Geography about the hero Ilya Muromets. Biography

Our ancestors of the 16th - early 19th centuries. did not doubt that Ilya Muromets- a real person, a warrior who served the Kiev prince.

But if Ilya Muromets is a historical person, then why is he not mentioned in any chronicle? There may be several reasons for this.

Firstly, not many written sources of those years have come down to us. And this is not surprising. Tatars constantly raided the Russian land and burned cities. Once during a fire, books from the library of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra also burned down.

Secondly, Ilya was from a simple peasant family. At that time, the permanent army of the prince - his squad, was recruited from noble people. The outrageous precedent of the dizzying rise of a simple peasant could not leave indifferent the noble boyars and the princes of the golden age of Kievan Rus who relied on him.

Therefore, the name of the national hero was erased from the pages of history. But it could not be erased from the good memory of the grateful people.

After his death, Ilya was buried in the limits of the main temple of Kievan Rus - Sofia Kievskaya... There was a grand ducal tomb, in which not all of the princes were buried. And Ilya Muromets was honored with his worldly affairs. The boyars could not even dream of such condescension.

Perhaps it is for this reason that later the tomb of Ilya Muromets was destroyed during the raid, and the tomb of his comrade - Dobryni Nikitich, the son of the Drevlyan prince Mal, miraculously survived.

This is mentioned in his diaries by the Ambassador of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II Erich Lasot, which from 7 to 9 May 1594 was passing through Kiev.

At that time, the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra took care of the relics of the hero. There, in the Near Caves, his body rests to this day.

# 2 Ilya Muromets is not only a hero of the Russian epic

Although the Russian chronicles do not mention the name of the most famous hero of Russian epics, he is the main character in one of the Germanic epic poems of the 13th century, based on earlier legends.

It speaks of him as a mighty knight, and they call him Ilya Russian.

# 3 Giant

# 4 Descendants of Gushchina

Now the village of Karacharovo has become part of the modern city of Murom. On the site of the house of Ilya Muromets, there is a new house with a sign saying that the people's favorite and hero of epics Ilya Muromets lived on this place. The residents of this house claim that they are the descendants of the hero. From generation to generation, they collect all the information about their famous ancestor. After recreating the portrait of Ilya Muromets, they showed a photograph of their great-grandfather. The similarity is indeed observed.

They say that the phenomenal strength of the hero was inherited and passed on to his distant descendants - the Gushchin family of Karacharov villagers, who, like their great ancestor, in the last century could move a load that was beyond the strength of a horse.

# 5 "Sydnam has been sitting on the stove for thirty years and three years ..."

We know from the legends that Ilya could not walk until the age of 33.

Such a story was widespread among the people. As if the grandfather of the future Russian hero Ilya Muromets was real pagan and refused to recognize Christianity. Once he took an ax and cut an Orthodox icon. Since then curse fell on his kind. All boys had to be born crippled.

And now, 10 years later, a grandson was born who had paralysis of the legs. But he did not despair, but developed the rest of the body. For 33 years he could not even step on the ground. Once they entered the house " kaliki perekhodimy"- folk healers. They also healed the hero with the help of enchanted water. This is evidenced by the legends of deep antiquity.

But the most interesting thing is that after studying the relics of Ilya Muromets, anatomists found in the lumbar region rachiocampsis to the right and pronounced additional processes on the vertebrae. This means that this person was really unable to walk for a long time due to pinching of the nerves of the spinal cord.

# 6 Age

Scientists are still arguing about the date of birth and the date of death of the hero, but from the remains it was possible to determine that the hero lived 45-50 years. For that time he was old man.

# 7 First body examination

For the first time, the body of Ilya Muromets was examined by Soviet scientists in 1963. At that atheistic time, scientists wrote in their conclusion that the body belongs to man Mongoloid race while injured imitated monks of the laurel.

Meanwhile, modern scientists also note the Mongoloid facial features of the Russian knight.

No. 8 Straight track

Remember the beginning of the epic legends about Ilya Muromets? " Whether from that city from Murom, from that village from Karacharov ..."It would seem that everything is clear. Here is the city of Murom. The village of Karacharovo is now part of this city, although it retained its name. But doubts about the birthplace of the Russian knight were in the last century, and there are now.

