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.
The people saw shortcomings in their own lives, and fairy tales helped them eradicate them. They castigate, first of all, lazy, stupid and impractical people, empty dreamers, and ridicule stubbornness, talkativeness, and stinginess. “In them,” wrote V. G. Belinsky in the article “On Folk Tales,” “the life of the people, their home life, his moral concepts and this crafty Russian mind, so inclined to irony, so simple-minded in its craftiness."
These are fairy tales about animals, magical and social fairy tales, which differ from each other in the nature of the fiction, in the characters, and in the events. But they are all about life common man, about the problems that worried him; they entertained, taught and educated people devoted to native land, honest and kind people, people you can rely on in difficult times of trials. Folk tales are divided into three groups:

Tales about animals are 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 fairy tales - the heroes of these fairy tales - a peasant, a soldier, a shoemaker - live in the real world and usually fight with a master, a priest, a 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...”).

Fairy tales are works of great art. When you get to know them, you don’t notice their complex structure - they are so simple and natural. This is evidence of the highest skill of the performers. Taking a closer look at the fairy tales, you discover the virtuosity of their composition (composition) and the expressiveness of the language. It is no coincidence that the greatest masters of words advised young writers to learn their craft from storytellers. A. S. Pushkin wrote: “Read folk tales, young writers, to see the properties of the Russian language.”
Often fairy tales (especially fairy tales) begin with so-called sayings. Read, for example, the saying to the fairy tale “The Crane and the Heron”. It is about an owl. The storyteller himself emphasized that we are dealing with a saying, and “the whole fairy tale lies ahead.”
The purpose of the saying is to prepare the listener for the perception of the fairy tale, to set him in the appropriate mood, to let him understand that the fairy tale will be told next. “It was at sea, on the ocean,” the storyteller begins. - On the island of Kidan there is a tree - golden domes, the cat Bayun walks along this tree: he goes up - he sings a song, and he goes down - he tells fairy tales. That would be interesting and entertaining to watch! This is not a fairy tale, but there is still a saying, and the whole fairy tale lies ahead. This tale will be told from morning until afternoon, after eating soft bread. Here we will tell a fairy tale..."
A saying can also end a fairy tale: in this case, it is not directly related to the content of the fairy tale. Most often, the storyteller himself appears in the saying, hinting, for example, at a treat - as in the fairy tale “The Fox, the Hare and the Rooster: “Here’s a fairy tale for you, and a cup of butter for me.” There are also more detailed sayings: “The whole fairy tale, more ) it’s impossible to say. Those who listened received a coon, a squirrel, a red girl, and a black horse with a golden bridle!” And in this case, the purpose of sayings is to make it clear to the listener that the fairy tale is over, to distract him from the fantasy, to cheer him up.
The traditional element of a fairy tale is the beginning. The beginning, like the saying, puts a clear line between our everyday speech and fairy-tale narration. At the same time, the beginning defines the characters of the fairy tale, the place and time of action. The most common opening begins with the words: “Once upon a time...”, “Once upon a time...”, etc. Fairy tales have more detailed openings: “In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived a king.. ." But often fairy tales begin directly with a description of the action: “The biryuk was caught in a trap...”
Fairy tales also have unique endings. Endings, as their name suggests, sum up the development of the fairy tale action. This is how, for example, the fairy tale “Winter Hut of Animals” ends: “And he is with his friends and still lives in his hut. They live, live well and make good.” The fairy tale “The Magic Ring” ends like this: “And Martynka still lives, chewing bread.” Sometimes the ending is formulated as a proverb, which expresses a general judgment about the content of the fairy tale. In the fairy tale “The Man, the Bear and the Fox,” the fox dies after sticking its tail out of the hole for the dogs. The storyteller ended the fairy tale with the following phrase: “This often happens: the head disappears from the tail.”
Repetitions (usually not literal) are widely used in fairy tales. Each new repetition contains details that bring the fairy-tale action closer to the denouement and enhance the impression of the action. The repetition most often happens three times! So, in the fairy tale “The Master and the Carpenter,” a man beats the master three times for insulting him, in the fairy tale “Ivan Bykovich,” the hero fights to the death with Snakes for three nights in a row, and each time with a Snake with a large number of heads, etc.
In fairy tales (especially fairy tales), so-called constant (traditional) formulas are often found. They move from fairy tale to fairy tale, conveying established ideas about fairy-tale beauty, time, landscape, etc. They say about the hero’s rapid growth: “Growing by leaps and bounds”; his strength is revealed by the formula used when describing the battle: “ Turn to the right - a street, to the left - a side street." The running of a heroic horse is captured in the formula: “The horse gallops higher than a standing forest, lower than a walking cloud, passes lakes between its legs, covers fields and meadows with its tail.” Beauty is conveyed by the formula: “Neither to say in a fairy tale, nor to write with a pen.” Baba Yaga always meets the hero of a fairy tale for the first time with the same words: “Fu-fu!” Until now, the Russian spirit has never been seen, never heard of, but now the Russian spirit appears in sight and rushes to the lips! What, good fellow, are you trying to get away with it or are you torturing it?”
In many fairy tales you can find poetic parts. Most traditional formulas, sayings, beginnings and endings are created using verse, which is called tale. This verse differs from the verse already familiar to us by A. S. Pushkin, M. Yu. Lermontov, N. A. Nekrasov and other poets, with a certain number of syllables and stresses in the verse. A tale verse is constructed only with the help of rhyme; maybe in poetry different quantities syllables. For example:
In some kingdom
In some state
Out of the blue, like on a harrow,
Three hundred miles away,
It is precisely in this
in which we live
Once upon a time there lived a king...

