They are the most popular type of folklore; they create an amazing artistic world in which all the possibilities of this genre are fully revealed. When we say “fairy tale,” we often mean a magical story that fascinates children from a very young age. Why does she captivate her listeners/readers? Let's try to understand this and thus highlight the main features of a fairy tale.

Fiction is the main feature

The most important feature of a fairy tale is that its world and all events are based solely on fiction. When listing the characteristics of a fairy tale, one should begin with the ability to tear the reader away from everyday life and transport him to a fictional world that has no resemblance to the real one. Because in the fairy-tale world the boundaries of space and time are erased, and there are many examples of this: the thirtieth state, which is located far away, or the countdown of time, which is calculated in the magical system by such concepts as many and few.

Fairytale time is a circle that closes on itself. The tale begins in magical world, a space where the laws of physics we are used to do not apply and time is calculated according to completely different rules. Take, for example, the most common and most beloved technique used in fairy tales - triple repetition (which occupies a leading place in the classification of “signs of a fairy tale”). It is usually used at the very beginning of fairy-tale events and allows you to slow down the development of actions. The ending, on the contrary, speeds up; by the way, it is always happy and often ends with a wedding.

Fascinating story

What other signs of a fairy tale can be identified? The plot of the fairy tale is fascinating and very complex. It consists of episodes that are directly related to the main character and his task. The hero receives a task of a high level of difficulty, for which he is promised to be showered with gold, given a princess as his wife, or fulfilled some wish. Tasks can range from searching and obtaining an exotic item to eliminating some super-strong and powerful creature. And here the most interesting part of the fairy tale begins - the journey, which is also traditionally included in the list of “signs of a fairy tale.”

It's time to hit the road

The main character goes to distant and unknown lands and overcomes various obstacles and difficulties along the way. On a difficult journey, with his good deeds he wins the hearts of his comrades, who promise to help him in this difficult task. Together, thanks to cunning, they defeat ill-wishers, of whom there are many along the way to the main goal.

By the way, the characters in fairy tales are divided into two groups. One of them includes main character together with his assistants, and in the other - the assistants of the main enemy and himself. Initially, the enemy is much stronger than the main character, and as events unfold, his advantage may even increase. But the main character always learns about the enemy’s weak point and a way to defeat him.

The effect of surprise

But with the main character’s capabilities, things are different: at first they are significantly understated. Signs of a fairy tale include the obligatory presence of a central and secondary characters and their characteristics. The nicknames of the main character can indicate weak mental abilities; sometimes it also leaves much to be desired. This way the effect of surprise is achieved.

When all the side characters - strong, smart and skillful - fail to complete a difficult task for which a reward is due, then the main character appears, who, it seems, is even more unable to cope. But still they give him a chance so as not to discriminate. This turn of events can be classified as “signs of a folk tale.”

Thanks to your courage and good deeds during the journey main character receives various unique magical items or wins friends whom he saves from certain death. They often become talking animals, who subsequently help with tasks with their ideas or participate in the actions themselves.

Miracles in fairy tales are simply necessary. They can be used to explain various phenomena, such as transformations into different creatures, instant movement to any distance and the victory of a weak positive hero over a strong negative one. All of the above can be described as signs of a folk tale.

Moral implications

The fairy tale gives lessons and develops right actions the main character is shown what he should be good man: he performs noble deeds and does not expect any reward for them. Thus, the fairy tale teaches the right things and gives a positive example to the little reader. Good must necessarily defeat evil, justice must triumph - the main idea of ​​fairy tales.

All this is described in the fairy tale in a very simple, but very colorful and poetic language. The storytelling style of many fairy tales is very similar, but each of them is unique and interesting.

Poetics of magic

Let's summarize: what signs of a fairy tale have we discovered? It has a special composition; it contains such a technique as threefold repetition; the fairy tale has unusual, magical plots in which miraculous transformations often occur; it also has negative and positive heroes, and good necessarily defeats evil.

It is not at all difficult to identify the characteristics of a fairy tale - it is a mandatory inclusion in the content of a certain attitude towards fiction, which will determine the poetics of the fairy tale. In it, two worlds exist in parallel - the real and the magical, into which the hero finds himself from the real. In a fairy tale, the motive of a journey can be traced, during which the main character will have to go through many tests and also in a fairy tale, the hero is often helped by some kind of magical assistant or accompanies him to his cherished goal. Often, the main character is given various magical objects as a gift for performing a good deed.

