Legend themes. "historical legend as a genre of folklore in the folk art of the Arkhangelsk north"

"The legend of the deep antiquity, the deeds of bygone days..." Every Russian-speaking person hears, sees, reads these lines from childhood. Thus began his work "Ruslan and Lyudmila" Alexander Pushkin. Are his tales really legends? To know for sure, you need to understand the concepts.

Poetry is poetry, but what does the word "tradition" mean? We will consider the definition and special features of this phenomenon in our article.

Tradition as a genre

We will begin our acquaintance with the world of folk legends with the definition of the concept itself. So, various sources give us the following.

Tradition is a prosaic plot in which historical facts are interpreted in a folk interpretation. The legends of the people are not connected with the fairy tale genre, although sometimes events resemble mythical or fairy tale ones.

Traditions in the theory of literature are usually divided into two large groups according to the type of plot: historical and toponymic.

Traditions are part of oral folk prose

We learned, The definition gave us a general idea. Let's talk about one feature of this genre. It is noteworthy that the stories are. This means that the stories heard today were created hundreds of years ago and passed from mouth to mouth. By the time the legend was recorded on an information carrier, dozens or even hundreds of transformations of the plot and images could have taken place.

The works of the famous poet of Greece Homer "Iliad" and "Odyssey", which have an incredible size, were also transmitted orally. They also described historical events, embellished and somewhat modified. This shows some similarity between these creations and newer traditions.

As a genre of oral prose, lore is admired for its long history. Fortunately, or maybe not, it is much easier these days to distribute them in written form. We should appreciate every word, tradition, which gives important spiritual knowledge about our ancestors.

Comparison with other folkloric prose genres

Traditions can sometimes be mistakenly defined as a legend or an epic. To avoid this, let's name the following pattern: the plots of legends are aimed at explaining the origin of any cultural or natural phenomenon. They often give a certain moral assessment of the events described. And a legend is a retelling of history in a folk way with the participation of heroes widely known or famous in the local area.

From epics, the legends of the people differ in content, characters (historical figures: robbers, rulers, ordinary people, artisans), the participation of real personalities known in a certain area who have become mythological heroes.

Characteristic of this genre of folklore prose is a third-person narrative about events related to the past. The narrator of the legends was not an eyewitness to the events, but conveys a story heard from third parties.

Historical traditions

The collective memory of the people has created ancient legends from real facts, which we can read about in a slightly different light in the history books. This is how historical legends were created.

Historical legends include Joan of Arc, Tsar Ivan the Terrible, Ataman Mazepa and others.

We also include biblical stories about the creation of the world, the exit of the Israelites from Egypt in search of their land, and many others.

This group includes such legends that absorb people's ideas about the creation of their world. All folklore units create a single historical and mythological world that reflects a broad picture of the people's view of the surrounding reality.

The time frame covered by the traditions is difficult to determine: it is information from the most biblical antiquity to the present.

Toponymic legends

Toponymic include legends that record the events that became the basis for the origin of a particular name. Their heroes are, respectively, local famous characters and events that matter only there. The study of such local histories is an interesting part of toponymic and ethnographic research.

Toponymic are brief legends about the Serpent Shafts (from the Serpent), the city of Kyiv (about Kiy, his brothers and sister), the city of Orsha (Prince Orsh and his daughter Orshitsa), the city of Lvov and many other toponymic objects.

Perspectives for Researchers

In every city, every village there are such short stories about where some local name came from. Collections of such legends can be compiled endlessly. There is still a field for research today. Therefore, everyone who has discovered legends and found them an interesting object of activity has a job to do.

To publish a collection of legends collected in a particular locality is a very real prospect. New titles are popping up today, right at this moment. Also in the remote corners of Russia there are settlements in which folklore is actively developing. This means that new frontiers for ethnographic and folklore work are emerging.

It is noteworthy that at the present time there are more topographical legends. Historical ones are preserved from previous epochs, since from some time all the facts are fixed immediately after their appearance.

