The name of the niece of Prince Vladimir in epics

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

Prince Vladimir is known to the world as a herald of Christianity in Russia. It was under him that Russia was annexed to Byzantium, which made it one of the most influential European powers of that time.

The fundamental merit of the prince can be called the unity of the Russian people, scattered by numerous tribal pagan cults. Each tribe had its own gods, and on this basis, numerous internecine wars grew. With the introduction of Christianity in Russia, the people were reunited. Since then, Prince Vladimir Krasno Solnyshko has been one of the most popular epic characters. The name of Prince Vladimir's niece, Fun, is also well known in epics.

Epic image of Prince Vladimir

Mythopoetics depicts Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich as an ideal ruler who organized reliable protection for the Kyiv court and Russian lands from foreign invasions (both real historical opponents of Russia, the Tatars, and mythological characters, like Tugarin, the Serpent Gorynych and the Nightingale the Robber).

The prince rallied around him the most significant Russian heroes: Dobrynya from Ryazan, Ilya fromMurom and Alyosha from Rostov. They are the main force, the weapon of the prince against any enemy of Russia. Interestingly, both the prince himself and the heroes are real historical figures.

In epics, Prince Vladimir gives orders to the heroes, mainly related to the elimination of threats to the prince's court. Upon their return to Kyiv, a feast begins, which means the successful completion of the heroic mission.

The epithet of the name of Vladimir - the Red Sun - indicates that the epic prince is the main luminiferous force opposed to the evil principle (for example, the chthonic image of a serpent). The name of Prince Vladimir's niece, Fun, in turn, is almost always mentioned in passing, as the name of a character of secondary significance.

The prince also has a negative image in the epics: the greatest antagonism is expressed in the relationship of the prince with the epic hero Ilya Muromets. For example, the prince does not honor the hero for his exploits, although he has served him faithfully for about 30 years. The prince is also not very kind to Dobrynya: when the niece of Prince Vladimir Zabava is kidnapped by a snake, he sends a hero to free her and threatens to cut off his head if he does not cope with the task and does not help out the red maiden.

There is also such a plot when, by slander, the prince throws Dobrynya into prison, and then sends him to certain death in Lithuania, to collect the debt tribute. While the hero is gone, the prince marries his wife for the third hero - Alyosha Popovich. Basically, even such atrocities of the prince are subsequently justified by his globalmerit, and conflicts are exhausted.

Epic image of Fun

Stories about the girl Zabava are also widely known. Zabava (Lyubava) is the niece of Prince Vladimir in epics.

Besides the fact that she was a beautiful girl, the epics do not indicate any of her special features: such an average Russian beauty, meekly awaiting her release. Basically, the name of Fun is associated with two epics:

• epic about the liberation of Fun Dobrynya from the clutches of the Serpent;
• epic about wooing the Nightingale to Fun.

Zabava Putyatichna is sometimes found under the name of Lyubava. Her father, Putyata, Vladimir's brother, is found in chronicles long before the era of Vladimir Monomakh. Most often, his image is closely associated with the name of Vladimir Svyatoslavovich.

The feat of Dobrynya Nikitich: rescuing Fun from the clutches of a snake

The name of the niece of Prince Vladimir is mentioned in the epic about the exploits of Dobrynya, the Russian hero. There are several epics telling about the battles of Dobrynia and the Serpent Gorynych. The first legend was about how the terrifying monster Serpent Gorynych got into the habit of attacking the Russian land, and kidnapping innocent victims, including girls, children, and even glorious warriors who could not cope with the serpent. Dobrynya Nikitich, learning about his atrocities, rushes to fight Gorynych. Having collected all his belongings and taking a silk whip as a mother's amulet, the hero, contrary to his mother's warnings, goes to the Sorochinskaya mountain, kills small serpents and frees the captives. Thereafter,having relaxed, the hero decides to swim in the Puchai River, and at this time, unarmed, the Serpent attacks him. After a long and bloody battle, the hero gains the upper hand, but the serpent persuades him to spare his life.

Naturally, Gorynych does not keep his word, after a while he raids the court of Prince Vladimir and kidnaps Zabava. Going to save the princess, Dobrynya this time was extremely circumspect and acted carefully. Creeping up unnoticed, he did not touch the serpents and went directly to the Serpent. In a fierce battle, he chopped Gorynych to pieces and betrayed his blood to the damp earth.

After Dobrynya Nikitich heroically liberates the princess, she, admiring the feat of the hero, offers herself to him as his wife, but he refuses, citing the fact that they are at different social levels: he is a “Christian family”, and she "knyazhenets family".

Epic about how Nightingale Budimirovich wooed Fun

Also, this epic tells how the nightingale the nightingale came to Kyiv and offered rich gifts to Prince Vladimir and Princess Apraksia. In response to the unprecedented generosity of Nightingale, Prince Vladimir offered him any gifts and any land to choose from.

The name of Prince Vladimir's niece is mentioned in connection with the courtship of Nightingale Budimirovich to her. It was a cunning plan of a gooseman who deliberately gave up all the lands in order to ask the prince for something special. The nightingale asked the sovereign for permission to build several towers directly in the garden near Zabava, and the prince agreed. Literally in onenight Nightingale rebuilt luxurious painted towers and invited Zabava to walk around them. From the beauty she saw, the girl was stunned and told the goose that she wanted to woo him. The Guselnik cheerfully answered her that it was not proper for a girl to woo herself, and the ashamed Zabava fled to her white-stone chambers. The nightingale, on the same day, went to the prince and asked to marry Zabava to him. Already in the evening the wedding was played, and the young couple boarded the ships and sailed across the ocean, to the city of Ledenets.