The name of the epic hero was known in Chernihiv region... There are the years Karachev and Moroviysk, the names of which are consonant with the village of Karacharov and the city of Murom.

But if you look at an ordinary geographical map, then Moroviysk and Karachev are separated by hundreds of kilometers. And talking about the "Moroviyskoye village of Karachev" is somehow strange. But if you mark Murom, Karachev, Chernigov, Moroviysk and Kiev on the map, you can draw one line. Here is the famous "straight path".

It is along this road that Ilya travels to Kiev, passing “ through those forests, Brynskie, across the Smorodinaya river", Through the village of Nine Oaks, not far from Karachev. All settlements have retained their former names and still exist. Even the Smorodinnaya river flows there to this day.

In addition, the most famous feat of the hero is a fight with a bandit Nightingale the robber. As you know, the robber controlled the direct road to the capital of Russia, Kiev, and did not allow to pass calmly " neither horse nor foot". Around 1168, Ilya came to Kiev. At that time, he sat on the throne prince Mstislav, who ordered to organize the protection of trade caravans going to the capital, which were constantly plundered by the Polovtsians. Probably, the Kiev prince entrusted this to his hero Ilya Muromets, who was in the prince's squad.

The Nightingale was a robber who hunted raids and thefts on the road, and the nickname, as you might expect, stuck to him for his ability to whistle loudly. Ilya Muromets defeated the robber in a duel and freed the "straight road". This event, no doubt, was not only of great economic importance for the principality, but also made the life of ordinary people calmer.

The liberation of the straight path from the robbers did not go unnoticed and was equated by the people with a real feat.

# 9 The Mystery of Death

The fact of the presence of the revered relics of the famous hero was reflected in the epic texts themselves. The end of the epic is so interesting " Ilya Muromets and Kalin Tsar"Performed by the storyteller Shchegolenkova: "From these Tatars and from the nasty ones, his horse and heroic horse turned to stone, and the relics and the saint became from the old Cossack Ilya Muromets." Everyone remembers from childhood that the pedestrian Kaliks prophesied to the famous hero that “ death in battle is not written to him". Therefore, in the epics and fairy tales about the death of the hero, the story is different: he turns to stone alone, or with other heroes; then the living lies in the coffin and remains there forever; then together with Dobrynya on the Sokol Ship he sailed somewhere, and since then there has been no news of him.

At this point in time official sources it is said that the hero Ilya Muromets was born between 1150 and 1165. And he died, as scientists assume, during the capture of Kiev by the army of Prince Rurik Rostislavich in 1204, when the famous Pechersk Lavra was destroyed and plundered by the Polovtsy allied to Rurik. Death came from a blow to the chest with a sharp weapon (sword or spear).

No. 10 Saint

There is a legend about why Ilya decided to become a monk. In another very fierce battle, the hero was badly wounded and almost killed, but miraculously survived. In that battle, he vowed never to raise the sword again, settle in a monastery and devote oneself to serving God. Ilya Muromets approached the walls of the Lavra and took off all his armor. However, he could not throw the sword to the ground.

So he became a monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. He spent the rest of his life in his cell in constant prayer.

The Russian hero left behind not only imperishable memory... Ilya's body, like the remains of other monks who are buried in the caves of the Pechersk Lavra, is imperishable. But, unlike the remains of the Egyptian pharaohs, it turned into a mummy not due to processing with mummifying compounds, but for a reason unknown to modern science.

The Orthodox are sure that if a person's body does not decompose, but gradually turns into relics, then this is a gift from above, therefore a person can be considered a saint.

There is a belief that the relics of the Holy Russian hero Ilya Muromets able to heal those who suffer from terrible diseases of the spine and those who have completely paralyzed legs. The Russian knight continues to serve people even after death ...

For a long time, ancient Russian epics were unfairly considered fairy tales, and the exploits of folk heroes were monarchist propaganda. Scientific research of folk art began relatively recently, at the end of the 20th century.

Ilya Muromets is the most famous of the Russian heroes, an analogue of military courage and honor. His image has become a textbook thanks to the painting by Viktor Vasnetsov. Several types of weapons, an atomic icebreaker, a waterfall and a children's film studio are named after the famous warrior. Scientists managed to prove the authenticity of the personality of Ilya Muromets and many facts of his "epic" biography.

