National Myths and Legends of Russia

national myths and legends

Russia

The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh

Kitezh is a legendary and mythical city beneath the waters of Lake Svetloyar in central Russia.

Legend has it that the maiden Fevroniya and her brother lived in a wild forest. One day she met a handsome hunter. They fell in love and decided to get married. He left to go and send matchmakers according the custom. The hunter was Prince Vsevolod, the son of Prince Yury, the ruler of Kitezh.

At that time after having conquered some of the Russian lands in the late 1230s, the Mongol ruler Batu Khan heard of Kitezh and ordered his army to advance towards it. They took Fevroniya and many other people prisoner. One of the prisoners told the Mongols about some secret paths to Lake Svetloyar, and the army of the Golden Horde soon reached the walls of the town.

Its citizens didn't even intend to defend themselves, they were praying, asking God for a miracle. On seeing this, the Mongols rushed to the attack, but then stopped. Suddenly, they saw countless fountains of water bursting from under the ground all around them. The attackers fell back and watched the town submerge into the lake. The last thing they saw was a glaring dome of a cathedral with a cross on top of it. Soon only waves remained.

This legend gave birth to numerous incredible claims about the lost city. It is said that only those who are pure in their heart and soul will find their way to Kitezh.

People sometimes can hear the sound of chiming bells and see the reflection of the city in the water, with its beautiful walls, churches, houses and gardens. For this reason, Lake Svetloyar is sometimes called the "Russian Atlantis".

Vsevolod led his army and died a hero’s death. His spirit came to Fevronia and showed her the way to the invisible city, where she married him.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's opera The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya (1907) is based on the legend of Kitezh.

The town is mentioned in Monday Begins on Saturday, a 1965 novel by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky and Charodey film.

The German filmmaker Werner Herzog went in search of Kitezh in his short documentary Bells from the Deep (1993).

A fictionalized version of Kitezh is rediscovered by the protagonist Lara Croft in the 2015 video game Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Myths and legends about

Baba Yaga Domovoi

Vodyanoi

Leshy

DomovoiDomovoiDomovoi

Many of us were frightened by Baba Yaga in childhood. So let's figure out who she is and whether she is really as dangerous as we were told.

Turning to the history of folklore, you can find out that initially Baba Yaga is a positive character of ancient Russian mythology, the keeper of customs and traditions, the way of life.

Baba Yaga is a mythological creature that plays an important role in folk Slavic legends. She appears in two motives: a kind old woman showing a lost young man the way and sending him to her brothers the wind, the moon and the sun.

She has a rod with which all living things can be turned into stone; she owns fire-breathing horses, boots-runners, an airplane carpet.

In other fairy tales, Baba Yaga, the bone leg, an evil old woman, lives in a dense forest in a hut on chicken legs, flies through the air in a mortar, driving with a pestle and covering the trail with a broom. She steals and scares children, guards the springs of living water and hides copper, silver and gold.

Nowadays, in the dense forests of the Yaroslavl region, the small town Kukoboy is listed on the fabulous map of Russia as the birthplace of Baba Yaga.

It is here, on the bank of the Ukhtoma River, that the possessions of a fabulous old lady are located. Here in Kukoboy Baba Yaga has been a peaceful old lady for a long time, she prefers pies with tea to black magic.

The old lady has a hut with a beautiful wooden fence, a protected trail, a forest residence "Bear Corner", a Fairy Tale museum.

Maybe the old lady wasn't so bad?

Among the various creatures, there was the House Elf, also known as Domovoi, who looks like an old man who hides in your house but may suddenly appear and curse it.

It is believed that Domovoy protects the well-being of a family and it is especially protective toward children and animals.

It shares the good and the bad with people of a family and warns them of any possible calamities that may come as a threat of the kin.

In some versions, Domovoy has a female companion called Domania and she is presented as the goddess of the home.

The vodyanoy is a male water spirit that lives at the bottom of seas or lakes. His appearance differs depending on the story.

He is portrayed as an old man with a long beard, sometimes white, blue, or even green.

Most of the legends depict him as a creature covered in slime with fish scales or fishtail.

Some stories present him as a friend to millers and fishermen who bring him offerings as a sacrifice that would provide them good fortune from the waters he lives in.

Leshy is a forest spirit known as the master of the woods.

In general, Leshy is portrayed as an old man. In some cases, we see him as an animal or a mushroom. Sometimes he even has a tail and wings.

The legend of Leshy says that he can appear in different sizes (as a dwarf or even as a giant).

Leshy can also be mentioned as a character that cannot speak but can only make bird sounds,

sounds of rustling leaves, or just clap with his hands.

It was believed that if you meet him, you will get lost in the woods.

There is a variety of supernatural creatures that are the focus of interest of many people, even today. We have them in books, films, TV series and cartoons.

Thanks for your attention!!!

ИСТОЧНИКИ

• Encyclopedia of Russian & Slavic Myth and Legend

1998 by Mike Dixon-Kennedy

• Wikipedia
• Фотографии и рисунки – открытые источники интернета