Svyatogor is older than many gods. Many are familiar with this mighty giant from the epic where he meets Ilya Muromets and hides him and his horse in his pocket.
There is a lot of mystery in the image of Svyatogor. Why, for example, does he live in a mountainous place, get stuck in the ground, as if in a marshy swamp, and cannot lift his bag, where all the “earthly cravings” are hidden? Why doesn’t he guard the borders of Holy Rus', like Ilya and other heroes, or plow the land, like Mikula Selyaninovich? For what reason does he live alone, and not with other giants - Gorynya, Dubynya and Usynya? What does the mention in one of the versions of the epic mean about his “dark” father? And how did it happen that he, powerful and invincible, suddenly loses his strength in a stone coffin he accidentally found?
Svyatogor, in Slavic mythology, is the son of Rod, the brother of Svarog, and the Svarozhichi were his nephews.
His father is called “dark,” that is, blind, erroneously: Rod is primordial, omnipresent, all-seeing. Svyatogor was born in order to stand guard over the world of Reveal and not to let dark monsters from Navi come here. The entrance there was at the foot of the pillar on which the sky was supported. The pillar itself (or the World Tree) was located in the holy mountains, where the giant’s name comes from. It is not an easy task to stand on the border of Light and Darkness. Other giants, the Gorynychi - Gorynya, Dubynya and Usynya - were born by the dark, blind ruler Viy out of envy and in opposition to Svyatogor. Viy, partially familiar to us from Gogol’s story, appointed his three sons to guard the exit from Navi so that the souls of the dead could not escape from there. So, standing on the other side of the border, they were enemies of Svyatogor.
The enormous weight of Svyatogor prevented him from leaving his post and moving to other places. Yet one day, according to Mokosh’s prediction, he was forced to leave the Holy Mountains. The goddess predicted to the giant that he would marry the serpent maiden. The giant was upset, but decided to find his betrothed - maybe she’s not so scary after all? He went to distant seas, moved from one island to another. And finally I saw a snake. Svyatogor decided that it was better to die a bachelor than to marry such a monster. He turned around and hit her with his sword. Then he threw a golden altyn to atone for what he had done and, bursting into burning tears, wandered away.
Meanwhile, Svyatogor’s blow had a magical effect on the snake: it freed itself from the spell cast on it and became, as before, the beautiful girl Plenka. The beauty raised the golden altyn. It turned out to be irredeemable, and she gave it to the townspeople. They put the coin into circulation and soon became incredibly rich. They did not forget their benefactor - they generously gifted Film, and she used the money she received to equip a caravan and set off in search of a savior. Whether she wandered long or short, she found Svyatogor and told him her story. The giant did not immediately believe that this beautiful girl was the same snake that he had killed. Then he waved his hand: you never know what miracles happen in the world! He married Plenka, as Mokosh predicted, and soon their daughters were born - Plenkini.
This story also became known in Greece: either it was brought there by the Aryan people of the Dorians, or by the Balkan Slavs. Only the Greeks began to call Svyatogor, in their own way, Atlas (or Atlas). His wife Plenka was considered the oceanid Pleione. Their daughters were named Pleiades. These girls became stars, and Perseus, showing their father the head of Medusa the Gorgon, turned Atlas into a rock. These mountains in Africa are still called Atlas.
There are many more stories about Svyatogor, it’s impossible to tell them all. Let us recall just one of them. The giant got tired of defending the gods, whom he had not really seen, and he decided to build a stone staircase to heaven and look at them himself. Rod did not deprive him of strength and Svyatogor coped with the work: he reached the very throne of the Most High in heaven.
God did not scold him for his self-will, but praised him for his work and said that he would fulfill any desire of the giant. Svyatogor asked for immeasurable strength and more wisdom than any of the gods. Eh, if I knew that any desire also has a downside, I would probably be careful not to ask for intelligence and strength. “You will be stronger than the Svarozhichi, but the stone itself will overpower you,” the Most High answered him. “You will become wiser than the gods, but man will deceive you!” The giant just grinned in response, not believing what was said. Surely he, who built a staircase to heaven from rocks, should be afraid of some pebble! Well, what about the small human race, the bugs under our feet, what can they do to them?
And everything turned out according to the word of the Almighty. And the stone coffin, in which Svyatogor jokingly lay down, became his last refuge, and the hero Ilya Muromets outwitted the giant. Or maybe it’s for the better: the time of the giants has passed, the era of people has begun. And Svyatogor was tired of eternal life, it was time for him to rest. Only with his last breath did he manage to transfer part of his strength to his hero.
It is known about Ilya that he performed many feats for the glory of Holy Rus', and in his old age he came to the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery and became a monk there. He spent days and nights in his cell, atonement for his sins, voluntary and involuntary. That’s why he didn’t notice how the killer crept up to him and dealt a treacherous stab in the back. However, there is not a word about this in the epics. Scientists-anthropologists who examined the remains of Ilya Muromets learned about this. They determined that since childhood the hero’s left leg was shorter than his right - that’s why he lay “thirty years and three years” on the stove until the wandering wise men breathed mighty power into him.

