Warrior maidens in Russian epics

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

The image of the warrior maidens is a popular subject in world literature. Amazons, Valkyries, female gladiators in Ancient Rome and Russian “glades” are heroes. The word itself comes from the verb "Pole" - to go to the field on a military mission, look for soldiers and enter into duels with them. "Kultura. RF" recalls the brave warriors from Russian epics.

Vasilisa Mikulishna

Sergey Solomko. "Vasilisa Mikulishna". 1911

Ilya Repin. "Vasilisa Mikulishna". 1903-1904. State Russian Museum

Vasilisa Mikulishna. Frames from the cartoon. Directed by Roman Davydov. 1975

The hero was the daughter of Mikula Selyaninovich Vasilisa, who became the wife of the boyar Stavr Godinovich from the land of Lyakhovitskaya, Chernigov-grad. At the feast at the Prince Vladimir's house, he boasted of his wife to the guests:

In the third chamber - a young wife, Young Vasilisa, daughter of Nikulishna.

She has a white face, exactly white snow, Buttocks are exactly poppy seeds, Black eyebrows of the black sable, The clear eyes are clear to the falcon, With a zealous heart, she is cunning-wise.

On the advice of the envious boyars, Prince Vladimir put Stavr in an earthen cellar, and sent the heroes Alyosha Popovich and Dobrynya Nikitich for the wonderful Vasilisa. Having learned about the ridicule and misfortune that happened to her husband, Vasilisa Mikulishna cut off her blond braids, disguised herself as a good fellow and set off with 50 horsemen to the capital Kiev city. On the way, I met the heroes-messengers of Vladimir and, posing as the formidable ambassador of Vasilisa Mikulishna Vasily Vasilyevich, deployed the capital's messengers.

The prince gave the young man an honest reception, but Princess Apraksia noticed that a woman was hiding under the man's name: “This is Vasilisa, exactly the daughter of Mikulishna; / She walks on the floor quietly, / Sits on the bench - she squeezes her knees. " The brave wife had to go through trials: Vasilisa steamed in a hot "steam bath", played cards and fought with other heroes. As a result, she demanded that the prince release Stavr Godinovich from captivity and went home with her husband.

Nastasya Mikulishna

Nicholas Roerich. "Nastasya Mikulishna". 1943. Novosibirsk State Art Museum

Konstantin Vasiliev. "Nastasya Mikulishna". 1968

"A rattle of daring, daughter of Mikula Selyaninovich." An excerpt of the illustration for the epic about Vasily Buslaev for the "Jester" magazine. 1898. State Russian Museum

Vasilisa's sister, the youngest daughter of Mikula Selyaninovich, was the wife of Dobrynya Nikitich. They met in an open field, where the hero went after the battle with the Serpent Gorynych. On the way, he saw a bold hero, decided to check “Or does Dobrynya have no strength in the old way? / Or does he still have no grip? :

I caught up with Dobrynya Polyanitsa, I am a hero, Hit the Polyanitsa with a damask club, Yes, hit her in the head of a riot.

Polyanitsa will look back here, Polyanitsa says these are the words:

- I thought mosquitoes bite me, And this is the Russian hero clicks.

In a duel, Polyanitsa defeated Dobrynya. They liked each other, and the hero wooed her: "We had a wedding and finished it." Later, Prince Vladimir sent Dobrynya to the outpost to guard Mother Russia from the steppe riders. Nastasya Mikulishna, like Penelope, was waiting for her lover for 12 long years. During this time, another notorious hero, Alyosha Popovich, wooed her several times. After six years of Dobrynin's service, he brought the news of his “death” to his wife, and 12 years later he arrived with the prince and princess to play a wedding with Polyanitsa. This time "they didn’t take it - they didn’t want it." Dobrynya learned about the celebration in time and came to the feast as an uninvited guest with a harp. He beat Alyosha Popovich, took Nastasya Mikulishna and returned to his white-stone mansion.

And they began to live with Nastasya Mikulishna, Already, they began to live better than before.

