Each of us in childhood, reading Russian folk tales, very often came across a character named Nightingale the Robber. In epics describes the formidable weapon of the Nightingale the Robber. The answer to the question of what it is is still completely unexplored, as well as its image.
Who is the Nightingale the Robber in the East Slavic epic?
The fact that the Nightingale the Robber is a negative hero and the main enemy of the Russian heroes is known to everyone. He sits on three oaks. The nest itself is twisted on nine oaks. And the Nightingale the Robber does not give the passage to either horse or foot. And for fear, the formidable weapon of the Nightingale the Robber is used. Which, we’ll try to figure it out now.
In general, there is still no consensus among historians and researchers of ancient Slavonic literature and epics (epics and legends) about how this monster looked and how it frightened those passing and passing by.
As for the image of this hero, even the original epics and legends do not contain a clear answer to this question. Artists who created illustrations for literary works often showed and are displaying a rather free fantasy, portraying him as half a man, half a beast (most often a snake with bird wings, or simply a dragon with a human appearance). By the way, the image of a snake is also present in many plots of Russian fairy tales (this is the Serpent Gorynych).
In the epics themselves there is only a mention of what was the formidable weapon of the Nightingale the Robber. The answer, and the most complete one, is impossible to obtain even when reading the original texts. Here, only the fact is mentioned that the character (Odikhmantiev son or Rakhmanovich in another way) has been using a monstrous whistle, a roar of animals and incredible heroic strength for thirty years. So, if someone is asked: “Name the Nightingale the Robber’s formidable weapon,” you can confidently answer that it is a whistle and a roar. But even here, not all researchers of the Russian epic have agreement between themselves.
Origin of the image
As for the image itself, for some reason its human part is often portrayed as a Tugarin-snake. It is not surprising, because the time of the creation of these epics dates back to the Mongol-Tatar conquest of Russia and its stay under the yoke of the Golden Horde, when Russian princes were forced to pay tribute.
Actually, the name of the robber (Rakhmaniev, Rakhmanovich) prompts precisely this idea, although the names themselves seem, so to speak, Russified. For example, “Rakhmanyev” can be interpreted as a surname or as a reference to a middle name (Rakhmanyev son). "Rakhmanovich" can easily be just a middle name. As already clear, Rahman (and even more so Odikhmant) is clearly not a Russian name.
Some historical studies
Let's consider one more important aspect. Suppose you are asked: "Name the formidable weapon of the Nightingale the Robber." Do not rush to give an answer that this is an animal roar and a deafening whistle. Here it is also necessary to take into account references to an unprecedented heroic power. For a better understanding of the essence of this issue, you need to turn to history.
The fact is that at that time there was a path from Ostra to the capital city of Kiev by land and along the Desna River. It is assumed that the prototype of the Nightingale the Robber could serve as a real person who took a tribute for travel on the road. It may well be that he even decided to monopolize his craft so that no one else would claim such “customs duties”.
What formidable weapon of the Nightingale the Robber could a real person use? Naturally, an association immediately arises with screams or whistles, which were widely used to intimidate the enemy, for example, pirates in the capture of enemy ships. In addition, such a formidable weapon of the Nightingale the Robber, like a whistle, could bring confusion and commotion into the ranks of enemies.
As for the alleged place of residence of the real person who served as the prototype of this bandit, many historians are inclined to think that it could be the village of Zazimye (Brovarsky district, Kiev region, Ukraine). It may very well be, given that the road connected not only Oster, but for the most part Chernihiv with Kiev, and not far from the city of Karachayev was the village of Nine Oaks with the Smorodinka River flowing there (by the way, it is mentioned in the epics themselves, only with the name Smorodina).
However, if you understand what the Nightingale the Robber’s formidable weapon could use the prototype of this character, it may very well be that he really possessed remarkable physical strength, especially since in epics there is a direct mention to this. It is enough to refer to the original texts.
Conclusion
As you can already see, speaking of what constituted the Nightingale the Robber’s formidable weapon, one can clearly distinguish three of the most well-known aspects: nightingale whistling, animal roar and heroic strength. Moreover, as the epics say, the robber did not use his strength, because already only from a whistle and a roar "grasses are crocheted, flowers are showered, forests are bending to the ground, and people are dead."