Traditions, myths and their historical basis

Tradition, which we have already defined, is sometimes associated with mythology. So, the stories about the exploits of the Greek hero Hercules, according to researchers, could not have arisen without real historical facts. Those mythical events and heroes that overgrown with the likely real story of the adventures of Hercules appeared over time.

Some facts from the Book of Enoch, which mentioned giants, were confirmed. In the same way, architectural monuments were found that could have witnessed the events that became the basis of the legend of the Flood.

conclusions

Thus, we learned that tradition is a folk story about historical events by word of mouth. In the process of transmission, it is common for carriers to embellish the tradition. The definition and features of this folklore genre are now known to us. We can easily distinguish it from legends and fairy tales.

Ancient legends are a reflection of the deepest layers of culture and history of a certain people. By studying and comparing them with the facts of the history of certain nationalities, one can draw conclusions about the worldview of the people who lived at that time. The value of retelling for ethnology is also extremely high.

Every person heard folk legends, historical and toponymic, but could not pay attention to this diamond, cut over the years of oral transmission. Now we can appreciate what we know and what we hear about the surrounding cultural world. May our article be useful to you and give you the opportunity to look at the creativity of the people from the other side.

Completed by a student of grade 9B MBOU "Secondary School No. 23" STRUK ROMAN Head: Pichugina N.V., teacher of Russian language and literature MBOU "Secondary School No. 23" 2012 Historical legend as a genre of folklore in the folk art of the Arkhangelsk North

Goals and objectives of the work The goal is to explore the historical legend as a genre of folklore in the literary tradition of the Arkhangelsk North; Tasks: Find out the distinctive features of the legend from other genres of folklore; To study the species groups of the legends of the Arkhangelsk region; Consider the role of legends in the oral folk art of the Arkhangelsk North

Researchers - folklorists of the Arkhangelsk North

Features of the genre of legend 1. Preserve the memory of events and figures of national history; 2. Traditions are of great cognitive importance; 3. Perform informative, ideological functions; 4. Possess aesthetic significance; 5. Tradition uses special figurative and expressive means. TRADITION - EPIC, NARRATORY, STORY

Types of legends of the Arkhangelsk North Legends about the mythological people - CHUD; Legends about the foundation of the "small motherland"; Legends about northern heroes; Legends about the origin of the Arkhangelsk villages; Traditions related to historical events; Legends about robbers; Legends about schismatics; Legends about statesmen

These legends tell about the settlement, the foundation of the Arkhangelsk region

Chud in northern legends The mythological chud in the early northern legends is depicted either red-skinned or white-eyed. In later legends, Chud appears as ordinary people.

The favorite hero of the legends of the Arkhangelsk North is the bogatyr Ivan Lobanov, originally from the Vologda region Legends about the northern bogatyrs Bogatyr Ivan Lobanov

Legends about the defense of the Arkhangelsk North Historical Arkhangelsk In the legends of the Arkhangelsk North, there are stories about the attack of the Swedes on the northern borders, episodes of the Crimean War, unsuccessful approaches of the English landing to the Pomeranian villages

Foma the governor is a good-natured robber who helps the poor, the weak, the destitute The robbers in the Arkhangelsk legends Narrator of the northern legends Foma the governor

Traditions about schismatics The historical prototype of the legends about schismatics in the church was Archpriest Avvakum, the greatest writer and leader of Ancient Russia.

Legends about statesmen The image of Peter the Great is the central image of legends about historical figures

Tradition as a genre of folklore occupies an important place in the system of oral folk art in the Arkhangelsk North; The themes of legends are varied; each legend is interesting, instructive, informative in its own way; Tradition has educational value, helps to travel back to the past Conclusion

The main purpose of legends is to preserve the memory of national history. Traditions began to be recorded before many folklore genres, as they were an important source for chroniclers. In a large number of legends exist in the oral tradition and in our days.

Genre varieties of legends

Scientists identify different genre varieties of legends . Among them are legends
historical,
toponymic,
ethnogenetic,
about the settlement and development of the region,
about treasures
etiological,
cultural
- and many others. All known classifications are conditional, since it is impossible to offer a universal criterion.

Traditions are often divided into two groups:

historical and toponymic.