Fairy tale motifs are present in folk art in many countries. Oriental tales, European tales and tales of the peoples of our country are widely known. We are considering them mainly in their original form; we will not touch upon them for now. literary fairy tales individual writers. And from the fairy tales themselves, we will choose more magical ones, although there are also everyday ones, and treasured ones, just folk ones. The very beginning and ending of a fairy tale among the Russian people differs from the fairy tales of other peoples. For example, some French folk tales there is such an ending: “That’s it! The more I tell, the more I lie. Nobody gave me money so I could tell you the truth.” (“Jean happy”). Or in oriental tales: “The Sultan lived with his wife and mother for a long time, until death came to them all” (“Aladdin and the Magic Lamp”). In Russian fairy tales there is more kindness and less resourcefulness. Affectionate beginning: “Once upon a time there were.” And an equally kind ending: “They began to live well and make good things”...

It's not that insignificant. We often see “innumerable riches” in oriental fairy tales, and people seeking to acquire them often resort to compromise or deception; remember how Ali Baba stole stolen goods from robbers. In Russian fairy tales, we do not meet positive heroes acting in this way; if there is cunning, then it is used exclusively with good intentions. And all our fairy tales, as a rule, are positive, revealing more about the state of mind than material wealth. To make good in a Russian fairy tale means, first of all, to accumulate good deeds, good thoughts and feelings.

Our fairy tales are very patriotic. Remember how it is mentioned almost everywhere: “There is a Russian spirit, there is a smell of Russia!” Their national feature is that they have a Motherland that must be defended; in not a single fairy tale will we encounter wars of conquest or violence. If Nikita Kozhemyak harnessed the Snake to the plow, then it was he who made people account for the fact that he ate all the Russian girls. And the strength of heroes in Russian fairy tales lies in their kindness and honesty. Without belittling the content of fairy tales of other peoples, I would still like to note that Russian fairy tales are more meaningful and concise, more comprehensive, and fairy-tale heroes very intelligent and bright.

A special feature of fairy tales is that they are an alternative to religion. In some fairy tales published before the revolution, one can also find a religious motif, but for the most part, the fairy tales contain obvious irony towards priests and their environment. As for God and faith, in fairy tales faith is only in goodness and justice.

The form of presentation in them is unobtrusive, the actions are not fictitious, but lived, this is the spiritual experience of the people translated into language. And they were written not with the mind, but with the heart.

A fairy tale is a type of creativity reminiscent of fables. Much is encrypted in them, much is allegorical. We will see this later on specific examples. In any fairy tale you can see a way out for a person caught in some kind of crisis; she does it tactfully and wisely.

The fairy tale also reflects the character of our people - altruistic, independent. German fairy tales, for example, reflect more folk rationalism, Indian fairy tales reflect poetic mythology and dreaminess, and among the Siberian peoples mysticism and allegory.

The characters in fairy tales are very diverse. Please note that many objects, be it buckets, a stove, a broom, many trees and animals, seem to be alive - they move and talk. This is very important point, and why will become clear later.

If proverbs and sayings are more local and specific, then fairy tales reflect a larger range human feelings. Knowledge of a Russian fairy tale gives a person the opportunity to sort of behave in life; it guides him inner essence, and does not develop logical resourcefulness, as is practiced in educational games or in mathematics. With the help of a Russian fairy tale you cannot learn to be evil and bad.

    Introduction…………………………………………………………….................................. .......3

    Main part……………………………………………………………..4

2.1 Features of Russian folk tales……………………………......4

2.2 The significance of the fairy tale. Cognitive significance of the tale……………………...6

    Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………8

List of references……………………………………………………………….9

I. Introduction.

The fairy tale teaches us to understand goodness,

To talk about people's actions

If he is bad, then condemn him,

Well, the weak need to protect him!

Children learn to think, dream,

Get answers to your questions.

Every time they learn something

They will know their homeland!

In the second grade, we began to study a new subject - literary reading, in which we get acquainted with the folklore of various peoples and the genre of oral folk art - fairy tales. And I wondered: what is the peculiarity of Russian folk tales? And then I decided to test the HYPOTHESIS: if I study in detail the literature about the features of Russian folk tales, and what is their cognitive significance of fairy tales, then I will be able to tell my classmates about my discoveries, and this, in turn, will enrich the children’s knowledge about the features of this genre of CNT. They will get acquainted with the culture and traditions of the Russian people, which will contribute to their creative development and they will become interested in the subject literary reading.

Purpose of the study:

Explore the features of Russian folk tales.

Research objectives:

Study literary and electronic sources about the features of Russian folk tales.

Share the research results with your classmates.

Object of study:

Russian folk tales.

