The epic hero is a plowman. Heroes of Slavic mythology: Mikula Selyaninovich
(wife of Dobrynya Nikitich)
Mikula Selyaninovich- the legendary plowman-hero in Russian epics of the Novgorod cycle.
Etymology
The name Mikula is the folk form of the name Nikolai; possibly the result of a contamination with the name Michael.
The image of a hero-plowman
The hero personifies the peasant power; you can't fight him, because "the whole family of Mikulov loves Mother Earth Cheese."
According to one of the epics, he asks the giant Svyatogor to pick up the bag that has fallen to the ground. He does not cope with the task. Then Mikula Selyaninovich lifts the bag with one hand, announcing that it contains "all the burden of the earth."
Mikula Selyaninovich, according to folklore, had two daughters: Vasilisa and Nastasya (the wives of Stavr and Dobrynya Nikitich, respectively), who are also the central heroines of the epics.
Epics dedicated to Mikula: Volga and Mikula Selyaninovich, Svyatogor and Mikula Selyaninovich.
Mikula and Nicholas the Wonderworker
The connection of the Christian Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker with the epic hero Mikula Selyaninovich. An interesting version about the connection with the day of the national calendar of Nicholas Veshnim is given by P.I. Melnikov in 1874:
Mikula most of all the stinkers (peasant, farmer) honored ... Him, the drinker, him, the gracious breadwinner, he celebrated the holidays more honestly and more often ...
As the veneration of Thunder the Rattlesnake during the introduction of Christianity was transferred to the veneration of Ilya the Gromovnik, and the veneration of Volos, the animal god, to Saint Blasius, so the honoring of the orator Mikula Selyaninich was transferred to the Christian saint - Nicholas the Wonderworker. That is why in Russia most of all, Nicholas the Merciful is celebrated. The spring holiday to Nicholas the Wonderworker, which the Greeks do not have, was borrowed by the Russians from the Latins in order to coincide with the holiday of the Mother of the Raw Earth, who loves "Mikula and his family." Mikule's celebration coincided with the birthday of Mother Earth. And until now, two national holidays converge side by side: the first day of "Mikula with fodder" (May 9, O.S.), the other day (May 10, O.S.) "Mother's Day of the Raw Earth."
Daughters
- Vasilisa Mikulishna- wife of Stavr Godinovich
- Nastasya Mikulishna- wife of Dobrynya Nikitich
see also
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Notes (edit)
Literature
- Melnikov-Pechersky P.I. . - 1874.
- / Petrukhin V. Ya. // Mythological dictionary / Ch. ed. E.M. Meletinsky... - M. : Soviet Encyclopedia, 1990. - S. 358. - ISBN 5-85270-032-0.
Links
- ... Retrieved March 16, 2009.
- // Biographical Dictionary. 2000.
An excerpt characterizing Mikula Selyaninovich
- Semyon! Do you know Danila Kupor?It was the earl's favorite dance, danced by him in his youth. (Danilo Kupor was actually one figure of the Angles.)
“Look at dad,” Natasha shouted to the whole audience (completely forgetting that she was dancing with a big one), bending her curly head to her knees and bursting into her ringing laughter throughout the hall.
Indeed, everything that was in the hall with a smile of joy looked at the cheerful old man who, next to his dignified lady, Marya Dmitrievna, who was taller than him, rounded his arms, shaking them in time, straightened his shoulders, twisted his legs, tapping lightly, and more and more dissolving smile on his round face prepared the audience for what would happen. As soon as the cheerful, provocative sounds of Danila Kupor were heard, similar to a merry batter, all the doors of the hall suddenly became male, on the one hand, and female courtyard smiling faces, on the other, who came out to look at the merry master.
- Father is ours! Eagle! The nanny said loudly from one door.