In fairy tales we also encounter songs. The heroes of fairy tales express grief and joy in songs; songs reveal their characters. In the well-known fairy tale “The Cat, the Rooster and the Fox,” the rooster cries out his song in fear, having fallen into the clutches of the fox and calling for the cat’s help; the songs of Alyonushka and Ivanushka sound sadly in the fairy tale “Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka”; in the satirical fairy tale “The Illiterate Village,” the priest, the deacon and the sexton sing folk songs in an inappropriate place - in a church, during a service.
Dialogue is widely used in fairy tales - a conversation between two or more characters. Sometimes fairy tales are entirely built on dialogue, such as the fairy tale “The Fox and the Black Grouse.” The dialogues of fairy tales are living dialogues. They convey the natural intonations of the speakers, perfectly imitating the reckless speech of a soldier, the cunning speech of a peasant, the stupid, arrogant speech of a master, the flattering speech fox, rough - wolf, etc.
The language of fairy tales is rich. Animals in fairy tales have proper names: cat - Kotofey Ivanovich, fox - Lizaveta Ivanovna, bear - Mikhailo Ivanovich. Nicknames of animals are not uncommon: wolf - “because of the bushes”, fox - “there is beauty in the field”, bear - “oppress everyone”... Onomatopoeia is common in fairy tales: “Kuty, kuty, kuty, the fox carries me behind dark forests!" Epithets (definitions), hyperboles (exaggerations), comparisons are actively used in fairy tales. For example, epithets: good horse, brave, dense forests, tight bow, downy bed, black raven, self-cutting sword, harp - samogud, etc. .
As you can see, a fairy tale is a complex, very skillfully constructed work, testifying to the great talent and skill of its creators.
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.
Features of Russians folk tales:
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.
The language of fairy tales is characterized by the use of nouns and adjectives with various suffixes, which give them a diminutive-affectionate meaning: little one, brother, cock, ok, sunshine... All this makes the presentation smooth, melodious, emotional. Various intensifying-excretory particles also serve the same purpose: this, that, what, what... (What a miracle! Let me go to the right. What a miracle!)
Since ancient times, fairy tales have been close and understandable to ordinary 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!”

Fairy tales have a special appeal for children. It is impossible to imagine childhood without a fairy tale, believed V.A. Sukhomlinsky, who created a system of educating children with fairy tales - the fairy tale school.

Fairy tales have been around since time immemorial. The antiquity of fairy tales is evidenced, for example, by the following fact: in the unprocessed versions of the famous “Teremka”, the role of the tower was played by a mare’s head, which the Slavic folklore tradition endowed with many wonderful properties. In other words, the roots of this tale go back to Slavic paganism. At the same time, fairy tales do not at all testify to the primitiveness of the people's consciousness (otherwise they could not have existed for many hundreds of years), but to the ingenious ability of the people to create a single harmonious image of the world, connecting everything that exists in it - heaven and earth, man and nature, life and death. Apparently, the fairy tale genre turned out to be so viable because it is perfect for expressing and preserving fundamental human truths, the foundations of human existence.