Subject of study:

Features and significance of Russian folk tales, their educational significance.

Research methods:

Familiarization with literature.

Proposing a hypothesis.

Observation and data analysis.

Conclusions and generalization of results.

Relevance

I believe that my topic is relevant, since nowadays children hardly read fairy tales and practically do not know them. A fairy tale is one of the main genres of folklore. The heroes of fairy tales are ordinary people and animals. More characteristic Every fairy tale has a happy ending. There are fairy tales about animals, magical and everyday ones. And it is fairy tales that teach us to distinguish good from evil and help us to be wiser in our lives.

II. Main part.

A fairy tale is an epic genre of written and oral folk art: a prosaic oral story about fictional events in the folklore of different peoples. A type of narrative folklore that includes works of different genres, the texts of which are based on fiction.

2.1 Features of Russian folk tales.

Funny and sad, scary and funny, they are familiar to us from childhood. Our first ideas about the world, good and evil, and justice are associated with them.

Both children and adults love fairy tales. They inspire writers and poets, composers and artists. Based on fairy tales, plays and films are staged, operas and ballets are created. Fairy tales came to us from ancient times. They were told by poor wanderers, tailors, and retired soldiers.

A fairy tale is one of the main types of oral folk art. A fictional narrative of a fantastic, adventure or everyday nature.

A fairy tale is a work in which the main feature is “an orientation towards revealing the truth of life with the help of conventionally poetic fiction that elevates or reduces reality.”

A fairy tale is an abstracted form of local legend, presented in a more condensed and crystallized form: The original form of folk tales are local legends, parapsychological stories and stories of miracles that arise in the form of ordinary hallucinations due to the intrusion of archetypal contents from the collective unconscious.

The authors of almost all interpretations define a fairy tale as a type of oral narrative with fantastic fiction. The connection with myth and legends pointed out by M.-L. Von Franz takes the fairy tale beyond the limits of a simple fantasy story. A fairy tale is not only a poetic invention or a game of fantasy; through content, language, plots and images, it reflects the cultural values ​​of its creator.

Russian folk tales are divided into three groups:

- fairy tales about animals- the most ancient type of fairy tale. They have their own circle of heroes. Animals talk and behave like people. The fox is always cunning, the wolf is stupid and greedy, the hare is cowardly.

- everyday tales - the heroes of these fairy tales - the peasant, the soldier, the shoemaker - live in the real world and usually fight with the master, the priest, the general. They win thanks to resourcefulness, intelligence and courage.

- fairy tales- heroes of fairy tales fight tooth and nail, defeat enemies, save friends when faced with evil spirits. Most of these tales involve the search for a bride or a kidnapped wife.

Fairy tale composition:

1. Beginning. (“In a certain kingdom, in a certain state there lived…”).

2. Main part.

3. Ending. (“They began to live – to live well and make good things” or “They arranged a feast for the whole world...”).

Heroes of fairy tales: The favorite hero of Russian fairy tales is Ivan the Tsarevich, Ivan the Fool, Ivan the Peasant Son. This is a fearless, kind and noble hero who defeats all enemies, helps the weak and wins happiness for himself. An important place in Russian fairy tales is given to women - beautiful, kind, smart and hardworking. This is Vasilisa the Wise, Elena the Beautiful, Marya Morevna or Sineglazka. The embodiment of evil in Russian fairy tales is most often Koschey the Immortal, the Serpent Gorynych and Baba Yaga. Baba Yaga is one of the most ancient characters in Russian fairy tales. This is a scary and evil old woman. She lives in the forest in a hut on chicken legs, rides in a mortar. Most often it harms the heroes, but sometimes it helps. The Serpent Gorynych, a fire-breathing monster with several heads flying high above the ground, is also a very famous character in Russian folklore. When the Serpent appears, the sun goes out, a storm rises, lightning flashes, the earth trembles.

In Russian fairy tales there are often repeated definitions: good horse; Gray wolf; red maiden; good fellow, as well as combinations of words: a feast for the whole world; go wherever your eyes lead you; the riotous man hung his head; neither to say in a fairy tale, nor to describe with a pen; soon the tale is told, but not soon the deed is done; how long, how short... Often in Russian fairy tales, a definition is placed after the word being defined, which creates a special melodiousness: my dear sons; the sun is red; written beauty...

