The role of animals in Russian folk art is extremely large and varied. Almost all fairy tales feature some kind of animal. Among them, one can single out a fox, a bear, a wolf, a hare, a hedgehog, a magpie and others. With the help of these well-known bright characters, adults tell their children about what is good and what is bad. The first fairy tales in history appeared long before the invention of books and writing and were passed from mouth to mouth, from generation to generation. That is why they are called folk. Let's consider the most popular animals appearing in fairy tales and compare how much their "fabulous" characteristics coincide with their description in real life.

“Fox-sister”, “Fox-beauty in conversation”, “Lisa Patrikeevna”, Lisafya, Fox-gossip - this is how the Fox is affectionately called in Russian folk tales. This red cheat is definitely a favorite character of all time. And invariably she is cunning, smart, quick-witted, prudent, vindictive and insidious. So, only she was able to outwit and eat the poor Kolobok, lead the stupid wolf, whose tail was frozen to the hole, and even deceive the peasant by pretending to be dead. The main idea of ​​these fairy tales is to tell children that what matters in life is not strength, but cunning. Despite this, the fox is still a negative character. In some fairy tales, the peaceful little animals affected by this red cheat have to work hard to outwit and teach the Fox herself a lesson.

But is the fox really so cunning and smart? The German zoologist Alfred Brehm, in his book Animal Life, argues that the cunning of the fox in Russian fairy tales is greatly exaggerated, but the mind of the wolf, on the contrary, is underestimated. Otherwise, real red fox in many ways similar to the "fabulous": red hair, a beautiful fluffy tail, a fox often hunts a hare or visits nearby chicken coops.

"Bear clumsy", "Mikhail Potapych" or simply Mishka in its popularity, does not lag behind the Fox. This character is often presented in the tale as lazy, fat and clumsy. Big and clumsy, he is slow, stupid and dangerous. Often he threatens the weak with his strength, but in the end he always loses, because it is not strength that matters, but speed, dexterity and intelligence - this is the meaning of fairy tales involving Mishka. The most popular fairy tales are "Three Bears", "Masha and the Bear", "Tops and Roots". However, in real life, Brown bear not as slow as one might think. He can run very fast and, besides, he is not particularly stupid. Otherwise, his "fabulous" image has a lot to do with him. common features: he is really big, dangerous and a little clubfoot: when walking, his socks look a little inward, and his heels look outward.

photo 1

“Running Bunny”, “Cowardly Bunny” or “Slanting” is also a very common hero of Russian fairy tales. His main trait is cowardice. In some fairy tales, the Hare is presented as a cowardly, but at the same time boastful, cocky and stupid hero, and in some - on the contrary, as a moderately cautious and intelligent forest animal.

For example, in the fairy tale “Hare-Bouncer” or “Fear has big eyes”, the cowardice of the Hare is ridiculed, the main idea of ​​​​these fairy tales is that you must always be brave. At the same time, in the fairy tale "Zayushkina's hut", the Bunny appears before us as a positive character who needs support and protection.

In real life, the hare, like his "fairytale" character, is long-eared, fast, agile, cautious and attentive. Due to the special position of the eyes, the hare can look not only forward, but also backward. While chasing, the hare may "squint" its eye to calculate the distance to its pursuer. For this ability, the hare was nicknamed Oblique. Main enemy a hare, as in fairy tales, is a fox.

"The gray wolf - with his teeth", "Wolf-wolf - from under the bush", "Wolf-fool" is presented in most cases as a negative character, stupid, angry, hungry and dangerous. But, in most cases, he is so stupid that, in the end, he is left with nothing. For example, "The Tale of the Fox and the Wolf" or "The Wolf and the Seven Kids". In these fairy tales, the wolf is the embodiment of evil, and the main message for children is that good always triumphs over evil. However, in some fairy tales, the wolf appears to us as a wise and true friend a person who is always ready to help, an example of this is the fairy tale "Ivan Tsarevich, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf."

