Folk fantasy surprisingly anticipated the future. In folklore, fairy-tale objects sometimes appear: gusli-samogudy, table-cloth, self-assembled and the like "gadgets". Two Russian folk tales in the treatment of A. N. Afanasyev contain information about the harp. One is called that.
"Gusli Samogudy"
The tale has the following plot: the poor, father and son Vanka, raised turnips. The son went to harvest and noticed a thief, a boy. He was already dragging two bags of turnip from the field. The child asked for help and assured that his grandfather would pay. Immediately, the boy advised not to agree to gold and ask for a gusli-samoguda.
Vanka did just that, got a harp in exchange for the fact that he was most dear to his house. But he miscalculated: it turns out that his grandfather did not mean property, but his father. When the son returned, he had already died. After Vanka left home in the city. Pigs grazed near the city. He played in the harp and the pigs danced.
The daughter of the local sovereign sent to buy one pig. Vanka said that he would answer only personally. When she came up, they conspired: the girl showed her legs to the knees in exchange for a pig. There was a birthmark on my leg. The sovereign announced that he would give his daughter away for someone who learns the signs of his daughter. Roly came, answered questions and became the son-in-law of the king.
"Wise wife"
The plot of the second tale is in the adventures of one of the three brothers, a fool. The father did not want to give him an inheritance, knowing about the impracticality of his son. But the fool shamed him, and he gave him on a par with smart one hundred rubles. The brothers bought the bulls, and the fool bought a cat and a dog. All three went around the world to seek a better life.
A fool reached the river, but there was nothing to pay for the transportation. A ship is floating on the river. The fool shouted to the owner to take his goods for half the share and toss the cat onto the deck. Having sailed to a country where there are no cats, but there are many rats, the captain sold it for six barrels of gold and returned the fool three by agreement.
The fool gave two barrels to the poor, and on the third he bought incense and burned it in the field as a thank you to God. God sent an angel to ask what he needed. The fool found it difficult to answer. The angel advised him to go ask the plowmen that they worked nearby. When asked what he needed, two plowmen reasonably noticed that they had no idea. For this they were killed by a fool. The third, seeing such a turn of events, advised me to wish a good wife. The fool did so.
An angel told him to catch a roach with a golden ring and indicated the place where she would swim. The fool caught the fish, according to the teachings of the angel threw himself over and hit the ground. The fish turned into a girl. They spent the night in the field. When the fool fell asleep, his wife magically summoned twelve workers, and they built a palace by morning.
The king of that land ordered the fool to build a bridge from the chambers to the palace. My wife helped to do this. Then the king sent a fool to the dead to his dead father to find out where he hid the money. The wife helped to cope with this task. Then the king gives the task to bring the gusli-samoguda. The wife gives him a hand-embroidered towel and points the way.
He reached the forest hut where the old woman lived. It turned out that her son was making a harp. When the master returned, he ordered the fool not to sleep, and he himself began to get along the harp. The dream almost defeated the fool, but he washed and took out a towel. The old woman recognized her daughter's hand in embroidery. We walked, then the fool went home.
On the road he meets a robber, and a fool makes him dance to his harp. Makes an exchange for a club, but then regrets and orders the club to take away the harp. Arriving home, he orders the club to kill the king and himself sits on the throne.
Belarusian fairy tale "Three - the son of the Nameless One"
The poor were born a son. They could not christen him, because the priest demanded a fee. The children began to call him Nameless. The boy grew up and went for happiness. So he came to the forest hut, where three old men lived. They adopted him, named the Three-son and educated. When he became an adult, they presented him with a magic horse and taught how to get a feather of the Firebird. Then they advised him to cure the royal horses.
He succeeded. The king appointed him the chief groom. After some time, the king wanted the Firebird and sent it after her. The horse, presented by the three named fathers, helped to catch the Firebird. The king again sends him on a journey. This time, find out from the Sun about the cause of the eclipse.