What do we (and our children) know about Russian heroes?

Scraps from literature and cartoons...))

Three heroes is a collective name for heroes from Russian epics.

The heroes' names were Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich.

Each hero had one wife and a horse... xD

In general, the wives' names were Alyonushka, Nastasya Filippovna and Lyubava.

Well, the horses had names - Yuliy, Burushka and Vasya.

Well, what really happened?!!

Slavic history is rich in events, knowledge about which is passed on from generation to generation not only orally, but also in writing. Oral traditions are, as a rule, epics, including songs, legends, that is, everything that was composed directly by the people.

The basis of ancient Russian legends is, as a rule, heroes.

If we talk about the etymology of the word “hero” itself, then it is interpreted as a demigod man, or a person endowed with the power of a god. The origins of this word have been the subject of intense debate for a long time. Versions have been put forward about its borrowing from Turkic languages, and even from Sanskrit.

It is now generally accepted that the word “hero” was borrowed from the Tatar language.

Russian scientists distinguish two main categories of heroes - senior and junior.

It is customary to rank among the senior heroes

Svyatogor, Mikulu Selyaninovich, Volga Svyatoslavich, Suhan.

This group, according to scientists, is the personification of various natural phenomena, in most cases - menacing phenomena hostile to the common man.

The group of younger heroes includes

the famous “Vasnetsov” trinity Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich. They are also the personification of natural phenomena, but only those beneficial to humans.

It is written here in great detail -

At the same time, another hero lived with Ilya Muromets,

whose name was Dobrynya Nikitich.

He was born in Ryazan, but like Muromets, he served in Kyiv.

The heroic story of Dobrynya begins from the moment when he defeated the Serpent Gorynych. The prince instructs him to engage in a fierce battle with the Serpent; on the way, the hero is overcome by little snakes, but Dobrynya manages to fulfill the prince’s order and free the girls and princes from the dragon caves.

In Kievan Rus, he carried out more important assignments, appearing before readers as a brave, wise warrior, who, among other things, is also the first assistant of Ilya Muromets.

The name "Dobrynya" means "heroic kindness." The epic Dobrynya also has the nickname “young”, he is strong, and is the protector of “unfortunate wives, widows and orphans.” In addition, he is creative - he plays the harp and sings, and is passionate - he does not avoid playing tavlei. Dobrynya is intelligent in his speeches and knows the subtleties of etiquette. It is clear that he is not a commoner. At the very least - a prince-commander.

The prototype of Dobrynya Nikitich is often called the chronicle Dobrynya, the maternal uncle of the real St. Vladimir.

The epic Dobrynya is compared by philologists (Khoroshev, Kireevsky) with the chronicle Dobrynya, the uncle of Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich.

Historically, Nikitich is not a middle name; the real Dobrynya’s middle name is quite Hollywood - Malkovich. And there were Malkovichs from the village of Nizkinichi. It is believed that “Nikitich” is precisely the “Nizkinich” transformed by the people.