The count danced well and knew it, but his lady did not know how and did not want to dance well. Her huge body stood straight with lowered down powerful hands(she gave the reticule to the countess); only one strict, but Beautiful face she danced. What was expressed in the whole round figure of the count, in Marya Dmitrievna was expressed only in a more and more smiling face and a twitching nose. But on the other hand, if the count, more and more diverging, captivated the audience with the unexpectedness of dexterous twists and light jumps of his soft legs, Marya Dmitrievna, with the slightest zeal when moving her shoulders or rounding her arms in turns and tapping, made no less impression of merit, which everyone appreciated when her obesity and everlasting severity. The dance became more and more animated. The vis-a-vis could not even for a minute draw attention to themselves and did not even try to do so. Everything was occupied by the count and Marya Dmitrievna. Natasha tugged at the sleeves and dresses of all those present, who already did not take their eyes off the dancers, and demanded that they look at papa. In the intervals of the dance, the count took a deep breath, waved and shouted to the musicians to play as soon as possible. Rather, sooner and sooner, less, less and less, the count unfolded, now on tiptoe, now on heels, rushing around Marya Dmitrievna and, finally, turning his lady to her place, made the last step, lifting his soft leg up from behind, bending a sweating head with a smiling face and waving roundly right hand among the roar of applause and laughter, especially Natasha. Both dancers stopped, gasping for breath and wiping themselves with cambric handkerchiefs.
“That's how they danced in our time, ma chere,” said the count.
- Oh yes Danila Kupor! - said Marya Dmitrievna, releasing her breath heavily and for a long time and rolling up her sleeves.
While the Rostovs were dancing in the hall of the sixth angles to the sounds of fatigue of fake musicians, and tired waiters and cooks were preparing supper, Count Bezukhim was struck sixth. The doctors announced that there was no hope of recovery; the patient was given deaf confession and communion; they were making preparations for unction, and there was a bustle and anxiety of anticipation in the house, which are common at such moments. Outside the house, outside the gates, undertakers crowded, hiding from approaching carriages, waiting for a rich order for the count's funeral. The commander-in-chief of Moscow, who incessantly sent adjutants to inquire about the count's position, himself came that evening to say goodbye to the famous Catherine grandee, Count Bezukhim.
The magnificent reception room was full. Everyone stood up respectfully when the commander-in-chief, after spending about half an hour alone with the patient, left there, slightly responding to obeisances and trying to pass by the gazes of doctors, clergy and relatives as soon as possible. Prince Vasily, who had grown thin and pale during these days, accompanied the commander-in-chief and repeated something quietly to him several times.
After seeing the commander-in-chief, Prince Vasily sat down in the hall alone on a chair, throwing his legs high over the legs, resting his elbow on his knee and closing his eyes with his hand. After sitting like this for some time, he got up and with unusually hasty steps, looking around with frightened eyes, walked through long corridor to the back half of the house, to the eldest princess.
Those who were in the dimly lit room in uneven whispers talked among themselves and fell silent every time and with eyes full of question and expectation looked back at the door that led to the dying man's chambers and made a faint sound when someone left or entered it.
- The human limit, - said the old man, the clergyman, to the lady who sat down to him and naively listened to him, - the limit is set, you will not pass it.
- I think, is it too late to unleash? - adding the spiritual title, the lady asked, as if she had no opinion on this matter.
“A great sacrament, mother,” answered the clergyman, running his hand over his bald head, along which lay several strands of combed, half-gray hair.
- Who is this? was the commander-in-chief himself? - asked at the other end of the room. - What a youthful! ...
- And the seventh decade! What, they say, the count will not know? Did you want to unleash?
Mikula Selyaninovich - v Slavic mythology hero-hero. Although he is not mentioned among the Kiev heroes, we will not meet him at princely feasts, and he does not participate in battles. Mikula Selyaninovich is a hero-plowman, a man. Next to the hero in the epic is Prince Volga, and at first it is through him that Mikula is recognized. Volga with his retinue goes to the cities granted to him by the Grand Duke for tribute. Here, on the way, the prince meets the plowman. At first Volga only hears it.
How screaming. shout in the field *, whistles.
The oratai's bipod creaks,
Omeshiki ** chirping on pebbles.
And only on the third day, when he finally approached the plowman, the prince saw how the work was going on.
As he yells in the field, whistle, whistle.
And he marks the grooves,
And singing, twisting roots,
And he throws big stones into the furrow.
In this picture there are details characteristic of the agricultural labor of the northern Russian peasant: it was he who had to turn plots heaped with boulders into arable land and uproot the forest. But at the same time, a "expanse of pure field" is drawn, which could not be in the north. As usual in epics, here merges together that which in reality never exists together. The result of this merger is the perfect picture. information from the site http: // site
Plowing implements are unusually expensive and beautiful:
The screaming mare has a nightingale,
Her guzhiks are silk,
The bipod of the orai maple,
Omeshiki on a bipod damask,
Silver bipod attachments,
And the stag at the bipod is red and gold.
