The essay “Heroes of the Old Russian Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom. “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” in Russian literature

Pearl ancient Russian literature

Feat

in the name of love

Saints Peter and Fevronia

For the Russian Church, Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom are of great importance primarily as symbol of a special spiritual path, in which the comprehension of God is inextricably linked with the relationship between two people.

• A man and a woman are created for each other, their union in itself embodies the Divine plan. But this connection is impossible if a person does not see in another person a unique personality created in the image of God.

Epigraph for the lesson

• Love is long-suffering, merciful, Love does not envy, love does not exalt itself, is not proud, ... does not seek its own, is not irritated, does not think evil, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends…

Apostle Paul

• Why are Peter and Fevronia especially revered by the Orthodox Church?
• Why are they canonized?
• What is their feat?
• How are Peter and Fevronia close to us? What lesson do they teach us?
• What qualities do saints exhibit?
• everyone who wants to build
• your relationship with your loved one
• a person?

Lesson steps

1.Which village did the servant go to in search of a doctor?

2.Where was Agrikov’s sword? What is its purpose?

3.What condition did Fevronia set before treating the prince?

4.Why did the boyars dislike the girl?

5.Why didn’t you order all the scabs to be anointed?

"Hawkeye" (answer questions)

6.What was in Fevronia’s palm after lunch?

7.What did the boyars offer Fevronia instead of a husband?

8.Why did the boyars kill each other?

9.Whose daughter was Fevronia?

10.What did Fevronia embroider before her death?

• What is interesting about the story?
• What does it remind you of?
• Life-work about saints, statesmen and religious figures, whose life and actions are regarded as exemplary.
• Determination of the compositional elements of the story.
• Fabulous Hagiographies

• The beginning is the beginning of Love for God
• The Tale of the Wise Maiden, Life According to the Commandments
• The serpent is the tempter of the heroine's miracles
• Magic sword she's a saint
• Riddles he is a reverend
• Challenge tasks unusual death
• Good conquers evil posthumous miracles

• 1. What do Fevronia’s riddles indicate? What does the author intentionally want to emphasize in it?
• What other examples can you give that confirm the heroine’s wisdom?
• Did she know that the prince would deceive her for the first time?

• Read the riddles of Fevronia in the story.
• - Find the answer to the first riddle. To the second, to the third.
• - For what purpose does the author use them here? (to characterize the wise maiden. Together with the prince’s messenger, the reader admires the girl’s intelligence, the beauty of her mysterious speech, and the depth of her thoughts).

• 1 What was the reason for the acquaintance of Peter and Fevronia?
• 2. How did the young people live after marriage?
• 3. How do you understand the expression “pious and righteous”?
• 4. Relations with the boyars and their wives.
• 5.What choice does Peter make between his wife and the throne? How does this characterize him?

• 5.Why does Peter choose a wife? In your opinion, was his action correct?
• 6.does this act torment him? Why?
• 7.Why was he asked to return?
• 8. How did they reign after returning? What did you not like about the social order?
• 9. What example did you set with your leadership?

MARRIAGE IS A MIRACLE ON EARTH

What helps Peter and Fevronia overcome all their troubles? (Life according to the laws of God).

. Where does inexhaustible power find its highest expression? mutual love Peter and Fevronia? (They die on the same day and hour and are not separated after death).

. What miracle was performed repeatedly after their death? (They ended up in the same coffin).

Can we say that Peter and Fevronia defended their feelings during life and even death?

Is Fevronia the ideal woman?

Do you like Fevronia? Yes or no, why?

D.S. Likhachev noted:

“The life-giving power of Fevronia’s love is so great that poles stuck into the ground bloom into trees with her blessing. Crumbs of bread in her palm turn into grains of sacred incense. She is so strong in spirit that she can unravel the thoughts of the people she meets. In the strength of her love, in the wisdom, as if suggested to her by this love, Fevronia turns out to be higher than even her ideal husband, Prince Peter.”

• In the Russian Orthodox tradition, Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom play a special role. Their life is the story of a relationship between a man and a woman who managed to overcome all the difficulties of a long and difficult earthly path, revealing the ideal of the Christian family. The joys and problems that they had to face eight centuries ago are still relevant today - they are timeless. Just like holy spouses, they show us exactly those mental and spiritual qualities of a person that are necessary for everyone who is trying to build their relationship with a loved one. It is no coincidence that it is on the day of memory of Peter and Fevronia, July 8, that the All-Russian Day of Family, Love and Fidelity will be celebrated for the first time.

On July 8, the Orthodox Church honors Saints Peter and Fevronia, and this day is considered Valentine's Day in Orthodoxy. And chamomile has become a symbol of this holiday. Many people make a pilgrimage to Murom: both those who have just decided to get married, and those who have just come to thank these saints for their protection in their family life or to ask for their prayer before the Lord for the granting of family harmony and happiness.

Lesson conclusions

In a world where everything and everyone is in disarray, marriage is a place where two people, thanks to the fact that they love each other, become united, a place where discord ends, where the realization of a single life begins. And that's the point great miracle human relationships: two people suddenly become one person, two persons suddenly, because they loved each other and accepted each other to the end, completely, turn out to be something more than a two, than just two people - they turn out to be a unity.

Let's remember this!

The poetic heritage of Ancient Rus' includes more than one work. However, in terms of the depth of artistic thought, the subtlety of psychological analysis and the perfection of form, “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” rightfully occupies a special place among the ancient Russian literary monuments, and in world literature.

At the same time, “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” is also a unique historical source containing information on the history of Ancient Rus'.

This property is due to the fact that by its nature it belongs to legends that go back to folklore tradition. And although in 1547 it was recognized as a hagiography and began to be called “The Tale of the Lives of the Holy New Wonderworkers of Murom Peter and Fevronia,” most researchers who turned their attention to “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” recognized its folk-poetic basis.

The emphasis was placed only on the author in order to evaluate his literary work.

Various considerations have been expressed regarding the author, as well as the time of creation of the monument. Thus, some researchers attributed the writing of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” by an unknown author to the 15th century, others, considering the author Ermolai-Erasmus, to the forties of the 16th century. R.P. Dmitrieva’s research on this issue has convincingly proven the latter.

L. A. Dmitriev increases the role of the author, believing that “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” “should be assessed as a literary work, and not as a recording of oral tradition or legend, or an insignificant literary treatment of oral material.” However, the researcher still defined the work as a “legendary life.” A similar judgment belongs to N. S. Demkova, who believes that despite the author’s orientation towards oral and poetic sources, “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” to a greater extent “is a medieval literary parable.”

Without detracting from the role of the author of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” in the compilation of the monument in question, it still seems that he was more dependent on folklore traditions dating back to local Murom oral legends, which, in our opinion, is convincingly proven in the above-mentioned works. We can well agree with O.V. Gladkova that Ermolai Erasmus in his attitude to folklore is not an innovator, but rather a traditionalist, in line with the world hagiographic tradition, which, using folklore, treated it as a historically reliable fact. “Folklore motifs for Ermolai Erasmus,” writes the researcher, “are not an artistic device for creating an “entertaining” work, but a historical outline, a list of events that cannot be changed to suit a poetic task.”

Moreover, we cannot neglect the facts that, along with the cult of saints, known in Murom since the 15th century. and predetermined the appearance of a pictorial embodiment of the images of heroes, independent of the Tale, as well as services for them, which took place already at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries, there are also the relics of the faithful Peter and Fevronia, now resting in one shrine in the Trinity Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Novodevichy Monastery. Before they were found, according to the testimony of L. Belotsvetov, a priest of the early 19th century. of the above-mentioned cathedral, under the southern side of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary “under cover”, and even earlier “were at the autopsy”. The circumstances and time of discovery of the relics remain unknown. Relics exist, therefore people (apparently not quite “average”) existed, therefore, we cannot help but notice this (unless, of course, we are dealing with a monstrous deception or error associated with some kind of substitution of relics). And there are almost always legends about unusual people. If we talk about Peter and Fevronia as saints, then people who actually lived became saints. And this, too, apparently, has to be taken into account.

The Murom Cathedral of the Virgin Mary (and with it Peter and Fevronia) almost became the scene of dramatic action. During the confrontation between Dmitry Shemyaka and Vasily II, the children of the captive Grand Duke Ivan and Yuri fled to Murom. It was in the said cathedral that the transfer of the minor legal heirs of the grand-ducal throne “to the epitrachelion” to the Ryazan bishop Jonah, who acted as a kind of mediator between Dmitry and Vasily, took place. The danger of Jonah's position was directly related to the safety of Basil's sons. No one could guarantee a successful outcome either for them or for the bishop. Without going into details of the events mentioned, we will only report that after the extradition of Ivan and Yuri to Shemyaka, they united with their father in captivity, and the power of the insidious temporary worker began to gradually slip away from under his feet.

Indirectly, the events in the Murom Cathedral of the Mother of God marked the beginning of events that were happily resolved for the grand-ducal family and, thus, made it possible for Vasily and his heirs to consider Peter and Fevronia, who rested in the Cathedral, as “their relatives,” saviors and patrons.

The veneration of Peter and Fevronia continued further. It is known that the “Sovereign of All Rus'” Ivan III in 1468 came “to venerate” the holy relics of “his relatives.” Ivan IV also prayed at the tomb of “his relatives,” sending “royal gifts” to the cathedral. In 1594, the last couple of Rurikovichs, Fyodor Ivanovich and Irina, “put a cover sewn in the famous workshop of this queen on the relics of the saints.” Irina (nee Godunova) begged Peter and his wife to give her children.

Against the backdrop of the veneration of the reigning persons to the Murom saints Peter and Fevronia, it seemed logical for their names to appear on the list for canonization. Since 1547 they have been honored locally, and since 1549 on a nationwide scale. And, nevertheless, the Life of the Murom miracle workers that appeared was so far from the hagiographic canons that Metropolitan Macarius in the 16th century. did not include it in the new collection of the Great Menaion of the Readings. And in order to bring the work closer to hagiographic themes, for example, the compiler of the late Prichudsky edition, which best meets the requirements of the hagiographic genre, “had to resort to an independent adaptation of the plot, and the author of the Prolog article, excluding the series of events, limited himself to general phrases about the pious lifestyle of these saints " The text of the Second Edition in the Museum list has generally undergone significant revision, with the goal of strengthening the elements of the hagiographic genre. Those subjects that were least consistent with Christian piety were subject to reduction.