However, all legends are historical (already in terms of their genre essence); therefore, any toponymic tradition is also historical.

By on the basis of the influence of the form or content of other genres groups stand out among the legends
transitional, peripheral works.

Legendary lore- these are legends with the motive of a miracle, in which historical events are comprehended from a religious point of view.

Another phenomenon is fairy tales dedicated to historical figures.

Features of legends

In the legends there are ways to portray heroes . Usually the character is only named, and in the episode of the legend some one of his traits is shown. At the beginning or at the end of the narrative, direct characteristics and assessments are allowed, which are necessary for the image to be correctly understood. They act not as a personal opinion, but as a general opinion (about Peter I: Here it is the tsar - so the tsar did not eat bread for nothing; he worked better as a barge hauler; about Ivan Susanin: ... after all, he saved not the tsar, but Russia`!) .

Portrait (appearance) of the hero was rarely portrayed. If the portrait appeared, it was laconic (for example: robbers - strong men, handsome men, stately fellows in red shirts). portrait detail (for example, a costume) could be related to the development of the plot: an unrecognized king walks disguised in a simple dress; the robber comes to the feast in the uniform of a general.

Lore Collectors

Legends and traditions, born in the depths of Russian folk life, have long been considered a separate literary genre. In this regard, the well-known ethnographers and folklorists A. N. Afanasyev (1826–1871) and V. I. Dahl (1801–1872) are most often named. The pioneer of collecting ancient oral stories about secrets, treasures and miracles and the like can be considered M. N. Makarova (1789–1847).

Some narratives are divided into the oldest - pagan (this includes legends: about mermaids, goblin, water, Yaril and other gods of the Russian pantheon). Others belong to the times of Christianity, they explore the folk life more deeply, but even those are still mixed with the pagan worldview.

Makarov wrote: “Tales about the failures of churches, cities, etc. belong to something immemorial in our earthly upheavals; but the legends about gorodets and gorodishches, is it not a pointer to the wanderings of the Russians on the Russian land. And did they belong only to the Slavs?” He came from an old noble family, owned estates in the Ryazan district. A graduate of Moscow University, Makarov wrote comedies for some time, and was engaged in publishing activities. These experiments, however, did not bring him success. He found his true calling in the late 1820s, when, being an official for special assignments under the Ryazan governor, he began to write down folk legends and traditions. In his numerous business trips and wanderings around the central provinces of Russia, “Russian Traditions” were formed.

In the same years, another "pioneer" I. P. Sakharov (1807-1863), then still a seminarian, doing research for Tula history, discovered the charm of "recognizing the Russian people." He recalled: "Walking through the villages and villages, I peered into all classes, listened to the wonderful Russian speech, collecting the traditions of a long forgotten antiquity." The type of activity of Sakharov was also determined. In 1830-1835 he visited many provinces of Russia, where he was engaged in folklore research. The result of his research was the long-term work "Tales of the Russian people."

Exceptional for its time (a quarter of a century long) "going to the people" in order to study their work, life, was made by a folklorist

Tradition- a genre of folklore non-fairytale prose that develops historical themes in its folk interpretation.

Tradition is a story about the past, sometimes very distant. The very word "tradition" means "to transmit, to preserve." Tradition depicts reality in everyday forms, although fiction is necessarily used, and sometimes even fantasy. The main purpose of legends is to preserve the memory of national history. Traditions began to be recorded before many folklore genres, as they were an important source for chroniclers. In a large number of legends exist in the oral tradition and in our days.

Traditions are characterized by references to old people, ancestors. The events of the legends are concentrated around historical figures who, regardless of their social position (be it the king or the leader of the peasant uprising), most often appear in an ideal light.

Any legend is historical in its essence, because the impetus for its creation is always a true fact: a war with foreign invaders, a peasant revolt, large-scale construction, a crowning of the kingdom, and so on. However, tradition is not identical with reality. As a folklore genre, it has the right to fiction, offers its own interpretation of history. Plot fiction arises on the basis of a historical fact (for example, after the hero of a legend stays at a given point). Fiction does not contradict historical truth, but, on the contrary, contributes to its revelation.