And finally Volga sees the plowman himself at work:
And the yelling curls sway,
That pearls are not skipped, are scattered.
The screaming eye is clear to the falcon,
And his eyebrows and a black sable,
The shouting boots have green morocco, -
Here are the heels with an awl, the noses are sharp,
Here under the heel, the heel of a sparrow will fly,
At least roll around the nose.
She has a downy hat,
And his caftan is black velvet.
Isn't it true that Mikula bears little resemblance to a man engaged in heavy plowing. His appearance rather resembles a dandy hero Churila Plenkovich preparing for a "competition" with Duke. Curls, sable eyebrows are details from wedding songs depicting a handsome groom. The epic does not take into account the requirements of credibility when it is necessary to create the ideal portrait of the hero. Volga invites Mikula to go with him - it turns out that the plowman is at odds with the townspeople and is ready to help the prince. Mikula agrees - but you need to remove the plow so that the same men do not covet it. Volga sends the vigilantes to pull the plow out of the ground, shake out the land and throw the bipod behind the bush. But they cannot do it.
Here oratay-oratayushko
Is it on your mare a nightingale
I came to the bipod with a maple tree,
He took the bipod with one hand,
Ots pulled the bipod out of the ground,
From the omeshiks he shook out the land,
I threw a bipod over a bush.
And one more detail: the peasant mare unexpectedly discovers superiority over Volga's fighting horse.
How her tail spreads out,
And her mane curls,
The screaming mare took a step.
But Vol'gin's horse is galloping,
The screaming mare began to breastfeed,
But Volgin's horse will remain.
A powerful blow has been inflicted on the prestige of the warrior prince: a mare, accustomed to just pulling a plow, easily overtakes his war horse and looks more spectacular. The prince is forced to show respect to the unknown plowman.
- Oh, you oratai-oratayushko!
Somehow you yes name is,
Are they calling you your fatherland?
With such a question in Ancient Rus the common peasant was not addressed. They asked about the name and patronymic of significant people, with a pedigree, for example, visiting heroes. The speaker's answer affirms different values. information from the site http: // site
- Oh, you Volga Svyatoslavovich!
I’ll add something like rye
I'll take you home
I'll drag it home and grind it at home,
And I'll brew beer and give the peasants a drink,
- And then the peasants will praise me:
Young Nowhere Selyanovich!
This is how the epic glorifies the heroic character of free peasant labor, the beauty of a simple peasant life, the dignity of the worker, the worker, his superiority in this sense over the prince and his servants.
Mikula Selyaninovich - an epic hero, a wonderful plowman, carrying "earthly cravings", the personification of the Russian peasantry; you cannot fight him, since “the whole family of Mikulov loves Mother Earth of Cheese” - one of the most monumental and mysterious images of the Russian epic.
In the old-fashioned way Mikula Selyaninovich - yell (there is no connection with the verb "yell - scream"). Mikula's name is late, and his patronymic Selyaninovich means "farmer." A halo of glory, sacralization, constantly accompany the image of Mikula in Russian epics, legends and tales. Mikulu in folk tradition perceived as the god of "all Russia", the peasant patron saint, St. Nicholas. Sacralization also accompanies the image of the plow, the plow, and the very act of plowing. The main thing in the life of Mikula Selyaninovich, according to the epics, is labor and plowing. He personifies the peasant strength, the strength of the people, because only Mikula can lift those "saddlebags" in which the "pull of the earth" is found.
It would seem, where would he, a peasant-country bumpkin, go to the daring knight Volga (Volkh) Svyatoslavich, the nephew of Prince Vladimir, at whose birth “Mother of Cheese Earth was born, shaking gloriously the Indian kingdom, and the blue sea shaking”? But the knight was forced to give up the plowman Mikulushka primacy in labor. Volga Vseslavievich saw a plowman in the field, who plowed, but on such a grand scale that "Volkh rode to the warrior from morning to evening, but could not get to the warrior." Volkh could not resist, he called Mikula Selyaninovich to go with him as brothers, and Mikula agreed, but when the time came to take the plow out of the earth, neither Volkh himself nor his entire squad could cope with it, but only pulls the plow out of the ground with one hand and throws her over the bush.