Even A. Popov, a thoughtful and punctual researcher, noted in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” not only claims to wit, but also “admixtures of superstition.” Superstition is born of a pagan worldview dating back to archaic times. We will also try to find elements of pre-Christian morality and traditions in the text.

The image of Fevronia has always evoked an ambivalent attitude towards itself. On the one hand, she appears as a Christian saint, on the other, as a fairy-tale sorceress. Her image is more attractive, active and is the main one in the story. The reason for this is not only her fabulous wisdom, but also, to some extent, realism, and Ermolai Erasmus’ attempts to create from Fevronia a hagiographic ascetic of an ascetic orientation are clearly inferior to the image established in the folk tradition. Moreover, the artificial author's character would look faded if it had any right to exist at all. Probably, this circumstance was understood by the author himself, who was unable to veil or even remove from the folk legend features that were not in tune with the hagiographic genre.

The first meeting with the heroine is interesting and symptomatic. “Only the young man shied away from those standing before him (Prince Peter) at all, calling himself Affectionately. And I came to a certain house by the gate and saw no one. And I went into the house and there was no one who could smell it. And going into the temple, and in vain, a wonderful vision: sitting alone was a maiden, woven red, and a hare galloping in front of her.” The subsequent dialogue between the mistress of the house and the bewildered messenger of the ill Peter led to an even greater misunderstanding of the young man. And to logical questions, as a result of this misunderstanding, Fevronia gives reasonable answers, except, perhaps, for one thing, which Petrov’s servant also asked about: “I came to you, I was doing it in vain, and I saw a hare galloping in front of you... and I don’t know.. “Perhaps Fevronia deliberately does not provide an explanation for this question? The fact is that the hare is a cult, symbolic animal.

The hare (rabbit) is a well-established and multifunctional character in folklore. He was considered a harbinger of misfortune - a meeting with him was regarded as such, it is no coincidence that he was called “thistlefoot”. The hare is also found as a werewolf and is almost always, in one way or another, associated with the world of evil spirits, the evil spirit in general. However, in the overwhelming majority of references in Slavic folklore, the hare acted as a symbol of male fertilizing power: many erotic songs and proverbs are associated with it, widely used among the Slavic peoples in the process of wedding rituals.

There is a connection between the hare and the phallic cult. In Ukraine and Germany, explanations to children have been preserved that they are brought by hares. In Serbian folk medicine, hare blood served as a remedy for infertility, and a close encounter with a hare promised to promote fertility. Moreover, in the views ancient Russian man affairs of an intimate nature and the charms associated with them were mainly in the hands of women, since attracting people of the opposite sex to one’s person ensured happiness and well-being for the girl.

Who knows what inspired the desire of the wife of the last Rurik tsar, Fyodor, to turn specifically to Fevronia? The absence of an heir from the monarch led to the end of the dynasty, and childlessness for Irina Godunova could, in an unfavorable political situation, end in a monastery. Considering Fevronia to be her saint, the queen turned to her with a deepest desire, hoping for a miracle, using perhaps her last chance, and it didn’t matter whether she turned to Christian or pagan symbols. The first meeting with Fevronia in the text is associated with a hare - a symbol that is far from Christian, disappearing from the text of the most “hagiographic” Prichudsky edition of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia”.

There is even less hagiographic holiness in the method of healing the Murom prince Peter, who fell ill from the serpent (snake). “My prince has a serious illness and ulcers. I was frightened by the blood of a hostile flying serpent…” the young man reported to Fevronia, complaining about not knowing where to look for doctors. Having heard Peter’s medical history, Fevronia agreed to “heal” the prince, without at all doubting the results of the treatment, as if she had been doing this (healing) all her life. The recipe for curing the prince turned out to be very simple for readers, unless, of course, you delve into the details (which we do not know) of the composition of the “sour”: “She took a small vessel, drew my sour, and blew on her, and said: “Yes.” They will establish a bathhouse for your prince and let him anoint it on his body, even if there are scabs and ulcers.” Thus, the entire process of Peter’s recovery had to go through the following phases: delivering Fevronia Peter to the “temple”, the prince’s promise to marry her, preparing “sour mud”, washing in the bathhouse and lubricating the affected areas of the infected person’s body. The drug can be regarded as a kind of decoction, a “potion”, and its preparation using magic (“dun na nya”), witchcraft, “witchcraft”, transferring the power of a magic word along with a charmed object. The treatment itself in this case becomes witchcraft. Let us note that it occurs without the help of prayer and the requisites of Christian mysticism, as it should have been due to the nature of the hagiographic genre. The historian of folk medicine N. F. Vysotsky noted Fevronia’s use of methods of preparing medicine that were common for pagan healers.

It is noteworthy that the prince is smeared with “sour” in the bathhouse. The bathhouse itself Slavic world associated with the archaic past. Let us recall the conversation of Jan Vyshatich with the magicians in 1071, during which the magicians’ idea of ​​the origin of man was revealed, reproduced in the words of the chronicler: “God washed himself in the monastery and sweated, wiped himself off, and fell from heaven to earth; and the cell splits with God, who will create man in it? And the devil creates a man, and God puts his soul in him...” Such pagan ideas were quite widespread in ancient Russian society.

But for us, the mention of the bathhouse is important here. The pagan origin of man was associated with it. It is no coincidence that the cult of ancestors or communication with the dead, which developed and did not lose its significance until the Middle Ages, was reflected in the communication of the living with the dead, including through baths. It was for the dead (or for their souls) that baths were heated on certain days (usually on Holy Thursday), where before washing various treats were left, and the floor was sprinkled with ashes so that bird tracks left on the floor could be used to judge whether the dead had visited the bathhouse. (navyami).

The choice of a bathhouse for the meeting, according to B. A. Rybakov, was not accidental, since it was there that the place of meeting with the navyas - strangers, was determined hostile dead. Ethnographers claim that for a long time in Rus' the bathhouse was considered an unclean place, from the point of view of Christianity. In the northern lands, they did not hang icons in it, and when they went to wash, they removed the crosses from their necks. “Baths are a favorite place for evil spirits, about whose tricks there were terrible stories,” wrote S. A. Tokarev.

Thus, the bathhouse in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” can appear not so much as a symbol of the moral cleansing of Prince Peter from human sins (sins are sores on Peter’s body) in the spirit of Christian symbolism, but as a place of communication with those who have passed away according to the views of Slavic paganism .

So, if we follow the logic of pagan views explained by ethnographers, the frightened Prince Peter in the bathhouse could meet (communicate in some way) with the dead, which, in turn, could contribute to his healing. In the plot of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia”, with the exception of the main characters and the casually mentioned boyars who “perished by the sword” during the period of princelessness in Murom, only two deceased people appear: this is Peter’s predecessor on the Murom princely throne, his brother Pavel and the one killed by Peter “ hostile serpent." However, Peter's treatment is carried out when, according to the plot, only the snake is killed. Consequently, Peter’s meeting could only take place with the untimely death of the serpent.

The image of the serpent is extremely complex. “The snake generally does not lend itself to any single explanation,” V. Ya. Propp rightly writes. - Its meaning is diverse and diverse. Any attempts to reduce the entire complex of the serpent to something single... are doomed to failure in advance.” At the same time, in this “snake” variety of functions in later forms of folklore, the snake appears both as a father and as an ancestor. As a symbol of the phallus, it "represents the paternal principle, and after a while it becomes the ancestor." According to the Balkan folklore tradition, the main function of the snake as a mythical ancestor is, in the words of N. N. Veletskaya, “to maintain healthy, strong, pure-spirited offspring.” Exploring the epic history, I. Ya. Froyanov and Yu. I. Yudin concretized the role of the serpent as the ancestor of the princely family, the guardian of its purity and purity, which is quite consistent with the totemic, pagan views of the population of Ancient Rus' during the 10th-12th centuries.

The snake in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” does not fit into the magical fairy-tale characters, as, in fact, does the first part of the entire story, which is associated with snake-fighting motifs. The closeness of the story to the epic through the chronicle stories about the snake was noted by M. O. Skripil. He had no doubt genetic link these stories with ancient Russian ideas about the snake - a rapist and a werewolf - took place much earlier than the time to which the creation of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” is attributed. It is important to note that the image of the serpent, both in Russian poetic creativity and in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia,” very little resembles the dragon of hagiographic translated literature. In the story, according to A. A. Shaikin, he is “relegated to the role of a lover, does not wish death on anyone and does not kidnap anyone.” The Serpent flew “to the wife of that prince (Paul) for fornication” - this is his only sin. “And they appeared to her as their dreams, as they were by nature; appearing to the people who came, as if the prince himself were sitting with his wife.” Let us note that Pavel’s wife, the princess, accepted the Serpent not only in her dreams, but also “by nature,” that is, consciously and only out of her natural honesty (“this is not hidden”), she confessed everything to the prince. Here the plot of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” clearly agrees with the above thoughts about the snake - the successor of the princely family, the guardian of its purity. It is especially important that the Serpent should not become an ancestor in general, but an ancestor of a princely (in this case, Murom) clan, a clan of a leader, a leader. Communication with him through the female line in this version is especially desirable. Serpent, possessing cosmic essence, phallic symbolism and werewolf, contributes to the emergence of earthly women offspring endowed with supernatural qualities from extraordinary strength to fabulous beauty. Thanks to these powers, none of the ordinary people can defeat the descendants of the Serpent. All qualities acquired from the Serpent, as a rule, were attributed in folk tradition to the offspring of the princely family. The mythological motifs about the snake as a cosmic ancestor are consonant with the idea of ​​​​the protective power of the snake - the patron of the house (in the case under consideration - the princely family), the keeper of the family hearth, as the embodiment of a mythical ancestor, as the form in which the souls of deceased relatives appear.

