Sword-hoarder - the magic weapon of heroes

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

In the fairy tales of various peoples, researchers and readers have always been interested in the weapons of heroes and heroes. With the help of these devices, the people's defenders performed some of their famous feats, fighting various types of enemies and freeing innocent hostages. Such types of heroic weapons include the treasure sword, a truly heroic weapon with magical powers.

Destination

Usually this weapon fell into the master's hands from some hiding place and, as a rule, gave its owner the property of invincibility. Since the sword-hoarder is present in several Russian epics and fairy tales at once, this allows us to speak of it not as someone's personal weapon, but rather as a certain type of blade, their category.

Origin and meaning of the word

According to some scientists, the epithet itself in Russian comes from the word "treasure", associated with the verb "to put" (there is another version: the sword that the enemy army lays down). Then it becomes clear why the sword- treasurer. Other researchers derive their origin from the word “stylized”, that is, “steel” (perhaps in ancient times, steel swords were rare, which means they were credited with magical properties). The third version: connection with the technology of weapons production. In ancient times, a bar of iron was buried in the ground for a while. Rust corroded poor-quality pieces. Then the future sword was dug out, cleaned of rye, and high-quality metal remained, from which the weapon was forged. There are other versions of the origin of the word itself. But in any case, the essence remains the same: the treasure sword was a rather formidable and effectively striking weapon for a warrior.

How I got it

The most formidable weapon can only get a worthy hero. It is usually hidden in the ground or a wall (walled up), sometimes hidden under a stove (in one of the tales - under a stove). In order to get a sword-treasurer, a hero or hero must prove his strength and abilities (raise a furnace, stove, screed a wall). By the way, such swords and stories about them are typical not only for East Slavic folklore. Compare the fragment of the ancient Greek myth about Theseus, to whom his mother shows the place under the stone where his father's sword is hidden. In some cases, the bogatyr must dig out the treasure sword from the mound or grave. This is due to the belief that existed in the old days that the weapons that belong to the dead have a special magical power. Having touched the “other world”, it became in itself a carrier of death, deadly. In some epics, the sword goes to the youngera hero as a gift from an older one who goes to the world of the dead (the old Russian epic "Svyatogor and Ilya Muromets").

In another epic, the sword is under the decapitated torso of a giant hero on the battlefield. Yeruslan Lazarevich, talking with the huge severed head of an ancient warrior, finds out about this and obtains a magical weapon (compare the fairy tale in verse "Ruslan and Lyudmila" written by Pushkin - a similar theme of obtaining an artifact by a hero is also developed there).

And Prince Muromsky in the work "The Tale of Peter and Fevronia" finds a smashing sword hidden in the wall of the monastery.

Sword Owners

In later folklore and literary author's works, such weapons are almost an obligatory attribute inherent in the main character. And Svyatogor, and Muromets, and Prophetic Oleg, and Dobrynya Nikitich, and Eruslan, and Ruslan, and Bova Korolevich, and Ivan Tsarevich owned such swords at different times. Which, of course, once again indicates that these were different swords.

"Sword-hoarder". Weapon Tale

Actually, the treasurer sword is mentioned, as already mentioned, in many folk tales, epics, and literary works. For example, in The Tale of Ivan Tsarevich and the Treasure Sword, the protagonist purposefully goes to get magical weapons to fight the Serpent, which traditionally burns churches and fields, takes hostages and tribute, and rages in every possible way. As a result, the enemy is defeated, the people are released, the lands are liberated. And all with the help of the magical power of this sharp tool. Incidentally, sustainablethe expression "the sword-treasurer has become blunted" means in a figurative sense that the forces have left the person (hero) and there are no longer opportunities to continue the battle.