Telling fairy tales was a common hobby in Rus'; both children and adults loved them. Usually, the storyteller, when narrating events and characters, reacted vividly to the attitude of his audience and immediately made some amendments to his narrative. That is why fairy tales have become one of the most polished folklore genres. They best meet the needs of children, organically corresponding to child psychology. A craving for goodness and justice, a belief in miracles, a penchant for fantasy, for a magical transformation of the world around us - the child joyfully encounters all this in a fairy tale.

In a fairy tale, truth and goodness certainly triumph. A fairy tale is always on the side of the offended and oppressed, no matter what it tells. It clearly shows where the correct life paths a person, what is his happiness and misfortune, what is his retribution for mistakes and how a person differs from an animal and a bird. Every step of the hero leads him to his goal, to final success. You have to pay for mistakes, and having paid, the hero again gains the right to luck. This movement of fairy-tale fiction expresses an essential feature of the people's worldview - a firm belief in justice, in the fact that the good human principle will inevitably defeat everything that opposes it.

A fairy tale for children contains a special charm; some secrets of the ancient worldview are revealed. They find in the fairy tale story independently, without explanation, something very valuable for themselves, necessary for the growth of their consciousness.

The imaginary, fantastic world turns out to be a reflection of the real world in its main fundamentals. A fabulous, unusual picture of life gives the child the opportunity to compare it with reality, with the environment in which he, his family, and people close to him exist. This is necessary for developing thinking, since it is stimulated by the fact that a person compares and doubts, checks and is convinced. The fairy tale does not leave the child as an indifferent observer, but makes him an active participant in what is happening, experiencing every failure and every victory with the heroes. The fairy tale accustoms him to the idea that evil must be punished in any case.

Today the need for a fairy tale seems especially great. The child is literally overwhelmed by a constantly increasing flow of information. And although the mental receptivity of children is great, it still has its limits. The child becomes overtired, becomes nervous, and it is the fairy tale that frees his consciousness from everything unimportant and unnecessary, concentrating his attention on the simple actions of the characters and thoughts about why everything happens this way and not otherwise.

For children, it doesn’t matter at all who the hero of the fairy tale is: a person, an animal or a tree. Another thing is important: how he behaves, what he is like - handsome and kind or ugly and angry. The fairy tale tries to teach the child to evaluate the main qualities of the hero and never resorts to psychological complication. Most often, a character embodies one quality: the fox is cunning, the bear is strong, Ivan is successful in the role of a fool, and fearless in the role of a prince. The characters in the fairy tale are contrasting, which determines the plot: brother Ivanushka did not listen to his diligent, sensible sister Alyonushka, drank water from a goat’s hoof and became a goat - he had to be rescued; the evil stepmother plots against the good stepdaughter... This is how a chain of actions and amazing fairy-tale events arises.

A fairy tale is built on the principle of a chain composition, which, as a rule, includes three repetitions, again and again providing the opportunity to relive a vivid episode. Such an episode is usually not just repeated - each time there is an increase in tension. Sometimes repetition takes the form of dialogue; then, if children play in a fairy tale, it is easier for them to transform into its heroes. Often a fairy tale contains songs and jokes, and children remember them first.

A fairy tale has its own language - laconic, expressive, rhythmic. Thanks to language, a special fantasy world is created, in which everything is presented large, prominently, and is remembered immediately and for a long time - heroes, their relationships, surrounding characters and objects, nature. There are no halftones - there are deep ones, bright colors. They attract a child to them, like everything colorful, devoid of monotony and everyday dullness.

And yet, the fairy-tale hero attracts children most of all. Usually this is an ideal person: kind, fair, handsome, strong; he certainly achieves success, overcoming all sorts of obstacles not only with the help of wonderful assistants, but above all thanks to his personal qualities - intelligence, fortitude, dedication, ingenuity, ingenuity. Every child would like to be like this, and ideal hero fairy tales becomes the first role model.

A fairy tale is of great social value, consisting in its cognitive, ideological, educational and aesthetic meanings, which are inextricably linked.

The cognitive significance of a fairy tale is manifested primarily in the fact that it reflects the features of real life phenomena 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, and the nature of the country. The cognitive significance of a fairy tale is increased by the fact that its plots and images contain a broad typology and contain generalizations of phenomena, life and characters of people. Thus, the images of Ivan, the peasant son, give an idea of ​​the Russian peasantry in general; one image characterizes an entire social stratum of people. The ideological and educational significance of the fairy tale is that it is inspired by the desire for good, the protection of the weak, and victory over evil. In addition, the fairy tale develops an aesthetic sense, i.e. a sense of beauty, 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.

