Ivan the Fool. Tales of Ivan the Fool: the title. Russian fairy tales about Ivan the Fool

Probably, there is not a single speaker in Russian who could not recall at least one story, whose hero is Ivan the Fool. And everyone will be able to describe this hero: Ivan is the youngest son in the family, unlucky, lazy and good-natured. It is better not to ask for anything, otherwise, and then only after much persuasion, Ivanushka will make everything worse! But why, then, will he, at the end of the fairy tale, get all the best and half the kingdoms in addition? Let's try to figure this out.

Tales of Ivan the Fool: List

The tales themselves, or rather their retelling, will help us better understand the character of the hero. Take only three of them, so to speak, the most typical.

1. "Salt". Tale of the merchant's son Ivan, who, once set out on a ship with board and boards, fell during a storm on an unknown land and, finding salt there, went to trade it. Successfully selling everything, he managed to take away also the tsar's daughter. But the elder brothers did not yawn, they threw Ivan into the ocean, and themselves shared his prey. Yes, only a good hero and then lucky: took him home, right behind the festive table, the giant. And the father, having learned about the unworthy behavior of older brothers, drove them out of sight, and married the younger on the princess.
2. "A Tale of Ivan the Fool." In this tale, Ivan the Fool hunts three horses, which trample the grass in the royal garden. Helps him in this mouse, which the good fellow generously fed. Three horses - silver, gold and diamond - become the property of Ivanushka. But! As he was to all fools behind the stove, he remained: no one admitted his prey! Later, when it was necessary to jump to the balcony of the princess by the order of the tsar, he began to do it in turn, on every horse. And again he returned to the stove: what can you do - a fool ?! Only when they found him and brought him to the royal chambers did Ivan the fool and the princess live together. True, not in the wards themselves, but in the goose barn. And only three wars, which Ivan won on his magic horses, proved to the whole kingdom that he was no fool, he was just a very modest and brave man. A real hero! For this, Ivan became king.
3. "Fool and Birch". In this tale, a fool is a real one, because he tried to sell a bull inherited from an old dry birch tree found in the forest. And I gave her the same debt! And he went for money for two days, he waited for everything to come back. And only on the third - I could not stand it, I grabbed an ax on the trunk, and there - a treasure hidden by bandits! Well, to fools - happiness!

There are still tales of Ivan the Fool, their names can be continued indefinitely: "Horse, Tablecloth and Horn", "Ivan Bykovich", "Humpbacked Horse", "Sivka-Burka", "Ivan the Peasant Son and Miracle-Yudo" and Etc.

What is the image of Ivan so fond of people?

Why is Ivan the Fool the hero of fairy tales? Why does the Russian people get so much love for him? Is it because the Slavs in general have a sympathy for the wretched and wretched, such a Christian pity? You can talk about this for a long time.

After all, a people who lived for many centuries in poverty and hopelessness, probably felt the same unloved younger son - Ivan the fool, deceived by fate. Although, at the peak of this, not only a fairy tale, but also life itself taught - it's not that really a fool who, sitting on the stove, measures the ash with a cap, the birch spits or sells the bull in the ceiling, and the one who, being conceited, does not hear The world around him, is not connected with him. Pride is a sin, and it will be punished!

Faith in a miracle gives rise to miracles

Ivan in his actions is guided not by logic, but only by intuition. How can you get intuition to a person who always knows what, where and how much? How to develop it in the close framework of decency and canons? To the fool the law is not written, and if it is written, it is not read, and so on ... So, our Ivan will choose the most illogical, the most "wild" from all options, but it is necessary, as it later turns out, leading to luck. After all, nothing prevents him from listening to intuition, and most importantly, to hear it!

Remember the tale where Ivan worked three years on a priest, and when he was offered a bag of coins or a bag of sand for work, our hero, on the basis of only his understandable logic, chose sand? Fool, and only!

But on the way home he met a fire in the forest, in which a beautiful maiden was burning, then the sand came in handy! Ivan showered them fire, saved the girl, and she, being a sorceress, became his devoted wife and helper.