Short and truncated forms of adjectives are characteristic of Russian fairy tales: the sun is red; the riotous man hung his head; - and the verbs: grab instead of grabbed, go instead of go. The language of fairy tales is characterized by the use of nouns and adjectives with various suffixes, which give them the diminutive – endearing meaning: little one, brother, rooster, sunshine... All this makes the presentation smooth, melodious, and emotional. Various intensifying and excretory particles also serve the same purpose: this, that, what, ka... (What a miracle! Let me go to the right. What a miracle!) Since ancient times, fairy tales have been close and understandable to the common people. Fiction intertwined with reality in them. Living in poverty, people dreamed of flying carpets, palaces, and self-assembled tablecloths. And justice has always triumphed in Russian fairy tales, and good has triumphed over evil. It is no coincidence that A.S. Pushkin wrote: “What a delight these fairy tales are! Each one is a poem!”

2.2 The significance of the fairy tale. Cognitive meaning of the tale

Traditional education contrasts a fairy tale with imperative knowledge, as light - heavy, as natural - unnatural, as accessible and necessary here and now - difficult to access and incomprehensibly necessary. But a fairy tale for a child is not just a fairy tale, not only literary work, not just a game, this is life, this is an acceptable and consonant with the child’s capabilities, a means of materializing the relationships and circumstances that concern him, a constitution of morals and a set of laws of existence, rules of community and norms of delicacy, categories of good and evil, multipolarity and relativity of social assessments.

A fairy tale is an amazingly powerful psychological tool for working with a child’s inner world, a powerful development tool.

A fairy tale, to a certain extent, satisfies three natural psychological needs of a child:

The need for autonomy (independence). In every fairy tale, the hero acts independently, relying on his own strength.

The need for competence (strength, omnipotence). The hero turns out to be able to overcome the most incredible obstacles, turns out to be a winner, and achieves success.

Need for activity. The hero is always in action.

Russian folk tales, introducing children to the circle of extraordinary events and transformations that occur with their heroes, express deep moral ideas. They teach kindness towards people, show high feelings and aspirations. K.I. Chukovsky wrote that the goal of a storyteller, and first of all a folk storyteller, is “to cultivate humanity in a child - this marvelous ability of a person to worry about other people’s misfortunes, to rejoice at the joys of another, to experience someone else’s fate as if it were his own.”

In the actions and deeds of fairy-tale heroes, hard work is contrasted with laziness, good with evil, courage with cowardice. Children are always attracted to those who are characterized by: responsiveness, love of work, courage. Children rejoice when good triumphs, and sigh with relief when heroes overcome difficulties and a happy ending occurs.

The cognitive significance of a fairy tale is manifested primarily in the fact that it reflects the characteristics of phenomena real life and provides extensive knowledge about the history of social relations, work and life, as well as an idea of ​​​​the worldview and psychology of the people, the nature of the country, the plots and images contain a broad typification, contain generalizations of phenomena, life and characters of people.

The fairy tale teaches courage, kindness and other good human qualities, but it does this without boring instructions, it simply shows what can happen if a person does not act according to his conscience.

A fairy tale develops an aesthetic sense. It is characterized by the revelation of beauty in nature and man, the unity of aesthetic and moral principles, the combination of reality and fiction, vivid imagery and expressiveness.

Educational program integrates knowledge about the peoples of the world, the peculiarities of their communications, promotes the formation of positive attitudes towards them, understanding the content of fairy tales of the peoples of the world through theatrical play, visual arts and literary creativity.

Children get acquainted with the general and special in different cultures, highlight the leading features of an ethnos: name, language, ethnic territory, anthropological type (appearance), highlight universal human values, and also consider examples of mutual influence of cultures.

The child consolidates the acquired knowledge, skills and abilities through different kinds activities: visual, literary creativity, theatrical play. Some classes are structured in the form of situational modeling. Children are immersed in educational material, imagine themselves as participants in the events. Considerable attention is paid to the relationship between man and nature. Ancient traditions in the material and spiritual culture of peoples are considered as the adaptation of people to the natural and climatic conditions of their native land.

III. Conclusion

Thus, having studied the literature about the features of Russian folk tales, having conducted research on fairy tales about animals, everyday and magical, we can draw the following conclusion:

There are three types of fairy tales: magical, everyday and about animals;

The numbers 3 and 7 are considered magical in fairy tales;

In fairy tales there is a triple repetition, magic and transformations, unrealistic heroes;

In fairy tales about animals - the ability of animals to talk, inanimate objects;

Teachings;

Good always triumphs over evil;

After working on this topic, I learned a lot about Russian folk tales. I believe that this knowledge will be useful to me and my classmates when studying oral folk art in literary reading lessons.

We can say that a folk tale opens the way to the development of national culture, thus, it fosters respect for one’s nation, for the traditions of one’s ancestors, fosters a friendly attitude towards each other, preserving the rules of hospitality and mutual assistance; prepares for tough labor conditions associated with a nomadic lifestyle.