The chronicle Dobrynya played a big role in the history of Rus'. According to the Tale of Bygone Years, it was he who advised the Novgorod ambassadors to invite Prince Vladimir to their place, and he also facilitated the marriage of his nephew to the Polovtsian Rogneda. For his deeds, Dobrynya, after the death of his brother Vladimir Yaropolk, became a Novgorod mayor and participated in the baptism of Novgorod.

If you believe the Joachim Chronicle, baptism was painful, “Putyata baptized with the sword, and Dobrynya with fire,” the houses of the obstinate pagans had to be burned. Excavations, by the way, confirm the great fire of Novgorod in 989.

But there is another namesake, a hero of the 12th-13th centuries. , described in the Abridged chronicle code 1493 g:

“In summer 6725 (1217). There was a battle between Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich and Prince Konstantin (Vsevolodovich) of Rostov on the river Gde, and God helped Prince Konstantin Vsevolodovich, the elder brother, and the truth came (defeated) him. And there were two brave (heroes) with him: Dobrynya the Golden Belt and Alexander Popovich, with his servant Torop.”

And one more thing...

In the epics about Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich, heroes fight with Snakes. It should be said that the monsters of Russian epics differ from Western European dragons in that they always attack from above and never appear from the forest or from the water.

There is a version according to which the Snakes refer to the Polovtsian tribes that came to the Northern Black Sea region in 1055.

The name of the tribe "Kai", which stood at the head of the Kipchak union (as they called it in Central Asia Polovtsy), translated into Russian means “snake”. The proverb “a snake has seven heads” (according to the number of main tribes) relating to the Cumans was widely known in the steppe; Arab and Chinese historians cite it in their works.

The chronicle after the victory over the Polovtsians in 1103 says that Vladimir Monomakh “twisted the heads of the serpents,” and the Polovtsian Khan Tugorkan, under the name Tugarin Zmeevich, entered the epics.

The name of another Polovtsian khan - Bonyak (a contemporary of Tugorkan), who terrified the population of Byzantium, Bulgaria, Hungary and Kievan Rus, was preserved in Western Ukrainian songs and legends in the plot about the head of Bunyaka Sheludivy, which, severed, rolls on the ground, destroying everything in its path.

The Khan of the eastern association of the Polovtsians Sharukan in epics is called Kudrevanko the Tsar or Shark the Giant.

Later, the Tatar khans Batu and Kalin-Tsar (possibly Mengu-Kaan) appear in epics.
One can, of course, point out that later the heroes were called Dobrynya in honor of the first prototype, but then it will be necessary to explain why the “feats” of a real boyar of the 10th century were not reflected in the epics.

Another famous hero, Alyosha Popovich, according to legend, was from the city of Rostov.

He ended up in Kyiv completely by accident. In an open field, the hero found a stone on which three roads were indicated: one led to Chernigov, the other to Murom, and the third to Kyiv. He also begins service at the court of Prince Vladimir. Perhaps the most known history associated with Popovich is the legend about his fight with Tugarin (this, according to the epic, is a fictional character, so occasionally he bears the nickname Zmeevich and is presented as a monster). Tugarin is a foreign invader who can swallow a whole swan at a time, and is carried by servants on a golden stand. And Alyosha Popovich is always a young, brave and even sometimes reckless warrior.

There is always a connection between Ilya Muromets, Alyosha Popovich and Dobrynya Nikitich. There is also a great similarity between them not only in characters, but also in adventures and some life events.

Alyosha Popovich is the youngest of the trio of epic heroes. He looks the least warlike, his appearance is not menacing, rather bored. This is understandable - he is bored without fighting, without the adventures to which he was prone, since he defeated his enemies not by force, but by ingenuity and cunning. He is the most atypical of all the heroes, not very virtuous, boastful, greedy for the weaker sex.

Traditionally, Alyosha Popovich is associated with Rostov boyar Alexander Popovich , about which there is more than one mention in the Nikon Chronicle.

He took part in the Battle of Lipetsk, and died in 1223 in the Battle of the Kalka River.