According to legend, the hero was born into a family of peasants, the Gushchins, from the ancient Russian village of Karacharovo near Murom. The exact date of birth at that time was not recorded anywhere, but it is known that Ilya's life ended in 1188. At that time he was about 55 years old. Chroniclers tell about the miraculous healing of Elijah from paralysis of the legs. A contemporary described him as a very tall man who had a height of about 180 cm and "a slanting fathom in the shoulders." But for the first 30 years of his life, he did not get out of bed. "Walking kaliki", as the walking pilgrims were called in the old days, endowed him with remarkable strength and predicted the glory of a great warrior. The legend is confirmed by the examination of the relics of St. Elijah, stored in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, which revealed pinching of the nerve processes of the elder's spinal cord.

After his recovery, Ilya was baptized and went to the disinterested service of Prince Vladimir Monomakh of Kiev. The hero, who did not know defeat, soon became a popular favorite. Through the efforts of the Muromets squad, the raids of the Polovtsian nomads stopped, the borders of Russia moved back to the Sea of ​​Azov.

In one of the battles with the Polovtsy, the hero was seriously wounded. He changed his military exploit to a spiritual one, having tonsured a monk at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Here Muromets soon died. When examining the relics of the saint, an extensive wound was found in the region of the heart, made with a spear.

In 1643, Ilya Muromets was canonized, the Russian army honors him as the patron saint of the army and honors his memory on January 1.

In the homeland of the hero, in Karacharovo, the Trinity Church has survived, the wooden foundation of which he laid himself. Not far from it is the spring of Ilya Muromets with healing water. Popular legend calls it a "gallop", linking their appearance with a blow from the hooves of a heroic horse.

Biography by dates and interesting facts. The most important thing.

Other biographies:

  • Gabdulla Tukay

    Gabudalla Tukay is a Soviet, Tatar folk writer. He is considered the founder of the modern Tatar language. He made a huge contribution to the development of Tatar literature. During his short life, he was able to change many writers, including Russians.

  • Dragunsky Victor

    Victor Dragunsky is one of the famous children's writers. He gained the greatest fame thanks to "Denis's stories". Dragunsky's stories are mainly aimed at children.

The hero Ilya Muromets is perhaps one of the most popular heroes of the Russian epic. Moreover, absolutely all generations know this character very well. This was partly facilitated by the creation of a modern series of Russian cartoons telling about the feats of arms of Ilya Muromets.

In 1643 he was canonized, and his miraculous relics are in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. But there are very few exact information about the life of Ilya Muromets. Everyone remembers the legend that he was born into a peasant family and could not walk until the age of 30. In folk legends, sometimes the name of his father was even found - the peasant Ivan Timofeevich - and information that the boy's illness was allegedly a punishment for the behavior of his grandfather - he was a pagan, did not recognize Christianity and once cut an icon.

And a miraculous healing happened when the "kaliki perekhodikh" came to the house - wanderers singing spiritual verses and epics. They they asked the boy to bring water, but he said that he could not do this, since he could not walk. After repeated requests from the pilgrims, he suddenly felt strength and for the first time got to his feet.

Ilya was born, presumably between 1150 and 1165. The place of birth is called the village of Karacharovo, located near Murom. More In the 17th century, Ilyinskaya Street and others appeared in Murom, the names of which were somehow associated with the heroic deeds. And near the village of Karacharovo in the same century, the Ilyinsky Church with the holy well of Ilia Muromets was erected, destroyed in the 1930s.

In the 19th century, there was a historical school for the study of epics, they tried to choose a suitable character in the chronicle for each historical hero, - said Korolev. - So, Dobrynya Nikitich is the uncle of Prince Vladimir, Alyosha Popovich is a Rostov boyar. And no one was found under Ilya, and the only clue was a nickname, because in the early versions he was called not Muromets, but Morovyanin, so the search began - Murov, Morov. There was the ancient Russian city of Moroviysk, so they tried to catch hold of it.