List of used literature:

Kruglov Yu. G. Russian folk tales: Book. for self reading. 4 - 6 grades - M.: Education, 1983.

Propp V.Ya. Russian fairy tale. (Collected works of V.Ya. Propp). - M., 2000.

Sokolov D.Yu. Fairy tales and fairy tale therapy. - M., 2000.

Fesyukova L.B. Education with a fairy tale. - Kharkov, 1996.

Selection of thematic material from the Internet

Fairy tales have been known in Rus' since ancient times. IN ancient writing there are plots, motifs and images reminiscent of fairy tales. Telling fairy tales is an old Russian custom. Even in ancient times, the performance of fairy tales was available to everyone: men, women, children, and adults. There were people who cherished and developed their fabulous heritage. They have always been respected by the people.

The word fairy tale has been known since the 17th century. Until this time, the term “fable” or “fable” was used, from the word “bat”, “tell”. This word was first used in a letter from Voivode Vsevolodsky, where people who “tell unprecedented tales” were condemned. But scientists believe that the people used the word “fairy tale” before. There have always been talented storytellers among the people, but there is no information left about most of them. However, already in the 19th century, people appeared who set out to collect and systematize oral folk art.

In the first half of the 17th century, 10 tales were written down for the English traveler Colling. In the 18th century, several collections of fairy tales appeared, which included works with characteristic compositional and stylistic fairy-tale features: “The Tale of the Gypsy”; "The Tale of the Thief Timashka."

In the dictionary V.I. Dahl defines a fairy tale as “a fictional story, an unprecedented and even unrealizable story, a legend.” There are also several proverbs and sayings associated with this genre of folklore: Either do business or tell fairy tales. The tale is a fold, but the song is reality. The tale is beautiful, the song is beautiful. It cannot be said in a fairy tale, nor can it be described with a pen. Before you finish reading the fairy tale, don’t give directions. The tale begins from the beginning, is read to the end, and does not stop in the middle. Already from these proverbs it is clear: a fairy tale is a fiction, a work of folk fantasy - a “coherent”, bright, interesting work that has a certain integrity and a special meaning.

The all-Russian collection by A.N. was of great importance. Afanasyev "Folk Russian Tales" (1855 - 1965): it includes fairy tales that existed in many parts of Russia. Most of them were recorded for Afanasyev by his closest correspondents, of whom it should be noted V.I. Dalia. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, a number of collections of fairy tales appeared. They gave an idea of ​​the distribution of works of this genre, its state, and put forward new principles of collecting and publishing. The first such collection was the book by D.N. Sadovnikov "Tales and legends of the Samara region" (1884). It contained 124 works, and 72 were recorded from only one storyteller A. Novopoltsev. Following this, rich collections of fairy tales appeared: “Northern Tales”, “Great Russian Tales of the Perm Province” (1914). The texts are accompanied by explanations and indexes. In Russian fairy tales, wealth never had its own value, and the rich were never a kind, honest and decent person. Wealth had meaning as a means to achieve other goals and lost this meaning when the most important life values have been achieved. In this regard, wealth in Russian fairy tales was never earned through labor: it came by chance (with the help of fairy-tale assistants - Sivka-Burka, the Little Humpbacked Horse...) and often left by chance.

During the Soviet period, collections began to be published, presenting the repertoire of one performer. The following names have reached us: A.N. Baryshnikova (Kupriyanikha), M.M. Korgueva (fisherman from the Astrakhan region), E.I. Sorokovikov (Siberian hunter), etc.

In Russian fairy tales there are often repeated definitions: good horse; Gray wolf; red maiden; good fellow, as well as combinations of words: a feast for the whole world; go wherever your eyes lead you; the riotous man hung his head; neither to say in a fairy tale, nor to describe with a pen; soon the tale is told, but not soon the deed is done; whether long or short...

Often in Russian fairy tales the definition is placed after the word being defined, which creates a special melodiousness: my dear sons; the sun is red; written beauty...

Short and truncated forms of adjectives are characteristic of Russian fairy tales: the sun is red; the riotous man hung his head; - and the verbs: grab instead of grabbed, go instead of go.

