Since childhood, a Russian person is familiar with the exploits of the glorious heroes Ilya Muromets, Alyosha Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich, Sadko. These are the heroes of the most famous epics, which give an idea of the life, manners and customs inherent in the Russian people who lived in ancient times.
Since childhood, a Russian person is familiar with the exploits of the glorious heroes Ilya Muromets, Alyosha Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich, Sadko. These are the heroes of the most famous epics, which give an idea of the life, manners and customs inherent in the Russian people who lived in ancient times.
All these heroes are united by the fact that they were endowed with extraordinary physical strength, ingenuity, various talents and inhuman capabilities. The word "bogatyr" has a Turkic origin, for the first time it occurs in the Ipatiev Chronicle. For the concept of "hero" in ancient times they used the word "horobr", which eventually grew into "brave". However, neither the great dukes revered among the people, nor the strongest monsters were heroes.
Physical prowess was not enough for the hero. First of all, he was a patriot and defender of the Russian land. Epic heroes are loners who, in the struggle for justice, step on danger without fear and always win. They are driven by a desire to stand up for the faith, for their people. It is these qualities that win over most of all, it is they that are characteristic of the “mysterious Russian soul”.
Special attention should be paid to the epics about Ilya Muromets, whose fate is unique and extraordinary. He is described in epics not only as a hero, but also as a multifaceted personality. This hero represented the peasant class and possessed, above all, moral strength. According to the relics of Ilya, kept in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, in the Antoniev caves, one can judge that he was tall and distinguished by physical strength. The first hero in Kiev saved Russia from many enemies, including the Nightingale the Robber, and the Rotten Idolische, and the accursed Zhidovin. All his exploits were accompanied by Christian humility.
Thus, Ilya Muromets was the personification of such traits of the Russian character. Like strength and justice. Alyosha Popovich was famous for his resourcefulness, courage and gaiety. Dobrynya Nikitich became famous for his reliability, honesty and genuine kindness. The exploits of Russian heroes were described not only in epics: there are many legends about them in epic songs and fairy tales.