Difference from other genres

Unlike legends, which are focused on explaining the origin of natural and cultural phenomena and their moral assessment, the plots of legends are associated with history, historical figures, and local toponymy. They differ from other genres of folklore non-fairytale prose - legends and tales - in a number of ways: the content of legends - historical events and deeds of historical characters, characters - historical or "quasi-historical" personalities (kings, rulers, robbers), mytho-epic characters (giants, mythologized natives of the region, first settlers, militant opponents). Traditions are characterized by a third-person narrative (the action is related to the past, the narrator is not an eyewitness to the events). Collective memory captures historical facts not only within the framework of local toponymic legends, but connects information about specific events with ideas about the creation of the world, introduces both into a single historical and mythological narrative covering events from biblical antiquity to the present. In stories about historical figures and events, the same mechanisms of mythologization operate as in folklore legends, one way or another connected with canonical and apocryphal texts.

Creation of lore

There are two main ways of creating legends: 1) generalization of memories; 2) generalization of memories and their design using ready-made plot schemes. The second way is characteristic of many legends. Common motifs and plots pass from century to century (sometimes as myths or legends), being associated with different events and persons. There are recurring toponymic stories (for example, about failed churches, cities). Typically, such plots color the narrative in fabulously legendary tones, but they are able to convey something important for their era.

Tradition tells about the universally significant, important for everyone. This affects the selection of material: the theme of tradition is always of national significance or important for the inhabitants of a given area. The nature of the conflict - national or social. Accordingly, the characters are representatives of the state, nation, specific classes or estates.

Traditions have developed special techniques for depicting the historical past. Attention to the details of a big event is shown. The general, the typical is depicted through the particular, the specific. Traditions are characterized by localization - geographical confinement to a village, lake, mountain, house, etc. The reliability of the plot is supported by a variety of material evidence - the so-called "traces" of the hero (a church was built by him, a road was laid, a thing was donated)

Ways to depict heroes

Legends have their own ways of depicting heroes. Usually the character is only named, and in the episode of the legend some one of his traits is shown. At the beginning or at the end of the narrative, direct characteristics and assessments are allowed, which are necessary for the image to be correctly understood. They act not as a personal opinion, but as a general opinion (about Peter I: Here it is the tsar - so the tsar did not eat bread for nothing; he worked better as a barge hauler; about Ivan Susanin: ... after all, he saved not the tsar, but Russia`!) .

The portrait (appearance) of the hero was rarely portrayed. If the portrait appeared, it was laconic (for example: robbers - strong men, handsome men, stately fellows in red shirts). A portrait detail (for example, a costume) could be connected with the development of the plot: an unrecognized tsar walks around dressed in a simple dress; the robber comes to the feast in the uniform of a general.

Varieties of legends

Scientists distinguish different genre varieties of legends. Among them are historical, toponymic, ethnogenetic legends, about the settlement and development of the region, about treasures, etiological, culturological - and many others. We have to admit that all known classifications are conditional, since it is impossible to offer a universal criterion. Traditions are often divided into two groups: historical and toponymic. However, all legends are historical (already in terms of their genre essence); therefore, any toponymic tradition is also historical.

On the basis of the influence of the form or content of other genres, groups of transitional, peripheral works stand out among the legends. Legendary stories are stories with a miracle motif, in which historical events are comprehended from a religious point of view. Another phenomenon is fairy-tale plots dedicated to historical figures (see the story about Peter I and the blacksmith - the famous storyteller F.P. Gospodarev in the Reader).

The main cycles of legends

The following main cycles can be distinguished in the repertoire of Russian legends: ancient legends, legends about the "just king", legends about the leaders of popular movements, legends about robbers and treasures.

