One of the most famous works of ancient Russian literature is the "Word about Igor's Regiment", the plan and contents of which we will consider in this article.
The plot of the heroic legend
The work "The Word of Igor's Regiment" describes the time when Kievan Rus lost its power and drowned in civil strife. The fragmentation of the state and enmity between the princes (all because of the main throne) were supplemented by another factor - the Polovtsian invasions of their territory. Nomads robbed and killed, stole prisoners, where they forced them to work hard for years.
Only by joint efforts could the Russian princes pacify the steppes. And there was more than one successful trip that brought home people languishing in yoke. However, the Novgorod-Seversky prince decided to independently hike in order to gain a lot of fame and spoils. The āWord about Igorās Regimentā, a plan of which will be presented a little later, tells about this event, which ended in very disastrous condition. Igor is captured along with his son and the boyars, his squad for the most part died in battle, and who survived also became a slave.
Through the efforts of all the princes of Russia, a considerable ransom is going to rescue a relative. However, Igor manages to escape - not without the help of the Polovtsian Ovlur, whose mother was Russian. However, the money collected was enough to return home every prince's combatant who participated in an unsuccessful campaign.
"The word about Igor's regiment": plan
A work that has come down from the depths of centuries only in paraphrases and copies is very complex and versatile. It consists of several separate parts, which, like puzzles, create a single picture - the life and problems of Russia in the twelfth century. It:
- An introduction in which the author talks about the great singer of antiquity - Boyan, about the lands of Russia and their inhabitants, about princes and their campaigns. Here are mentioned (or retold) folk traditions about the heroic deeds of rulers, about pagan deities.
- Campaign Igor. This part describes the infamous campaign itself, which began with an eclipse of the sun. But, despite the bad sign, the campaign begins, and it seems that luck accompanies the army. They triumph and capture considerable prey. True, instead of immediately returning home, Russian combatants make a feast. They are caught up with the main forces of the Polovtsy and mercilessly killed, captivating those for whom a ransom can be obtained.
- The golden word of Svyatoslav. This part tells that bad news will soon reach Kiev. Grand Duke Svyatoslav is saddened, it was not for nothing that he foresaw trouble and had a bad dream. But here the author describes the great victory of the Kiev prince in a recent campaign against the Polovtsy (in which Novgorod-Severts did not participate). He calls for help to a stumbled relative.
- Appeal to the princes. It is not entirely clear whether the fiery appeal sounded from the lips of Prince Svyatoslav or whether the author expressed his own idea. But further in the āWord ...ā there is a speech in which the idea of āāunification is presented. The author mentions all the great rulers of the Russian land, the strongest princes and their descendants. He asks them to stop the feud and repay Igorās defeat.
- Crying Yaroslavna. This is the most romantic part of the work, where the main character is the wife of Igor - Yaroslavna. "The Word of Igor's Regiment" depicts her very in love with her husband, she perceives the news of his defeat and capture as a tragedy. Every morning, a girl cries at the city gates, turns to the wind, the sun and the Dnieper River, accusing them of failure. She herself is ready to fly a bird to heal the wounds on her husband's body.
- Igor's escape from captivity. Since the prince understands that a large ransom, appointed for his head and the head of his son, will greatly undermine the financial situation of Russia, Igor ventures to escape. The author seems to be running with him, restraining the excitement of the heart. The prince is helped not only by friends, but also by stars. The Polovtsians are chasing him on the heels, but the fugitives manage to escape and get to their native land.
The main characters of the Russian epic
The images presented in this work are very interesting. "The Word of Igor's Regiment" mentions Prince Igor, the ruler of Novgorod-Seversky, and his faithful wife Yaroslavna. These are the main characters. The prince is at the beginning a proud and violent person who is capable of emotional acts that are not thought out to the end. At the end of the work, he appears as a repentant and wise ruler who realized his mistake and was ready to atone for it. He frees all warriors from captivity, meek with other princes and is grateful to them for their help. Yaroslavna is tender and loving, she saves her husband with her feelings, she yearns with him and calls for help all the forces of nature.
Prince Svyatoslav acts as a wise ruler of the Russian land, he is the symbolic father of all princes and principalities. It is not in vain that he speaks of unity and mutual assistance. Boyan is a person who seems to be detached from events, but with his abilities given from above, he inspires and supports. And it doesnāt matter that the singer has long been alive, his memory lives in the heart of the people.
Features of the work
"The word about Igor's regiment", the plan of which is given above, has a number of features. This is not only a heroic poem, akin to the "Iliad" and "Odyssey" of Homer. This is a real epic, created in the best traditions of the Middle Ages. He is distinguished by a special language, speeches full of pride in past victories. But sorrow is felt between the lines, because the author sees how the feuds of the rulers destroy the once great power. He subtly observes the main problem of Russia - the lack of unity between the princes, who can not share their destinies and are eager to settle on the Kiev throne.
But not only about the unsuccessful campaign tells the "Word about Igor's regiment." The characteristic of each prince makes it possible to restore the historical portrait of the rulers, to revive their aspirations and hopes. They acted nobly, despite the fact that the ruler of the Novgorod-Seversky principality acted extremely unreasonably. They collect money together to redeem Igor and his retainers from captivity, joyfully greet the liberated prince. But nevertheless, they forgot the lesson of history, because the feuds did not stop.
Mythology and artistic techniques
The work is filled with Slavic folk motifs, poetic phrases, legends about epic heroes. I would like to note that in "The Word ..." ancient mythology is also used. The author calls the princes the grandchildren of Dazhdbog, Boyan - the descendant of Veles, the winds are called the sons of Stribog. Creatures such as Karna and Jell, personifications of sadness and longing are also mentioned, the god Khors is called great . It is not entirely clear who the Trojan is - whether it is the Roman emperor, or this is a message to the Greek city that has been holding a siege for ten years, or whether it is a fabulous deity of the Slavs. This gives every reason to believe that even at the end of the twelfth century, when the "Word ..." was written, people still did not forget their pagan gods, but worshiped them on a par with the Christian Lord.
And who is the author?
The greatest work "The Word of Igor's Regiment". His author knew well the relations between the princes, the life of Russia from the inside. But he also describes in detail the campaigns, maneuvers that Igor took during the battle. This gives the right to assume that he himself took part in the military campaign, was a combatant or close to the ruler. True, itās not possible to precisely name this person today.
Versions and Assumptions
Sketches of his native land (Kiev, the steppes near the Seversky Donets and Uda) is filled with "The Word of Igor's Campaign". The author may have traveled a lot in Russia, so he knows the area well. Some researchers believe that the work was written by Cyril of Turovsky, Prince Igor himself, Vladimir Svyatoslavovich or the daughter of Svyatoslav Vseselodovich Boleslav. There is a version that the work that went down in history was written by the boyar Petr Borislavovich from Kiev, which is mentioned in the Ipatiev list. But some historians believe that such a complex work has several authors, and not one. There are also scientists who consider the "Word ..." to be a quality fake, and not a real historical document, especially since the original has not reached our time. But be that as it may, the creator of the poem did a great job that leaves no one indifferent.
Instead of an afterword
The work deserves to be read by everyone - in full, in the original language.