Again the horse helped, sent to the mother of the Sun. On the way, Trem promised to help the otter, crow and whale fish. Three told the mother of the Sun, and she helped him. When the Sun returned, she hid Trem in a chest and asked her son about everything: it turned out that the eclipse was due to Nastasya the beauty. The sun wanted to burn out the ocean where she lives, but could not. He also gave a solution to the issues of otters with ravens and whale fish.
I reported to the Three Tsars the cause of the eclipse, but the king ordered the beauty to be brought to him by Nastasya. The horse helps to lure the girl with ribbons and bring to the king. Now the girl demands her beauty. The king gives the order to get beauty from the bottom of the sea. Horse helps in this. The order is also carried out by the otter, raven and whale fish.
But the girl demands a gusli-samoguda, which give her fun. To do this, she passes a handkerchief - wipe her eyes so as not to fall asleep. The horse directs Trem to the Wolf-Volkovich, who makes them. He forbade sleeping while work was in progress. The young man takes out a handkerchief, and the Wolf recognizes the embroidery of his sister.
On the way back, the young man meets a robber with a magic club, a sorcerer with a golden casket and a merchant with a self-assembled tablecloth. He first changes with them, and then orders the club to take away the harp. Carpenters, having danced, give him a magic hatchet.
Approaching the royal city, he builds a palace. Opening the casket, calls the army. The tablecloth feeds everyone. The king arrived, accompanied by Nastasya the beautiful. She suddenly chopped off the head of Three. Then she boils his body in milk, and he comes to life with a handsome, handsome man. The king desires the same, and Nastasya also cuts off his head. But throws it to the dogs.
Three marries her and becomes king.
Mari Tale
Let's get acquainted with the work of Mari folklore called "Gusli-Samogudy".
Hunter Echan wants to get married. Disobeying his mother, he kills a duck with golden feathers. At the bazaar, the rich Luzhavuy meets him and sends him for a gem, and takes the duck by deceit. Echan returns to his mother, and she sends him to an old woman. She gives him a glomerulus, which leads to the lake. From the bottom Echan takes out a chest in which a gem is stored, and brings Tinned.
But he again sends him for the right thing. This time it’s a self-harp. Echan's bride gives him a towel. Again the old woman helps, directs the hunter to the master. The master does not allow to sleep while tuning the gusli. In order not to fall asleep, Echan pulls out a towel. The master is delighted with the beautiful embroidery and gives Echan a gusli. The hunter calls him to a wedding, promises him to find a bride who embroiders beautifully.
While Echan was absent, Luzhavuy made his bride his concubine. Echan makes him dance to exhaustion under the magical harp. He promises to release his bride and give money for a duck and a gem. At the wedding there is a master. He found a wife, an embroiderer.
Common motives
In all tales there is something that unites them. This is the requirement to stay awake while the fabulous gusli-samoguda are made. Violation is punishable by death. In all cases, a scarf (towel) saves, which is recognized by embroidery and make indulgence. In the Mari tale - for the extraordinary beauty of the pattern on the towel.
The methods for obtaining magic items are also the same. Exchange and subsequent orders with a baton to select the exchanged thing. The palace, built by a miracle, with the help of an hatchet or with the help of a wife. In one tale, the helper is a horse, in another a wife.
All this opens the origins of the tale, leads to the laws of its occurrence. Apparently, the harp played a significant role in antiquity.
The role of gusli in Russia
Epic heroes played on the harp. Warriors carried them with them on campaigns. Funeral rituals were accompanied by the singing of a hussar. With their help they turned to the gods. This instrument was subjected to persecution, many were burned for pagan songs. But it was not possible to eradicate to the end.
It is hard to say in which fairy tale the gusli-samoguds play a more significant role. Rather, they are an expression of an old dream. Like Nastasya the beauty, people consider them the reason for the fun. He was always lacking in the old days.
Now you can listen to music freely, and not only performed by gusli. It once seemed like a fairy tale. Let us value this opportunity!