Each of us in childhood, reading Russian folkFairy tales, very often faced with a character named Nightingale the Robber. In epics describes the formidable weapon of the Nightingale the Robber. The answer to the question of what it is, still remains completely unexplored, as well as its very image.
Who is the Nightingale the Robber in the Eastern Slavic epic?
That the Nightingale the Robber is negativethe hero and the main enemy of Russian warriors, is known to everyone. He sits on the far oak trees. The nest itself is twisted on nine oaks. And the Nightingale-Robber does not give the passage either to the horse or to the foot. And for intimidation used the formidable weapon of the Nightingale the Robber. What we are now and try to figure it out.
In general, still among historians andResearchers of Old Slavic literature and epos (epics and legends) do not agree on what this monster looked like and how it frightened those passing and passing by.
As for the image of this hero, evenoriginal epics and legends do not contain a clear answer to this question. Artists, who created illustrations for literary works, often showed and displayed quite a free fantasy, depicting him as half human, half beast (most often a bird-winged serpent, and simply a dragon with a human appearance). By the way, the snake image is also present in many plots of Russian fairy tales (this is the Serpent Gorynych).
In the epics themselves there is only a mention of whatIt was the formidable weapon of the Nightingale the Robber. The answer, and the most complete one, cannot be obtained even when reading the original texts. Here only the fact is mentioned that the character (Odikhmantiev's son or Rakhmanovich in a different way) has been using a monstrous whistling, roaring bestial and incredible heroic power for thirty years. So, if someone is asked: “Name the robber weapon of the Nightingale the Robber,” you can confidently answer that this is a whistle and a roar. But even here not all researchers of the Russian epos have agreement between themselves.
The origin of the image
As for the image itself, for some reason itsthe human part is often portrayed as the Tugarin snake. It is not surprising, since the time of creation of these epics refers to the Mongol-Tatar conquest of Russia and its stay under the yoke of the Golden Horde, when the Russian princes were forced to pay tribute.
Actually, the name of the robber (Rakhmaniev,Rakhmanovich) pushes precisely this thought, although the names themselves look, so to speak, Russified. For example, “Rakhmaniev” can be interpreted as a surname or as a reference to the middle name (Rakhmaniev son). "Rakhmanovich" can easily be just a patronymic. As is already clear, Rahman (and even more so Odikhmant) is clearly not a Russian name.
Some historical studies
Consider another important aspect.Suppose you are asked: "Name the powerful weapon of the Nightingale the Robber." Do not rush to give the answer that this is an animal roar and deafening whistling. Here it is necessary to take into account also references to an unprecedented heroic silushka. For a better understanding of the essence of this issue, you need to turn to history
The fact is that at that time there was a way outOstra in the capital city of Kiev by land and along the river Desna. It is assumed that the prototype of the Nightingale the Robber could serve as a real person who took a tribute for traveling along the road. It may well be that he even decided to monopolize his craft so that no one else would claim such “customs duties”.
What a powerful weapon the Nightingale the Robber coulduse a real person? Naturally, immediately there is an association with shouts or whistles, which were widely used to intimidate the enemy, for example, pirates in capturing enemy ships. Moreover, such a formidable weapon of the Nightingale the Robber, as a whistle, could bring confusion and commotion into the ranks of enemies.
As for the intended place of residencea real person who served as the prototype of this gangster, many historians are inclined to believe that this could be the village of Zazimye (Brovarskoy district, Kiev region, Ukraine). It is very possible, considering that the road connected not only Oster, but mostly Chernihiv with Kiev, and near the town of Karachayev was the village of Nine Oaks with the Smorodinka River flowing there (by the way, it is mentioned in the epics themselves, only with the name Currant).
However, if you figure out what a formidable weaponThe Nightingale the Robber could use the prototype of this character, it may very well be that he really possessed remarkable physical strength, especially since there is a direct mention in epics and by this account. It is enough to refer to the original texts.
Conclusion
As you can see, saying thatrepresented the formidable weapon of the Nightingale the Robber, one can clearly distinguish three of the most prominent aspects: the nightingale whistling, the bestial roar, and the heroic power. Moreover, as the tales say, the robber didn’t use his strength, because only from the whistle and roar “the grasses gobble up, the flowers crumble, the forests tend to the ground, and people are dead”.