In real life, the wolf can indeed be extremely dangerous. Often he is hungry and wanders through the forest in search of food. But his intelligence is grossly underestimated. The wolf is an intelligent and organized animal, in wolf pack there is a clear structure and discipline. Wolves create incredibly strong couples, their unions are strong, and the wolves themselves are a real personification of loyalty and love for each other. A tamed wolf can indeed become a faithful and devoted friend for a person.

Prickly Hedgehog - has long appeared before us in the form of a kind, quick-witted old man, wise in life. Despite his small stature and small legs, he always comes out the winner thanks to his extraordinary mind and cunning. So, for example, in the fairy tale “The Hare and the Hedgehog”, the hedgehog outwitted and killed the poor Hare, with whom they allegedly ran a race, and in the fairy tale “The Magic Wand”, the Hedgehog taught the Hare various life tricks, explaining what is needed first to survive just think with your head.

In real life, the Hedgehog is not distinguished by an outstanding mind, but he is not stupid either. When in danger, the hedgehog curls up into a prickly ball, which makes it inaccessible to predators, as stated in fairy tales.

Galina Didenko
Synopsis of IOS on the development of speech and fiction in senior group"In the Fairy Forest"

Synopsis of the Game Educational Situation Using DER

The development of speech. Fiction

in the senior group "In the fairy forest"

Target:- develop figurativeness of speech, intonational expressiveness;

form sound culture speech;

Deepen interest in fairy tales, proverbs;

Raise interest in linguistic wealth.

Material: illustrations for fairy tales, hat masks, task cards, cartoon discs

IOS progress:

Sounds like music and songs from fairy tales.

Educator:(dressed as a storyteller) Attention!

"Hello, wise country,

What can you see from here!

Appear from nowhere

Let a miracle happen!

Get in the way

Let us in!"

I invite you to remember fairy tales.

What are your favorite fairy tales? (Answers of children).

How do fairy tales usually begin? (children's answers)

Children stand in a semicircle, in front of them is a forest (decoration,

quiet music sounds (singing of birds, babbling of a stream)

Educator:- Where do you think we ended up? (children's answers.)

And who lives in the fairy forest? (children's answers).

Look who came out to meet us? (fabulous inhabitants: fox, squirrel,

bear and rabbit).

What will they talk about, do you think?

Let's listen.

(Dialogue of fabulous animals).

Hare:- I washed my tail on the river.

Washed, washed, but fell,

The tail is messed up again!

Bear:-I'm in a dense forest

Met a red fox

A fox: Where are you going bear?

Bear:- Look at the bees.

A fox:- Why are you carrying a can?

Bear:- So, I'll hang it on a knot.

Hare:- Squirrel, where is your storehouse of mushrooms?

Squirrel:- In the hollows of the oaks!

Hare:-Where is your house?

Squirrel:- In the hollow!

Hare:- And the bed?

Squirrel:- The bed is on me.

Educator: Children, now let's remember the riddles:

The cheat has long been reputed

In the county, kuram keeps score

And catches mice deftly,

Although not a mousetrap

What is the fox's home?

(children's answers)

Educator: Where can you meet her?

(children's answers: in the forest, in fairy tales, in cartoons, movies)

And which of the animals can be found in fairy tales?

What are the stories where the fox is found?

(children's answers) Chanterelle-sister and Gray wolf"," The Fox and the Hare "," The Fox and

Cancer", "Cat and Fox", "Bear and Fox".)

Educator: And what is the name of the fox in different fairy tales?

(children's answers) "Lisa Patrikeevna, fox - sister, gossip, cheat).

And a hare, a bear, what can you call them?

(children's answers) Cowardly hare, hare long ears, short tail;

Bear - father, bear - stomp).

Which fairy tale do you like the most and why?

(Showing an excerpt from a fairy tale)

Now let's listen to the riddle, tell me what kind of forest dweller are we talking about?

The child makes a riddle"He is the largest in the forest,

He wears rich fur,

Sleeping in a den until spring

Sees fairy dreams (bear)

Let's imagine that we met in the forest, with ... who would you like? How will you behave when meeting with a forest dweller? (music plays)

What can you do in the forest? And when you shout, do you hear a response? (children's answers)

Let's play echo

The teacher says a word out loud

children respond quietly, then vice versa; (2-3 times).