By the way, how do you think, why did the witch choose Ivan for herself? Yes, probably, all for the same reason: this person knows how to act not by the rules, but by listening to the heart. Who, if not a sorceress, can appreciate such a talent!

Characteristics of the character of the fairy-tale hero

Pay attention to the important qualities of the character of our protagonist. All Russian tales about Ivan the Fool describe him not just stupid, but naive. For him, each new day is an opportunity to live anew, that is, not to blame yourself infinitely for free and involuntary previous mistakes (yes he does not remember them!), But start from the new sheet. Is not this what the followers of all sorts of philosophical and religious trends seek to achieve?

In other words, Ivan the fool proves every time that from human knowledge and skills in life very little depends, that is, they are secondary and can not play the main, decisive role in the fate of man. Remember the saying of the greatest Lao Tzu: "Smart - not scientists, and scientists - not smart."

And Ivan in fairy tales is always absolutely open for higher knowledge. He, even when going on a journey, as a rule, "goes where his legs are" or "where his eyes are looking". He, therefore, immediately discards common sense (with which the older brothers do not part with the end of the tale), and this only leaves him to gain. It turns out that not everything in our life is subject to this very common sense!

Reflection in the image of Ivan the Fool of pagan traditions

Some researchers closely linked the image of Ivan with the pagan traditions preserved in folklore. For example, AA Durov in his thesis stressed that the Russian folk tales Ivan the Fool adorns himself not only because of his proximity, but because the Gentiles, it turns out, so called everyone who is passing the initiation rite.

And the essence here was precisely in the peculiarities of the neophyte's behavior: he had to forget his former life, to give up rationality in actions. It was this "stupidity" that became the distinctive quality of a person who wanted to turn from a "bugger" into a real man.

Remember: in a fairy tale, at the beginning of it, Ivan is a laughingstock, which, sitting behind the stove, excuse me for quoting, "snot on a fist". And in the end - this is a successful, successful young man. So, the initiation is over!

And if you look at it from the other side?

Perhaps, the image of Ivan the Fool's idler reveals only the people's dream of supernatural powers that can help anyone? And some researchers believe that Ivanushka is a poetic dream, reflecting the dream of a carefree, cheerful life that will still lead to happiness and wealth.

In the essay "Ivan the Fool. The roots of the Russian people's faith "A. Sinyavsky even mourns for the people who chose such a protagonist. After all, fools in fairy tales are dirty, ripped, unwashed, not having a penny for a soul, and even lazy to the point of insanity. But to play on the pipe or to compose songs - this is what they are. This total laziness frightens the author of the essay, because she allegedly proves that a Russian person, waiting for life's benefits from above, forgets about his personal responsibility.

Evg. Trubetskoi in his argument about the fairy-tale Fool argues that the habit of translating responsibility onto the "broad shoulders of Nikola the Sinner" is the scourge of the Slavic character, which lulls his energy and deprives him of the will to win.

Attitude in the tale of living creatures to Ivan the Fool

But it should be noted that it is not laziness or short-sightedness that attracts faithful admirers to Ivan for so many centuries, but his kindness, trustfulness and straightforwardness. This hero does not skimp on a kind word and deed: he will let go, having saved from a misfortune, a living being, will regret a wanderer or an old woman, and all of them will subsequently pay him in the same coin.

To such a hero as Ivan the fool, and a gray wolf will help, and a pike, and a dog, and a cat. Before him, all the barriers part - because he is not afraid that this may not happen!

Remember the path indicated in the movie "Sorcerers" for success: "I see the goal - do not see obstacles"? That's exactly what happens with Ivanushka in every fairy tale. He does not see obstacles to cutting off the twelve heads of Snake Gorynych or turn into a beautiful prince, plunging into a vessel with juvenile water. He trusts in God and receives according to his faith!

There are still variants of the origin of Ivan's insulting nickname

And maybe Ivan was also known as a fool not because of the peculiarities of his mind-reason? Just not lucky guy - was born the third in the family, which means that all the legacy left by the father will be taken away by the older sons, and the youngest will remain with nothing. Is not that why Ivan is a fool, that he has already been left behind?