So, a fairy tale is one of the most developed and beloved genres of folklore by children. It reproduces the world in all its integrity, complexity and beauty more fully and brightly than any other type of folk art. A fairy tale provides rich food for children's imagination, develops imagination - this most important trait of a creator in any area of ​​life. And the precise, expressive language of the fairy tale is so close to the mind and heart of a child that it is remembered for a lifetime.

Classification of fairy tales. Characteristics of each species

According to the established tradition in literary studies, fairy tales are divided into three groups:

tales about animals

· fairy tales

· everyday tales

A) Tales about animals

The Russian repertoire includes approximately 50 tales about animals.

There are several thematic groups:

Tales of Wild Animals

Wild and domestic animals

Pets

Man and wild animals.

This type of fairy tale differs from others in that fairy tales involve animals.

Their features are shown, but human features are conventionally implied.

Animals usually do what people do, but in these fairy tales animals are like humans in some ways and not in others.

Here the animals speak human language.

The main purpose of these tales is to ridicule bad traits character, actions and evoke compassion for the weak and offended.

The reading books include stories about animals. What occupies children most is the story itself.

The most elementary and at the same time the most important ideas - about intelligence and stupidity, about cunning and straightforwardness, about good and evil, about heroism and cowardice - lie in the consciousness and determine the norms of behavior for the child.

Children's fairy tales about animals touch on social and ethical issues in an interpretation that is accessible to children.

In fairy tales about animals, observations, excursions, illustrations, and cinema are important. You need to learn how to write a characterization. (Remember in which fairy tales and how animals are shown).

B) Fairy tales.

A fairy tale is a work of art with a clearly expressed idea of ​​man's victory over the dark forces of evil.

For younger children school age I like a fairy tale.

For them, the development of action associated with the struggle of light and dark forces, and wonderful fiction.

There are two groups of heroes in these fairy tales: good and evil. Usually good triumphs over evil.

Fairy tales should evoke admiration for good heroes and condemnation of villains. They express confidence in the triumph of good.

In every fairy tale, heroes resort to the help of objects or living creatures that have magical powers.

Fairy tales are united by magic: transformations.

The dream of the people, ingenuity, talent, skill, and hard work are shown.

B) Everyday tales.

Everyday tales talk about the relationship between social classes. Exposing the hypocrisy of the ruling classes is a main feature of everyday fairy tales. These tales differ from fairy tales in that the fiction in them does not have a pronounced supernatural character.

Fairy tales talk about the characters of people and the habits of animals.

The action of the positive hero and his enemy in an everyday fairy tale takes place in the same time and space, and is perceived by the listener as everyday reality.

The heroes of everyday fairy tales: the landowner, the tsar-prince, the khan are greedy and indifferent people, slackers and selfish people. They are contrasted with experienced soldiers, poor farm laborers - dexterous, brave and smart people. They win, and sometimes magic objects help them in their victory.

Everyday fairy tales have great educational and educational significance. The children will learn about the history of the people, their way of life. These tales help the moral education of students, as they convey folk wisdom.

Thus, a fairy tale is a genre of oral folk art; fiction of a fantastic, adventure or everyday nature.

Despite the classification of fairy tales, each of them carries enormous educational and cognitive significance for the child.

Pupils from the first grade become familiar with oral folk art, including fairy tales

The teacher’s task is to convey folk wisdom to the child’s consciousness.

"Artistic features of fairy tales"

Fairy tales, especially fairy tales, are unusually poetic. Russian fairy tales are distinguished by rhythm, melodiousness, and leisurely storytelling. Among the structural features of the fairy tale are: saying, beginning and ending.

1) Saying (introduction to a fairy tale in the form of a joke, a proverb, usually not related to the content - “In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived a white bear, he put a watermelon on his head, a cucumber on his nose and built a palace. This is not a fairy tale, a saying , the fairy tale will be ahead")

2) Beginning (the traditional beginning of a fairy tale - “Once upon a time there was an old man and an old woman”, “In a certain kingdom, in a certain state”

3) Ending (the final part of the fairy tale - “This is the end of the fairy tale, and whoever listened - well done)

Often found in fairy tales are such artistic details as repetitions of words with similar meanings, traditional figures of speech, and constant epithets.

