Epics are ancient legends that tell about the life and exploits of famous Russian heroes. Each of the epics has its own plot associated with a certain event in Ancient Russia or the life of the protagonist. These songs have become an integral part of Russian folklore. At the time of writing the epics, they were called "antiquities."
Distinctive features of epics
The epic is a folk-epic song written in tonic verse. Each piece consists of a solo, an opening and an ending. The first part of the epic was rarely associated with the main plot, mainly such an introduction was written to attract attention. The conception is the main event to which the epic is dedicated. The ending is the last part of the epic, which, as a rule, described a solemn feast dedicated to the victory over enemies.
There are several types of melodies of epics - strict, stately, fast, cheerful, calm and even buffoonish.
Each legend was distinguished by a patriotic character, its plots were always laudatory and told about the invincibility of Russia, the virtues of the prince and brave defenders who immediately came to the rescue if the population was threatened by trouble. The term "epic" itself began to be used only in the 1830s, it was introduced by the scientist Ivan Sakharov. The real name of the songs about the heroes is "antiquity".
The main characters in the epics were the mighty Russian heroes. The characters were endowed with superhuman strength, courage and courage. The hero, even alone, could cope with any enemy. The main task of these characters is to protect Russia from the encroachments of enemies.
Ilya Muromets, Alyosha Popovich and Dobrynya Nikitich and Vladimir Krasnoe Solnyshko - these names can be found in almost every legend. Prince Vladimir was the ruler of the Russian lands, and the heroes were the hope and protection of the Russian people.
The authors of the epics
Many facts concerning the authors of epics, the time and territory of their writing remain a mystery up to our days. Most researchers have come to the conclusion that the most ancient legends were written no more than three hundred years ago. On Wikipedia, for example, you can study several different theories and facts that scientists have identified.
The overwhelming majority of epics were recorded by scientists-collectors from the words of the inhabitants of certain localities. In total, there are about forty plots of legends, but the number of texts already reaches one and a half thousand copies. Each epic is of particular value for Russian culture, folk epos, as well as for scientists and folklorists.
Storytellers could be people of different professions, so in the texts they mentioned comparisons that were more understandable and close to them. According to the tailor-narrator, for example, a severed head was compared to a button.
Epics were not written by one author. These are legends that were composed by the Russian people, and the lyrics were passed down from generation to generation. The songs were performed by certain people who were called "storytellers". Such a person had to have special qualities. The fact is that the text of epics was never memorized by the storytellers, so the narrator had to independently link the plots, select comparisons, memorize important facts and be able to retell them without distorting the meaning.