Guys, let's talk about forest dwellers. Name them

how can you characterize a bear, what is it like? Tell me about the rabbit

compare them to each other?

(children's answers)

What do bears eat? Hare?

(children's answers)

(Health saving)

Physical education:"In the dark forest there is a hut,

She got up backwards.

In that hut there is an old woman -

Grandmother Yaga lives!

(Children walk in a circle, turn first with their backs to the center, and then face in a circle).

Crochet nose, big eyes

And, like coal, everything burns.

Wow, what an angry one. Hair sticking out on end!

Educator: Guys, who will tell us proverbs? But not just to say, but to think and draw a conclusion. What is a conclusion?

Children:"You can't catch a fish out of a pond without effort"

(Teaches to be hardworking) - children's answer

"If you like to ride - love to carry sleds."

(About diligence)

"Seven times measure cut once".

(Before you do or say something, you must

think).

Which proverb do you remember? Why?

What has the wind brought us? (children's answers)

Children take a petal.

Educator:"Fly, fly, petal

Through the west to the east

Through the north through the south

Make a circle around

(children fly)

1,2,3-flower get together!

(Children make a flower out of petals).

Educator: Guys,

who guessed the name of the fairy tale, the lines from which I read? Do you remember how the story ended?

(children's answers)

Summing up

What turned out to be interesting for you?

How did you cope with the task in the game?

Where did the difficulty arise?

What animals would you like to talk about? Why?

Remember proverbs, what did each of you learn by listening to proverbs? Confirm your answer with one of them.

The image of a bear in Russian folk tales often differs from a bear living in nature. If you study the literature about animals and their habits, then the bear will appear as a powerful, strong and smart predator, the master of the taiga, the king of Russian forests, clumsy in appearance, but this is only in appearance. Having met with a person one on one, the bear will never attack first, unless he or his offspring is in danger.

In fairy tales, on the contrary, the bear is often described diametrically. opposite side, although in each fairy tale he appears differently and they also call him differently.

Bear in Russian folk tales

Images of a bear from folk tales

According to the way a bear is called in a fairy tale, such a character will appear before us - positive, negative, stupid, trusting, kind or sympathetic.

  • Bear names: Misha, Mishutka, Mishka, Mishenka.
  • First and middle name: Mikhailo Potapych, Mikhailo Ivanovich.
  • Respectful Nickname: Bear-father.
  • Derisive nicknames: Toptygin, Clubfoot.

One of the first well-known Russian-Slavic fairy tales about a bear is the fairy tale "The Lime Foot Bear". In this story, the bear is described as a vicious predatory animal that takes revenge on its offender, a peasant, depriving him of his life. The tale is instructive in the sense that a powerful animal must be respected and honored, otherwise you can lose the most precious thing in life.

In other tales, such as "Tops and Roots", "Masha and the Bear" tells about laziness, stupidity and all the same inherent strength of the beast. The bear is lazy, but tries to get his share or makes others work for him without lifting a finger. The stupidity of the character lies in the fact that he is easily deceived, having certain skills and knowledge.

A trusting, stupid bear who is easily deceived by others, in the fairy tales "The Animals in the Pit", "The Fox and the Bear", "The Bear and the Mosquito" and even "Kolobok", known to everyone since childhood. Not only are they fairy tale hero loses what he has acquired, after which he admits his guilt, although this is not so, but he also loses his life due to illiteracy. Such a character trait of the beast is also described in the fairy tale "Teremok" - here the bear, in addition, demonstrates its not hefty strength and clumsiness.

An amazing combination of the qualities of strength and cowardice is shown in the fairy tale " hare hut", when a strong, powerful at first glance, the beast turns out to be a real coward, incapable of a worthy deed.

But there are Russian folk works where people speak with respect about a mighty beast, and there are also many of them. "The Bear and the Dog", "The Frog Princess", "Daughter and Stepdaughter" and many others. In these fairy tales, our bear is strong, kind and sympathetic. He will always come to the aid of a person or other animal. The bear here does not remain to observe from the sidelines the torment of his neighbor, but using force, given by nature, will solve the problem, help to go through all the difficulties and take the weak under his guardianship.