1) name repetitions of words (once upon a time, unexpectedly);

2) give examples of figures of speech (neither to say in a fairy tale, nor to describe with a pen; soon the fairy tale is told, but not soon the deed is done);

3) constant epithets (beautiful maiden, living water, good fellow).

Fable

A fable is one of the forms of the epic genre, or a type of epic poetry.

Attention to the fable in school is due to a number of its advantages.

1. The fable contains great opportunities for the moral education of students. Each fable is an aptly drawn scene from life, on the example of which the writer teaches folk wisdom, simply and vividly talking about various human vices. The positive direction of this or that judgment is always present in the fable and, with properly organized class work, is well recognized by schoolchildren.

2. Laconism, picturesqueness and expressiveness of descriptions, accuracy and vernacular language give extremely much to the development of students’ thinking and speech. The size of a fable usually does not exceed 20-30 lines, but in terms of content it is a play with its own plot, climax and denouement. For students, a fable is a wonderful example of an extremely brief in form and succinct in content description of a case. Figurative expressions from fables, which over time became proverbs, attract equally both the depth of the thought contained in them and the brightness of its expression.

The methodology for working on a fable is determined by its specificity as a type. work of art. Such essential features of a fable are highlighted as the presence of morality (moral teaching) and allegory (allegory). In fables, the characters are often animals, but this feature is not obligatory (people can also be characters in a fable). Also, a poetic form is not necessary for a fable.

One of the central issues in the analysis of fables in grades 2-4 is related to the disclosure of morality and allegory. When should we work on the moral of a fable: before a special analysis of its specific content or after?

In the methodology, it is traditionally considered advisable to begin work on the text of a fable by revealing its specific content. This is followed by clarification of the allegorical meaning (who is meant by the characters in the fable) and, finally, morality is considered.

N.P. Kanonykin and N.A. Shcherbakov is recommended not to read the moral of the fable until the students understand the content of a specific part of the fable, until the children understand the characteristics of the characters, and have not transferred “the characteristic features of the animals depicted in the fables into the real human environment.”

A different way of working on the fable is described by L.V. Zankov. According to L.V. Zankov, it is more advisable to immediately after reading the fable, without any preliminary conversation, ask students the question: “What is the main idea of ​​the fable?” Without resorting to analysis of the text of the fable, students express themselves regarding its main idea, after which they are given a second question: “What is the moral of the fable?”

In this approach, L.V. Zankov's analysis of the fable proceeds from the main idea to morality and to specific content.

The success of working on a fable is determined by a number of conditions. In the process of analyzing a fable, it is important to help the student vividly imagine the development of the action and vividly perceive the images. Therefore, it is advisable to conduct verbal drawing with students, and at the final stage of work - reading in faces. It is necessary to develop in students attention to every detail of the environment in which the characters act, to every stroke of their appearance.

Basic concepts and terms on the topic: children's literature, genre, author, hero, theme, problem, idea, composition, stylization, irony, inner world hero

Topic study plan

1. Russian folk tales

2. Features of the performance of fairy tales

3. Types of fairy tales

4. Characteristics of species

Summary theoretical questions:

The depth of ideas and richness of content of Russian folk tales. Fairy tales are a treasure trove folk wisdom. Fantasticity, conventionality of fairy-tale images and the reflection in folk tales of phenomena of reality, folk life, and relationships between people. The fight between good and evil, the triumph of truth and justice. Entertaining plots, clarity and specificity of characteristics, typical images of characters. Simplicity of composition, emotional richness, humor. Richness, precision, expressiveness of the language. Traditional methods of constructing a folk tale: beginning, repetitions, endings. Sayings. Educational significance of Russian folk tales. Types of fairy tales. Tales about animals: “Kolobok”, “Teremok”, “The Cockerel and the Bean Seed”, etc. Features of this genre: simplicity of morality, conciseness, dialogues. Fairy tales: “Sister Alyonushka and brother Ivanushka”, “Geese”, “The Frog Princess”, etc. general characteristics fairy tales. Fight for truth, justice. The ability of heroes to actively fight evil and win. Lively, full of color pictures of folk life. The miraculous properties of ordinary things and objects. Educational value. Household fairy tales: “Fear has big eyes,” “Puff,” “Cunning man,” “Porridge from an axe.” A reflection of the life of the people, their struggle against the oppressors. Positive heroes: a resourceful man, a seasoned soldier, a farm laborer, etc. Main themes. Pictures of labor and life of the Russian people. Language and style of everyday fairy tales.