But this is a fantasy of the Ukrainian side - it is generated by the desire to drag everything into its territory. It is a national complex of a small people trying to add value to their own history. One of their ideas: to make any historical, cultural and literary character who has visited Little Russia or was born there a Ukrainian. In general, in the 19th century, the concept of a Ukrainian did not exist. As for Ilya Muromets, this is another attempt to make himself a noble compatriot, to tear him away from Russia

historian Alexander Korolev

One of the oldest written mentions of Ilya Muromets as a Russian hero dates back to 1574, but even at the beginning of the 13th century in the ancient German epic there was a hero Ilia the Russian, in connection with which Smolensk, Kiev, Polotsk were mentioned. At the end of the 16th century, the Orsha headman Philon Kmita of Chernobyl used the image of Ilya in a letter to Ostafy Volovich, the Trinity castellan. He complained that he was in need, and compared himself with Russian heroes - including Ilya Muromets - who were also often disparaged until their help was required.

In the Russian epic, the first exploits of Ilya Muromets were associated with the work of a tiller: he cleared the land from huge roots and stones, helping people to cultivate it and get a harvest.

After he is going to hit the road to perform other feats. But first he asks for the blessing of his parents. This plot is very common in Russian epics - many tales about Ilya Muromets begin with an episode of the parents' blessing, and sometimes individual epics are dedicated to him.

One of these epics, recorded in 1903 in the village of Kletskaya (present-day Volgograd region), is given in Listopadov's collection "Songs of the Don Cossacks".

As stated in the epics, Ilya Muromets went to Kiev. He, leading other heroes, fought with the enemies of Russia, defending its borders. For example, the annals say that the Russian heroes, in particular, ousted the Polovtsi beyond the Don and the Volga, in the steppes of the North Caucasus and the South Urals.

One of the epics says that after heroic deeds the heroes returned to Kiev, where they dispersed to monasteries and became monks. Among them was Ilya Muromets, who took monastic vows at the Pechersk Monastery. In the short life of the Monk Elijah, his nickname is indicated - Chobotok, that is, "boot". According to legend, once enemies came to the monastery, and Ilya was wearing shoes at that moment. He managed to put on only one boot, and with the second he began to defend himself. As a result, with this boot, he dispersed the enemies.

The exact circumstances of the death of the hero are also difficult to establish. According to one version, he was wounded in the chest with a sharp weapon during the battle.It is believed that he passed away around 1188, at about 45 years of age. Judging by the surviving written evidence, at first the relics of Ilya Muromets were buried in the Church of St. Sophia in Kiev, but over time they were transferred to the Near (Antoniev) caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

According to the historian Alexander Korolev, Ilya Muromets is an epic character, and they started talking about his grave only at the beginning of the 17th century.

At the heart of my book is the story of a literary image, but given that this image has prototypes, it is a symbiosis of many people who have had some kind of impact on this image over the centuries. There are material things, for example, a grave in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra - there is an indication on it that the monk was from Karacharov. In fact, in general, this is a literary character, but it is based on stories about many heroes, - said Korolev. - As for the grave in Kiev -this is a late innovation, and until the beginning of the 17th century, this tomb was indicated as the burial of another person. Then the popularity of Ilya Muromets came to Great Russia, and in order to draw attention to the Lavra, this work was carried out. Everything is very arbitrary.

Despite the fact that the reliability of many legends has not been proven, Ilya Muromets became a real national hero. He is revered as the patron saint of the Russian army, the Cossacks treat him with special trepidation.

Here, on the Don, on the southern outskirts of the Russian state, in a constant, alarming struggle with hostile peoples, the heroes appeared for the Cossack - the defender of the homeland and its borders with the ideal of courage, courage and enterprise: Dobrynya-Donchak, Ilya Muromets ("old Cossack"), Duke Stepanovich, Vasyushka Buslaevich. And behind them are the Cossack heroes - Stepan Razin, Emelyan Pugachev, Nekrasov, Bulavin, Ermak Timofeevich, Ivan Matveyevich Krasnoshchekov. A significant part of the epics remained in the memory of the Cossacks for a long time and have survived to this day; the majority, it must be assumed, disappeared without a trace, forgotten and lost, with no hope of restoration, - wrote Listopadov in the preface to the collection "Songs of the Don Cossacks".

His book contains dozens of epics where Ilya Muromets is mentioned. For example, in 1908 he wrote byylin "How glorious it was in the city" in the village of Raspopinskaya, where Kiev is mentioned.