Nastasya Okulevna

Sergey Solomko. "Marya Swan White"

Ivan Bilibin. "Mikhailo Potyk". 1902

Leonid Kiparisov. "Mikhailo Potyk and Marya Lebed White". 2016

"Soul-maiden" Nastasya Okulevna is one of the heroines of the legend about the hero Mikhailo Potyk. She saved him from the intrigues of his ex-wife, Marya White Swan. While Mikhailo fought with enemies in an open field, Marya became the Tsar's beloved and left with him. Returning, the hero rushed after her, falling into the traps of his cunning wife on the way: he drank a sleeping potion-wine, fell into a deep hole, was turned into a combustible pebble. The last time, having drunk the hero, Marya crucified him in the basement on a stone wall and left him to die. It was then that the Tsar's sister, Nastasya Okulevna, saved Mikhaila:

How is this Nastasya here Okulevna

Soon, soon she ran to the forge, She took iron tongs there, Tore off the police from the wall

And Mikhaylushka Potyka is young.

She healed of her wounds, and by cunning took out a saber and a hero's club, a good horse, from her brother. Mikhailo returned to the royal chambers, killed both his ex-wife and the king. He married Nastasya Okulevna and began to rule.

Nastasya Korolevichna

Nikolay Karazin. "Danube Ivanovich kills his wife." 1885

Konstantin Vasiliev. "The birth of the Danube". 1974

Sergey Solomko. "Nastasya Korolevichna"

Nastasya Korolevichna is the beloved of Danube Ivanovich. The hero met her when he went to Lithuania to woo Prince Vladimir, the princess Apraks. Apraksya's father, the Lithuanian king Danila Manoilovich, did not give his daughter to the matchmakers, and then the heroes took her away by force. Sister Nastasya went after the “got the bride”.

She rode in pursuit across a clear field, And she rode on a heroic horse

Yes, for a glorious expanse I clean the field;

The horse galloped for a whole mile, Up to his knees he gagged into the earth, He snatched his legs from the earth, On the hay bush, he twisted the earthen, For three shots, he threw away the pebbles.

Danube Ivanovich entered a duel with a daring Polyanitsa and soon - as it happened in other epics - made her an offer. And Nastasya Korolevichna accepted him.

Two weddings were celebrated in Kiev. However, Danube Ivanovich and his young wife did not live together for long. The bogatyr somehow boasted of his prowess, and Nastasya Korolevichna objected to him: "But I am not worse than you in any way: my strength is greater than yours, and my grip is farther than you."

Such a phrase hurt his honor - and he challenged his wife to a duel. Each had to hit with an arrow in a silver ring on the opponent's head. Polyanitsa hit, but Danube Ivanovich killed his wife. Upon learning that she was carrying a baby in the womb, the hero thrust a spear into himself out of grief. From his blood was born the Danube River, and from the blood of Nastasya Korolevichna - the river Nepra.

Daughter of Ilya Muromets

Viktor Vasnetsov. Heroic skok. 1914. House-Museum of V. M. Vasnetsova

Konstantin Vasiliev. Ilya Muromets in a quarrel with Prince Vladimir. 1974

Evgeny Shitikov. Ilya Muromets. Engraving. 1981

The mysterious heroine is described in the epic "Ilya Murometsi his daughter". According to the plot, an unfamiliar Polyanitsa - a warrior maiden - appeared next to the heroic outpost:

Ay removed the great glades, A horse under it is like a strong mountain, Polyanitsa on horseback is like a senna mop, She has a hat on her head

Ay, the fluffy herself is veiled, You can't see the blush face in front

And from the back not to see the neck white.

Passing by, she mocked the heroes. Ilya Muromets invited his comrades-in-arms to fight with the daring girl. However, no one dared to engage in a fight with the warrior, who "with one hand picks up a club, like playing with a swan's feather." And then the hero himself went to a meeting with Polyanitsa. They fought for a long time - with clubs, spears, and hand-to-hand combat - and suddenly they started talking. Having asked where the Polyanitsa came from, Ilya Muromets recognized his daughter as a hero, hugged her and let her go. However, she soon returned back, planning to kill her sleeping father. This time, the hero defeated his rival and fed it to the gray wolves and black crows.

In epic plots, Ilya Muromets met with the Polyany more than once. Among them are the wife of the hero Savishna, and Zlatigorka, who bore him a son.