It is not difficult to answer the question “Who is Berendey?”, On the one hand, and, on the other hand, to give a detailed and complete description of this semi-mythical image. This theme was addressed at different times by our wonderful poet, an amazing playwright, and a wonderful extraordinary composer. And nowadays in 1968 the film "The Snow Maiden" was created. Actor P. Kadochnikov played the role of Tsar Berendey. He is wise, perspicacious, kind and fair.
Let's start with poetic lines
The first told the Russian reader a tale about Tsar Berendey V. A. Zhukovsky. The poet devoted little space to him. The main characters in it are Ivan Tsarevich, Marya Tsarevna, daughter of Koshchei the Immortal and Tsar Koschey. Berendey appears only at the beginning of the legend and at the end. How does the poet Berendey appear? Who is it?
An elderly king with a beard to his knees. He has no children before old age. He is deeply sad about this. Leaving his capital city to explore his kingdom, he absented for 8 months. On the way back, at the end of the ninth month, on a sultry, hot day, he wanted to rest. The tent was stuffy. The king dreamed of a clean key cold water. He mounted his horse and traveled around the field. He met a full well in which a bucket with an amber handle floated.
The ladle was not simple: it was not given into the hands of the king. Then Berendey stopped catching a cunning little dish, but simply bent down to the water, drowning the whole beard in it, and began to drink eagerly. Having quenched his thirst, the unfortunate king could not raise his head from the well. Claws of the monster clung tightly to it with eyes burning like huge emeralds. The monster does not let go. Taunts. “Give,” he says, “that which you do not know.” Berendey thought. He knew everything in his kingdom, and he agreed. Got the coveted freedom and left.
What was waiting for the king at home
The tale of Berendey Zhukovsky continues. The queen with a pretty baby in her arms came out to meet him on the porch. Berendey spun. "Who is it?" - asks. “Your little son, Ivanushka,” the beloved wife says. Now the king understood what he did not know and with whom he had to part. Berendey did not tell anyone about his promise, only all the time he waited for the baby to come and take away, and therefore he was always sad. But time passed, the prince grew up, no one came after him, and the tsar began to forget history at the well. Ivanushka grew up handsome and went hunting in the woods.
The Adventures of Tsarevich
We continue the tale of Berendey. More often, an old man with an green beard and green eyes crawled out of the hollow to the tsar’s son and told the prince to go to his father and remind him of his duty. Ivanushka thought and went back. He told the king-priest about the meeting and strange words. Then Berendey wept and revealed his terrible secret to his son. “Do not cry, do not twist,” answered the son. “I’ll go, and if I don’t return after a year, then I’m not alive.” He mounted his horse and galloped to an unknown destination. He met a lake. 30 ducks swam on it, and thirty white shirts lay on the shore. The prince took one of them and hid with her in the bushes. Swam ducks came ashore and turn into beautiful girls. Quickly dressed in their shirts and disappeared. Only one plaintively shouts at the coast, beats wings. It was a pity for her Ivanushka, and he went out to her. She tells him: "Give me my dress, then I will come in handy for you."
Ivan sat in the bushes, turned away, and then a girl of
indescribable beauty came up to him and in a clear voice tells that she and her 29 sisters, the daughter of Koshchei the immortal, who owns the underworld. “Do, prince, everything that I teach you, and fear nothing.” She stamped her foot, and both went underground.
The appearance of the prince in the palace of Koshchei and the first tasks
Ivan entered Koshchei’s light stone palace, knelt before the throne. King Koschey was very angry at first, and then laughed. He said that if Ivan served him three services, he would receive freedom. Sent Koschey Tsarevich to rest on the road and early in the morning called for him.
He asked the first thing: to build a marble palace with a golden roof and crystal windows overnight and set up a garden with ponds around it. Ivan returned to his chambers with heavy thoughts. Then a golden bee flew into his window. She turned into Marya Tsarevna. Ivanushka told her about her misfortune. The girl comforted him and promised that by morning everything would be done, and the prince only had to go and tap with a hammer. And so it happened. When Koschey saw the palace, he could not believe his eyes. He was angry, but gave a new task for tomorrow: to choose the youngest of his 30 daughters. He sits in his chambers, and again the bee flies to him and tells that the sisters all have one face, and he recognizes her by the midge on her cheek.
Ivan's choice of girl
In the morning, 30 girls stood in front of the royal son. Three times he needs to go past them and choose the youngest. It was not easy. Two times Ivan passed by the girls, but did not see the midges. He goes for the last time, peers very carefully and sees a midge on his pink cheek. Ivan took the chosen one and brought her forward. Angry Koschey. Feels that the matter is unclean.
