Traditions of Ancient Rus. Part 7

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

Fragments of the book Russian legends and traditions. The Illustrated Encyclopedia [Artist V. Korolkov]

Magic helpers

It often happens that the hero of traditions, legends and tales cannot himself fulfill the task entrusted to him (save the princess, get the treasure, free the country from the Serpent Gorynych, etc.), and some magical forces come to his aid, taking the form of either mysterious, mysterious people, or it is plants, animals, birds, inanimate objects.

Here you can find walking boots, and a self-made scatterer, an invisible hat, a goldfish, and rejuvenating apples that turn old people into good fellows - in general, all such miracles cannot be counted.

Flying ship

One man had seven sons, all one to one, that's how they were called - seven Semyonov. It's time for them to go to the king's service. The king asks: which of you can do what?

- To steal, your royal majesty, - replied the elder Semyon.

- To forge all sorts of expensive things, the beauty of which no one else has, - said the second.

- Shoot the bird on the fly! - said the third.

- If the shooter shoots a bird, instead of a dog I will look for it wherever you want! - exclaimed the fourth.

- And I can see from any hill what is happening in different kingdoms, - the fifth boasted.

- I know how to make boats: you screw it up, the boat will be ready - it does not burn in fire, it does not sink in water, it can also fly through the air - rubbed the sixth hands.

- I will cure a person from any disease! - said the seventh.

And the king took them into service. Some time passed, the king was in time to marry. The fifth Semyon climbed a high mountain, looked around - and spotted the first beauty in the whole world, the daughter of the Zamorsky-Zagorsk king.

- Wake me up a beauty! - ordered the king.

The sixth Semyon took an ax and - tyap da blunder - built a magic ship.

The second went to the smithy and forged the golden headdress of unseen beauty.

The brothers sat on the ship, it rose into the sky and flew into the seaside-Zagorsk region. He sank into a quiet pier, the eyed Semyon saw that the princess was now walking alone in the garden, the koval took his needlework and went with the thief to the palace to sell a golden dress. There, the mother-nanny did not even have time to blink, as the thief stole the princess and brought her to the ship.

They cut off the anchors, and the ship soared into the skies. But the princess had a bad feeling that she was kidnapped, - she threw herself from the ship, turned into a white swan and flew back home. Then the third Semyon grabbed the gun and kicked the wing of the swan. The swan turned into a girl again. She fell into the sea and began to sink, but the fourth Semyon dived behind her and immediately pulled out. A flying ship descended on a tight sea wave, took on board the princess and the fourth Semyon. Here the seventh Semyon came in handy - instantly healed the princess's wound.

The king saw the princess - and only shook his head.

- No, - he says, - I suppose you are suitable for me as a granddaughter, or even a great-granddaughter. I do not want to ruin your young beauty. Choose your husband among Semenov!

And the most brave among them was Senka - a master of good deeds, he had long liked the princess. She went out for him. And the young people flew on a wedding trip in an airship.

Rip-grass

They say that the tear-grass leaves are in the shape of crosses, and the color is like fire: it dissolves at midnight on Ivan Kupala and lasts no more than five minutes. Where it grows - no one knows; it is very difficult to get it and is fraught with great danger, because everyone who finds it, the devils try to take their life. If you attach a rip-trap to a locked door or a lock, they will immediately fly apart into parts, and if you throw it into a forge, not a single blacksmith will be able to boil and forge iron, even if you quit the work! Gap-trava also breaks all other metal bonds: steel, gold, silver and copper.

No weapon can stand against it, and the warriors would give dearly for possession of it, because then even the strongest armor will not protect the enemy.

Magic key

The young warrior lagged behind his race, lost his way and wandered, tired, along the edge of the autumn forest. Suddenly he heard a hiss and saw many snakes around.

"Is it really my hour of death?" - he thought, but the snakes did not seem to notice him. All of them flocked to a low mountain, and the warrior saw that each one took some rubbish on his tongue and touched a hard rock with it; the rock then opened and the snakes, one after another, disappeared into the mountain.

The warrior also plucked the wine. It was so sharp that it cut the finger to blood, but he endured the pain and at last touched the stone. A crack opened in front of him, and he entered the depths of the mountain. Here everything sparkled with silver and gold, in the middle of the cave stood a golden throne, and on it lay a huge old snake. All the other snakes slept around them, coiled into balls - they slept so tightly that not a single one even moved when the warrior entered. He put aside his sword and shield, bow and arrows, so as not to interfere, and wandered around the cave for a long time, grabbing gold bars, now picking up handfuls of silver coins, now pouring from handful into handful of gem stones. Forgot about everything, did not know how much time had passed. Suddenly a hiss was heard around: it was the snakes waking up.