However, just as you cannot remove words from a song, you cannot remove a feat from an epic. Alyosha Popovich became famous for two main feats - his victory over Tugarin the serpent and over the filthy Idolishch. The version of the comparison of the epic hero with Alexander Popovich does not explain any of these achievements, since victories over the filthy Idolishch and over Tugarnin the serpent were won two centuries before the Battle of Kalka.

Another version of who was the prototype of Alyosha Popovich was told by art critic Anatoly Markovich Chlenov. He believes that it is more correct to compare Alyosha Popovich with the son of a boyar and ally of Vladimir Monomakh Olberg Ratiborovich.

According to the Tale of Bygone Years, it was he who killed the Polovtsian Khan Itlar, who came to negotiate in Pereyaslavl in 1095, by order of the prince, shooting him with a bow through a hole in the roof. Boris Rybakov, in particular, wrote that the name Idolishche, in all likelihood, is a distortion of Itlar through the form “Itlarishche the filthy.” It is characteristic that in the entire epic tradition it is the murder of the filthy Idol that is the only example of the murder of an enemy in the palace, and not in the “open field”.

The second feat of Alyosha Popovich is the victory over Tugarin the Serpent. Philologists found the prototype of the “snake” back in the 19th century; at the beginning of the 20th century, the version was voiced by Vsevolod Fedorovich Miller. "Tugarin the serpent" is the Polovtsian khan Tugorkan from the Shurakanid dynasty. Sharukan among the Polovtsians meant “snake”.
So everything comes together. According to Boris Rybakov, the name Olberg over time was transformed into the Christian Olesha, and the comparison of Alyosha Popovich with the historical governor Alexander Popovich, according to Dmitry Likhachev, is later.

And in conclusion, it is necessary to say a few words about such heroes as Vasily Buslaev and Nikita Kozhemyaka. They were all real people.

Vasily Buslaev was originally from Novgorod.

By nature, this man was always a rebel and even a drunkard. He inherited his heroic strength from his father. However, the young man uses it differently from the rest of the heroes.

On the contrary, he violates the laws of the city in every possible way, recruiting a squad of people like him (the main selection criteria are the ability to drink a bucket of wine or withstand a blow to the head with a club). Together with his squad, Vasily does not engage in the fight against enemies and invaders, but only gets drunk in taverns and fights.

According to legends, he died as recklessly as he lived - on the way back from Jerusalem, he hit his head on a stone, falling from his horse (and it was written on the stone that it was forbidden to ride over it...).

Unlike Vasily, Nikita Kozhemyaka - was a real warrior who served to the prince of Kyiv Vladimir. Together with him, Kozhemyaka went to battle against the Pechenegs, fighting one-on-one with the strongman and defeating him.

This victory was the beginning of the victory of the Russian army over the invaders. In different periods, Nikita Kozhemyaka is presented either as a simple artisan, or as a real hero who is in service in Kyiv. Kapochka Kapa

Bogatyrs are the epic defenders of the Russian Land, “superheroes” of the Russian people for many centuries. Let's remember the main ones.

THE OLDEST (DOVLADIMIROVS)

Svyatogor

Mega-hero. But a hero of the “old world.” The giant, the elder hero the size of a mountain, whom even the earth cannot support, lies on the mountain in inaction. The epics tell of his meeting with earthly cravings and death in a magical grave. Many features of the biblical hero Samson were later transferred to Svyatogor. It is difficult to determine exactly its ancient origins. In the legends of the people, the veteran hero transfers his strength to Ilya Muromets, whose image dates back to the Gothic times of the 5th century. (Ilya Russian Tidrek-sagas and others).

Mikula Selyaninovich. Bogatyr Plowman

Mikula Selyaninovich is a bogatyr agrarian. Found in two epics: about Svyatogor and about Volga Svyatoslavich. Mikula is the first representative of agricultural life, a powerful peasant plowman. He is strong and resilient, but homely. He puts all his strength into farming and family. His three daughters are a model of women in Rus'.