An important feature of folk spiritual life is conciliarity, which is also reflected in fairy tales. Labor acts not as a duty, but as a holiday. Conciliarity - the unity of action, thought, feeling - in fairy tales is opposed to selfishness, greed, everything that makes life gray, boring, prosaic. All Russian fairy tales, embodying the joy of work, end with the same saying: “Here, out of joy, they all started dancing together...”. The fairy tale also reflects other moral values ​​of the people: kindness, like pity for the weak, which triumphs over selfishness and manifests itself in the ability to give the last to another and give one’s life for another; suffering as a motive for virtuous actions and deeds; victory of spiritual strength over physical strength. The embodiment of these values ​​makes the meaning of the fairy tale the deepest, as opposed to the naivety of its purpose. The affirmation of the victory of good over evil, order over chaos determines the meaning life cycle living being. Life meaning it is difficult to express in words, it can be felt in oneself or not, and then it is very simple.

The images of Russian fairy tales are transparent and contradictory. Any attempts to use the image of a fairy-tale hero as an image of a person lead researchers to the idea of ​​the existence of a contradiction in a folk tale - the victory of the hero-fool, the “low hero”. This contradiction is overcome if we consider the simplicity of the “fool” as a symbol of everything that is alien to Christian morality and its condemnation: greed, cunning, self-interest. The simplicity of the hero helps him to believe in a miracle, to surrender to its magic, because only under this condition is the power of the miraculous possible.

Russian folk tale is a treasure of folk wisdom. It is distinguished by the depth of ideas, richness of content, poetic language and high educational orientation (“a fairy tale is a lie, but there is a hint in it”). The Russian fairy tale is one of the most popular and beloved genres of folklore, because it not only has an entertaining plot, not only amazing characters, but because in the fairy tale there is a feeling of true poetry, which opens to the reader the world of human feelings and relationships, affirms kindness and justice , and also introduces to Russian culture, to the wise folk experience, to the native language.

We were all children once and all of us, without exception, loved fairy tales. After all, in the world of fairy tales there is a special and extraordinary style, filled with our dreams and fantasies. Without fairy tales, even the real world loses its colors and becomes ordinary and boring. But where did the well-known heroes come from? Perhaps, once upon a time a real Baba Yaga and a goblin walked the earth? Let's figure it out together!

According to V. Dahl’s definition, “a fairy tale is a fictional story, an unprecedented and even unrealistic story, a legend.” But the New Illustrated Encyclopedia gives the following definition of a fairy tale: “this is one of the main genres of folklore, an epic, predominantly prosaic work of a magical, adventurous or everyday nature with a focus on fiction.” And of course, one cannot help but recall the words of our great poet: “A fairy tale is a lie, but there is a hint in it!” A lesson to good fellows!”

That is, whatever one may say, a fairy tale is fiction... But everything in it is unusual, magical and very attractive. There is an immersion in a mysterious, enchanted world, where animals speak in a human voice, where objects and trees move on their own, where good necessarily defeats evil.

Each of us remembers how the Fox was punished for tricking the Bunny out of the hut (“The Fox and the Hare”), how cruelly the stupid Wolf, who took the cunning Fox’s word for it, paid with his tail (“The Wolf and the Fox”), how quickly they got over it with a turnip (“Turnip”), when they decided to pull it together and also did not forget to call the Mouse, just as the strong forgot about the weak in the fairy tale “Teremok” and what this led to...

Smart, kind, correct, highly moral, contained in fairy tales helps to cultivate the best human qualities in our children. The fairy tale teaches life wisdom. And these values ​​are eternal; they make up what we call spiritual culture.

Among other things, the invaluable nature of fairy tales lies in the fact that they provide an opportunity to introduce children to the life and way of life of the Russian people.

What does Russian village mean? What did a tree, a forest mean to a Russian person? And household items: dishes, clothes, shoes (the famous bast shoes alone are worth it!), musical instruments(balalaika, gusli). This is our opportunity to tell and show children how people lived in Russia before, how the culture of a great people took shape, of which we, their parents, grandparents, by the will of fate, became a part.

Russian folk tales are also an invaluable assistant in developing a child’s language and speech skills. Words and expressions from fairy tales with their ancient and deep meaning are embedded in our minds and live in us, no matter where we are.

Fairy tales provide an opportunity to expand lexicon on any topic (be it fairy tales about animals, everyday life or magic). Traditional Russian repetitions, special melody, rare “forgotten” words, proverbs and sayings, which are so rich in Russian speech: all this makes it possible to make a fairy tale accessible, understandable for children’s consciousness, and helps to remember it easily and quickly. And all this develops children’s imagination, teaches them beautiful and coherent speech. (Who knows, maybe those fairy tales that they begin to invent after Russian folk tales will also one day enter the treasury of the language).

