What strangeness and cultural codes of the fairy tale "The Frog Princess" are deciphered by the ancient customs of the Slavs
What strangeness and cultural codes of the fairy tale "The Frog Princess" are deciphered by the ancient customs of the Slavs

Video: What strangeness and cultural codes of the fairy tale "The Frog Princess" are deciphered by the ancient customs of the Slavs

Video: What strangeness and cultural codes of the fairy tale
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The story of the bewitched bride (or groom) is very common and is found in the fairy tales of many peoples, however, it is the Russian version that amazes with fantastic and very illogical details: the wife is an amphibian, an arrow as a guarantee of marriage obligations, a strange dance with bird bones flying out of the sleeves. Like many other old fairy tales, "The Frog Princess" carries many "cultural codes" that are already incomprehensible to us today.

The first "absurdity" of the tale from the modern point of view is a very unreliable way of choosing brides for the royal sons with the help of an arrow: - it seems that in order to continue the royal family, such a task could be taken more seriously. However, archaeological finds show that arrows were a frequent attribute of the wedding ceremonies of the ancient Slavs. They not only protected from evil spirits, but also symbolized fertility, so arrows and arrowheads were often presented to newlyweds. This custom persisted for the longest time in Belarus.

Illustration by I. Ya. Bilibin
Illustration by I. Ya. Bilibin

In addition, the shot, fired in compliance with all ritual moments, consecrated by the will of the father of the family himself, of course, gave an important choice to the will of the higher powers, and the further course of events in the fairy tale confirms this: the brides are exactly what the brothers need. This fact, by the way, has always been emphasized by cinematographers and animators who create their own versions of an old fairy tale - the brides of older brothers, although they may be unprepossessing, but always "match" their grooms.

As for the younger, after long wanderings, he finds himself in a swamp, where he finds his betrothed. In an older version of the tale, which is called "The Tale of the Frog and the Bogatyr," after three days of wandering, Ivan finds a frog, and she immediately shows him her magical abilities. Having turned over, the brisk bride conjures first, and then also. After such a thing, it is impossible not to marry her, of course!

"Princess Frog". Illustrations by I. Bilibin became classic for this tale
"Princess Frog". Illustrations by I. Bilibin became classic for this tale

It is interesting that in the twenties of the XX century, archaeologist A. N. Lyavdansky discovered in the Smolensk region a number of settlements located in a swampy area. All of them were round platforms. Since there were no traces of constant life and fortifications around the buildings, scientists came to the conclusion that they were dealing with ancient temples. According to popular beliefs, the ancient Slavs created religious buildings on the hills, however, judging by these findings, the swamps were also objects of worship:

(B. A. Rybakov, "Paganism of Ancient Rus")

So an amphibian, welcoming a hero in a swamp in a special structure, becomes a mysterious, but kind and beautiful sovereign of the forces of water, who, by the will of the gods, chooses a man for her husband. This image is considered in science as the archetype that the primitive hunter had to marry in order for the hunt to be successful. It is this interpretation of the werewolf bride that is then confirmed by the strange dance of the Frog Princess at the feast, which the older daughters-in-law cannot repeat. As we all remember, a beautiful woman created a whole new world from half-drunk wine and half-eaten bones:

Illustration by Viktor Vasnetsov for the fairy tale "The Frog Princess"
Illustration by Viktor Vasnetsov for the fairy tale "The Frog Princess"

Scientists believe that such dances, named in the annals, were performed by girls during a spring holiday dedicated to the power of nature, fertility and water deities. Rusalia was celebrated even after the adoption of Christianity. An important element of the dances were long sleeves, which turned into real "wings" of the dancers. So, most likely, the scene at the royal feast describes the ancient Slavic spring ritual, in any case, its inner essence - the rebirth of nature - what our ancestors saw and felt when looking at the dancing girls.

The image of a feast and ritual dance on a medieval bracelet
The image of a feast and ritual dance on a medieval bracelet

It is interesting that not so long ago the Frog Princess also acquired a specific "residence permit" in our country. More and more fairy-tale characters after Santa Claus receive official "residences". It was decided to declare the city of Shadrinsk in the Kurgan region as the birthplace of Kvakushka, because it was there that the local historian and educator Alexander Nikiforovich Zyryanov wrote down this tale and then provided it for publication to the collector of Russian folklore A. N. Afanasyev. The collection "Folk Russian Tales", published under his editorship in 1855-1863, was at one time the most famous and complete.

The most famous illustrations for "The Frog Princess" were the works of the artist Ivan Bilibin, who painted really scary tales and "lived" 7 creative lives

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