Surgut district, Lyantor, MBOU "LSOSh No. 3", 3rd grade

Introduction

From time immemorial, the forest owner, the bear, has lived next to man. He was imprinted with his clumsy appearance in many folk tales, each of which reflects folk beliefs, life, culture and, important for our study, the relationship of a person to a bear. How do the Khanty portray the owner of the forest? How does he appear in Russian fairy tales?

The choice of the topic “The image of a bear in Khanty and Russian folk tales” is explained by the fact that we live in the Khanty-Mansiysk autonomous region, and when met with local oral folk art, it became interesting to us how similar Russian and Khanty tales about a bear are, how its clumsy appearance can be traced in many folk tales, each of which reflects folk beliefs, life, and culture. For our study, it is important to identify the relationship of a person to a bear and see how this is reflected in fairy tales. We decided to compare the works, the main character of which is a bear. The aim of the work was to characterize the image of a bear in Russian and Khanty folk tales and compare the attitudes of the Khanty and Russians towards the bear. The object of the study is Khanty and Russian fairy tales, the subject of the study is a bear as fairy tale character. In the course of the study, comparative analysis fairy tales and revealed similarities and differences in the image of a fairy-tale bear. The material we have collected will contribute to a better understanding of the works and characters of the heroes, to expand knowledge about the traditions of the Russian and Khanty peoples.

Bear in the mythology of the ancient Slavs and Khanty

Among the Slavs, like among all the inhabitants of the forest belt, the bear was surrounded by exceptional reverence. His strength, far superior to that of any forest dweller, his deft climbing of trees aroused the admiration of ancient hunters, and cases of walking on his hind legs made him look like people. It was believed that if you remove the skin from a bear, then it will look like a man: the male is like a man, and the bear with a breast, like a woman. He has human feet and fingers, he washes himself, loves his children, rejoices and grieves like a man, understands human speech and sometimes speaks himself, and also fasts the entire Christmas post (sucks his paw). Hunters noticed that a dog barks at a bear just like it does at a person. All this was explained by our ancestors nothing more than a family relationship with bears, so the bear was the most revered animal among the ancient Slavs.

The bear is the only animal without own name In russian language . This is due to the taboo, the prohibition to use the name of a sacred animal. Med-ved - the one who knows (knows) honey. In Russian fairy tales, he is called respectfully “The Master” (the fairy tale “Daughter and Stepdaughter”), or mockingly: “You crush everyone”, “You crush everyone” (the fairy tale “Teremok”), “At the lair there is a felt”, “Forest oppression” (fairy tale “ Tower of the fly"), "Bear-Father" (the fairy tale "The Man and the Bear"), "Kolobok" (the fairy tale "Gingerbread Man"), and even more often - by name, patronymic and surname: "Mikhailo Potapych" (the fairy tale "Three Bears" ), “Mikhailo Ivanych” (the fairy tale “The Cat and the Fox”, “The Wintering of Animals”) and, affectionately, “Misha” (the fairy tale “Shabarsha”).

It was believed that the bear was intimately familiar with evil spirits, that he native brother or subject to him as a master. At the same time, the devil is afraid of the bear, the bear can overcome the merman, remove the spell if he is led through the house, which is damaged.

The inhabitants of the Far North also have a special attitude towards the bear: the Bear, in the understanding of the Khanty, is not only a forest animal, but also an exalted creature. When he lived in heaven as a child, he was irresistibly drawn to the earth. His father - the supreme god Torum - yielded to his son's requests and lowered him to the ground in a cradle, instructing him to maintain order and justice here, not to harm people. However, the Bear violates some of his father's instructions, and the hunters kill him and, as prescribed by God, arrange a ritual holiday in honor of the Heavenly Beast. By the way, northerners always deny that they killed the Bear. The bear is not killed, but “brought down” from the forest to the village. Such a belief in the totem, its power over the world, although it was a fantasy, it always seemed to be some other real power. The bear was and remains a sacred creature for the Khanty, and they treat him even with the dead with great respect. Indeed, due to his unearthly origin, he can not only die, but also resurrect again. His name is also not mentioned aloud, calling him "He", "Himself", "Master", "Beast", "Guest", "Forest Old Man" or "Old Prince" "Iki" - male, "Imi" - female ; the skin of a bear - “soft clothes made by the mother” It is no coincidence that in the center of the coat of arms of Lyantor, against the background of a silver hemisphere, a bear is depicted - a symbol of strength, power and justice. [29]