A fairy tale is special literary genre, a story unfolding in a timeless and spaceless dimension. The characters in such a story are fictional characters who fall into difficult situations and emerging from them thanks to assistants, most often endowed with magical properties. At the same time, insidious villains plot various intrigues against them, but in the end good wins. The creation of fairy tales has an ancient history.

FROM THE HISTORY OF FAIRY TALES:

Fairy tales appeared in such ancient times that it is very difficult to accurately determine the time of their birth. We know just as little about their authors. Most likely, the fairy tales were composed by the same peasants and shepherds who often acted as the main characters of the story.

Has anyone wondered whether there are real events behind these tales, whether fairy-tale heroes were the most ordinary people, whose lives and adventures could become the basis for fairy tales. Why not? For example, a goblin could be someone who lived in the forest for a long time, was unaccustomed to communicating with people, but got along well with the forest and its inhabitants. Well, Vasilisa is a beauty - everything is clear here. But Koschey the Immortal looks like an old man who married a young girl.

But the situation is more interesting. Our land is located at the crossroads of roads from Europe to Asia, from south to north and vice versa. That is why we lived in close connection with neighboring peoples. From the north, we were contacted by the Vikings, who were a step higher in development than us. They brought us metal and weapons, their legends and fairy tales - and we brought them clothes, shoes and food, everything that our land is rich in. From there the fairy tale about Baba Yaga, where she was the evil old woman Heel on two bone legs, who lives in a separate hut on the outskirts of the forest, guards the souls of the dead and is a border point in the transition from earthly life to the afterlife. She is not particularly kind and day after day creates a lot of trials and troubles for those who walk this road. That is why the heroes of our fairy tales, driven into a remote corner by their troubles, come to Baba Yaga.

They passed on fairy tales from mouth to mouth, from generation to generation, changing them along the way and adding new details.

Tales were told by adults and - contrary to our current understanding - not only by children, but also by adults.

Fairy tales taught us how to get out of difficult situations, overcome trials with honor, conquer fear - and every fairy tale ended with a happy ending.

Some scientists believe that the origins of fairy tales lie in primitive rituals. The rituals themselves were forgotten, but the stories were preserved as treasures of useful and instructive knowledge.

It is difficult to say when the first fairy tale appeared. This is probably not possible “either to say in a fairy tale or to describe with a pen.” But it is known that the first fairy tales were dedicated to natural phenomena and their main characters were the Sun, the Wind and the Moon.

A little later they took on a relatively human form. For example, the owner of water is Grandfather Vodyanoy, and Leshy is the owner of the forest and forest animals. It is these images that indicate that folk tales were created at a time when people humanized and animated all the elements and forces of nature.


Water

One more important aspect beliefs primitive people, which is reflected in folk tales, is the veneration of birds and animals. Our ancestors believed that each clan and tribe comes from a specific animal, which was the patron of the clan (totem). That is why Voron Voronovich, Falcon or Eagle often act in Russian fairy tales.

Also, ancient rituals (for example, initiation of a boy into hunters and warriors) found their expression in folk tales. It is surprising that it was with the help of fairy tales that they came to us in an almost primordial form. Therefore, folk tales are very interesting for historians.

FAIRY TALES AND NATIONAL CHARACTER

Fairy tales reveal all the most important aspects of Russian life. Fairy tales are an inexhaustible source of information about national character. Their strength lies in the fact that they not only reveal it, but also create it. Fairy tales reveal many individual character traits of Russian people and their peculiarities. inner world and ideals.

Here is a typical dialogue (fairy tale “The Flying Ship”):

The old man asks the fool: “Where are you going?”

- “Yes, the king promised to give his daughter to the one who makes a flying ship.”

- “Can you make such a ship?”

- “No, I can’t!” - “So why are you going?” - “God knows!”

For this wonderful answer (because it is honest!) the old man helps the hero get the princess. This eternal wandering “I don’t know where”, in search of “I don’t know what” is inherent in all Russian fairy tales, and indeed in all Russian life in general.

Even in Russian fairy tales, as well as among the Russian people, faith in miracles is strong.

Of course, all fairy tales in the world are based on some extraordinary events. But nowhere does the miraculous dominate the plot as much as in Russians. It piles up, overwhelms the action and is always believed in, unconditionally and without a shadow of a doubt.


Artist: Anastasia Stolbova

Russian fairy tales also testify to the special faith of the Russian person in the meaning of the spoken word. Thus, there is a separate cycle from the category of fairy tales-legends, in which the entire plot is tied to various kinds of accidentally escaped curses. It is characteristic that only Russian versions of such tales are known. Fairy tales also emphasize the importance of the spoken word, the need to keep it: you promised to marry the one who finds the arrow - you must fulfill it; if you kept your word and went to your father’s grave, you will be rewarded; made a promise to marry the one who stole the wings - fulfill it. All fairy tales are filled with these simple truths.