Ancient legends

The oldest legends appeared at a time when the supernatural characters of tribal myths were replaced by ordinary people (A.N. Afanasiev called this process "bringing the gods down from heaven to earth"). Traditions tell about the settlement of the Slavic tribes and about their ancestors, whose names were associated with the name of the tribes themselves: Czech, Lech, Rus, Radim, Vyatka. In the legends about the first Russian princes, their closeness to the people is recorded (carriers Kiy, Olga; son of a prince and a slave Vladimir I). It tells about the important events of their lives, about the death of the princes (the death of Oleg from his beloved horse; the murder of Igor by the Drevlyans and the revenge of his wife Olga). It is reported about the construction and strengthening of the first Russian cities (Kyiv, Pereyaslavl and others); about the defense of these cities and the military tricks of the besieged inhabitants (for example, the legend "About Belgorod Kissel" - see the Reader).

A large number of legends are devoted to the struggle of Ancient Russia with external enemies, as well as internecine wars. The exploits of individuals who did not submit to enemies - men, women and even children - are glorified. This is the feat of a Kyiv youth who lived in the 10th century, who made his way through the Pecheneg camp to the Russian army for help; duel of a young strong man Kozhemyaki with a huge Pechenezhin; the feat of the Ryazans in the 13th century: Evpaty Kolovrat and Princess Evpraksia - and others.

Legends of the just king

Traditions about the just king are associated with the names of Ivan IV (the Terrible) and Peter I.

The legends about Ivan the Terrible reflected the struggle of the tsar with the feudal elite, the boyars. A number of legends are associated with the Kazan campaign (including a fantastic story about the punishment of the Volga). Ivan the Terrible becomes the godfather of the peasant who sheltered him, and there is even a legend about the election of Ivan the Terrible to the king from among the peasants (see the Reader). A special group is the legends of the Novgorodians about the defeat of Novgorod in 1571. They express a sharply negative attitude towards the tsar and the oprichnina (about Martha Posadnitsa; about the drowning of the Novgorodians in the Volkhov; about the miracle that made Ivan the Terrible repent: the murdered Metropolitan Kornily took his severed head in his hands and followed the tsar on his heels; about the origin of the Valdai bells from a broken veche bell; about the holy fool Mikolka, who denounced the tsar at his entrance to Pskov: "Ivashka, Ivashka, eat bread and salt, not human blood!").

The legends about Peter I were formed later, so the image of the king in them is more specific. A group of plots preserves the memory of historical facts: the Russian-Swedish war, the construction of the Ladoga Canal (ditch), the construction of shipyards. The most numerous group of legends is about the relationship of Peter I with representatives of various social groups and professions. The tsar eats murzovka (bread in kvass) from a poor peasant woman; appreciates the useful advice of a soldier; baptizes soldiers' children; makes the boyars work in the forge; Pskov monks orders to build defensive fortifications - and so on. Known legends on the theme "Peter I-master". The tsar studied abroad to cast cannons and build ships; worked incognito in factories and shipyards. He took over the craft from Russian artisans. At the same time, Peter I was never able to weave bast shoes.

Many toponymic legends are connected with the images of Ivan the Terrible and Peter I; fairy tales are attached to these characters ("Geese from Russia", "The Careless Monastery", "The Gorshenya", "The Terrible and the Thief", "Peter I and the Soldier").

Legends about the leaders of popular movements

The legends about the leaders of popular movements supplemented the people's utopian dream of a just king.

In folklore, the earliest historical image of the people's leader is the ataman of the Siberian Cossacks Ermak Timofeevich, who defeated the Siberian Khan Kuchum. The cycle of legends about Yermak took shape simultaneously with the cycle about Ivan the Terrible (at the end of the 16th - beginning of the 18th centuries). The image of Yermak absorbed the epic features of epic heroes and is colored by folk ideas about the "noble robber". The main group of stories about Yermak is connected with his Siberian campaign (who was Yermak; the purpose of the campaign; with whom Yermak went; Yermak's victory; Yermak's death).

Legends about robbers and treasures

Legends about robbers and treasures were told everywhere in Russia, since places associated with robbers and places where they supposedly buried treasures were known everywhere. The typological image of the "noble robber" (the hero robs the rich and stands up for the poor) appeared in numerous local variations (Churkin, Roshchin, Soroka). At the same time, general plots were used that recreated the typical bio-"graph" of the robber. It necessarily explained what exactly prompted the hero to become a robber; a purely Russian picture of river robberies, robbery prowess and dexterity was depicted. The tragic end of the robber's fate is obligatory.