In “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia,” Peter violates the mythological scheme of the well-being of the princely family, the continuation of the princely family: “And I took up the sword, called Agrikov, and came to the temple to demolish my own, and seeing the serpent with the vision of my brother, and was firmly convinced that there was no his brother, but a charming serpent, and strike him with the sword. The serpent appeared, having the same nature, and began to tremble, and was dead.” What is the result of Peter's intervention in his brother's life? The story gives us the answer to this question: “Little by little, the prophesied prince Paul departed from his life. The blessed Prince Peter, through his brother, is the only autocrat of his city.” So, by killing the Serpent, Peter deprived his brother of an heir, becoming one himself after the death of Paul. But the violation of the fraternal family hearth, in whatever form it is presented, and the deprivation of the patronage of the princely family from the Serpent is a kind of totemic sin, somewhere in the Tale it is even self-interested on the part of Peter. Any sin requires punishment and, subsequently, atonement. Peter receives punishment instantly after the death of his mythological counterpart: the Serpent, beating in agony, sprinkled Peter with his blood, who “from the hostile blood was sharp, and the ulcers were, and the coming illness was very serious.”

In this way of analyzing the text, there is no reason to believe that Peter’s illness or enfeeblement is an invention of the author of the story to connect two parts that he used to write a complete work - the legend of the flying serpent and the tale of the wise maiden, as M. O. Skripil did. In our understanding, “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” was based on one legend, and not on several artificially combined by the author, and in this sense, we agree with A. A. Shaikin that the hypothesis of combining folklore motifs in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” of different nations “looks a little forced.”

Peter, as an atonement for his pagan sins, in addition to suffering caused by illness, had to restore the tribal taboo, the protective halo of the ancestors of the princely family. And in the course of the development of the mythological plot, he accomplishes this by marrying the not quite ordinary, but endowed with magical abilities, the wise maiden Fevronia (the wife of a member of a princely family must necessarily be wise). Let us remember that their union in a marriage cannot be called amicable - only on the second attempt does Peter realize the necessity of this. The bathhouse, as a place of meeting with “hostile spirits” (the Serpent was an enemy for Peter), in this sense could play the role of a catalyst for Peter’s understanding of the current situation. The basis for understanding the ideas of the inhabitants of Ancient Rus' can be the development of community psychology. The power of the prince - the leader, based on tribal traditions and associated in myth and epic with the snake heritage, and at the same time with a narrow social support, is becoming a thing of the past (in the story - the Serpent dies). At that time (X-XII centuries) new social forces came to the fore: in the epic it is a hero who destroys the old “snake” support of the prince’s power64, in the Tale, from our point of view, it is Fevronia, whose origin erodes, but does not destroy the princely traditions, interfering with the infallibility and purity of the princely family. Let us note that this kind of compromise, which occurred, on the one hand, between Prince Peter and the commoner, the daughter of the tree-dweller Fevronia, and on the other, between the princely and communal authorities, leads to a final development of events that is beneficial for the population of Murom “from young to old” - in the city is becoming calmer. Prince Peter not only recovers from his illness, but also “cures” society.

However, let us return to Peter’s method of healing. Treatment of diseases in Ancient Rus', as a rule, was accompanied by appropriate prayers, since the disease itself was defined as God's punishment for sins. Church breviaries were even compiled containing prayers for treatment of various diseases. There was a prayer, and with it a method of treatment, for someone infected by a serpent (snake), and it only vaguely resembles Fevronia’s manipulations: “From a snake to a bitten person. Take a clean vessel and pour in clean water, and pour this prayer over the water and give it to drink, and you do it to the one who told it and give it to him, and anoint him, as you would do to someone who was injured. Heals the injured. Amen". Let us note that the main components that healed the “damaged” were water and prayer.

Along with book healing prayers in Ancient Rus', there were also folk conspiracies, and methods of treatment reflecting pagan views. Probably, the healing of Peter by Fevronia should be included among these. And the heroine of the Tale herself can, with a certain degree of caution, be considered a “witch.” Perhaps it is no coincidence that in the Ryazan versions of the tales of Peter and Fevronia, stable hostile relations between Fevronia and Fevronia were preserved (or were defined in forms more understandable to the people). local residents related to her medical practice. Apparently, such activities have always evoked dual feelings among people at all times: on the one hand, respect - “... cures all diseases”, on the other, based on the unusual behavior and, as a result, incomprehensibility - negative emotions - “people began to laugh at her” or “The people laughed and gave no rest.” Fevronia (in some versions - Khavronya) is called a fool. However, Fevronia reciprocated: “May this village be forever cursed!”

Meanwhile, in the XII-XIII centuries. Not only healers, but also monastic “healers” treated with herbs (“potions”). There is a well-known example of Agapit, a Kiev resident, who healed his brethren with herbs (“even brewing a potion”), for which he received the nickname “The Healer.”

Nevertheless, the patient of the monk Agapit was cured not only by herbal medicine, but “he who was sick was healthy through his (Agapit) prayer.” The “healer” prayed to God for the sick person “continuously, until the Lord grants health to the sick person.” However, the doctors included in the monastic hierarchy, like the princely court doctors, had a unique official status. And the church had to identify the real healers mentioned in the second article of Russian Pravda from the healers.

The jurisdiction of the church included offenses related to manifestations of paganism. In the Charter of Prince Vladimir, “witchcraft” (witchcraft) and “potion” (preparation of medicines and love potions) were distinguished. Interesting in this regard is the position of the Long Edition of the Charter of Prince Yaroslav on Church Courts, demonstrated in Article 38: “If the wife is a sorceress, a learner, or a magician, or a herbalist, the husband, having finished, will execute her, and not lose her.” Noteworthy is the absence of an indication of a fine in favor of the metropolitan, that is, the discovery of witchcraft in a family was not considered worthy of being brought to trial “in public.”

At the same time, it should be noted that there were women in Rus' who were in one way or another associated with witchcraft and sorcery. At least the chronicles are not silent about the “demonic wives.” Suffice it to recall the ritual reprisal of the Magi in the Rostov land in 1071 over the “best wives” suspected of having a detrimental effect on the harvest. Or the chronicler’s reflections on paganism: “Moreover, there are demonic wives. ...Wives are enchanted a lot by sorcery and poison and other demonic tricks.”74 In fact, the chronicler himself explains the reason for the spread of the above-mentioned activities among ancient Russian women: “Especially through women, demonic sorcery occurs, for from time immemorial the demon has deceived a woman, and she has deceived a man.” B. A. Rybakov, studying the paganism of Ancient Rus', relying on later ethnographic research, came to the conclusion that primitive pharmacology was a hereditary matter and the distant foremothers of the “godless women” of the 17th century. and healers of the 19th century. were part of what can be conventionally called the “class of priests” in Ancient Rus'.

We do not aim to supplement the list of “godless women” of Ancient Rus' with Fevronia from “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia”, but strive to show, on the one hand, the existence of women sorceresses at the named time, on the other hand, the relative impunity of their actions (“sorcerers” ) primarily by the church. So, church judicial practice was quite loyal in relation to home-grown healers, sorcerers, etc. insofar as the church felt insecure in Ancient Rus'.

About such an attitude towards oneself in the 16th century. The “witches” could only dream. At the very beginning of the 17th century. One of the most high-profile witchcraft trials took place, initiated by the treasurer Bartenev, who served with the boyar A. N. Romanov. Bartenev reported to the tsar that his master kept magic roots in the treasury, with the help of which he intended to kill Boris. During the arrest, a bag of roots was found, which was used as the main evidence. The crime threatened to be the most serious in its composition, but Romanov escaped with exile. The bailiffs accompanying the disgraced said: “You, villains and traitors, wanted to get the kingdom through witchcraft and roots!” We admit that the roots are just a reason for the removal of the Romanovs, but the very fact of the trial for “herbs”, coupled with accusations of “witchcraft,” speaks about the attitude of the official authorities towards such pagan events.

The death of a wife and her husband is also a pagan, archaic rite in origin and in essence, perceived by pagan peoples as a second marriage through death. Back in the V-X centuries. a girl’s entry into marriage meant for her the obligation to die with her husband, even in the event of his early death. The departure to the “other world” of married couples in the Middle Ages, which occurred with mutual consent, is regarded by N. N. Veletskaya as a vivid rudiment of stable pagan rituals.80 In “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” the plot narration ends with this ritual. And, apparently, Ermolai Erasmus faced a difficult choice in writing the finale of his work.

The fact is that dying (“... having begged God, that in one hour there may be death by her...”) and burial together (“... and having made the council, that both may be laid in a single grave...”) clearly contradict the rules of the faith of Christ, his commandments . Referring to the same Ermolai Erasmus, A.L. Yurganov rightly notes that “without recognizing Christ’s commandments, one cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven, even if a person does good deeds” and in the name of love for each other. In “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia,” both Peter and Fevronia violate church rules. Attempts to correct their actions are being made by the “people” of Murom: “... I put them in special coffins and carried them in packs”: Peter to the Church of the Virgin Mary, and Fevronia to the Church of the Exaltation. Nevertheless, “on the morning the saint was found in a single tomb. And I dare not touch their holy bodies and put them in a single coffin, in which they themselves commanded, at the cathedral church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary inside the city...” Both in the plot outline of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” and in the worldview of Yermolai Erasmus, the idea of ​​comprehensive love for each other, expressed by him in “A Sermon on the Reasoning of Love and Truth and on the Overcoming of Enmity and Lies”, prevailed.84 The above-mentioned idea is most vivid and pathetic sounds exactly in the “pagan” version of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” and would have lost much in its Christian, “correct” version. Probably the author understood this very well and made his choice.

With the official condemnation of all kinds of witchcraft as a pagan worldview, the latter got along quite well in the period of the 11th-13th centuries. in the territories of Ancient Rus', was not something out of the ordinary and was not strictly punished.

We associate this with the common process throughout Rus' of the adaptation of Christianity to pagan beliefs, a kind of forced tolerance towards “languages”, which comes from a number of objective reasons. On the other hand, we can focus on the fact that along with the strengthening of the church, with a change in the attitude of state structures and the Grand Duke towards it, there is a tendency to tighten measures against all manifestations of paganism, proclaimed in the name of the purity of Orthodoxy. The 16th century becomes fateful in this regard.