A similar text about the Smorodinka River existed at the beginning of the 20th century in the village of Maryanskaya, but both Kiev and the village of Karacharovo are mentioned there. In 1911 Listopadov at Maryanskaya wrote an epic about the hero, which began with the words:

According to Alexander Korolev, Ukraine, unlike Russia, cannot boast of such a rich folklore heritage associated with Ilya Muromets, and this, in his opinion, only confirms the groundlessness of statements about the Chernigov origin of the hero.

The Russian land is rich in natural resources, full of historical values ​​and full of wonders. A special place here is occupied by the lives of great people who made history. But the more the degree of prescription of any event, the more likely it is to meet discrepancies in historical facts. This also applies to such a person as Ilya Muromets. The biography of this man is still controversial and gives rise to speculation.

Russian bogatyrs

In history, great importance is attached to the people who defended their native land. At all times of turmoil, strife and wars, there were heroes, those who often defended their homeland at the cost of their own lives. Sometimes the course of the battle can depend on one person. Especially if these people led the troops, like Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy, princes Igor and Svyatoslav.

The Rurik clan has succeeded more than others in this. From time immemorial, they defended the Russian land from the raids of the pagans. And as the story goes, Russia was often invaded by foreigners.

They began to talk about the heroes since the reign of Prince Vladimir. In 988, the Grand Duke made the most important decision in history for the Russian lands. But even after the Baptism of Rus', its lands were subjected to numerous attacks from enemies.

However, it was this that contributed to the glorification of the defenders, to which the Russian hero Ilya Muromets was also ranked. The biography of this hero is not fully disclosed. History also tells of impostors who wanted to take advantage of the glory of others.

Ilya Muromets: biography through history

The birthplace of the defender of Rus is considered to be the village of Karacharovo, near Murom. There is no official date of birth, but it was more than eight hundred years ago. It is known that his parents were elderly peasants.

The main key point based on epics is the hero's gaining strength. The first mention of the defender is dedicated to the story of where Ilya Muromets came from. The biography tells about the miraculous healing of the future hero.

The miracle that gave Kievan Rus a defender

Until the age of 33 (there are age discrepancies in different sources) Ilya Muromets did not control his hands and feet, being a cripple from birth. Once, when he was at home alone, the old pedestrians came under the windows. They asked him for alms and a drink. Ilya invited them to the house, but said that he would give alms if he could walk. Then the elders ordered him to get up from the stove and go. Having obeyed them, the future hero got down from the stove and to his great surprise went, as if he had not been sick before.

And when the elders drank the water brought by him, they ordered him to finish the rest. Ilya drank water and felt such strength in himself that he could turn the whole earth. After that, the elders told him to find a horse and go to serve the prince. And so began the service of the hero in the defense of the Fatherland.

About exploits

Ilya Muromets was a legendary person. The biography is summarized in epics and legends that praised him.

In the service of Prince Vladimir, Ilya Muromets gathered a mighty squad and was made the prince in charge of the soldiers. By that time, the existence of many other famous heroes is also credited. And Ilya had someone to learn from. After all, his godfather was a famous hero. Samson Samoilovich was also a member of the prince's squad, which included Ilya Muromets.

The biography, a brief summary of which says about the heroic deeds, however, was conveyed by short epics that circulated among the people. And here one can only guess whose prototype was the enemies of Ilya Muromets.

It is known that the great defender protected the Russian lands from enemy raids, fought with other foreign heroes, as well as heroes of epics. All of them carried a threat to Russia, robbed or tried to seize power and land. In the epics, these heroes are called: the Nightingale the Robber, the Filthy Idol, the dragon and others.

Memory of the reverend saint

The hero Ilya Muromets, whose biography speaks of numerous exploits, is most often identified with St. Elijah of the Caves. The relics of the monk are still preserved incorrupt in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. However, it follows from this that the hero lived 150-200 years later than Vladimir the Great, who is mentioned in the epics. But this can be explained by the fact that Prince Vladimir was better known than his successors, and therefore was mentioned in folk tales even after his death.

Scientists have established that Ilya Muromets was killed in battle with a blow to the heart. And his relics testify to numerous combat injuries. Perhaps it was the severe wounds in battle that served as an excuse to take a monk's hair.

Folk fictions and epics

In the homeland of the hero, there are epics that identify his image with the holy prophet Elijah. However, this cannot be considered true. The only thing that unites these people is their name. Although there is no exact information about the years of the life of Ilya Muromets, all the historical facts about him testify to the times of the reign of Russian princes.