There are widespread legends about the robber Kudeyar, which reflected the genetic connection of plots about treasures with mythology. The ancient layer of the image of Kudeyar goes back to a mysterious and powerful creature, the owner of the earth's bowels and the values ​​\u200b\u200bhidden in them. The very word "Kudeyar" means a violent rebel, a wizard close to the dark forces ("kud" - an evil spirit, "yar" - ardor, riot). Hence the late meaning of the image - "robber" appeared.

Zueva T.V., Kirdan B.P. Russian folklore - M., 2002

From the point of view of the people, works of folklore non-fairytale prose are important as a source of information, and in some cases also as a warning, edification. Consequently, in non-fairytale prose, cognitive and didactic functions prevail over artistic ones. Non-fairytale prose has a different modality than fairy tales: its works are confined to real time, real terrain, real people. Non-fairytale prose is characterized by non-separation from the flow of everyday speech, the absence of special genre and style canons. In the most general sense, we can say that her works are characterized by the stylistic form of an epic narrative about authenticity: The old people said...; Vyksa old mantold me...; I saw miracles, it seemed to me ...; They say,what if...; My mother used to tell...; Here in our villageone woman...; Here I was myself in the redistribution.

The most stable component is the character, around which all the rest of the material is united. An important feature of non-fairytale prose is the plot (content). Usually plots have an embryonic form (one-motif), but can be transmitted both concisely and in detail. Non-fairytale prose works are capable of contamination. Sometimes plot cycles are formed - around a character or event. Many plots of folk non-fairytale prose are of a typological nature; they naturally arose in world folklore. There are also "wandering plots" recorded among different peoples in different periods of their history.

The genres of non-fairytale prose do not have the stability of the poetic form that is inherent in fairy tales, therefore they are usually determined by the nature of the content of the works. Myths were characteristic of early traditional folklore. Traditions, legends, demonological stories are known in classical folklore.

The thematic and plot fund of non-fairytale prose are oral folk stories - works that usually do not contain elements of fantasy and are designed as a story about the present or about the recent past. Oral folk stories cannot be called folklore proper, they are a kind of "raw material" for legends, traditions, etc., which, if necessary, could be claimed.

The problem of delimiting the genres of non-fairytale prose is a complex one. This is due to the fuzziness of the material itself, the great flexibility of the works. A common and characteristic feature of folk narratives of a non-fairy tale nature is inconstancy, fluidity of form. They easily adapted to local conditions. Blurring of genre boundaries often led to interactions between non-fairy-tale prose genres both among themselves and with fairy tales. One and the same plot could take different forms, periodically appearing in the form of a bylichka, legend, tradition or fairy tale. It is no coincidence that legends, traditions, and especially bylichki in the 19th century. published in fairy tale collections interspersed with fairy tales.

1. lore

   1. Characteristics of the genre of legends

Tradition is a story about the past, sometimes very distant. Tradition depicts reality in everyday forms, although fiction is necessarily used, and sometimes even fantasy. The main purpose of legends is to preserve the memory of national history. Traditions began to be recorded before many folklore genres, as they were an important source for chroniclers. In a large number of legends exist in the oral tradition and in our days.

Traditions are an "oral chronicle", a genre of non-fairytale prose with a focus on historical authenticity. The very word "tradition" means "to transmit, to preserve." Traditions are characterized by references to old people, ancestors. The events of the legends are concentrated around historical figures who, regardless of their social position (be it the king or the leader of the peasant uprising), most often appear in an ideal light.

Any legend is historical in its essence, because the impetus for its creation is always a true fact: a war with foreign invaders, a peasant revolt, large-scale construction, a crowning of the kingdom, and so on. However, tradition is not identical with reality. As a folklore genre, it has the right to fiction, offers its own interpretation of history. Plot fiction arises on the basis of a historical fact (for example, after the hero of a legend stays at a given point). Fiction does not contradict historical truth, but, on the contrary, contributes to its revelation.