Understanding the anti-life nature of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia,” one can, nevertheless, be amazed at its genre potential. The fact is that the genre of the story has not yet been precisely established. We have already said above that “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” was defined both as a poem of theological and didactic meaning, and as a medieval literary parable, and as a legendary life. R.P. Dmitrieva showed the importance of the story as a short story tale.89 Apparently, the above-mentioned difficulty in defining the genre arises from the peculiarity and uniqueness of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” itself, which many researchers have discussed. It is unique in Russian literature, like the work of Andrei Rublev in icon painting. Nevertheless, without detracting from the merits of the story in these genres, we see in it a historical basis, genetically coming, in our view, from an early historical legend, which, in turn, was based on wandering mythological motifs of snake fighting and fairy tales about the wise maiden.

Original folklore forms (fairy tales, epics, songs) were not always direct material for the writer of Ancient Rus'. Between him and folk art, the role of a connecting link could be played by legend, oral or handwritten legend. Apparently, wandering motifs in the oral tradition were combined into a complete tale. Supernatural heroes were replaced by specific people, and the legend in popular memory was dedicated to Murom, which is typical for historical legend. “A cycle of historical legends, in oral history complicated and colored by traditional folklore, mainly fairy-tale plots and motifs,” S. K. Rosovetsky calls “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia.” According to many criteria developed by V.K. Sokolova, “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” can be attributed as a historical legend.

Basic acting heroes stories - existing real persons who became popular in the Murom-Ryazan land. Legends about them exist to this day, passed down from generation to generation. The places attributed to their visit became places of worship and pilgrimage. “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” tells us about complete and unique events that took place in the distant past; the story itself entered the treasury of Russian medieval literature. Reality is mainly depicted realistically; consideration of the socio-political background led us to the era of the formation of volost territories of the late 12th and early 13th centuries. The central conflict, which carries socio-political implications, the basis of the plot of the story, in our opinion, is the exile and calling of Prince Peter and his wife and the nuances associated with this. The characters (prince and princess, boyars, city residents) are shown precisely in the sociopolitical aspect. Through a particular specific event (the exile-calling of the prince), we can have an idea, by comparing it with data from other written sources, with ethnographic materials, about the era in which the above-mentioned events could have occurred.

In “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia,” despite the hagiographic form of presentation, a narrative technique is used, designed to convince the listener (reader) that everything told (written) is true, that this is exactly what happened. And as proof, reference is made to the legendary, but not invented by the author, past of the person being described. In the text of the story we see reservations by Ermolai Erasmus in the spirit of “as I told” at the beginning of the story, “may you also remember me, a sinner, who wrote this off, having heard this, the ignorant, even if others wrote the essence above me” - at the end of the story. The last circumstance, characteristic of the work of Ermolai Erasmus in general, allows us to note with greater confidence that “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” does not have an artificial author’s nature, but features of a slightly revised historical legend.

1 Old Russian literature. "The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom." The instructive nature of ancient Russian literature; wisdom, continuity of spirit, religiosity, loyalty, sacrifice; family values ​​(love, devotion, loyalty of the main characters)

“The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” arose in its core no later than the second quarter of the 15th century, but received its final design at the beginning of the 16th century under the pen of Ermolai Erasmus and is closely connected with folklore.

This is a story about the love of Prince Peter and the peasant girl Fevronia - strong and invincible love, “until the grave.”

The first appearance in the story of the girl Fevronia is captured in a visually distinct image. I found her in simple peasant hut a messenger from the Murom prince Peter, who fell ill from the poisonous blood of the snake he killed. In a poor peasant dress, Fevronia sat at a loom and was doing a “quiet” job - weaving cloth, and a hare was jumping in front of her, as if symbolizing a merger with nature. Her questions and answers, her quiet and wise conversation, clearly show that she is smart. Fevronia amazes the messengers with her prophetic answers and promises to help the prince. Well-versed in healing potions, she heals the prince.

The life-giving power of Fevronia’s love is so great that the poles stuck into the ground, with her blessing, blossom, turning into trees. Crumbs of bread in her palm turn into grains of sacred incense. She is so strong in spirit that she can unravel the thoughts of the people she meets. In the strength of her love, in the wisdom, as if suggested to her by this love, Fevronia turns out to be superior to her ideal husband, Prince Peter.

Death itself cannot separate them. When Peter and Fevronia felt the approach of death, they asked God to let them die at the same time, and prepared a common coffin for themselves. After that they became monks in different monasteries.

2 M. Gorky. The story “Childhood” - the autobiographical nature of the story

M. Gorky’s work “Childhood” belongs to the genre of autobiographical story. Remembering his childhood, the first years of growing up, the death of his father, moving to the Kashirins’ house, rethinking a lot in a new way, M. Gorky creates the story “Childhood”. life story little boy Alyosha. The story is told in the first person, on behalf of the main participant in the events. This allows the writer to show the events depicted more reliably, to convey the thoughts, feelings, and attitude to the character’s life. Alyosha remembers his grandmother as “the closest to my heart, the most understandable and dear person“It was her selfless love for the world that enriched me, filling me with strong strength for a difficult life.” In the text of the story, the hero admits his dislike for his grandfather. The writer’s task is not just to convey the events in which the little hero became a participant, but also to evaluate them from the position of an adult who has known a lot about human life. It is this feature that is characteristic of the autobiographical story genre.

1) The history of the creation of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom”.

During the time of Ivan the Terrible, Moscow Metropolitan Macarius ordered the collection of legends from Russian cities about righteous people famous for their pious deeds. Subsequently, a church council proclaims them saints. Priest Ermolai received an assignment to write an essay about the Murom saints - Prince Peter and his wife Princess Fevronia. Ermolai-Erasmus wrote “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom,” who were canonized at the council in 1547, that is, declared “new miracle workers,” saints.

2) Features of the plot of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom”.

Plot sources. The source of the plot for the “Tale...” of Ermolai-Erasmus was a local legend about a wise peasant girl who became a princess (the village of Laskovo, five kilometers from the village of Solotchi and the former Solotchinsky monastery, where Fevronia was from, still exists today). Folk tradition had such a strong influence on Ermolai-Erasmus that he created a work not associated with the canons of the hagiographical genre: before us is a fascinating plot narrative, not much reminiscent of the story of the feat of the saints for the glory of the church. Both in the plot, and in the content of individual episodes, and in making and solving riddles, folklore motives. It is significant in this regard that the story of Ermolai-Erasmus about Peter and Fevronia, recognized by the church as saints, was not included in the “Great Menaion-Chetia”, which, along with other texts, contained numerous lives of Russian saints.

Main stages of the plot. Exposition. “This is a city in the Rustei land, called Mur” - this is how the story begins simply. In this city, as the narrator says, the blessed Prince Paul reigned. And the rapist serpent began to fly to his wife. To outsiders, he took on the appearance of Paul. Pavel's wife told her husband about her misfortune, and both began to think about how to get rid of the rapist. One day, when the serpent again flew to Paul’s wife, she asked the serpent “with respect”: “You know a lot, do you know your death: what will it be and from what?” Seduced by the “good seduction” of Paul’s wife, the serpent replied: “My death is from Peter’s shoulder, from Agrikov’s sword.” Paul's brother, Peter, decides to kill the serpent, but does not know where he can get Agrikov's sword. He finds this sword on one of his trips to private prayer in a country temple in the altar between the “ceramides,” that is, ceramic tiles that usually covered burials. Having made sure that it is not Paul who is sitting in the temple of Paul’s wife, but a serpent who has taken on the appearance of Paul, Peter strikes him with Agric’s sword. His true appearance returns to the serpent, and he dies “trembling”, sprinkling Peter with his blood. From this blood Peter is covered with scabs. His illness cannot be cured.

The beginning of the plot action. Peter's terrible illness serves as the beginning of the second part of the story, where the wise maiden Fevronia appears and heals the prince. Fevronia is the “wise maiden” of fairy tales. External manifestations of her great inner strength are stingy. She is ready for the feat of self-denial, she has conquered her passions. Her love for Prince Peter is invincible externally because she is defeated internally, by herself, subordinated to the mind. At the same time, her wisdom is not only a property of her mind, but to the same extent - her feelings and will. There is no conflict between her feelings, mind and will: hence the extraordinary “silence” of her image.

Denouement. The life-giving power of Fevronia’s love is so great that the poles stuck into the ground bloom into trees with her blessing. She is so strong in spirit that she can unravel the thoughts of the people she meets. In the power of love, in the wisdom suggested to her by this love, Fevronia turns out to be higher than even her ideal husband, Prince Peter. Death itself cannot separate them. When Peter and Fevronia felt the approach of death, they began to ask God to die at the same time, and prepared a common foe for themselves. After that they became monks in different monasteries. And so, when Fevronia was embroidering “air” for the holy cup for the temple of the Mother of God, Peter sent her to tell her that he was dying, and asked her to die with him. But Fevronia asks to give her time to finish the bedspread. Peter sent to her a second time, ordering her to say: “I won’t wait long enough for you.” Finally, sending p for the third time, Peter tells her: “I already want to die and I’m not waiting for you.” Then Fevronia, who only had to finish the saint’s robe, stuck a needle into the bedspread, wrapped a thread around it and sent it to tell Peter that she was ready to die with him.

Epilogue. After the death of Peter and Fevronia, people put their bodies in separate coffins, but the next day their bodies ended up in a common coffin that they had prepared in advance. People tried to separate Peter and Fevronia a second time, but again the bodies were together, and after that they no longer dared to separate them.

What forces are at work at the beginning of the story? (the evil serpent is the devil)

What is Agrikov's sword? (Agrik is a fabulous hero. They said that he defeated giants and monsters. He collected a countless treasury of weapons, among which was a treasure sword.)

Why did Peter's body become covered with scabs and sores? (“...Peter, firmly convinced that it was not his brother, but a crafty serpent, struck him with a sword. The serpent turned into his natural form and fell dead in convulsions, splashing Prince Peter with his blood. From that enemy blood, Peter’s body was covered with scabs and Sores opened, and a serious illness attacked him."

3) Artistic features of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom”.

“The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” is a combination of two folklore stories: one about a seducing snake and the other about a wise maiden. These stories in “The Tale...” are connected and dedicated to Murom, and the whole story claims to be historically accurate.