Volga Svyatoslavovich. Bogatyr-Wolkh

Supporters of the “historical school” in the study of epics believe that the prototype of the epic Volga was a certain ancient tribal leader who went on a campaign for women and cattle. He was often correlated with the ancient Russian princes Oleg the Prophet (10th century) and Vseslav of Polotsk (11th century). Volga is a difficult hero; he has the ability to become a werewolf and can understand the language of animals and birds.

Sukhman Odikhmantievich. Insulted hero

In the epic of the Kyiv cycle, Sukhman goes to get a white swan for Prince Vladimir (here the plot is already archaic, connecting Sukhman with a priest who could not “bleed” his hands and injure the sacrificial animal), but on the way he enters into battle with the Tatar horde, who are building Kalinov bridges on the river Nepre. Sukhman defeats the Tatars, but in the battle he receives wounds, which he covers with leaves. Returning to Kyiv without the white swan, he tells the prince about the battle, but the prince does not believe him and imprisons Sukhman in prison until clarification. Dobrynya goes to Nepra and finds out that Sukhman did not lie. But it's too late. Sukhman feels disgraced, peels off the leaves and bleeds. The Sukhman River begins from his blood. According to many researchers, this hero’s connection to Vladimir is late.

VLADIMIROV TIME

Ilya Muromets. Holy hero

Ilya Muromets canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church, this is the main Russian hero. However, this is the only hero who, according to an absolutely pagan tradition, knocked down golden domes from churches and sold them in a tavern. Ilya Muromets is the main character not only of Russian epics, but also, for example, of German epic poems of the 13th century. In them he is also called Ilya, he is also a hero, yearning for his homeland. Ilya Muromets also appears in the Scandinavian sagas, in them he is, no less, the blood brother of Prince Vladimir.

Dobrynya Nikitich. A well-connected hero

Dobrynya Nikitich is often correlated with the chronicle Dobrynya, the uncle of Prince Vladimir (according to another version, nephew). His name personifies the essence of “heroic kindness.” Dobrynya has the nickname “young”, with enormous physical strength “he wouldn’t hurt a fly”, he is the protector of “widows and orphans, unfortunate wives.” Dobrynya is also “an artist at heart: a master of singing and playing the harp.”

Alyosha Popovich. Junior

“The youngest of the younger” heroes, and therefore his set of qualities is not so “Superman”. He is not even a stranger to vice: cunning, selfishness, greed. That is, on the one hand, he is distinguished by courage, but on the other hand, he is proud, arrogant, abusive, perky and rude.

Duke Stepanovich. Rich and noble

Duke Stepanovich comes to Kyiv from conditional India, behind which, according to folklorists, in this case the Galician-Volyn land is hidden, or the Baltic Pomerania organizes a marathon of boasting in Kyiv, undergoes tests from the prince, and continues to boast. As a result, Vladimir finds out that Duke is indeed very rich and offers him citizenship. But Duke refuses, because “if you sell Kyiv and Chernigov and buy paper for an inventory of Dyukov’s wealth, there won’t be enough paper.”

Danube Ivanovich. Tragic hero

According to epics about the Danube, it was from the blood of the hero that the river of the same name began. The Danube is a tragic hero. He loses to his wife, a Polyana woman (probably of Sarmatian origin) Nastasya (Mikula’s daughter) in an archery competition, accidentally hits her while trying to win back, finds out that Nastasya was pregnant and throws herself with her chest on a sword (or spear).

Mikhailo Potyk. Faithful husband

Folklorists disagree on who should be associated with Mikhailo Potyk (or Potok). Similarities with his image are found in the Bulgarian heroic epic, and in Western European fairy tales, and even in the Mongolian epic “Geser”. According to one of the epics, Potok and his wife Marya Lebed Belaya make a vow that whichever of them dies first, the second one will be buried alive next to him in the grave. When Avdotya dies, Potok is buried nearby in full armor and on horseback, fights the dragon and revives his wife with his blood. When he himself dies, Marya is buried with him.

Khoten Bludovich. Bogatyr-groom

The hero Khoten Bludovich, for the sake of his wedding with the enviable bride Chaina Chesova, first beats her nine brothers, then an entire army hired by his future mother-in-law. As a result, the hero receives a rich dowry and appears in the epic as the hero “who married well.”

