Table of contents:
- Ilya Muromets in Old Russian epics
- The real prototype of the hero
- Descendants of Ilya Muromets
- Traditions and rituals on the Day of Ilya Muromets
Video: January 1 - Day of Ilya Muromets: Who was the real prototype of the hero and where are his descendants
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Every year, January 1 (December 19 according to the old style) is celebrated not only on the first day of the new year, but also on the Day of Ilya Muromets. In the Orthodox Church he is glorified as Saint Elijah of the Caves, and among the people - as one of the main epic heroes of the Russian land - Ilya Muromets. Together with Alyosha Popovich and Dobrynya Nikitich, he was considered the guardians of Kievan Rus. And who was the prototype of the famous hero?
Ilya Muromets in Old Russian epics
Ilya Muromets is one of the most famous heroes of the Old Russian epic epic, a native of North-Eastern Russia from a simple peasant family. From the epics it is known that the heroic events of Ilya begin after 33 years. He spent all his childhood and youth on the stove. And all this was not casual, but due to the fact that he did not control his hands and feet. There is a hypothesis that it was some kind of rare hormonal disease, which also provoked such a large size of the hero.
In the epics there were several versions of the healing of the hero. According to one version, Ilya was helped by folk healers, who set his vertebrae and gave him medicinal broths to drink. According to the church version, the healing of Elijah is a miracle that God gave him. The most popular version in the epics is the miraculous healing from the Magi ("kaliks of the pedestrians"). Supposedly they came to his house and asked him to bring them water. He, of course, replied that he could not walk. But the second time they asked to bring them water, and after that Ilya was able to get up and fulfill the request of the elders. The elders told him to drink this water, and she gave him healing and the strength of the hero. Then they tell him to go to Kiev to serve Prince Vladimir.
The real prototype of the hero
Until now, scientists are arguing about who was the prototype of the hero. Since he lived in the XII century, there is little reliable information about him. One of the main versions of the hero's prototype is Saint Elijah of the Caves, a monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery. He was originally from Murom, was distinguished by great strength and won many military victories. He is also known by the nickname "Chobotok", which he received when Elijah was able, in the absence of other weapons, to fight off the Polovtsians with one boot, who decided to attack the monastery. After accepting monasticism, he was canonized under the name "Venerable Elijah of Muromets." Presumably died during the capture of Kiev by Prince Rurik Rostislavovich.
In 1988, scientists who were examining the relics of the saint noticed a curvature of the spine in the lumbar spine and saw processes on the vertebrae. From this it follows that Ilya could really suffer from paralysis. Traces of numerous wounds were also visible. Death, as scientists believe, came from a blow with a piercing object directly into the chest, piercing the left hand of Muromets covering it. This is how Ilya is described by the rector of St. Basil's Cathedral, John Lukyanov, with one pierced palm and the other folded for the sign of the cross. His left hand symbolizes the service of a warrior, and his right hand symbolizes a prayer feat. The main part of the saint's relics rests in the Near Caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, and part of them - in the temple of the city of Murom.
However, the epic Ilya was not always associated with Saint Elijah. It is believed that the division into fabulous and real Muromets happened because of the Soviet regime, in order to make a fabulous and folklore hero out of a saint. This can be understood even by the fact that Elijah was healed by "kaliki perekhodimi", although in the pre-revolutionary scripture it is indicated that these were Christ and two apostles.
Descendants of Ilya Muromets
In the legends, the address of Ilya Muromets has been preserved. In the nickname itself, it is clear that we are talking about Murom, the region where he was born. And the legends often refer specifically to the village of Karacharovo, which still exists today. And there live people who call themselves the descendants of Ilya Muromets in the 28th and 29th tribes. Valentina Gushchina and her son Alexey. Their ancestors were peasants and were distinguished by great strength, especially their great-grandfather Athanasius. He was so strong that he could be harnessed to a cart instead of a horse if it could not cope. He was also forbidden to participate in fist fights, so that he would not accidentally kill an opponent. The only option for his participation in this fun was to tie his hands behind the back of Athanasius, so that he would only fight with his shoulders.
The hero is similar to Athanasius not only in strength, but also in appearance. Alexey Gushchin also has an abnormal strength. One day he stalled in his car after a rain on a clay hillside and got into a rut. Alexei himself was able to pull the car out by grabbing the bumper. An interesting fact is that not far from the Gushchins' house there is a healer who heals people with charged water. They say that he even healed a stranger who came out of a traditional healer on foot. Perhaps this healer is a descendant of those "kaliks of the pedestrians" who, according to legend, also cured Ilya with plain water.
Traditions and rituals on the Day of Ilya Muromets
On the day of Elijah, it was customary to be full of Russian land and remember the exploits of folk heroes. In Russia, it was believed that January 1 is an auspicious day for ceremonies and fortune-telling. According to popular customs, it was believed that whoever on this day rides backwards on a horse around a tree that divides into two trunks from one root will not be deceived and betrayed by a husband or wife.
Also on this day, they were guessing about the weather. They took twelve onions, peeled them off, sprinkled a little salt on each onion and left them on the stove. Which bulb will have the wettest salt on a bill, that month promises to be the wettest of the year. The peasants also wondered if the coming year would be fruitful. If it is windy on this day, then next year will be fruitful for nuts. If the sky is starry, then a lot of peas and berries will be disfigured, and the warm weather foreshadowed that rye would be born.
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