Practical lessons

Literary and artistic analysis of folk tales different types

Tasks for independent completion

Read the article “Fairy-Tale Heroes” and make the necessary notes.

The word "fairy tale" as a name for a narrative genre is attested no earlier than the 17th century. Previously, the word "fable" was used. But it's not just about the name. Archaic fables, apparently, were most close to the mythical "bayans". But it is impossible not to notice that ancient rituals, customs, and rituals are reflected in them. Consequently, the basis of fairy tales is broader and is not limited to just one type of myth.

The fairy tale did not emerge from the myth at one moment. The process had to take a long period. This can be judged at least by the fact that a person’s attitude towards myth and fairy tale is exactly the opposite: they believed in myth as reality, it was included in real life, and a fairy tale, in the current understanding, is pure fiction, which is implied by both the storyteller and the listener. One can imagine how difficult this period must have been, what social, ideological, and psychological changes took place in a person. And yet the birth of a fairy tale from a myth is beyond doubt.

Let's begin with ancient myths were totemic - about the connection of the primitive race with animals, whose descendants people considered themselves to be. Animals also acted as donors various items culture. The main characters in these myths were endowed with animal and human characteristics, or at least behaved like humans. We see this in the oldest tales about animals. A similar connection with totemistic myths can be seen in fairy-tale stories about the marriage of a person with an animal that turns into a “good fellow” or a “red maiden”, in the images of half-animals, half-humans, in the names of the heroes: Ivan Bykovich, Ivan Kobylyevich, etc.

The characters of fairy tales of a “cosmic scale” have a mythological nature: the Sun, the Moon, Beter Vetrovich. The fairy-tale son (or son-in-law) of the Sun is similar to the later hero - Ivan Tsarevich, but still retains the features of a natural being.

The myths about the god of thunder and his fight with the snake-like monster go back to numerous variants of combat with the Serpent of the hero of fairy tales. This ancient Serpent, the lord of darkness, ravages Holy Russia, captivates beauties, and even enters into cohabitation with them.

The principles of their construction are also common to myth and fairy tale. The mythological opposition of organized space to unorganized elements, of one’s own kind - to someone else’s, is clearly manifested in fairy tales, in the form of the contrast between home and a dense forest, one’s own family - someone else’s. The relationship between the hero and his opponent is distributed accordingly: the child is Baba Yaga, Ivan Tsarevich is the Serpent, the stepdaughter is the stepmother. The killing of a hero during or after his accomplishment of a feat and the subsequent revival are close to the mythical dying and rebirth, as well as the ritual behavior of people during the spring awakening of nature, when they burned, “buried” specially made stuffed animals.

All this indicates that the meaning and meaning of fairy tales is difficult to understand unless their mythological basis is taken into account.

But there are also differences between myth and fairy tale... Fairy-tale space is even more uncertain than mythical space. The action takes place, as a rule, in “a certain kingdom, in a certain state,” or the hero goes “to distant lands.” The same can be said about fairy-tale time, whose convention is already indicated in the beginning of “once upon a time.” The hero’s fairy-tale ups and downs have a beginning and an end, and myth recognizes the cyclical repetition of phenomena or events.

The goal of the hero’s exploits is not the world order, not the ordering of natural elements or the foundation of cultural traditions, but personal happiness, for example, marriage to a princess. The means he obtains - living water, the feather of the Firebird - are intended not for the common good of the family, but for the revival or recovery of one person, to satisfy the desire of an arrogant king. The hero’s miraculous properties are not given to him from birth, but are acquired through testing. Often he generally performs an ordinary person, and miraculous remedies or helpers act in its place.

The difference between a myth and a fairy tale is that a myth is unethical, while a fairy tale was gradually filled with moral content. Social content also appears in it, transmitted, however, through intrafamily relationships. It may also include household items. However, this does not make the fairy tale more realistic or closer to life. It is still fiction and allows for a fair amount of fantasy, which makes it more variable than myth.

Fairy-tale heroes

The main fairy-tale hero is Ivan or Ivan the Fool, Ivan the Tsarevich. In fairy tales, his appearance, behavior and fate coincide mainly with characters who appear under other names: Emelya the Fool, Andrei the Sagittarius, etc.