OTHER.

Nikita Kozhemyaka. Wyrm Fighter

Nikita Kozhemyaka in Russian fairy tales is one of the main snake-fighting characters. Before entering into battle with the Serpent, he tears 12 skins, thereby proving his legendary strength. Kozhemyaka not only defeats the Snake, but also harnesses him to a plow and plows the land from Kyiv to the Black Sea. The defensive ramparts near Kiev got their name (Zmievs) precisely because of the actions of Nikita Kozhemyaka.

Bova Korolevich. Lubok hero

Bova Korolevich was the most popular hero among the people for a long time. Popular folk tales about the “precious hero” were published in hundreds of editions from the 18th to the 20th centuries. Pushkin wrote “The Tale of Tsar Saltan”, partially borrowing the plot and names of the heroes of the fairy tales about the Boy Korolevich, which his nanny read to him. Moreover, he even made sketches of the poem “Bova,” but death would prevent him from finishing the work. The prototype of this knight was the French knight Bovo de Anton from the famous chronicle poem Reali di Francia, written in the 14th century. In this respect, Bova is a completely unique hero - a visiting hero.

Vasily Buslaev. Zealous hero

The most daring hero of the Novgorod epic cycle. His unbridled temper leads to conflict with the Novgorodians and he desperately rages, bets that he will beat all the Novgorod men on the Volkhov Bridge and almost fulfills his promise - until his mother stops him. In another epic, he is already mature and goes to Jerusalem to atone for his sins. But Buslaev is incorrigible - he again takes up his old ways and dies absurdly, proving his youth.

Anika warrior. Bogatyr in words

Anika warrior is still called today a person who likes to show off his strength far from danger. Unusual for a Russian epic hero, the name of the hero was most likely taken from the Byzantine legend about the hero Digenis, who is mentioned there with the constant epithet anikitos. Anika the warrior in the verse boasts of strength and offends the weak, death itself shames him for this, Anika challenges her and dies.

The main characters of the epics are the heroes who single-handedly defended the Russian land from hordes of enemy forces. The world depicted in epics is the entire Russian land. This is a world of opposition between good and evil, light and dark forces. In it, heroes fight against the manifestation of evil and violence; without this struggle, the epic world is impossible.

Ilya Muromets. Represents strength

Ilya Muromets is canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church; he is the main Russian hero. Ilya Muromets is a hero not only of Russian epics, but also, for example, of German epic poems of the 13th century. In them he is also called Ilya, he is also a hero, yearning for his homeland. Ilya Muromets also appears in the Scandinavian sagas, in which he is the blood brother of Prince Vladimir.

Dobrynya Nikitich. Bogatyr-diplomat

Dobrynya Nikitich is often compared to the chronicle Dobrynya, the uncle of Prince Vladimir (according to one version, nephew). His name personifies the essence of “heroic kindness.” Dobrynya has the nickname “young”, with enormous physical strength “he wouldn’t hurt a fly”, he is the protector of “widows and orphans, unfortunate wives.” Dobrynya is also “an artist at heart: a master of singing and playing the harp.”

Alyosha Popovich. Junior

“The youngest of the younger” heroes, and therefore his set of qualities is not so “Superman”. He is not even a stranger to vice: cunning, selfishness, greed. That is, on the one hand, he is distinguished by courage, but on the other, he is proud, arrogant, perky and rude.

Bova Korolevich. Lubok hero

Bova Korolevich was the most popular hero among the people for a long time. Popular folk tales about the “precious hero” were published in hundreds of editions from the 18th to the 20th centuries. Pushkin wrote “The Tale of Tsar Saltan”, partially borrowing the plot and names of the heroes of the fairy tales about the Boy Korolevich, which his nanny read to him. Moreover, he even made sketches of the poem “Bova,” but death would prevent him from finishing the work. The prototype of this knight was the French knight Bovo de Anton from the famous chronicle poem Reali di Francia, written in the 14th century. In this respect, Bova is a completely unique hero - a visiting hero.