The image of a bear in Russian folk tales

In Russian fairy tales about animals, a bear often collides with a person: “The Bear is a Lime Leg”, “The Man and the Bear”, “Masha and the Bear”. The fairy tale "The Bear - a Linden Foot" is the oldest of the Russian fairy tales about the bear. It tells about how a man in a fight with the "owner" cuts off a bear's paw and for this the beast takes revenge on him: he finds him and eats him. Here the Bear appears as a terrible, cruel, vengeful beast that never forgives insults: he takes revenge according to the rules of the tribal law: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. An old man and an old woman are going to eat his meat, and he eats them, although among the Slavs the bear itself does not attack a person, and he is a danger only when a person himself disturbs him: he pursues, injures, threatens his family. The bear in this tale appears as a prophetic creature. The tale teaches to respect the beast.

In later tales, the bear appears to be stupid and gullible, completely unfamiliar with the peasant life of a “neighbor” of a person: you can negotiate with him, you can outwit him. For example, "Masha and the Bear" or "The Man and the Bear", where the bear plays the role of a landowner. He is the owner of the forest, has great strength and a rich fur coat, which is obviously why he was assigned such a role. These tales describe the life of captivity of the Russian people, the period of serfdom. Then the peasants paid dues (half of the field of wheat) and worked out the corvee (they worked in the bear's house, sometimes it lasted for 6 days). The bear decided when to let Masha go and how much to charge the peasant. In this regard, it becomes clear not only hard life, once the free Russian people, but also why they constantly tried to outwit the bear, and even hunt it down with dogs. Most often in Russian fairy tales, the landowner is always dumber than the peasant, the image of the landowner is endowed with the same mind - a bear. However, in fairy tales“The Frog Princess”, “Daughter and Stepdaughter”, “Shabarsha” we observe that the bear manifests itself as a kind animal character, acts as a person’s assistant: it advises, helps to pass tests, etc. So in the fairy tale “Daughter and Stepdaughter” the bear releases a hard-working girl with gifts, thus acting as a symbol of the good forces of nature, which value hard work and honesty.

In fairy tales about forest dwellers the bear is represented as a “forest governor”, ​​“master of the forest”. He has strength, power, but at the same time we see his frivolity, innocence, limited horizons, malice. All animals fear him, but most often he is deceived by them. We can see the credulity of the bear in the fairy tale "The Animals in the Pit", the bear believed the fox that she was slowly eating her insides, ripping open her stomach, then he ripped open his stomach and died. But this might not have happened if he knew not to eat himself. The fairy tale "The Midwife Fox" shows the stupidity and gullibility of the bear. The resourceful fox deceived the bear: she ate the entire supply of honey, and even forced the owner himself to confess what he had not done.

The image of a bear in Khanty folk tales

The Khanty fairy tales say: “The bear was the elder brother of people, the Elk was the middle brother, and the Crane and the Swan were the younger ones,” therefore, in fairy tales northern peoples he is presented as good-natured, hardworking, attentive towards his younger brother - a man. In the fairy tale - the legend "Compolen - the swamp spirit" the bear lives in friendship with a person, takes care of him: he catches taimen for him, knocks cones from a cedar, goes to visit, in a difficult year he gives him his fur coat. The spirits of Evil cannot come to terms with this and set the Bear against the hunter by deceit: the swamp spirit Compolen quarreled them, but wise people they say that the time will come, and the Bear will again be their brother, but this will happen when everyone banishes anger from his heart forever.