The third trick Koshchei
He immediately gave Ivan the third task: to sew boots. The prince left for himself, thoughtful. Then a little beetle flies in a window and says that both of them need to run away from inevitable death.
She spat on the window, and her saliva froze. They went out and locked the door with a key. They threw the key away: no one will find. Both were at the lake, where they first met. There the horse grazes on the grass ant. He recognized the owner, rushed over and stood before him. The prince and the princess mounted a horse and rushed forward to freedom. Koschey, meanwhile, sends messengers to find out if the boots are ready. They salivate from behind the door that they will arrive soon. So it happened again. Enraged by Koschey and ordered the doors to be broken, there is nobody behind them. "In pursuit!" - screams Koschey. Servants set out to catch the fugitives. Only Mary the Princess, just in case, has various tricks in store.
The mistake of Ivan Tsarevich
Koschey himself could not catch them, so unfortunately the beautiful city they met along the way. Ivan was drawn into the city, and Marya warned him that there he could forget her and she would die. And so it happened. From longing, the beautiful princess turned into a blue flower. He dug it up and put it in a pot in his hut in an old man. Zhukovsky's tale "Tsar Berendey" comes to an end. Once again, she managed to turn into a beautiful princess girl and rescue her married from the city right from the wedding. So now they rushed to the palace of Berendey, where they were greeted as welcome and dear guests. They did not think for a long time, they called the guests and played a wedding.
Who are the Berendei
Since time immemorial, as historian S. M. Soloviev believes, this tribe served under the prince of Vladimir Andrei Bogolyubsky and lived near Pereyaslavl-Zalessky. Remained in the memory of people in these places Berendeevo swamp and traces of housing nearby. However, some of them wandered and protected the borders of Kiev from the Polovtsy and other princes. So this tribe was not mythical at all, but quite real. Did they have a king named Berendey? Who this is is not established by historians. Most likely, it was a petty prince. He remained in tradition, like this tribe unfamiliar to us. It happened in the XII century. One hundred years later, part of the Berendey moved to Hungary and Bulgaria. The remains of the tribe united with the Slavs and turned into Rusich.
In mythology, which was perfectly used by the writer N. Ostrovsky, and then the composer N. Rimsky-Korsakov, there is a peasant king Berendey. Who is it? The man who kissed the cross on fidelity to his people, farmers and farmers. He is the guardian of faith and the wise mentor of his subjects.
Vera Berendeyev
They were pagans and spiritualized all the surrounding nature. Every pebble, especially a large boulder, every tree and any bush and leaf had a soul. They, like everyone, wanted to know their future. The fortunetelling of the Berendey was that they looked at the leaves that fell under their feet.
So their patroness, nature, gave them signs. If today you want to tell fortunes about love, then you can write on the leaflet the name of your lover, then toss up:
- If he rose high, then everything goes joyfully and mutually. If he is still spinning in the air, then the relationship will be happy and long.
- If it flew to the side or low, then quarrels could occur.
- If the leaf fell, then expect conflicts.
Fortune telling on flowers. It is necessary to collect a bouquet of wildflowers and put in a vase or jar. Then make a wish and notice your flower. If he fades during the night, then the desire will not come true. On the bouquet you can divine the whole family. Only everyone should choose a separate flower.
Fortune telling on autumn leaves. 9 fallen leaves are collected: three red, three green, three yellow. They are collected in an arbitrary stack, and then three leaves are taken out of it. By combinations of their colors, the meaning is decrypted:
- 3 red leaves gathered - you will be accomplished if you show dexterity and ingenuity.
- 2 red and yellow - unexpected talents will open.
- 2 red and green - wait for luck if you are decisive.
- 2 yellow and red mean a romantic meeting and love or a meeting that will change life for the better.
- 2 yellow and green - small chores.
- 3 yellow - luck will come.
- 2 green and yellow - will pass the charm of love.
- 2 green and red - take action and drive out the spleen.
- 3 green - do analysis and self-improvement.
Fortune telling on different leaves of trees
- A straight rosehip leaf will say that relationships can change for the worse.
- The inverted willow leaf means that the desired will come true very soon. Even if it seems that everything has collapsed, you can still be sure that everything will work out even better than you expected.
- A straight oak leaf indicates successful career growth.
- A leaf of linden warns of accidents or of someone's envy. Beware of enemies.
- An inverted fern leaf means an unpredictable situation.
- A straight leaf of maple is a success in business.
- A straight leaf of raspberries - wait for happiness and prosperity on the doorstep.
- Inverted viburnum - beware of depression. One must strive for happiness.
- Straight Aspen Leaf - Believe Dreams. They are prophetic.
So to this day they are guessing according to Berendey secrets. Do not attach too much importance to them, it is much better to look carefully at your actions and the actions of others.
On this, the story of the Berendey can be considered complete.