Svyatogor. Mega-hero

Mega-hero of the “old world”. The giant, the elder hero the size of a mountain, whom even the earth cannot support, lies on the mountain in inaction. The epics tell of his meeting with earthly cravings and death in a magical grave. Many features of the biblical hero Samson were transferred to Svyatogor. It is difficult to determine exactly its ancient origins. In the legends of the people, the veteran hero transfers his strength to Ilya Muromets, the hero of the Christian century.

Duke Stepanovich. Bogatyr Major

Duke Stepanovich comes to Kyiv from conventional India, behind which, according to folklorists, in this case the Galician-Volyn land is hidden, and organizes a marathon of boasting in Kyiv, undergoes tests from the prince, and continues to boast. As a result, Vladimir finds out that Duke is indeed very rich and offers him citizenship. But Duke refuses, because “if you sell Kyiv and Chernigov and buy paper for an inventory of Dyukov’s wealth, there won’t be enough paper.”

Mikula Selyaninovich. Bogatyr Plowman

Mikula Selyaninovich is a bogatyr agrarian. Found in two epics: about Svyatogor and about Volga Svyatoslavich. Mikula is the first representative of agricultural life, a powerful peasant plowman. He is strong and resilient, but homely. He puts all his strength into farming and family.

Volga Svyatoslavovich. Bogatyr magician

Supporters of the “historical school” in the study of epics believe that the prototype of the epic Volga was Prince Vseslav of Polotsk. Volga was also correlated with the Prophetic Oleg, and his campaign in India with Oleg’s campaign against Constantinople. Volga is a difficult hero; he has the ability to become a werewolf and can understand the language of animals and birds.

Sukhman Odikhmantievich. Insulted hero

According to Vsevolod Miller, the prototype of the hero was the Pskov prince Dovmont, who ruled from 1266 to 1299. In the epic of the Kyiv cycle, Sukhman goes to get a white swan for Prince Vladimir, but on the way he comes into conflict with the Tatar horde, who are building Kalinov bridges on the Nepra River. Sukhman defeats the Tatars, but in the battle he receives wounds, which he covers with leaves. Returning to Kyiv without the white swan, he tells the prince about the battle, but the prince does not believe him and imprisons Sukhman in prison until clarification. Dobrynya goes to Nepra and finds out that Sukhman did not lie. But it's too late. Sukhman feels disgraced, peels off the leaves and bleeds. The Sukhman River begins from his blood.

Danube Ivanovich. Tragic hero

According to epics about the Danube, it was from the blood of the hero that the river of the same name began. The Danube is a tragic hero. He loses to his wife Nastasya in an archery competition, accidentally hits her while trying to get even, finds out that Nastasya was pregnant and stumbles upon a saber.

Mikhailo Potyk. Faithful husband

Folklorists disagree on who should be associated with Mikhailo Potyk (or Potok). The roots of his image are found in the Bulgarian heroic epic, and in Western European fairy tales, and even in the Mongolian epic “Geser”. According to one of the epics, Potok and his wife Avdotya Swan Belaya make a vow that whichever of them dies first, the second one will be buried alive next to him in the grave. When Avdotya dies, Potok is buried nearby in full armor and on horseback, he fights the dragon and revives his wife with its blood. When he himself dies, Avdotya is buried with him.

Khoten Bludovich. Bogatyr-groom

The hero Khoten Bludovich, for the sake of his wedding with the enviable bride Chaina Chasovaya, first beats her nine brothers, then an entire army hired by his future mother-in-law. As a result, the hero receives a rich dowry and appears in the epic as the hero “who married well.”

Vasily Buslaev. Zealous hero

The most daring hero of the Novgorod epic cycle. His unbridled temper leads to conflict with the Novgorodians and he desperately rages, bets that he will beat all the Novgorod men on the Volkhov Bridge and almost fulfills his promise - until his mother stops him. In another epic, he is already mature and goes to Jerusalem to atone for his sins. But Buslaev is incorrigible - he again takes up his old ways and dies absurdly, proving his prowess.