Many Khanty tales explain different phenomena. So in the fairy tale “Woman Mos” the origin of the constellation Ursa Major is explained (The motif of the dead bear, which turned into a constellation together with the cubs, is widespread among the Khanty and Mansi. In some cases, the Khanty speaks of seven stars, of which the seventh is the bear, and on the sides - two cubs) in this fairy tale, the Bear is the embodiment of maternal selflessness, love, care for her children. In the fairy tale "Grandmother's grandson" an explanation is given of where mosquitoes appeared in the taiga. This boy outwitted the evil bear Menk-iki, instead of jumping from the tree into his open mouth, he poured coals there and burned the bear. The bear, burning, curses: "Let my ashes be sucking blood from people." Its ashes, scattered in the wind, turned into mosquitoes.

The bear in the fairy tale "The Island of the Seven Bears" - a sacred animal, the youngest son of the supreme god Num Turam, turns out to be the object of man's revenge on the Sun, Moon and Wind. “... and the grief of the old man was so great that he killed seven bears with his knife-sokhar one after another - each - with the first blow! This is how the Island of the Seven Bears was born.

In the fairy tale about animals “How the chipmunk’s back became striped,” the Bear is narrated as the elder brother of the chipmunk. “They lived very friendly, they ate the same food, they lived in the same hole.” The bear fed the chipmunk, performed all hard work, but pride, the desire to appear smarter than the other, quarreled them, and now the chipmunk has traces of bear claws on its back.

For the Khanty, the bear is the master of the taiga, and in fairy tales he does not tolerate noise in his possessions, punishes those who create this noise, and, despite the fact that he has no enmity with a person, he collects the children noisy in the forest in a bag and carries to his lair (tale "The Bear and the Guys").

Sometimes in fairy tales, people took the form of a Bear in order to restore justice in the “Imaginary dead nephew” family.

Among the Khanty and Russian there are fairy tales similar in plot. For example, in the Russian folk tale "The Cat and the Fox" and the Khanty tale "The Cat" the protagonist his appearance in the forest created a great commotion. The bear, the owner of the forest, sends his wards to find out what kind of unusual guest has appeared in these places. In a Russian fairy tale, a wolf and a hare go "for reconnaissance", and in a Khanty fairy tale - a wolf and a wolverine. As a result, the bear had to pay for his innocence and cowardice: fearing that the cat would eat him, the bear climbs a tree and falls from there.

Unlike the Slavic bear, Khanty bear in folk tales it is depicted without irony: he is endowed with good qualities: gentle, hardworking, honest, and if he commits any misdeeds, he cruelly pays for them (in the fairy tale "The Bear and the Guys" he dies from fear of being killed by people, in a fairy tale "Compolen - swamp spirit" wounded by a man for believing evil rumors). In reality, this was the case with the Khanty: a man hunted a bear only in last resort when he started killing livestock. The fact is that only a sick or wounded animal, that is, one that could not get food for itself, could attack livestock. And it became dangerous not only for pets, but also for humans. In this case, hunting for such an animal was simply necessary.

Conclusion

We came to the conclusion that in Russian folk tales the Bear most often plays the role of an imperious but stupid landowner or a greedy but simple-hearted owner of the forest, who is easy to deceive, and in the Khanty folk tales the Bear has more positive qualities: diligence, maternal love, honesty, friendship. Many are associated with his image. natural phenomena. It is obvious that the Khanty love, honor, treat the Bear with deep respect.

Difficulty identifying relationships modern man to the fairy tale bear it seems that few Russian folk tales, where the main character is the Bear, have been read, and the modern reader is practically not familiar with the Khanty tales about the Boss. In the course of the study, we conducted a survey among students of the 3rd "A" class of the Lyantor school No. 3. (See Appendix No. 1)

24 out of 25 students coped with the task to list the names of Russian fairy tales about the bear. Only 9 people were able to name the Khanty fairy tales about the bear, but only 4% of the total number of students were able to complete the task (see Appendix No. 2)

The results of the survey showed that in recent times we do not think about the character of the heroes and their meaning, and yet every fairy tale, every image carries folk wisdom, which we do not always see and understand.