In July 1983, during a folklore practice, students of the Moscow State Pedagogical University in Podolsk, near Moscow, recorded from A. A. Vorontsov, 78 years old, a legend about the origin of the name of this city. It is historically reliable that Peter I visited Podolsk. Tradition expresses the negative attitude of the people towards his foreign wife (Catherine I), for the sake of which the legitimate queen was exiled to a monastery (see the Reader).

There are two main ways of creating legends: 1) generalization of memories; 2) generalization of memories and their design using ready-made plot schemes. The second way is characteristic of many legends. Common motifs and plots pass from century to century (sometimes as myths or legends), being associated with different events and persons. There are recurring toponymic stories (for example, about failed churches, cities). Typically, such plots color the narrative in fabulously legendary tones, but they are able to convey something important for their era.

One of the international ones is the plot about how the king pacified the raging water element. (For example, he was attributed to the Persian Tsar Xerxes.) In the Russian oral tradition, the plot began to appear in the legends about Ivan the Terrible and Peter I (see the Reader).

Plots about Stepan Razin were also subsequently attached to other characters. For example, V. I. Chapaev, like Razin, is not taken by any bullet; he fantastically frees himself from captivity (by diving into a bucket of water or sailing away in a boat painted on the wall), and so on.

And yet the event of tradition is portrayed as a single, complete, unrepeatable event.

Tradition tells about the universally significant, important for everyone. This affects the selection of material: the theme of tradition is always of national significance or important for the inhabitants of a given area. The nature of the conflict - national or social. Accordingly, the characters are representatives of the state, nation, specific classes or estates.

Traditions have developed special techniques for depicting the historical past. Attention to the details of a big event is shown. The general, the typical is depicted through the particular, the specific. Traditions are characterized by localization - geographical confinement to a village, lake, mountain, house, etc. The reliability of the plot is supported by a variety of material evidence - the so-called "traces" of the hero (a church was built by him, a road was laid, a thing was donated).

In the Olonets province. they showed silver cups and fifty dollars, allegedly donated by Peter I; in Zhiguli, all antiques and human bones found in the ground were attributed to the Razints.

The prevalence of legends is not the same. Traditions about tsars existed throughout the state, and legends about other figures in Russian history were told mainly in the area where these people lived and acted.

So, in the summer of 1982, the folklore expedition of the Moscow State Pedagogical University recorded in the village of Dorofeevo, Ostrovsky district, Kostroma region. from the peasant D. I. Yarovitsyn, 87 years old, the legend "About Ivan Susanin" (see in the Reader).

The plots of legends, as a rule, are one-motif. Summary (contaminated) legends could develop around the character; storylines emerged.

Legends have their own ways of depicting heroes. Usually the character is only named, and in the episode of the legend some one of his traits is shown. At the beginning or at the end of the narrative, direct characteristics and assessments are allowed, which are necessary for the image to be correctly understood. They act not as a personal judgment, but as a general opinion (about Peter I: Here it is the king - so the king did not eat bread for nothing; better burlaka worktal; about Ivan Susanin: ... after all, he did not save the tsar, but Russia.).

The portrait (appearance) of the hero was rarely portrayed. If the portrait appeared, it was laconic (for example: robbers - strong men, handsome men, stately fellows in red shirts). A portrait detail (for example, a costume) could be connected with the development of the plot: an unrecognized tsar walks around dressed in a simple dress; the robber comes to the feast in the uniform of a general.

Scientists distinguish different genre varieties of legends. Among them are historical, toponymic, ethnogenetic legends, about the settlement and development of the region, about treasures, etiological, cultural - and many others. We have to admit that all known classifications are conditional, since it is impossible to offer a universal criterion. Traditions are often divided into two groups: historical and toponymic. However, all legends are historical (already in terms of their genre essence); therefore, any toponymic tradition is also historical.

On the basis of the influence of the form or content of other genres, groups of transitional, peripheral works stand out among the legends. Legendary stories are stories with a miracle motif, in which historical events are comprehended from a religious point of view. Another phenomenon is fairy-tale plots dedicated to historical figures (see the story about Peter I and the blacksmith - the famous storyteller F.P. Gospodarev in the Reader).