Nightingale Budimirovich: approximate date of appearance of the epic, theories and assumptions about creation, history, allegory, plot and heroes

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

Many researchers of Russian folklore rank the epic about Nightingale Budimirovich among the most ancient examples of oral art created by our people. This article will present a summary of this work, as well as some interesting facts about the features of its plot and the history of the creation and appearance of the printed version.

Arrival of a rich guest in the city of Kyiv

The epic "Nightingale Budimirovich" begins with a small introductory part, which glorifies the nature of the Russian land with its riches.

Further on, this panorama noticeably narrows. Unknown authors focus readers' attention on the Dnieper River. Numerous ships are moving along its waters, belonging to a rich and noble man, Nightingale Budimirovich, who returned with his subordinates from a long overseas journey. All vessels are large and luxuriously decorated. The owner himself rides on the most beautiful and expensive of themthis water caravan.

Wonderful ship

Summary of "Nightingale Budimirovich" is impossible to imagine without a description of the ship on which the main character arrived. It is decorated with expensive furs and precious stones. In the center of the deck there is a gazebo in which Nightingale Budimirovich himself sits.

He is holding a council with his subordinates about what gifts should be presented to the Kyiv prince Vladimir the Red Sun when they arrive in the capital city.

Appearing in the capital

When this huge flotilla landed on the Russian coast, the arrivals, as befits pious citizens, paid all the necessary duties, giving part of their cargo to the treasury.

After observing all the formalities, the young owner of untold we alth went straight to the palace of the Kyiv prince.

According to the rules of ancient Russian diplomatic ethics, before talking about the case, he presented gifts to the ruler and his wife. Vladimir Krasno Solnyshko and his wife were extremely pleased with the visit of this guest.

I especially admired the expensive gifts of the wife of the Grand Duke. The head of the ancient Russian state himself offered Nightingale Budimirovich any title that he chooses for himself. The noble guest declared that he did not want to be either a prince, or a nobleman, or a boyar, but he only wanted the powerful lord to allow him to build a tower in the garden of his niece Zabava Putyatichna, where nuts andcherries.

Jacks of all trades

The ruler of Kievan Rus gave permission, and Nightingale Budimirovich began to carry out his plan. He called the whole team, with whom he arrived in the capital city of Kyiv, and gave them the order to build a tower in the garden of Fun Putyatichna.

Usually in Russian epics and fairy tales in episodes where some work is being done, the authors cite the following proverb: "Soon the fairy tale affects and the work is not done soon." In this case, everything happened exactly the opposite.

In the garden of the girl to whom the protagonist of this work decided to woo, three towers arose in one evening, each of which was of unprecedented beauty. The interiors of the houses were painted very skillfully and brightly. They could see the sun, rainbows, and other natural phenomena.

Enchanted Bride

The next morning, Zabava Putyatichna looked out of the window at her garden and did not recognize it. She liked the richly decorated towers so much that she immediately ran out into the street and began to examine them closely. Approaching the first one, the girl listened, but from within she did not hear a single sound. Then she approached the second building.

Here the girl heard the words of the prayer that the mother of Nightingale Budimirovich said.

She didn't enter this tower either. The fun proceeded to the next building, from which music was coming. She decided to enter it.

Once inside, the heroine of the epic was amazed at the beauty of the painting on the walls. She saw on them the sun, and the rainbow, and much, much more. These drawings were made so skillfully that they could not be distinguished from real natural phenomena. In this tower she met Nightingale Budimirovich.

The girl was so delighted with the young man's gifts that she herself offered to become his wife.

Meet the mother

Mother Nightingale said that she gives her blessing, but before getting married, her son needs to go on a long journey, trade with foreigners and return with a rich profit. He obeyed his mother and set off.

Cunning Rival

Some time after Nightingale's departure to foreign countries, a certain merchant came to Prince Vladimir and said that the fiancé of the niece of the ruler of Russia was imprisoned in one of the countries in which he traded.

Having learned about the sad fate of the narrowed Zabava Putyatichna, Vladimir decided to pass her off as the merchant who brought the sad news.

The wedding day has come. Tables in the princely palace were bursting with an abundance of various dishes. Suddenly, Nightingale Budimirovich appeared in the chambers. He said that his overseas trading expedition was successful, and he returned with a huge profit. Zabava Putyatichna was glad to see her fiancé. She said that the upcoming wedding should be canceled, but the prince objected to her.

On this day, the wedding did take place, but Zabava Putyatichna's husband was not a vile merchant, but Nightingale Budimirovich.

Main character

Many researchers of Russian folklore believe that this character and the Nightingale the Robber are the same person.

But this theory does not explain how the merchant Nightingale Budimirovich, a hero with good manners and a decent lifestyle, turned into a robber. Therefore, most scientists still believe that the character in question in this article has nothing to do with his namesake.

About profession and nationality

No less controversial is the question of whether the main character is a Russian person. Supporters of the theory of his foreign origin say that the main evidence of their assumption is that Nightingale Budimirovich comes from foreign lands, and this episode is placed at the beginning of the work, while in most Russian epics the characters, on the contrary, go on a journey around the world.

Other studies of the epic "Nightingale Budimirovich" show that this example of folk art can be considered the first work of a new type. The arrival of the protagonist from across the sea does not at all indicate his non-Russian nationality. They claim that Nightingale is a Kyiv merchant. And the episode of his return with rich profits is placed at the beginning to emphasize his profession.

In the era when the state of Kievan Rus was formed, the young country began to need not only heroes, defenders of the motherland, but also people who would help strengthen its economy.

Solovey Budimirovich was such a hero, according to some researchers.

Plot with riddles

Experts cannot agreeaccording to Russian folklore and the question of when this epic was created, and which city of ancient Russia can be considered its homeland. Despite the fact that the name of Kyiv appears in the text, there are historians who say that this plot first appeared in Novgorod. There are those who are of the opinion about the later, Moscow origin of this epic.

Proponents of each of the theories find elements in the language of the work that can serve as evidence of their point of view.

There are more original versions about the place and time of birth of this story. A number of scholars find in it similarities with episodes from ancient Indian mythology.

However, most experts are inclined to believe that this epic originated in Kyiv, during the reign of Prince Vladimir, that is, in the tenth century AD.

Rebirth

Over time, many medieval examples of Russian folk art were forgotten. The same fate befell the epic about Nightingale Budimirovich. The history of the revival of the work began in the eighteenth century in the Urals. Then a master named Kirsha Danilov worked at the factory of the large industrialist Demidov. In his free time from his main occupation, he was engaged in writing down old epics and fairy tales common in his area. These works were published in a collection that received wide popularity. At the end of the nineteenth century, the book was reprinted. In subsequent years, she published several more times. All these publications contained banknotes, since some places from epics could not be published for reasons of censorship. ATin the mid-nineties of the twentieth century, a collection was first printed, which presented the full texts of works previously known in abbreviation.