Literature

1. Grandma's grandson. Tales of the Khanty people. / Comp., . - St. Petersburg: Alfavit, 1995.

2. Daughter and stepdaughter. Russian fairy tales: From Sat. . – M.: Artist. lit., 1987

3. Woman Mos. Myths, legends, tales of the Khanty. - St. Petersburg, 1990

4. Animals in the pit. Russian fairy tales: From Sat. . – M.: Artist. lit., 1987

5. Winter hut for animals. Russian fairy tales: From Sat. . – M.: Artist. lit., 1987

6. Kolobok. Russian fairy tales: From Sat. . – M.: Artist. lit., 1987

7. Compolen - swamp spirit. Myths, legends, tales of the Khanty. - St. Petersburg, 1990

8. Corinthian A. People's Russia. – M.: White City, 2007.

9. Cat. Tales of the peoples of the North / Comp. . - St. Petersburg: Alfavit, 1995.

10. Cat and fox. Russian fairy tales: From Sat. . – M.: Artist. lit., 1987

11. Fox midwife. Russian fairy tales: From Sat. . – M.: Artist. lit., 1987

12. Masha and the bear. Russian fairy tales: From Sat. . – M.: Artist. lit., 1987

13. Bear and guys. Tales of the Khanty people. / Comp., . - St. Petersburg: "Alphabet", 1995

14. Bear - fake leg. Russian fairy tales: From Sat. . – M.: Artist. lit., 1987

15. Mythological dictionary / Chap. ed. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1990.

16. Myths, legends, tales of the Khanty. http://*****/books/item/f00/s00/z0000038/st034.shtml

17. The allegedly dead nephew. http://*****/author/varvara_zelenec/varvara_i_zolotaya_baba/read_online. html? page=7

18. A man and a bear. Russian fairy tales: From Sat. . – M.: Artist. lit., 1987

19. Island of the Seven Bears. Myths, legends, tales of the Khanty. - St. Petersburg, 1990

20. Fishermen of the ancient Slavs. – M.: Russian word, 1997.

21. Tales of the peoples of the North / Comp. . - St. Petersburg: Alfavit, 1995.

22. Tower of a fly. Russian fairy tales: From Sat. . – M.: Artist. lit., 1987

23. Teremok. Russian fairy tales: From Sat. . – M.: Artist. lit., 1987

24. Three bears. Russian fairy tales: From Sat. . – M.: Artist. lit., 1987

25. The princess is a frog. Russian fairy tales: From Sat. . – M.: Artist. lit., 1987

26. Shabarsha. Russian fairy tales: From Sat. . – M.: Artist. lit., 1987

27. Shansky etymological dictionary Russian language. Origin of words / , . - 7th ed., stereotype. - M.: Bustard, 2004.

28. http://*****/books/item/f00/s00/z0000038/st034.shtml

29. http://www. *****/russia/subjects/towns/lantor. htm.

Appendix

Questionnaire "Tales about the bear"

1) What are the Russian folk tales known to you, where the main character is a bear.

2) List the positive and negative qualities bear in Russian fairy tales.

3) Name the Khanty folk tales known to you, where the main character is a bear.

4) List the positive and negative qualities of a bear in Khanty fairy tales.

A fairy tale is a lie, but there is a hint in it, he says folk wisdom. And who are the characters of Russian fairy tales hinting at? Do they have real prototypes?
In fairy tales of all peoples of the world, one can often find stories related to cats. Whether it's small domestic animals or their wild counterparts. They played all roles - from the companions of witches and sorcerers, to intelligent and good creatures.

Our Slavic folklore also contains many such legends. Usually the cat is presented as the keeper of the hearth and comfort, the helper of the brownie and the talisman of the family. The cat was considered a wise creature, able to communicate with otherworldly forces. The god Veles himself patronized these animals. The furry cat was his sacred totem and companion.

However, there was another, darker side to the role of cats in culture. famous fairy tale character cat Baiyun became famous not only as the owner of a magical and healing voice. In some fairy tales, he appears before us as a huge and strong, insidious and evil creature, ready to deal with anyone who cannot cope with his witchcraft. The heroes of many epics go in search of a terrible cat. But only the most courageous and cunning manage to catch the sorcerer cat.

Is it possible to say that the mythical Cat Bayun actually existed? Did he have a real prototype and what kind of “healing” animal do our ancestors tell about? Or maybe he is a collective image of several animals?