The charm of “The Tale...” lies in the simplicity and clarity of presentation, in the sedate slowness of the story, in the narrator’s ability not to be surprised by the surprising, in the simplicity and good-naturedness of the characters that harmonizes with the narrator’s calmness.

Course work

The image of the family in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom”

Introduction

IN last decades V modern society There is a problem for which a solution has not yet been found. This is a problem of relationships within the family. Back in the era of the 20-30s of the twentieth century, the collapse of traditional Russian family life, and to this day the problem of the ethics of family relationships remains one of the most pressing in the lives of modern youth.

In the era of the emergence of socialism, freedom of family relationships and the complete destruction of the traditional understanding of family and marriage were actively promoted in literature. In Chernyshevsky’s novel “What is to be done?” we are encountering a completely new way of family life, what is called today “open relationships”, when the husband and wife are not related to each other by marriage, and the family exists until the husband or wife decides to destroy the family. This model of relationship was completely new for Russia at that time, and was perceived as something extraordinary, but in modern society it became the most popular and was called “civil marriage.”

Subsequently, socialist society returns to the external forms of the traditional family, but the loss of the spiritual foundations of marriage, which were previously established by the church, gives rise to numerous problems, including divorce, difficulties in raising children and many others. Behind the shell of a strong family there was often hidden the complete indifference of husbands and wives to each other and their own child; the problems of such families, for example, were repeatedly highlighted in his work by Yuri Trifonov.

During the years of “perestroika,” the collapse of the family occurs again, since divorce ceases to be a deviation from the norm, while the spiritual foundations of marriage become a completely vague concept that is lost against the background of various models of relationships offered to society by means of mass media. However, in recent years there has been a reverse reaction - many young people are striving to restore the lost traditions of family relationships and understand what lies at the heart of the traditional Russian family.

The answer to this question should be sought in Russian classical literature, reading the works of Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy, Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev and other great writers, but the origins of their understanding of the family should be sought in the works of more ancient ones, such as “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom”.

In our work we will consider this work in the aspect of family relationships presented in it, we will analyze how the family relationships of the heroes are built in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom”.

There is no doubt that “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” reflects the Christian view of family and marriage. The author of this work, Ermolai-Erasmus, was a priest in Pskov, and then the archpriest of the palace Cathedral of the Savior on Bor in Moscow, which means the origins of the understanding of marriage in the “Tale” must be sought in Orthodox Christianity.

The purpose of our work is to identify, using the example of the work “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom,” how the spiritual values ​​of Christianity and the Christian understanding of family and marriage are reflected in ancient Russian literature, as well as to consider “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” in the aspect of family relationships .

In the first part of the work, we will turn to the history of the creation of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” and the personality of Ermolai Erasmus, the author of the story, we will consider the features of this work of art, which formed the basis of our analysis.

In the next part of the work, we will analyze how “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” reflects the Christian understanding of marriage and what spiritual values ​​underlie the traditional Russian family.

We will devote the third chapter to an analysis of the images of Peter and Fevronia and, using their example, we will find out how “roles” are distributed in the family and what kind of relationship exists between husband and wife in a traditional Russian family.

In our work we will use terms such as:

Lives - (bios (Greek), vita (Latin)) - biographies of saints. The life was created after the death of the saint, but not always after formal canonization. Lives are characterized by strict substantive and structural restrictions (canon, literary etiquette), which greatly distinguishes them from secular biographies. The science of hagiography studies the lives of people.

Old Russian literature of the lives of Russian saints itself begins with biographies of individual saints. The model by which Russian “lives” were compiled was the Greek lives of the Metaphrastus type, that is, whose task was to “praise” the saint.

The main task of the life was to glorify the saint, which always began with the praise of his courage, perseverance or ability to overcome difficulties.

The main book containing the lives of Russian saints was the “Cheti-Minei” or “Minei chetii” - the same as the Chetiy (that is, intended for reading, and not for worship) books of the lives of the saints of the Orthodox Church, set out in the order of months and days each month, hence their name “menaia” (Greek μηνιαίος “monthly, one-month, lasting a month”).

legend - (from the Latin legenda - something that must be read) - one of the genres of non-fairy tale prose, a folk legend about an outstanding event or human act, based on a miracle, fantastic image or a representation that is perceived by the narrator as authentic.

At the same time, the plot of the legend is based on real or acceptable facts.

Tradition is an oral story based on real or completely acceptable facts; tradition is something that needed to be passed on to future generations.

A parable is a short instructive story in the didactic-allegorical literary genre, containing moral or religious teaching (wisdom).

Symbol - (from the Greek symbolon - conventional sign) - an image that expresses the meaning of a phenomenon in objective form. An object, animal, sign becomes a symbol when they are endowed with additional, exclusively important, for example, the cross became a symbol of Christianity, and the swastika - a sign of the fast-flowing wheel of time - a symbol of fascism.

The meaning of the meaning is implied, so how it is perceived depends on the readers.

It should be noted that “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” in the Christian interpretation is perceived precisely as a story about love and marriage, however, there are few serious studies on this topic; individual articles and notes include this aspect of this work, but they consider it superficially, individual There are practically no works on this topic.

In this chapter of our work, we turn to the personality of Ermolai-Erasmus, the author of the “story of Peter and Fevronia of Murom”, consider some features of the plot of this work, which allow us to conclude that the story must be considered not only as an example of the hagiographic genre, but and as an instruction to spouses, following which they can create harmonious relationships in marriage.

Ermolai-Erasmus (Ermolai the Pregreshny) is an outstanding Russian thinker, writer and publicist. In the 40s–60s. In the 16th century, he was first a priest in Pskov, then served as archpriest of the Kremlin Cathedral of the Savior on Bor, and later became a monk under the name Erasmus. Currently known big number works signed with his name (before monasticism - the name Ermolai, after tonsure - “Ermolai, monastic Erasmus”, in addition, he called himself “sinner”). Ermolai-Erasmus showed his greatest creative activity during the years of his Moscow residence, since he was attracted by Metropolitan Macarius to participate in the creation of various kinds of works of a theological nature, including Lives for the Great Menaions of the Four.

The theological works “The Book of the Trinity” and “The Sighted Paschalia”, the journalistic treatise “The Ruler Who Wills the Tsar”, containing a project for social reforms, the lives “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” and “The Tale of Bishop Vasily”, a series of messages and some other works. Thanks to a happy accident, his works (with the exception of his messages) have come down to us in two collections written by the author himself.

The most famous work of Ermolai-Erasmus was “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom”. Researchers call this story one of the most outstanding ancient Russian works hagiographical genre, however, in its style and content the story is very different from most lives written during this period.

The plot of this work is based on a story about the love of a prince and a peasant woman. Prince Peter saves his brother's wife from a serpent visiting a woman in the guise of her husband. Having killed the snake with a sword found under mysterious circumstances, Peter was splashed with snake blood, causing his body to become covered with scabs. The youth sent by Peter to find a doctor ended up in the Ryazan village of Laskovo, where he met a girl who amazed him with her wisdom. Fevronia agrees to heal the prince if he marries her. Peter makes this promise to her, but, having barely been healed, refuses to marry: “Well, how is it possible for a prince to take the daughter of a poison dart frog as his wife!” - he exclaims. However, the illness strikes Peter again and, only having been healed a second time, he fulfills his promise. The peasant princess displeased the boyars' wives, and they demanded that Fevronia be expelled. She agrees to leave if she is allowed to take whatever she wants with her. The delighted boyars do not object, but the wise Fevronia takes away her husband, who prefers the duty of a spouse married in the church to the princely power. The strife that struck the boyars after the departure of the princely couple prompted them to call the prince and princess back. For the rest of their lives, Peter and Fevronia lived in love and harmony and died on the same day. And after death, placed in different coffins, they miraculously end up in a single tomb.

According to some studies, the plot of the “Tale” is so unusual that it resembles not so much a hagiographic work as a folk tale or artistic essay about the power of love. The main characters are spouses who jointly experience the trials that befall them along the path of life; the story seems to tell readers what the relationship between spouses should be like so that they can harmoniously build their family.

A certain fabulousness is also emphasized by the style of the “Tale”, designed in a bright narrative manner, close to parables, filled with riddles and legendary images and objects, such as Agrikov’s sword or a snake taking the form of a person. Researchers note that “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom is closer to literary work, rather than to the classical “life”.

However, recently studies have appeared that give a completely different interpretation of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia”, in particular, the work of M.B. Plyukhanova “Plots and Symbols of the Moscow Kingdom” (M., 1995), which indicates that by the 16th century, apparently, there already existed a fairly popular body of oral traditions about Peter and Fevronia, which served as the basis for the establishment of their church veneration. However, not a single one oral legend has not reached our time.

Consequently, the question arises: why in the middle of the 16th century there was a need for the canonization of these particular heroes, whose holiness was not recorded in any written monument? And what meaning did Ermolai-Erasmus put into the life he wrote?

“The Tale” is filled with diverse Christian symbolism: the image of the tempting serpent and the serpent fighter, but the indication of divine providence about the fate of the main characters, and, finally, the heroes of the story themselves - husband and wife - add another aspect to the meaning of the hagiographic genre for a believer. The life becomes not only an indication of the righteous life of a particular person, but also shows a model of harmonious family relationships and becomes a kind of “guide” to family life.

The image of the husband, a serpent fighter, the bearer of divine power, is not only presented on an equal basis with the female image, but is even relegated to the background in comparison with the image of the wise wife. In the story, strength and power and meekness and healing wisdom, “mind of the mind” and “mind of the heart” come into union.

The image of the wise Fevronia finds parallels in the Bible and in various ancient Russian monuments. In the “Book of the Trinity” by Ermolai-Erasmus himself, a number of earthly wives are presented, creating human history with their wisdom.

“Such an interpretation of the symbolism of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” allows us to conclude that “The Tale” glorifies not just two patron saints, but two principles on which the Orthodox world stands and from which Orthodox power is composed - serpent-fighting and Wisdom.”

“The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” caused a mixed reaction among contemporaries. Thus, Metropolitan Macarius did not include it in the Great Menaions of Chetya. At the same time, the plot of Peter and Fevronia itself became very popular in Ancient Rus', and was developed both in literature and in icon painting.