There is one more variant of that, why Ivanushka wears such an insulting nickname. The fact is that in Ancient Russia children were given two names. One, received at baptism, was kept secret (remember the proverb: "call the name, and call the duck"?), And the second was deliberately icky, even frightening, so that the evil spirits did not want to take the child or do something bad for him: after all The kid is already worthless! And there lived in Russian villages children who wore up to 13 years of strange names: Strashko, Khvor, Gnilozub, Chernorot, etc.

Often the children were called in the order of birth: Pervak (or First), Drugak (Second, Other), Tretyak, Chetvertak and so on, by the number of heirs. So, some researchers believe that Fool is the transformed, mutated name of Drugak. Well, perhaps, and there were Fools only in the order of birth ...

The image of Ivan the fool in child psychology

Speaking of such an ambiguous image in Russian culture, it is important to note that tales of Ivan the Fool are also an effective method of children's psychotherapy. After all, a child naturally feels shyness before the future: how will he fit into adulthood? He knows, and he knows so little! And the tale calms him: "Do not be afraid, and not such at the top!" The fairy tale says: "The main thing is to take the first step, trusting the inner voice, and then you will get even more than you expect!"

And the child, pushed by the success of such a hero as Ivan the Fool, goes, without fear, into adulthood, provided with an important experience: there is no such floor from which it would be impossible to rise, there is no such trouble that could not be overcome.

By the way, every child, and fairy Ivan is always open to a miracle. Maybe that's why miracles happen to them all the time? And the fairy tale about the Fool is actually a fairy tale and how to forget the excessive "cleverness" if you are trying to win.

So who is this favorite fairy-tale hero?

Researchers believe that tales of Ivan the Fool carry a certain strategy that does not come from standard postulates that call for always acting reasonably, but, on the contrary, relies on the search for original, illogical and unexpected solutions. But they are successful!

In Ivan the Fool, an ideal person is hidden - true to his word, honest and devoid of personal interest. After all, he treats riches (received as a supplement to his wife) negatively, despite the fact that he always owns it at the end of a fairy tale.

This state of affairs is quite understandable in that the desire for wealth - this from the point of view of the Russian people is always a sign of greed, greed, and therefore can not be the quality of a positive person. And since Ivanushka is the embodiment of something ideal, he simply has to be an uncensored person who does not know the value of money and does not want to make money for them.

Why does God love fools?

Although the statement in the subtitle seems at first glance to be illogical, the logic is still there. Judge for yourself: there is no one else to rely on the Fool! No one else can help him! And he will not help himself either. There remains only hope for God's providence.

In addition, Ivan the Fool, in which tales he would not appear, is always filled with extraordinary trust only in this. He does not listen to human advice and learns nothing from his own experience, but he is absolutely open to Providence - and it never fails to bring such a hero!

And not only Fools, but also quite reasonable heroes of fairy tales the Lord deduces from a difficult situation for them, as soon as they find themselves at a crossroads - they do not know where to go. That is, behind each of them is invisibly the image of Ivan the fool, his passive, open for perception state, which helps to make the only right choice and win in the struggle for life.

The image of Fool in literature and cinema

Ivan the fool, capable of "cracking" all the limits and decorum, so closely encircled an ordinary man, has taken deep roots in Russian literature and cinema. In this way, FM Dostoevsky, and AN Ostrovsky, NS Leskov, and M. Gorky, and many other famous writers and poets, used it in their time.

After all, in his mouth, you can put something that the "noble" hero will never say, and his actions make the viewer in constant tension and follow the development of the plot without stopping.

Art proves to us: Fools are truly free people. They are not bound by conventions, their actions are not amenable to logic, and everything that is done by them is the right way to the Miracle.

And thank God that Fools are ineradicable! Otherwise, miracles would simply go away from us, and the world, accordingly, would be wiped out by the efforts of "wise men" and pragmatists.

If in order for the world to have a place for Magic, they are necessary, it means that each of us can and should, from time to time, put on the cap of the main hero of the fairy tale about Ivan the Fool. The names that we give to this action are always the same - this is life!