The word opens doors, turns the hut, breaks the spell. The sung song brings back the memory of the husband, who forgot and did not recognize his wife, the little goat with his quatrain (except for him, apparently, he does not know how to say anything, otherwise he would have explained what happened) saves his sister Alyonushka and himself. The word is believed, without any doubt. “I’ll be of use to you,” says some bunny, and the hero lets him go, confident (as is the reader) that this will happen.

Often heroes are rewarded for their suffering. This theme is also especially loved by Russian fairy tales. Often, sympathies are on the side of heroes (even more often - heroines) not because of their special qualities or the actions they perform, but because of the life circumstances - misfortune, orphanhood, poverty - in which they find themselves. In this case, salvation comes from the outside, from nowhere, not as a result of the active actions of the hero, but as the restoration of justice. Such fairy tales are designed to instill compassion, empathy for one’s neighbor, and a feeling of love for all those who suffer. How can one not recall the thought of F. M. Dostoevsky that suffering is necessary for a person, because it strengthens and purifies the soul.

The attitude of the Russian people to work reflected in fairy tales seems peculiar. Here is a seemingly incomprehensible fairy tale about Emelya the Fool from the point of view of ideals.

He lay on the stove all his life, did nothing, and did not hide the reason, he answered “I’m lazy!” to all requests for help. Once I went out into the water and caught a magic pike. The continuation is well known to everyone: the pike persuaded him to let her go back into the hole, and for this she undertook to fulfill all of Emelya’s wishes. And so "by pike command“, at my request,” a sleigh without a horse carries a fool to the city, the ax chops the wood itself, and they are put into the oven, the buckets march into the house without outside help. Moreover, Emelya also got the royal daughter, also not without the intervention of magic.

The ending, however, is still hopeful (in children's retellings for some reason it is often omitted): “The fool, seeing that all people are like people, and he alone was bad and stupid, wanted to become better and for this he said: “As a pike by command, and at my request, that I become such a fine fellow, that nothing like this should happen to me, and that I be extremely smart!” And as soon as he had time to speak, at that very moment he became so beautiful, and also smart, that everyone was surprised.”

This fairy tale is often interpreted as a reflection of the eternal tendency of Russian people to laziness and idleness.

She speaks, rather, about the severity of peasant labor, which gave rise to the desire to relax, which made one dream of a magical helper.

Yes, if you are lucky and catch a miracle pike, you can happily do nothing, lie on a warm stove and think about the Tsar’s daughter. All this, of course, is also unrealistic for the man who dreams of it, like a stove driving through the streets, and the usual difficult daily work awaits him, but you can dream about pleasant things.

The fairy tale also reveals another difference in Russian culture - it does not have the sacredness of the concept of labor, that special reverent attitude, on the verge of “work for the sake of work itself,” which is characteristic, for example, of Germany or modern America. It is known, for example, that one of the common problems among Americans is the inability to relax, distract themselves from business, and understand that nothing will happen if they go on vacation for a week. For a Russian person there is no such problem - he knows how to relax and have fun, but perceives work as inevitable.

The famous philosopher I. Ilyin considered such “laziness” of the Russian person to be part of his creative, contemplative nature. “We were taught, first of all, by our flat space,” wrote the Russian thinker, “by our nature, with its distances and clouds, with its rivers, forests, thunderstorms and blizzards. Hence our insatiable gaze, our dreaminess, our contemplating “laziness” (A.S. Pushkin), behind which lies strength creative imagination. Russian contemplation was given beauty that captivated the heart, and this beauty was introduced into everything - from fabric and lace to residential and fortified buildings.” There may be no zeal and exaltation of work, but there is a feeling of beauty, merging with nature. This also bears fruit - rich folk art, expressed, among other things, in the fairy-tale heritage.

The attitude towards wealth is clear. Greed is perceived as a great vice. Poverty is a virtue.

This does not mean that there is no dream of prosperity: the difficulties of peasant life made us dream of a self-assembled tablecloth, of a stove in which “goose meat, pig meat, and pies - apparently and invisibly! One word to say - whatever the soul wants, everything is there! the bride received was also nice to dream about on long winter evenings.

But wealth comes to the heroes easily, casually, when they don’t even think about it, as an additional prize for a good bride or a saved wife. Those who strive for it as an end in itself are always punished and remain “with nothing.”