Thus, considering the history of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” and turning to the images that fill it, we can say that this work can be considered as a symbolic indication of the way to create a harmonious, “correct” marriage in which both spouses are capable reach the heights of spiritual development.

Chapter 2. “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” as a reflection of the Christian understanding of marriage. Spiritual values ​​underlying the traditional Russian family

In this chapter of our work, we will analyze how “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” reflects the Christian understanding of marriage, what spiritual values ​​the traditional Russian family is based on and how they are implemented in the text of the story.

To do this, we will turn to the Christian understanding of family and marriage, as laid down in the Bible, and consider what spiritual values ​​are at the heart of the Christian family.

In the next paragraph of our chapter we will turn to the analysis of the text of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” and identify how they are reflected in the text of the work.

2.1 Understanding family and marriage in the Christian tradition. Spiritual Foundations of the Christian Family

In modern society, which is characterized by an abundance of conflicting information, it is very difficult for a person with little education in the spiritual sphere to understand what actually is the correct interpretation of the biblical laws of marriage and family. A huge number of different religious movements interpret the Bible in completely different ways, depending on their own goals. in order to understand the meaning of marriage in the Christian tradition, one should turn directly to the Bible and its interpretation by clergy.

“The marriage union in the New Testament is elevated to the level of the great mystery of God; it is he who is the image of the union of Christ with the Church. But the union of Christ with the Church is full of grace and truth (John 1:14), i.e. is a union of grace, true; therefore, the marriage union must be considered full of grace, i.e. a union to which the grace of the Holy Spirit is sent from God and which is therefore a true union. From these words we can conclude that the marriage union is concluded not only at the desire of a man and a woman, but with the blessing of the Church. Marriage is a spiritual union, performed with the blessing of the Lord, a sacred rite, a special sacrament that carries the grace of the Holy Spirit over a married couple.

The Christian union, symbolically repeating the union of Jesus Christ with the Church, is holy and spiritual, therefore, marriage must preserve the purity of the relationship, which consists in the honesty and fidelity of the spouses to each other. In the Bible, marriage is compared to a vessel that must be kept “holiness and honor,” and the marriage bed must be “undefiled.” These words do not mean the material “purity” of the marriage bed and the marriage union in general, but the spiritual connection between spouses, which denies deception and betrayal. “Real” husband and wife spiritually belong to each other, so they simply cannot lie to one another, or break the vow of fidelity.

Marriage must be indissoluble: “what God has joined together, let no man put asunder” (Matthew 19:6). Marriage is made and broken only by the will of God, and not by the desire of people. In modern society, among young people you can often hear phrases that go something like this: “Let’s get married, and if anything happens, we’ll separate.” This is unthinkable for a Christian marriage, because your “half” is destined for you by God. A Christian getting married in a church realizes that he binds himself to his spouse for the rest of his life, and must steadfastly endure the trials that will befall him in family life, including those related to the relationships between people in marriage.

In the Middle Ages, when pagan culture was replaced by Christian culture, the family became not just a “unit of society,” but a sacrament into which two Christians entered, declaring a joint decision before their community. According to Christian teaching, there is a family small church. But the church cannot be created “for a while” - it is created forever, held together by love, which does not seek only its own benefit and convenience. It is worth noting that the crowns, which during the wedding in Orthodox Church put on the bride and groom, these are not royal crowns, as many people think, but martyr’s crowns, that is, the spouses should not stop at any suffering if they are needed for the good of the other. Those getting married are likened to the early Christian martyrs who suffered for Christ.

What are the goals of Christian marriage?

One of these goals is directly stated in the Bible: “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Gen. 1:27-28) - that is, the multiplication of the human race on earth.

The second goal can be called the spiritual unification of people, so that they can go through life path: “And God said: It is not good for man to be alone; let us make him a helper after him” (Gen. 2:18).

Another goal of marriage is to curb the carnal in a person. The apostle points to this purpose of marriage when he says: “It is good for a man not to touch a woman, but to avoid fornication, each one should have his own wife, and each one should have her own husband” (1 Cor. 7:1-2).

The last and most important duty placed on Christian spouses by the sacrament of marriage is to “prepare” themselves, their children, for the “future life”, for future eternal bliss. This can be achieved by people united by marriage if they, loving each other, then At the same time, they will love the Lord God if they fulfill the commandments and, by their example, encourage one another to be patient, if they help one another in ascending to the “heights of the spirit.”

Parents should consider it a great and sacred duty to take care of the upbringing of their children in the spirit of Christian piety, since parents are responsible not only for the physical life of their children, but also for their spiritual education.

What is the relationship between spouses in marriage?

In order to clarify this issue, we must again turn to quotations from the Bible.

“The head of a woman is the husband” (1 Cor. 1:3); “Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord” (Eph. 5:22); “Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives are subject to their husbands in everything” (Eph. 5:24). Submission of wives to their husbands is the first principle... Scripture places decision making in the hands of the husband. The husband becomes the “support” of the family “church”, its foundation.

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her” (Eph. 5:25); “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them” (Col. 3:18).

The call for wives to submit to their husbands is coupled with the call for husbands to love their wives. Love is, first of all, the husband’s care for the life partner given to him by God, the ability to forgive her shortcomings, help her in everything and make his wife’s life happy and joyful.

“Let the wife study in silence, with all submission; But I do not allow a woman to teach, nor to have authority over her husband, but to be silent” (1 Tim. 2:11,12).

A wife should not dominate her husband, she should respect him and be able to come to terms with his shortcomings.

“Legitimate marriage is a symbol of a properly established world. Right world is when people do what God says. That's right - this is when the house is cozy, when a woman is the keeper of the hearth, when children are well-mannered and well-groomed, and care is taken for them. When the foundations of the Christian faith, taught by their father and the Church, are enshrined in children.”

Thus, we can say that the basis of a Christian marriage are such spiritual values ​​as fidelity, patience, mutual assistance in physical and spiritual life, honesty and love between spouses, as well as their joint care for spiritual and material benefits your family. Spouses, according to the canons of Christianity, are destined for each other by God and are responsible for their family not only to each other, but also to the Lord, and must love and honor each other, despite the trials of life.

2.2 “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom”, as a reflection of the traditions of a Christian family

The author of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom”, the monk Ermolai-Erasmus, put in his work the key to a true understanding of Christian marriage. Already in the first part of the story we see a picture of harmonious family relationships built on the trust of spouses in each other:

“There is a city in the Russian land called Murom. It was once ruled by a noble prince named Pavel. The devil, who has hated the human race from time immemorial, made it so that the evil winged serpent began to fly to the wife of that prince for fornication. And, by his magic, he appeared before her as he really was, and the people who came imagined that it was the prince himself sitting with his wife. This obsession continued for a long time. The wife did not hide this and told everyone what happened to her, the prince, her husband.”

The wife of the Murom prince had a choice: either she would hide everything that was happening, or she would confess to her husband - the princess chose confession. Such an act is fully consistent with the canons of Christian marriage: the wife had nothing to be ashamed of before her husband, since the serpent committed violence against her, that is, betrayal of her husband was not a consequence of the woman’s sin, but the machinations of the devil. Paul's wife knew that her husband would not condemn her, would not turn away from her after learning the truth, and her confession would not bring her husband's wrath upon her. Prince Pavel, in turn, could not condemn his wife, and did not abandon her, because his purpose in marriage was to take care of his wife, and he had to save her from the serpent in any way, since he was her husband.

The family of Prince Paul passed the test of life, maintaining love and honor, because their relationships were built according to the Christian canons of family relationships. On the other hand, the spouses’ mutual confidence in each other helped them get rid of the serpent and defeat the machinations of the Devil.

It is worth noting that when discussing with his wife the method of getting rid of the serpent, Paul does not say a single reproachful word to his wife, but at the same time he shows concern for her soul, telling her that having learned from the serpent the secret of his death, the wife will be pure before Christ after of death. The wife, without contradicting her husband, but “imprinting his words in her heart,” sets out to “seduce” the serpent, although she hardly wanted to do this.

But a family is not only a husband and wife, but also relatives - brothers and sisters, who also support each other in life, so Prince Pavel turns to his brother Peter for help, who without hesitation decides to help Pavel.

Let us turn to another episode, which also reveals to us “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” as an example of Christian family relationships. Peter, after the death of his brother, becomes the ruler of Murom. The boyars, dissatisfied with the fact that the prince married a commoner, are trying to separate husband and wife different ways, and in the end they come to Fevronia with a request to “give them whoever they have piglets,” that is, give them Prince Peter, saying modern language- divorce him, and in return offer her any gifts.

Fevronia, in response, asks the boyars to “give her the same” - that is, to remain the wife of Prince Peter. The boyars give Peter a choice: either kingship or a wife. For Peter, this is a really difficult situation, since he is responsible to the city he rules and cannot leave it; on the other hand, by refusing Fevronia, he will violate the commandments of marriage - he will commit adultery himself, and push Fevronia to do it. The prince chooses not “reign in this life,” but the Kingdom of the Lord, and remains with his wife, leaving the city in poverty.

In this situation, neither the husband nor the wife hesitated in choosing a solution. Fevronia did not agree to exchange her husband for gifts, but she also had no doubt that her husband would not exchange her for power. On the other hand, she fulfilled such a commandment of the Christian family as obedience to her husband. A woman in marriage is subordinate to a man, and her decision depended only on the decision of her husband. It was Peter who had to take responsibility for their fate.

The prince also made a decision based on Christian canons - he must take care of his wife, walk her life’s path with her, therefore marriage is above power for him.

It should also be noted that both Peter and Fevronia remembered the commandment that marriage was predetermined by the Lord, and only he could destroy it, but not the decision of any of the spouses.

The next episode, which we will pay attention to, in its structure resembles a parable; it can even be “removed” from the story and presented separately. When Peter and Fevronia left Murom, they sailed along the river in boats:

“There was a certain person on the ship of Blessed Fevronia. His wife was also on the same ship. That man, tempted by the evil demon, looked at the saint with lust. She, having guessed his evil thoughts, quickly denounced him and said: “Scoop up water from the river on this side of the ship.” He got it. And she told him to drink. He drank. And again she told him: “Scoop up water from the other side of the vessel.” He got it. And she told him to drink again. He drank. She asked: “Is the water the same or is one sweeter than the other?” He answered. “The water is the same, lady.” Then she told him this: “And female nature is the same. Why are you, having left your wife, thinking about another!”