And this means that the history of the hero can be reckoned approximately to 970-1200 years. While the prophet Elijah lived before the birth of Christ. It turns out that more than a thousand years of time pass between the lives of these people. In addition, it is believed that the prophet Elijah, the only person other than the Most Holy Theotokos, was lifted up by God to heaven without dying, together with his body. And the relics of Ilya Muromets are kept to this day.

In the life of great people there is always a place for folk speculation and legends, especially if it is backed up by time. So the life of the Russian hero remained unrevealed, shrouded in a veil of secrecy. And bylinas and folk legends about him are also spread far beyond the borders of the Russian land. And everyone knows very well who Ilya Muromets is. The biography of the hero is conducive to writing books and making films about a selfless defender.

A stately fellow on horseback and in armor - such a picture the imagination habitually draws when mentioning Ilya Muromets. The controversy surrounding the personality of the great Russian hero did not subside for many years. Did Ilya really exist? Where do the rumors about the magical healing of a man come from? And did the hero really pull the trees out of the ground?

History of creation

Every year on January 1 in Orthodoxy the memory of Saint Elijah is honored. The man met old age in the Pechersk Lavra and died at the hands of the cruel Cumans. Studies of the remains of the martyr confirm the opinion that the hero Ilya Muromets is not a fictional character, but a real person.

An analysis of the relics, which scientists conducted in 1988, indicates specific features: the deceased man suffered from a rare disease that affects his ability to walk. Traces of wounds are seen on the bones and tissues of the saint. The listed facts give reason to assert that Ilya Pechersky (under this name the man is buried) is a prototype of a mighty hero.

Perhaps the exaggerations that are characteristic of legends and legends are the consequences of constant retelling. Or the creators of epics added metaphors to the story to impress listeners.


Muromets really differed from his contemporaries. The description of the hero (confirmed by scientists) proves that the height of the warrior was 177 cm.The average height of men in Ancient Russia did not exceed 160 cm.It is necessary to mention the quotes of Boris Mikhailichenko, a researcher of the relics:

“... on the bones of the mummy, the so-called tuberosities are very well developed. And we know that the better a person's muscles are developed during life, the more these tuberosities will be. That is, he had a developed muscular system. "
“In addition, X-ray examination of the skull revealed changes in a part of the brain called the Turkish saddle. At all times there are people with such symptoms, they say about them - "oblique fathom in the shoulders."

The first written mention of Ilya Muromets dates back to 1574. The Lithuanian governor, in a note to Ostafy Volovich, casually mentions the brave warrior "Ilii Murawlenina" and the imprisonment of the Russian hero in the dungeon of the Kiev prince.

There is a theory that the handwritten evidence of the exploits of Muromets was deliberately destroyed. The allegedly ignorant origin of the hero cast a shadow on the boyar vigilantes and their descendants.

Biography

There is a fierce debate about where Ilya Muromets comes from. The initial theory says that the hero was born in the village of Karacharovo, which is located near the city of Murom, Vladimir region.


Researchers of the hero's biography adhere to the explanation that the strongman's homeland is the village of Karachev, located near Moroviysk in the Chernigov region. The alleged places of birth of the hero are consonant, so the error easily crept into the epic.

It is not yet possible to obtain reliable information about the origin of a man. It is not worth excluding the possibility that Ilya Muromets is Ukrainian. By the way, the patronymic of the famous hero - Ivanovich:

“And in the glorious in the Russian kingdom,
And in that village Karacharovo,
Honest parents, mothers
The son of Ilya Ivanovich was spoiled here,
And by the nickname was the glorious Muromets. "

The baby, who was born into a peasant family, suffered from an unknown disease since childhood. The child did not feel the lower extremities and could not move independently. It was rumored in the family that a curse was the cause of the disease. Ilya's grandfather did not want to accept Christianity and cut the Orthodox icon. A descendant of a pagan paid for disrespect for the saints.


A detailed biography of the hero can be traced back to the 33rd anniversary of the hero. Ilya, suffering from his own weakness, lay on the stove. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Kaliki perekhozhny" (they are folk healers) helped the future vigilante to get back on his feet. For the miraculous salvation, Ilya gave his word that he would protect the Russian land from enemies and forgive the sin of his grandfather.