In other epics, the hero Mikula shames not only Volga, but also the giant Svyatogor. Svyatogor is also one of the most ancient mythological characters of the Russian epic. He personifies the absolute universal power. There is no one stronger than him in the world, he is so huge and heavy that "the mother of the earth does not hold him," and he rides on his heroic horse through the mountains. In this epic the image of Mikula takes on a cosmic sound. Once Svyatogor saw the "good fellow on foot" walking in front of him. Svyatogor let his horse go "with all the horse's strength", but could not catch up with the pedestrian. According to another of the epics, Mikula asks the giant Svyatogor to pick up the bag that has fallen to the ground. He does not cope with the task. Then Mikula Selyaninovich lifts the bag with one hand, announcing that it contains “all earthly burdens” that only a peaceful, hardworking plowman can do.
Mikula Selyaninovich is the hero-ancestor of the people-cultivator, all historical fate, successes and failures, whose glory and disgrace were associated with agriculture, with the "plow" of arable land and bread - the basis of life, trade, welfare of the country, the development of crafts, cities, industry and military power. The hero-ancestor, in whose image is the root historical fate of the people, who received the golden plow straight "from the sky" as the first gift that determined their life and fate (let's risk a comparison, while, as mentioned above, it is somewhat hypothetical). In the image of which - the heroic character of free peasant labor, the beauty of a simple peasant life, the dignity of a worker, a worker, his superiority in this sense over the prince and his servants are glorified. This hero, nicknamed Mikula Selyaninovich, became the most vivid exponent of the character of the nation as a whole, a generalized exponent of the people.
In the early morning, in the early sun, Volta was going to take tribute from the trading cities of Gurchevets and Orekhovets.
The squad sat on good horses, on brown stallions and set off. The fellows went out into an open field, into a wide expanse and heard a plowman in the field. A plowman plows, whistles, plowshares are pebbled on pebbles. As if a plowman was leading a plow somewhere nearby. Well done fellows go to the plowman, they go day to night, but they cannot gallop to him. You can hear the plowman whistling, you can hear the bipod creak, how the plowshares are rubbed, but you can't even see the plowman himself.
The good fellows are driving the next day until the evening, the plowman is whistling the same way, the plow creak, the plowshares are chipping, but the plowman is gone.
The third day goes in the evening, then only the fellows got to the plowman. The plowman plows, pushes, pokes his filly. He lays furrows like deep ditches, turns oaks out of the ground, throws boulders aside. Only the plowman's curls sway, they crumble in silk over the shoulders.
And the plowman's filly is unwise, but his plow is maple, and the tugs are silk. Volga marveled at him, bowed politely:
- Hello, good person, in the field there are laborers!
- Be healthy, Volga Vseslavievich. Where are you going?
- I'm going to the towns of Gurchevets and Orekhovets to collect tribute from the merchants.
- Eh, Volga Vseslavievich, all the robbers live in those cities, they tear the skin of the poor plowman, collect tolls for traveling on the roads. I went there to buy salt, bought three bags of salt, each bag a hundred pounds, put a gray one on the filly and went home to my place. Merchants 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, the one who was standing is sitting, and the one who was sitting is lying. 
Volga was surprised, bowed to the plowman:
- Ah, you, glorious plowman, mighty hero, go with me for a comrade.
- Well, I’ll go, Volga Vseslavievich, I must give them instructions - not to offend other peasants.
The plowman took off the silk tugs from the plow, unharnessed the gray filly, sat astride it and set off.
The fellows galloped half the way. The plowman says to Volga Vseslavievich:
- Oh, we did the wrong thing, we left the plow in the furrow. You sent your fellow vigilantes to pull the bipod out of the furrow, shake the earth out of it, put the plow under the bush.
Volga sent three warriors.
They twist the bipod this way and that, but they cannot lift the bipod from the ground.
Volga sent ten knights. They twist the bipod in twenty hands, but they cannot rip it off.
Then Volga went with his entire squad. Thirty people without a single stuck to the bipod on all sides, strained, went knee-deep into the ground, but did not move the bipod even on the hair.
The plowman himself got down from the filly, took hold of the bipod with one hand, pulled it out of the ground, shook the ground out of the plowshares. I cleaned the plowshares with grass.
The deed was done and the heroes went further along the road.
They drove up near Gurchevets and Orekhovets. And there the trading people are cunning: when they saw the plowman, they cut oak logs on the bridge over the Orekhovets river.