This episode is a moral lesson for those spouses who are ready to succumb to the temptation of adultery - Fevronia tells them that the flesh of all people is the same, and physical desire should not lead to the severing of the spiritual bonds of marriage. Thus, we see a direct reference to the commandments of marriage - the fidelity of spouses to each other and the purity of the marital bed. In a few words, simply and reasonably, Fevronia explained the absurdity and unnecessaryness of betrayal.

The story ends with a description of the death of Peter and Fevronia, but even in this episode we see the fulfillment of the commandments of marriage. After their reign, the spouses take monasticism, that is, both of them fulfill the covenant of love for the Lord, they are united in their decision, and together they walk the path to spiritual growth.

The final episode of their earthly life is indicative in this regard. Prince Peter, feeling his death approaching, calls upon Fevronia to finish his life’s journey together. Fevronia is bound by the rite of obedience, and must embroider “air” - a special cover for the temple bowl, and asks the prince to wait. The prince waits for her for two days, but on the third he informs her that he can wait no longer.

Fevronia-Efrosinia was faced with a choice: to complete the work of obedience, or to fulfill the previously given word. She chooses the latter so as not to leave an unfulfilled debt. Her work can be completed by someone else, but only she herself can fulfill this word. The author emphasizes the priority of the word over worldly deeds, even if they are pleasing to God.

Then Blessed Fevronia-Efrosinia, who had already managed to embroider the faces of the saints, stuck a needle into the fabric, wrapped it with thread, like a zealous needlewoman, so that someone could continue the work she had begun, and sent to Blessed Peter-David to inform about her readiness to repose together.

Thus, Fevronia fulfills the covenant of a faithful Christian wife, she puts the will of her husband and her duty to him above her spiritual work, but at the same time she shows true spiritual greatness, because her husband turns out to be above her own soul. The couple die on the same day, showing the unity of the family even by their very death.

But even after death, Peter and Fevronia are inseparable. They bequeathed to bury themselves in one coffin, making a thin partition, but people decide that it is impossible to bury monks in one coffin, and separate them. However, miraculously they end up in the same grave, and although people separate them three times, they still return to each other. This is also a parable episode - God unites a husband and wife who remained faithful to each other and his covenants after death, showing that they were reunited in heaven, that is, they reached the Kingdom of Heaven together.

The story ends with praise for Peter and Fevronia, which reflects the semantic nodes of the work - the trials that the blessed spouses endured together without violating the commandments of marriage. It is this obedience to God in marriage that is rewarded from above:

“Rejoice, honest leaders, for in your reign you lived with humility, in prayers, doing alms, without being arrogant; For this, Christ has overshadowed you with His grace, so that even after death your bodies lie inseparably in one tomb, and in spirit you stand before the Lord Christ! Rejoice, reverend and blessed ones, for even after death you invisibly heal those who come to you with faith!

We pray to you, O blessed spouses, that you also pray for us, who honor your memory with faith!”

Peter and Fevronia become an example of an ideal marriage for believers.

The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom shows not only the marital relationships of the main characters; Using the example of Paul and his wife, the author shows that not only Peter and Fevronia live in a “correct” marriage, that is, harmonious family relationships should exist not only among “blessed” people close to the Lord, such as Peter, chosen to defeat the serpent , or Fevronia, endowed with the gift of performing miracles, but also among the laity. It is also significant that it is the ruling spouses who keep the commandments of marriage; by their behavior they set an example for their subjects. According to the Russian tradition, the state system repeats the global order, therefore it is those in power who must be righteous, only then can they demand compliance with Christian laws from their wards.

Thus, analyzing the text of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom”, we can discover several episodes that directly relate us to the Christian commandments of family life. Such episodes are the story of Paul and his wife, which conveys the idea that spouses should always be honest with each other and take care of each other’s souls. The episode with the expulsion of Peter and Fevronia from Murom, in which we see that the bonds of marriage are above worldly power and wealth. The story of Fevronia explaining the meaninglessness of adultery and the final chapter of the story, in which we can see an example of marital unity in death and after it. An example of a harmonious relationship is the relationship ruling family Thus, the Christian commandments of marriage seem to overshadow all families of the principality.

“The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” is an excellent example of how Christian family traditions are reflected in Russian literature.

Chapter 3. Images of Peter and Fevronia, as an example of harmonious marriage relations in the Christian understanding

In this chapter we will analyze the images of Peter and Fevronia, and use their example to find out how “roles” are distributed in a harmonious marriage, and what kind of relationship exists between husband and wife in a traditional Russian family.

Before you begin your analysis, it is worth paying attention to some features of the system of images in the story, which should be taken into account when analyzing the characters. Undoubtedly, the main character of the story is Fevronia, since the main part of the story is devoted to describing her actions, but the story is named after the names of both spouses, and the name of the husband comes first. Thus, the author makes it clear that despite Fevronia’s chosenness, the main theme of the work is still not a separate female image, namely the family relationships of the heroes.

The second distinctive feature of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” is that in the first parts of the work we observe the heroes separately from each other, in subsequent chapters they are inseparable and act together. As a result of this, it is created big picture, in which there are no longer individual characters, but rather a pair of heroes undergoing joint tests.

Focusing on these features of the story, we will divide this chapter into two paragraphs. In the first paragraph we will analyze the images of Peter and Fevronia separately from each other, in the second - the analysis will cover the relationships of the heroes in marriage.

3.1 Images of Peter and Fevronia in the first chapters of the story

We will devote this part of our work to the first two chapters of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom,” which tell the background to the marriage of the main characters. Although Peter and Fevronia in these parts of the story are not united by marriage, it is in them that we can trace the formation of the relationship between the spouses, which is of great importance in the formation of a family.

In the first part of the work we see the motive of temptation and snake fighting. A snake began to fly to the wife of the Murom prince Pavel and forcibly persuade her to commit adultery. She, not afraid of shame, opened up to her husband, and together they came up with a way to outwit the snake and find out the secret of his death.

As a result, the heroes find out that the serpent’s death is destined “from Peter’s shoulder and from Agrikov’s sword.” The prince cannot solve this riddle and calls on his brother Peter for help.

Prince Peter, not lacking the necessary courage for the feat, easily solves the first riddle with his mind, that it is he who is destined to kill the snake, but he knows nothing about Agric’s sword. But Peter's piety helps him solve the second riddle of the serpent. He was a “prayer man” and loved solitary prayer in the country church of the Holy Cross Monastery. During his prayer, the Lord sends him a youth who shows him the location of Agric's sword.

It is significant that Prince Peter finds the sword in the altar (a sacred place where access is open only to a select few!) of the Church of the Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross.

The sword itself has the shape of a cross and is its symbolic reflection, and the name Agric, or Agirka, is the hero-snake fighter. Thus, Peter appears as God's chosen one, who becomes the new serpent fighter, along with Saint George and the fabulous Agrica.

We see before us an extraordinary person, fulfilling the divine will, marked by higher powers.

Peter defeats the serpent, but the serpent's blood gets onto his body and he becomes covered with scabs. This also has a symbolic meaning, since this episode allegorically says that it is not Peter’s body that is struck, but his spirit. Many researchers, translating the author’s original text, note that we're talking about specifically about spiritual illness. For example, Alexander Uzhankov

writes: “It seems that the snake bit the prince’s body, but not his soul! External, worldly. only if?

The prince began to look “in his possession” (i.e., in his possession) for help from the doctors under his control, but not for healing, but for healing (a significant difference!), and did not find it, although there were many doctors. Maybe if I had been looking for a doctor to heal my body, I would have found it. To heal the soul (and not just treat the body), an independent doctor was needed.” Fevronia becomes such a doctor.

She is also an extraordinary girl, throughout the story we see that she is endowed with a special gift, she is not only able to heal wounds, but also works real miracles, as in the episode with sticks that become trees.

That is the real reason The meeting of Peter and Fevronia becomes a spiritual illness of the hero, which can only be gotten rid of in union with the “blessed” Fevronia. The characters are driven to marriage not by physical attraction, but by the need for spiritual healing.

The reader gets to know Fevronia, seeing her through the eyes of the prince's servant: one of his youths ended up in the village (i.e. there is a church in it) Laskovo. And going into one of the houses, he saw a “wonderful vision”: a girl was sitting at a loom, and a hare was jumping in front of her, creating noise so that she would not fall asleep from the monotonous work. Taken by surprise, she said sadly: “It is not good for a house to have no ears, and a room to have no eyes!” “The young man... did not heed the verb of those” (p. 634). I didn’t take it into my mind, I didn’t understand the girl’s words. I neither understood them with my mind, nor comprehended them with my mind.

The hare is one of ancient symbols Christianity. Long, quivering ears symbolize the Christian's ability to listen to the voice of heaven. Blessed Fevronia feels the Providence of the Lord. We see that Fevronia is spiritually a match for her future husband; she was also chosen by the Lord for special service.

Fevronia is able to heal the prince, but her condition is Peter’s promise to marry her. This is not a desire to rise by using her gift; the heroine says that if the prince does not become her husband, then she should not treat him. In such a statement of the condition, another meaning is hidden; perhaps it is open to Fevronia that she will become the wife of someone whom she will heal from a spiritual illness, that is, she puts the divine will above her desire. The Lord unites husband and wife, not human will, and Fevronia follows this covenant, speaking about marriage with Peter. It should be noted that another condition for the prince’s recovery is humility; he must come for treatment himself, which emphasizes the fact that the prince’s illness is not a disease of the body.

Two heroes move towards each other: Prince Peter - driven by illness; Fevronia - spiritually foreseeing the future with her wisdom. The prince does not have such knowledge; he needs to make sure that this woman is capable of becoming his wife. He asks her a riddle: he asks her to spin fabric from one flax stalk and sew him clothes. Reaction modern girl such a wish would most likely result in laughter or anger at the prince whom she heals, and he, instead of gratitude, sets her impossible tasks, but Fevronia shows how a wise woman should react to such things.

