Mikula Selyaninovich.

History of creation

Mikula Selyaninovich is a hero sung in an epic called "Volga and Mikula Selyaninovich". The epic was composed over several centuries, as the legend underwent changes and was passed from mouth to mouth in various interpretations. The characteristics of the heroes are accurately conveyed in the version composed in the north of the country after the collapse Kievan Rus. It is not known how the description of Mikula was composed, but Volga (Oleg) Svyatoslavovich is a real historical person. The prince accounted for cousin king and grandson.

In the epic there is no unity of place, time and action. It involves a description of fictional events involving fairy-tale characters, but the etymology of the word indicates that some of the episodes were in fact.

The narrative describes the meeting of two heroes: the prince and the peasant plowman. The first goes to war, and the second, a plow hero, cultivates the land. A simple peasant is presented in a noble guise. This is a well-groomed man in clean clothes and a painted caftan. Mikula is wearing green heeled boots and a puffy hat. Such attire did not correspond to the usual clothes of a plowman, who was accustomed to working with the earth and exhausting work. But a stately hero, according to the traditions of the epic, must have a beautiful outfit, and this rule is observed.

The specificity of the epic "Volga and Mikula Selyaninovich" lies in artistic techniques. It includes elements of an archaic language and numerous repetitions. Through colorful epithets, the details of the attire, character traits of the characters, and the life around them are described. In the epic, the images of the peasant and the warrior are opposed to each other.

At the same time, the work of a simple tiller is put higher, because a plowman could be called to defend the homeland at any moment, and not everyone is given to work on the land. There is also a version that the images of two deities, the patrons of agriculture and hunting, are contrasted in the legend.

The motive for praising the work of plowmen is clearly described in the episode when Prince Volga orders the squad to take up the bipod. The warriors cannot master it, and Mikula Selyaninovich copes with the task at once.

A hero who is able to bypass the squad is a real defender of the Russian land and its tiller. The writers of the epic speak kindly, affectionately about the hero. It is noteworthy that throughout the story the hero is called nothing more than oratay. And only in the final is revealed the name of Mikula. The hero talks about his achievements without boasting.

Biography and plot

In the epic about Mikul Selyaninovich, the main actors two characters became: he himself and Prince Volga. The first meeting takes place when, according to the behest of Vladimir Monomakh, three cities pass into the possession of Oleg. The prince goes to inspect the possessions. On the way of the squad, a stately hero is encountered, which can be seen from afar, but it turns out to get to the curious character only after three days and three nights. Hyperbole of this kind shows popular admiration for the hero.

Mikula is a plowman. He cultivates the land with ease, uprooting stumps and stones with a wooden plow adorned with precious stones. Mikula's mare is hung with silk tugs, and the hero's outfit itself does not look like a simple peasant dress. It becomes clear that the reader is facing a hero for whom diligent plowing is entertainment.

Mikula Selyaninovich is presented in the image of a hero revered in Russia most of all. Holidays were dedicated to the work connected with the earth, traditions and legends are associated with it. Mikula - folk hero, the patron of the peasantry was considered its prototype.

This image was the personification of the Russian farmer. Therefore, the creators of the epic do not mention the name of the hero’s father: Selyaninovich is combined with the word “village”, which means that the simple Russian people were the parent.

Mikula is the owner of a complaisant character and a kind soul, a generous and hospitable person. Without it, the princely warriors are not even able to pull out a light fry, which means that the royal power is based on the strength of the plowman. Russia stands on a simple village peasant who feeds the people and protects his homeland from misfortunes.

Heroic strength does not make Mikula a braggart. The hero is modest and calm, does not climb on the rampage and just communicates with the prince. A conflict-free character is his own everywhere. He pleases others, knows how to work and relax well.

Orthodox Russia is famous for humility and forgiveness, but it is always able to defend its honor and protect its neighbor. In the episode of the attack of robbers demanding pennies, it is clear that the righteous Mikula is ready to endure and show loyalty to the last. Having lost his temper, he will be able to reason with rivals by force.

Popular Russian heroes are considered to be who fought with Khan Tugarin. The biography of the heroes is rarely described in detail. It is often not clear who the hero was before the heroic strength woke up in him. Sometimes it is not even known where he was born. But the main exploits for which the characters became famous were passed down in detail from mouth to mouth, considered a national treasure, and supported the spirit of the Russian people, who needed defenders.

Heroic strength is one of the favorite plots visual arts. Pictures written in the same manner told about the exploits and travels of Russian heroes. Among the admirers of Russian folklore were painters and Ryabushkin.

Mikula Selyaninovich is one of the most beloved Russian heroes. And this is no accident: Mikula personifies the entire Russian peasant family.

This is a hero-plowman, who, together with his family, is very fond of Mother - Cheese Earth. He is closely connected with her, because he processes her, and she feeds him.

Therefore, it is impossible to fight Mikula and his relatives, they are under the reliable protection of the forces of nature.

Peasant Warrior

According to one of the central epics about him, Mikula meets Svyatogor, an ancient hero who has unearthly features of an archaic character in his appearance. Svyatogor is a fantastic hero, whose strength is unmeasurable.

To make sure of this, Mikula invites him to pick up a bag from the ground. However, Svyatogor cannot do this - as soon as he tries to raise the bag, he goes to the ground with his feet. And Mikula himself raises the bag with one hand and says that it contains all the "burden of the earth." This may mean that the Russian peasant is able to overcome even the elements of nature.

A similar motif can be traced in the epic about the meeting of Volga and Mikula. Volga is a prince who owns three cities and many villages. When the heroes meet, Mikula complains to Volga about the tax collectors who rob the peasants to the bone. Volga punishes the collectors, and takes Mikula to his squad. The army is going to fight, and then Mikula remembers that he forgot to pull his plow out of the ground.

Mikula Selyanovich and Volga photo

Volga sent his mighty warriors there several times, but they could not pull out the plow. Then Mikula himself went for the plow and easily pulled it out with one hand. Mikula Selyaninovich, for all his connection with Slavic mythology, is a rather late character. His image was formed when the Russian peasantry had already taken shape as an estate and opposed itself to the rest social classes in Russia.

The juxtaposition of Volga and Mikula is the juxtaposition of a noble prince, a relative of Vladimir, and a simple peasant, the former being put to shame and the latter exalted.

Mikula and Saint Nicholas

Some researchers believe that the image of Mikula arose on the basis of the most popular saint in Russian culture - Nicholas the Wonderworker. The writer P. I. Melnikov-Pechersky cites as an example the festivities on “Nikola Veshny”, that is, on the spring church holiday in honor of St. Nicholas; on this holiday, the people honor the "orata" Mikula Selyaninovich, in whose honor they even cook mash.

Most likely, the ancient prototype of Mikula had some other name, which later changed to a Christian one. Some scientists even suggest that the names of Nikolai and Mikhail came close in the name of Mikula. Such renaming of ancient deities and heroes is not uncommon in Russian and other cultures.

"Thunder" Perun was revered after baptism under the name of Elijah the Prophet; The agricultural god Veles "turned" into St. Blaise; Among the Serbs, the ancient hero Svyatogor was “reborn” into Marko Kralevich, the ruler, the protector of Christians from the Ottoman conquerors. Marco - real historical figure, however, in the popular mind, his image merged with mythological heroes.