In search of a real prototype

Searching for the prototype of a fairy-tale character is like playing riddles. All character descriptions are questions to be answered. To calculate the animal or animals that claim to be a cannibal cat, consider the image of Bayun created in fairy tales.

This character lived in a dead forest, where there is no other living creature besides him. Sometimes he was placed in the Far Far Away kingdom, which was located over thirty lands, and was called the owner of this territory.

You could see him sitting on a high, sometimes iron pole.

Bayun had a huge size and a magical voice that could be heard far away. Only a good fellow not from a weak ten could overcome him. This speaks of the remarkable strength of the beast.

The tales of Kota Bayun were considered healing, having the ability to save a person from any disease.

But the most striking property of Bayun, perhaps, was cannibalism.

“Far Far Away Kingdom for thirty lands” in Russian fairy tales was called the region, which could be reached by passing three dozen lands. That is, these are very distant, almost inaccessible territories. What are these places? The countries surrounding the Russian possessions from the north, south and west were familiar to the Russians. With them they have long had trade, political and cultural relations. Unexplored were only the lands lying behind the possessions of the Pechenegs. Then, maybe it was Siberia and the Far East?

Quite possible. Russians first began to penetrate Siberia in the first half of the 11th century. So the chronicles testify, but in fact our ancestors could have been there earlier. Novgorodians made voyages to the Siberian lands on boats from White Sea to Karskoe, and further down the rivers Ob, Yenisei and others. They swam for valuable furs they bought from local residents- Kets, Yakuts, Tuvans, Evenks, Buryats and others.

From the same peoples, Russian merchants could hear about the Siberian or Far Eastern beast, which in folk tales was transformed into Kota-Bayun. The legend that he sits on a high pole immediately suggests a lynx. In the taiga stories of writers-hunters, this predator attacks the victim from a tree. There she sits in ambush for a long time. But there has never been a known case of a lynx attacking a person - it is too small to cope with it. She can't be a cannibal. This means that Bayun borrowed huge size, strong voice and remarkable strength from another predator.

The animal that most likely laid the foundation for such fairy tales and legends is the Amur or Ussurian tiger. They speak in his favour. the following facts. Firstly, in those distant times, the habitat of tigers was much more extensive than today. This formidable predator could be found in the east Central Asia to Alaska, in the south of the Siberian Territory and even on the coasts of the Caspian Sea.

Secondly, the tiger is the largest of the cats. At the withers, he reaches a meter height, and his body weight reaches 350 kg. The tiger is so strong that it does not tolerate any competitors in its habitats. All other predatory animals - wolves and even bears - leave his possessions. Traveler and geographer V. K. Arsenyev wrote about this more than once in his books dedicated to wild lands Far East. Here is the real lord of distant lands for you. far away kingdom"! And to track down and defeat the most formidable and largest taiga predator, indeed, was a great feat worthy of a legend!


Thirdly, the Amur tiger has a strong and loud roar that can be heard for kilometers around. So this predator warns competitors of its presence. Also, he, as a representative of the cat family, knows how to purr with pleasure. Since ancient times, the Slavs considered the purring of a cat to be healing. Perhaps this property, by analogy, was attributed to Amur tiger.

Fourth, with regard to cannibalism. This quality is most famous for Bengal tiger. And then, people are attacked only by old and sick predators, unable to track down and kill large and strong prey.

The same applies to the Amur tiger. Possessing huge force and size, he, even sick and weakened, will easily defeat a man armed with a spear or knife. After all, a striped predator preys on the largest ungulates: wild boars, deer and even giant moose. And in hard winter time he can take a bear out of the den. And when it becomes very tight with food, the tiger is not afraid to approach human settlements and attack domestic animals.

But how could a lynx and a formidable tiger turn into a domestic cat in Russian legends?

Imagine, a Novgorod merchant with furs returned from distant Siberia and began to talk about the miracles he saw and heard there. Telling stories about the man-eating tiger, he could compare it to the European lynx. And for those who have not seen a lynx, he could explain that a tiger is like a domestic red Kuzka, only the size of a horse. And so the Cat-Bayun united three different animals in itself.