Slightly the squad ascended to the bridge, the oak logs broke, the fellows began to drown in the river, the brave squad began to perish, the horses began to go, people went to the bottom.
Volga and Mikula got angry, got angry, whipped their good horses, jumped over the river in one gallop. They jumped on that bank and began to honor the villains.
The plowman beats with a whip, says:
- Eh you, greedy trading people! The peasants of the city feed them bread, drink honey, and you regret their salt!
Volga pays for the warriors, for the heroic horses.
The Gurchevets people began to repent:
- You will forgive us for the villainy, for the cunning. Take tribute and taxes 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 drove home.
Volga Vseslavievich asks the plowman: 
- You tell me, Russian hero, what is your name, is your patronymic?
- Come to me, Volga Vseslavievich, to my peasant yard, so you will know how people honor me.
The heroes drove up to the field. The plowman pulled out a plow, plowed a wide field, sowed it with gold grain ...
The dawn is still burning, and the plowman's field is noisy with ears.
The dark night is coming - the plowman is reaping bread. He thrashed it in the morning, sifted it by noon, grinded flour for dinner, started pies. In the evening he summoned the people to a feast of honors. People began to eat pies, drink mash and praise the plowman:
- Oh, thank you, Mikula Selyaninovich!
Mikula Selyaninovich. A.P. Ryabushkin. 1895 g.
Mikula Selyaninovich is a hero-plowman in the epics of the Novgorod cycle. His unusual name is most often associated with the vernacular version, formed from Nicholas. However, it is possible that something in between the names Nikolai and Mikhail is also possible.
The Mother of Cheese Earth herself gave birth to Mikula, which is why his main gift is to lift "earthly burdens", and such a feat is beyond the power of any of the heroes. From the glorious plowman comes a whole family of heroes: his daughter Vasilisa is the wife of Stavr Godinovich, and the second daughter Nastasya is the wife of Dobrynya Nikitich. However, the red girls are famous not only for their heroic husbands, but also for their own exploits.
BOGATYR-PAKHAR
Mikula Selyaninovich is a symbol of peasant strength, and this power is inexhaustible. The Earth itself gave birth to him. He sows and plows regularly. There is no way to fight him, because "Mother Cheese Earth loves the entire Mikulov family." When the bogatyr Svyatogor cannot take the bag, which contains the "earthly burden", it is Mikula who easily lifts it with one hand.
BOGATYR-SAINT
Some researchers of Russian epics associate the image of Mikula Selyaninovich with Nicholas the Wonderworker. For example, it is believed that the feast of St. Nicholas of Veshny, which is celebrated on May 9, was Mikulin's day.
One can cite as an example the veneration of Thunder the Rattling, which later turned into the honor of Elijah the Gromovnik, and the admiration for Volos - Saint Blasius. One of the proofs is the fact that the Greeks did not have the spring holiday of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. That is, the Russians timed it to the Day of the Mother of the Holy Land, May 10. They venerated her son Mikula, who most of all of the Russian heroes was loved by peasants and farmers.
GLORIOUS WORKS
Mikula Selyaninovich. N. M. Matorin. The beginning of the XX century.
All the epics about Mikul Selyaninovich emphasize his relationship with the Russian stronghold. The beloved son of the Mother of the Raw Earth, who in legends is called "oratayushko", is endowed with inexhaustible strength by the parent. Therefore, no one can defeat Mikulushka.
Mikula and Svyatogor... According to one of the epics about Svyatogor, the mighty hero could not lift Mikula Selyaninovich's bag. In it lay the "earthly burden" which the mighty peasant himself lifted with one hand.
Mikula and Volga... At that time, when the princes of Kiev ruled the Russian land, they sent their trusted servants to collect tribute in cities and villages. Volga Svyatoslavovich was chosen as one of the envoys. On the way he met a young man of unprecedented strength: plowing the field with his plow, he turned the stumps out of the ground, and dumped huge stones in a heap.
And as the conversation began, the plowman warned Volga: "A restless road ahead, the road is full of dashing people and robbers." And Volga decided to take the mighty fellow as his companion. Yes, as soon as they drove off, the plowman remembered that he had left his plow on the field. Volga sent a squad after her, but all the soldiers at once could not pull the plow out of the ground. The plowman returned himself and lifted the plow with one hand. And then he admitted that he was Mikula Selyaninovich:
I am a simple peasant, a prince. I plow the land. I feed Rus with bread.