Ivan is not endowed with any individual traits, but represents a certain generalized type of positive hero. He is fearless, has a cunning mind, and is capable of achieving his goal alone. Like all mythical heroes, Ivan makes a difficult and dangerous journey, which ultimately leads him to a change in social status, marital status and his appearance: he becomes a king, the ruler of half (or the whole) of the kingdom, marries a princess, and turns into a handsome man.

Although the mythologized image of the hero arose during the period of decomposition of tribal relations and emerging class inequality, it undoubtedly has ancient origins. His depiction captures human sympathies based on the idealization of family relations. In those days, members of the clan had no other interests other than the interests of the clan. The team sought to satisfy the needs of each person and ensure the reproduction of their kind. And goals like accumulating wealth and obtaining personal gain simply did not exist. Therefore, the fairy-tale hero is not greedy, does not seek benefits for himself, but embarks on the path of selfless struggle with evil forces. The happy ending of the fairy tale is rather a popular assessment of the hero’s exploits, rewarding him according to his deserts, but it, like the entire plot, is fictitious, because dividing the kingdom, and therefore a single people, into halves is unrealistic.

The fairy-tale hero is faithful to the traditions of the ancient maternal, rather than patriarchal, family. The patrilineal family entailed the assertion of “male” power, and at the same time strength and wealth, which stratified people. In the new conditions of family inequality, Ivan, as the youngest in the family, has not yet gained practical intelligence, does not burn with a passion for profit, and therefore is considered a “fool.” Ivan lies on the stove (sprinkles ashes), does not do anything useful work, although it may well perform it.

In the plot, Ivan is brought out of this state by some external need: he is sent to carry out an urgent matter, he hears about the royal call to save (make laugh) his daughter, or he is simply kicked out of the house for some offense. A rarer and, probably, later version: “poor” Ivan is forced to hit the road to find a job or sell or exchange something. A different type of economic relationship is clearly visible here, in which there is hiring, buying and selling, and barter.

Ivan in the role of a merchant’s son is akin to such a hero - he leads a dissolute life, wanders around taverns and initially does not have any profitable business. Finally, another option: the hero, speaking at the beginning of the tale under the name of Ivan the Tsarevich, still, due to his inferiority, does not possess the properties of the prince and masters them after a series of trials and feats.

This uncertain position of the character at the very beginning of the tale reproduces the traditional mythological scheme: from chaos to space. Under the influence of external factors, “nothing” turns into “something”, into “the beginning”, and “the fairy tale begins to tell.” The beginning, the goal of the path and its completion correspond to the mythical path connecting space and the extra-spatial zone, “one’s own” and “alien.” Almost nothing is said about the path itself; the hero is transported from one kingdom to another or to the ends of the earth, that is, each individual place matters only because an event occurs there that contributes to the achievement of the goal.

The hero descends through a gap into the lower world, successively visits the copper, silver and golden kingdoms, fights with the enemy and frees captive beauties, and even the Russian people. Usually he overcomes the elements of fire, water, air, or fights with creatures that embody these elements: with the Serpent Gorynych, with the Whirlwind, with the Sea King, or with characters who raise strong air storms with their whistles. The earth always favors the hero, gives him strength and protection.

The core motif in fairy tales is the motif of dying and rebirth. The journey itself to another world seems to be a temporary death, for “there” is the kingdom of death, darkness, indestructible evil (Koshey the Immortal). None of those who see him off, send him on his way, believe in his return, and everyone believes that he is going to certain death.

Returning to your world means a new birth of a hero. But on the way back he can be killed, and in this case he is reborn through dead and living water obtained by his assistants. Sometimes death is caused by social factors: Ivan is ruined by selfish brothers or imaginary helpers.

The fairy-tale hero owns miraculous remedies. For example, he moves on a magic carpet and a flying ship, or turns a ring that takes him to another space, and calls workers. The items of clothing are also miraculous: a shirt that gives strength, an invisibility hat, walking boots, a fur coat with gold buttons. The fairy-tale hero himself belongs to ordinary people, does not initially possess any miraculous properties, which is why he differs from the epic hero and mythical character.

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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 "Russian Folk 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 fairy tale hero How the image of a person leads 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 that opens up the world to the reader human feelings and relationships, affirms kindness and justice, and also introduces Russian culture, wise folk experience, and the native language.