Having received the long-awaited freedom, the man left his native village and went to perform feats. On the way to Kiev, Ilya faced the first serious enemy. terrorized the district, not allowing travelers to overcome the Bryn forest.


The fight ended quickly, and the man brought the troublemaker to his quarters. The ruler of Russia was impressed by the feat of the man, but the peasant attire caused discontent among the reigning person. Instead of the promised reward for the robber, the tsar threw a worn fur coat at Ilya's feet. The brave man could not stand the offense. For impudent behavior Muromets was put under lock and key.

Perhaps this would have ended the exploits of the man, but the Polovtsy attacked Russia. Having shown military talents, physical strength and peasant ingenuity on the battlefield, Muromets earned a place in the tsar's squad.


For a little more than 10 years, the hero brought order to the territory of ancient Russia. The man accomplished many feats, about which legends and songs were composed. Ilya's favorite weapon is a heavy mace and a sword-kladenets, which the bogatyr Svyatogor presented to the man.

A change of power takes place, and a new ruler ascends to the throne. , about which "The Lay of Igor's Campaign" narrates, leads the squad into battle with the old enemy. But there are too many nomads, Ilya Muromets is seriously wounded. And here the theories about the fate of the hero diverge again:

"... from these Tatars and from the rotten ones, his horse and heroic horse turned to stone, and the relics and the saint were made of the old Cossack Ilya Muromets."

In other words, the hero died during the fight. Another epic claims that the faithful horse carries the owner out of the battlefield. The man regains consciousness at the walls of the monastery and recalls the promise to atone for the sin of his grandfather. Ilya throws off his ammunition and takes monastic vows. The man spends the remaining years in the Kiev-Pechersky Monastery, promising not to take up arms.


The Tale of Bygone Years mentions the internecine war between Rurik Rostislavovich and Roman Mstislavovich. In the battle, in addition to the Russian princes, the Polovtsian mercenaries took part. The robbers reached the monastery and killed the clergy. Ilya, faithful to his vow, did not take up arms and died from a blow to the heart of a spear.

Screen adaptations

Ilya Muromets, stopping by a stone, is a familiar image since childhood. It is not surprising that many films and cartoons have been filmed about the hero, many pictures have been written.

They were the first to try on the role of a powerful vigilante. The film "Ilya Muromets" was released in 1956. The plot is based on classic epics about the hero and scenes from fairy tales.


A Soviet cartoon about a warrior was released in 1975. The second part was released three years later. Animated films tell about significant events in the life of a vigilante. The music is based on compositions from the opera "Ilya Muromets".


In 2007, the Melnitsa animation studio released the cartoon Ilya Muromets and Nightingale the Robber. The image of a laconic strongman, which was loved by kids and their parents (whoever voiced the hero did not have to memorize a lot of text), will later appear in four more cartoons dedicated to Russian heroes. Valery Soloviev and.


In the film "Real Tale" (2010), the epic character is transferred to modern reality. Ilya holds the post of the guard of Koshchei the Immortal and does not at all look like a true hero.


Alexey Dmitriev as Ilya Muromets in the film "A Real Tale"

In addition to films, the image of a strong and courageous man is reflected in painting, musical compositions, performances and computer games.

  • Ilya Muromets is mentioned in Germanic epics. In the legends, the hero is named Ilya Russian.
  • Foreign sources also mention the warrior's wife and children, whom the man misses on long journeys.
  • Researchers claim that Ilya died at the age of 45-50.
  • For unknown reasons, the remains of Ilya Muromets (or rather, the alleged prototype) did not succumb to complete decomposition. Believers believe that the holy relics of the hero heal diseases of the spine.

Quotes

"I am going to serve for the Christian faith, and for the Russian land, and for the capital city of Kiev ..."
“I am from the city of Murom, Ilya, son of Ivanovich. And I came here on a straight road past the city of Chernigov, past the Smorodina river. "
“My father-light had a voracious cow. She also ate a lot. But at the end her belly cracked "
"Run, accursed ones, to your places, and mend such glory everywhere: Russia-land is not empty."
“Forgive me, mother, I’m not a worker in the field, not a breadwinner. Kalin the Tsar prepared a mortal arrow in the heart of Kiev. Not great for me, good fellow, the honor to sit in Karacharovo. "