- Isn't it a good time for us? they asked in loud, whistling voices.

- Now it's time! - answered a huge old snake, slid from its throne and crawled to the wall. The cave opened, and all the snakes quickly crawled away.

He jumped out at will - and gasped, stunned. Where is the autumn yellow forest? Everything shone with green foliage, it was spring. Then the warrior realized that he had stayed in the magic cave all winter, and began to scold himself for not having collected gold and jewelry for himself. Suddenly he heard an angry cry.

Several horsemen dashed straight towards him, swords drawn. And his weapon remained in the cave! Here one of the riders dismounted, grinned fiercely at the sight of a defenseless man, held a sword … and the young warrior could only helplessly put forward his hand and touch his shield.

At that very moment, a flame escaped from his hand, pierced both the shield, and the armor, and the enemy's chest. He fell breathless. At the sight of this, the other riders immediately turned their horses and began to flee.

The conqueror looked at his hand, stunned, and remembered how he had cut himself on the sharp grass that had opened the mountain. And here is the trivinka sticking to the scratch. Is it really all about her? And the warrior realized that it was a rip-trava.

Damned places

There are places that were initially considered unkind, damned, as a refuge for unclean or other unkind forces. First of all, these are, of course, crossroads. In the old days, crosses were erected at the crossroads - according to a vow, in memory of the dead. They were sometimes buried right next to the roads, and of course, restless, unrepentant spirits wander at night not far from the place of their burial.

An unsanctified cross always attracts evil spirits and becomes their abode, just like the crossing of roads itself. Here witches meet with devils, their noisy demonic weddings take place.

Two deaths will never happen

In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived-were two reckless fellows - Chraber the bogatyr da Razum the bogatyr.

Somehow, riding on horseback in places of the unknown, suddenly I saw Braber the bogatyr at a fork in the road, by a dried-up stream: on the left - a wonderful city rises, and on the right - a motionless gathering of unclean power. There are witches and werewolves, half-slaves, half-unicorns, tailed, and other smut. And in front of the very Death on horseback, with a shield and a spear, in a shell of crystal.

- Eh, two deaths will not happen, one will not escape! - shouted Hraber the hero, drew his sword from its scabbard and galloped off to fight Death. You instantly came to life, all the evil spirits also moved, squealed and rushed at the hero. But as soon as he shook off Death's head, everything suddenly disappeared, as if it had never happened.

Hraber the hero rested and rode to the heavenly city. Arrives, and there are tears and despondency: every month a three-headed snake arrives in that kingdom-state, takes away one of the beauties. Tomorrow will come the turn of the Tsar's daughter.

- Do not grieve, royal majesty, - the hero of the king encouraged. - Lead in front of the place where the red-haired woman will stand, to dig a deep hole, let the bottom of the hole be buried with strong stakes, with iron sharp tops, the hole will be closed with poles, and the top with turf, and even the flowers of the lazorevs will be thrown.

Before the arrival of the snake, the hero hid behind the stone, where the beautiful woman stood. The snake descended in front of her, folded its wings - yes, and fell into the hole, only the heads above spew fire. It was then that the bogatyr cut off these snake heads. On the same day, they celebrated the wedding of the hero with the tsarevnaya, but soon the young man got bored in a foreign land and left with the new wed to his native land. First of all, he told about his adventures to Razum the hero, and he also wanted to see the heavenly city. Half a year later, having thoroughly thought about it, he set off on a journey-road.

Here he turned out to be at that damned place, where on the left is the city of heaven, and on the right is the evil spirits frozen with Death in the head. I stopped - and thought: "Why should I take the sword out of its scabbard in vain, I suppose I will go to the city without a bloodstream."

He turned his horse to the left and galloped off. And that hour all the evil spirits came to life, instantly caught up with him, knocked him off the horse and covered him with crystal. For a long time, in a short time, a Hraber-bogatyr set out in search of his obscure fellow. Again he fought at the accursed place with Death and her army, again shook the old woman's head off - and again everything disappeared from his eyes, only the enchanted Mind-hero remained in a crystal shell.

Hraber the hero struck with his sword - crystal and split like a nutshell. Razum-bogatyr revived, embraced his rescuer. They sat down on Khrabyorov's horse and rode home.

Traditions of Ancient Rus. Part 1

Traditions of Ancient Rus. Part 2

Traditions of Ancient Rus. Part 3

Traditions of Ancient Rus. Part 4

Traditions of Ancient Rus. Part 5

Traditions of Ancient Rus. Part 6