Why foreigners associate Russia with a bear

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

We offer a cognitive version of tying the image of a bear to Russia and Russians. However, we note that the topic is disclosed rather superficially: only the outer historical layer is taken.

In fact, a lot of evidence of the use of the word "bear" or "ber" (den, Berlin, etc.) speaks of a deeper meaning of this word for the peoples of Russia. The root of the last word is -BR-. Hence the bee keeper (honey bee hunter), windbreak (or there are storms in Siberia ??!), Boron, brown, bear, Bär,..

And the Brandenburg mark (building mark - territory, margrave) was founded by Albrecht … Bear!

In Shishkin's picture, it is brown bears and it is no coincidence - in a pine forest! And we see a windbreak, and a den somewhere nearby in the same forest.

And if the wolf can be overwhelmed (wolf, wolf, wolf), then the bear only boronooh!)

So, answering the question of the title, the following suggests itself: because the bear is the master!

Why foreigners associate Russia with a bear

Of course, this is just a fun bike.

We bring to your attention the history that happened on its own. The story of the clubfoot soldier of the Russian army:

How the Ural bear fought the Germans in World War I

BOUGHT FROM A GYPSY FOR 8 RUBLES

A year after the outbreak of World War I, France turned to Russia for help. She offered an exchange - we received modern weapons and ammunition, and in return sent our soldiers to the Western Front.

The Russian command decided that the Ural 5th Infantry Regiment would perform a certain image function in the West. The French were supposed to see the Russian soldiers in all their glory, so the fighters in the regiment were selected according to bearing and height.

However, this was not enough for the officers. We needed a symbol of the Russian Empire. They didn’t rack their brains for a long time and came up with the idea of "assigning" a bear to the regiment, or even better a bear cub. Until they reach the foreign land, he will just reach the "draft age" and will be able to participate in battles. No sooner said than done! Before the departure, the officers went to the markets of Yekaterinburg. At the beginning of the 20th century, the entire center of the Ural capital was occupied by retail outlets and shops.

You can find anything here - from French perfumes and Turkish pipes to all kinds of beast.

All of Europe imagined Russia as a big and strong bear. Therefore, the Ural officers did not fail when they bought themselves a club-footed talisman.

The sought-after goods were immediately offered by the gypsies. The military put together and paid 8 rubles for the clubfoot. The money was considerable at that time. They could buy 16 kilograms of meat.

Having received the bear in their arms, the officers immediately took him to the railway station. To prevent the beast from escaping, they put a collar on it and led it to the platform on a leash like a dog. "Mikhailo Potapovich" was still small, so they put him on the train, not fearing that he would bite someone or break something.

To get to the Western Front, the bear, together with his colleagues, took a train to Arkhangelsk, and then sailed to France by ship through the Barents and North Seas.

HELPED ONLY RUSSIAN SOLDIERS

The officers named the bear cub Mishka, and the soldiers gave the nickname Countryman. All the way to France, they fed him meat and porridge. The high ranks also got goodies. The bear cub was very fond of tangerines.

Sometimes a glass or two of brandy was poured into his bowl. And the generals of the allies sent French chocolate to the clubfoot. Mishka accepted foreign gifts, but only Russian soldiers allowed himself to be stroked.

(French cats have remembered the Ural bear for life. Photo: Ural branch of the State Archives)

As a result, Russian soldiers outwardly hardly differed from the allies. They were even given protective helmets.

And nevertheless, the teddy bear easily distinguished "friends" from "strangers".

“Our regiments arrived in France without weapons and equipment,” notes Alexander Yemelyanov, a historian. - The motherland supplied them only with green tunics, boots, wide trousers and caps. According to the agreement, the French side was supposed to provide the fighters with weapons.

Having learned about this feature of the bear cub, one of the officers thought of using him in the guard duty as a full-fledged soldier. They put the bear on a chain at the sentry's booth, so that he, together with a comrade, would warn about uninvited guests.

From time to time the soldiers untied their clubfoot comrade and took him for a walk. Sometimes the Countryman began to behave just like a dog. He now and then chased the cats that lived in the Russian camp. They hurriedly climbed the trees. But to their horror, Mishka briskly climbed after them.

REVOLUTIONARY POUSED WITH KIPYATK

But soon the funny life for Mishka ended. In January 1917, during a battle in the Champagne province, the Germans launched a massive gas attack. Our brigade suffered heavy losses. 300 people died. The same number were missing. Was hit by chemical weapons and a bear cub.

Alas, soon Mishka again needed the help of doctors. After the February Revolution, unrest began among the soldiers of the Russian Expeditionary Force. They reached their zenith at the La Courtine camp in September 1917.

The soldiers of the 1st Russian brigade refused to obey the command and demanded to be sent home immediately. To annoy the officers, the rebels heated a large bucket of boiling water and doused the bear cub. The uprising was eventually suppressed by the forces of the French gendarmerie and Russian units. The countryman survived, but for a long time he came to his senses.

MET AN OLDER IN PARIS

After the revolution, the Russian Expeditionary Force was disbanded. Some of the soldiers went to fight in Russia, and some remained in Europe, becoming the Legion of Honor. The latter took the bear for themselves.

In January 1918, the Legion was assigned to the Moroccan Strike Division, considered the best in all of France. The division commander, General Dogan, personally checked the replenishment. The dashing look of the Russian soldiers impressed him.

But the bear struck even more, stretched out in a string, like a soldier. The general was silent for a long time, looking at the furry face, and then smiled and saluted Mishka.

This example was followed by the officers accompanying the general. As a result, the bear was even credited for the soldier's ration. Every day he received 750 grams of bread, 300 grams of fresh meat, vegetables, rice, beans, bacon, cheese, coffee, sugar and salt.

“Until the very end of the war, the bear was with the Legion of Honor,” sums up Alexander Yemelyanov. - Then he was sent to the Paris Zoo, where he lived until 1933.