She gives the prince a piece of log through a servant and asks him to make a loom for her so that she can cope with her task. Peter exclaims that this is impossible, and Fevronia asks if it is possible to sew clothes for an adult man from a single flax stalk. The future wife of the prince behaves as a Russian wife should behave, she does not create a scandal, she gently points out to the prince the impossibility of his request, and does it in such a way that Peter himself utters the word “impossible”.

This is what a wise wife should do - she should not openly contradict her husband, but if she has been given more wisdom, she should make the husband himself realize his own mistake. This is how the story teaches one of the lessons of family life, one of the commandments of family harmony.

But the prince does not want to follow the path indicated by God, and opposes Fevronia’s condition; he wants to send her gifts instead of fulfilling the promise. However, Fevronia foresees this, and having given the prince the medicine (leavend leaven consecrated by her breath), she orders him to smear all the scabs on his body, except one. Therefore, the prince’s illness returns: by opposing the divine destiny, Peter provokes the return of a spiritual illness, but perhaps the fact is that the prince is not yet ready to start a family, since he needs to humble his pride. In a Christian marriage, not only the wife must be able to be submissive to the will of her husband, but the husband must also love his wife and be ready to make any sacrifices for her, but Peter is still too proud, loves himself too much to get married.

Fevronia deliberately orders the prince to leave a scab on his body, from which new ulcers will appear; she is undoubtedly wiser than the prince, and understands that until his soul is healed, the prince’s body cannot be cured. Fevronia is ready to wait for Peter’s spiritual healing; she humbly follows the path indicated by God.

But the prince humbles his pride and returns to Fevronia to be cured and take her as his wife. And if before the prince simply promised to marry her, without feeling the Divine will, then this time he “give her his word with firmness.” And having received healing of body and soul, “they give water to their wife.” “Princess Fevronia was just as guilty,” notes the author. Providence was fulfilled for them: if the Lord had not sent illness to the prince as a test, he would not have found a wife in the person of the tree frog’s daughter...

It is worth adding one more note. Analyzing the first chapters of the story through the prism of the traditional wedding ceremony, we can see that the “acquaintance” of Peter and Fevronia reflects some parts of it. For example, the prince first communicates with his future wife through servants, who can be compared to matchmakers, and then he himself appears to her. According to tradition, it is the husband who comes to his wife, and not vice versa. That is why Fevronia calls the prince to her, and does not come to him herself. Tradition is fully respected here.

Thus, using the example of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” we can see what spiritual values ​​are needed for future spouses in order to create a harmonious family - the main virtues for the bride and groom are meekness and humility, which are necessary to maintain harmony and peace in family.

Reading the first parts of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom”, we can see how the author, using the example of his heroes, shows what spiritual path everyone needs to go through before tying the knot. The last phrase is the crown of the chapter: the couple lived according to the commandments of God and in all piety. As it should be, for which they will receive a reward from God.

3.2 Life trials of Peter and Fevronia of Murom

In this part of our work, we will analyze how the relationship between Peter and Fevronia developed in marriage, how their “roles” were distributed in the family, and what character traits of the main characters helped them overcome life’s difficulties and maintain harmonious relationships in the family.

In the following chapters of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” the author describes how the life of the main characters developed after they were united by marriage. Having traveled a long way to each other, Peter and Fevronia become husband and wife, but in order for their family to find true harmony, the heroes will have to go through a series of tests in order to acquire the qualities necessary for Christian spouses.

After the death of Paul, Peter becomes the ruler of Murom, the boyars respected their prince, but the arrogant boyars’ wives disliked Fevronia, not wanting to have a peasant woman as their ruler, and turned their husbands against Peter’s “rootless” wife:

“The boyars did not love his princess Fevronia at the instigation of their wives, since she was not a princess by birth, but God glorified her for her virtuous life.

One day one of the servants came to the faithful Prince Peter and began to slander the princess: “She comes out of the table unruly,” he said. Before getting up, she collects the crumbs in her hand, as if she were hungry!”

The boyars' quibble, at first glance, is insignificant. What’s wrong with carefully collecting crumbs from the table and feeding them to the birds (there is a version that the crumbs were intended for that hare who jumped in front of Fevronia in her hut), the fact is that folk superstitions It was believed that evil spirits could be hidden under the guise of an animal. Perhaps the boyars accused Fevronia of witchcraft.

The prince decided to check, therefore, he doubted his wife, he was seduced by a boyar slander. After a joint meal, when, according to her custom, Fevronia collected a handful of crumbs, he straightened her fingers and found incense and incense in her palm - church incense, that is, confirmation that Fevronia was marked by God. “And from that day,” notes

Thus, Peter received the first lesson - a husband should not doubt his wife, should not believe slander. Trust and honesty are the principles on which relationships between spouses are built. The prince learned his lesson, and when the boyars, “filled with shamelessness,” demanded that he renounce his wife, he chose exile.

Peter is not inferior to Fevronya in piety and wisdom in this test and, in fact, right now he fulfills her last condition before his final healing - he remains a faithful husband. The blessed prince “do not love the temporary autocracy except God’s commandments, but walk according to His commandments, adhering to them, just as the God-voiced (i.e., evangelist) Matthew preaches in his gospel. It is said that if anyone (if anyone) lets his wife go, he develops the words of an adulterer, and marries someone else, commits adultery. This blessed prince, according to the Gospel, create his possession (reign) as if he had placed his skills in nothing, so that (so that) he would not destroy the commandments of God.”

Researchers note that in the previous two parts, Prince Peter is called faithful only three times, only when he follows Divine Providence: he acquires a sword to fight the serpent, defeats it, goes to Fevronia, prepared for him as his wife. The semantics of the word itself, consisting of two roots: “good” and “faith”, is close to the semantics of the words “blessed”, “pious”, at the same time, this is what a spouse is called. That is, Peter approaches the Lord precisely when he follows the commandments of marriage. In the third part, when Prince Peter becomes an autocratic ruler, a married spouse and lives according to the gospel commandments, the author constantly calls him the blessed prince.

The image of the pious prince is contrasted with the figure of “a certain man” who sailed in the same boat with the blessed princess Fevronia and was seduced by her. In this episode, as stated above, the princess showed herself to be a wise woman and explained the meaninglessness of adultery. Thus, Fevronia becomes an example of a Christian wife who not only protects her honor, but also protects someone else’s family.

In the evening, when they landed on the shore, Peter felt longing for the princely life he had abandoned and thought: “What will happen, having been driven out by the will of autocracy (by his own will, he lost his autocracy)?”

Peter's question has nothing to do with ambition, since princely power is given by God, and princely service is worldly service to God. It turns out that he himself, voluntarily, abandoned his princely service to God, violated his duty to people and the Lord, leaving Murom to the boyars, who do not want prosperity for the residents of the city, but wealth for themselves.

Prince Peter “thinks,” i.e. reflects, thinks about this, because he does not have the gift of foresight, and does not know whether he is acting correctly, according to the will of the Lord, or against it. “The first Fevronia” senses God’s Providence with the “mind of her heart” and says: “Do not grieve, prince” - the author emphasizes that here Fevronia addresses Peter not as a husband, but as a ruler: “merciful God, Creator and Provider of everything, will not leave us in low places.” Fevronia, having the gift from God to see the future and create miracles, tries to strengthen the spirit of her husband.

To prepare dinner for the prince, the cook cut down small trees to hang the cauldrons. After dinner, the saint, the author openly calls her that, because she works miracles, Princess Fevronia saw these felled trees and blessed them with the words: “May this tree be great in the morning, having branches and foliage.” Waking up, instead of stumps they saw large trees with branches and leaves, and when they were about to set sail, nobles from Murom arrived with repentance and humility, asking them both to return.

Thus, Fevronia appears before the reader as faithful wife, ready to support her husband in difficult times. She not only realizes the reason for his sadness, but also shares it: for the princess, the fact that Peter is destined to rule Murom is also important. Fevronia performs a miracle for her husband in order to strengthen his faith in himself and his destiny. It should be noted that the saints worked miracles not of their own free will, but according to the will of God, therefore Fevronia, having performed a miracle, did not seek to emphasize her “status” as a saint (they say, with such a wife, the husband will not be lost), but to assure Peter that his the choice is correct. This is how another law of married life is implemented - a wife should be a support to her husband in difficult times. But not only Fevronia fulfills this covenant: Prince Peter also remains a “correct” husband: he does not try to shift even part of the responsibility for what he has done to his wife.

This is how, the author notes, blessed Prince Peter and blessed princess Fevronia returned to their city. And they began to rule in that city, as befits autocrats, “walking in all the commandments and justifications of the Lord without blemish, in unceasing supplications and alms and to all people under their authority, like fathers and mothers of children. Besta for love is equal to everyone, not loving pride, nor robbery, nor corruptible wealth sparingly, but growing richer in God. Besta is truly a shepherd to his city, and not like a mercenary.” The blessed spouses govern the people and live according to the commandments of God, becoming rich in God.

The spouses also complete their life's journey together - both accept monasticism and die on the same day, bequeathing to bury themselves in the same coffin. As a reward for their righteous life and fidelity to the commandments of marriage, the Lord unites them after death, contrary to the desire of people to bury them in different places: husband and wife find themselves in a common coffin, separated only by a thin partition. It should also be noted that Peter takes the name “David” according to the monastic rite, and Fevronia takes the name “Euphrosyne”. The name David means “beloved,” which must be understood as both God and wife. Euphrosyne is “joy,” the joy of salvation.

Usually “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” is called a story about love, but this word is never found in the text spoken by the characters in relation to each other. What kind of love is this?

A married husband and wife are one. The saying of the Apostle Paul was already quoted above: “...Neither is man without a wife, nor wife without a husband, in the Lord. For as the wife is from the husband, so is the husband through the wife; yet it is from God” (1 Corinthians 11:11-12).

Now only the words of Fevronia, spoken by her before the healing of Prince Peter, become clear: “It is not appropriate for a wife to treat him!” Fevronia, in fact, is treating her soul mate - her spouse, so that together, as a single whole, they can stand before God and find salvation in the next century.

Fevronia's love for the prince, possessed by an illness, is sacrificial love, love for his neighbor, for the sake of his salvation. Through Divine Providence and the efforts of Fevronia, not with verbal instructions - here she did not violate the commandments of marriage, but with examples of humility to help her spouse gain a higher mind - “the mind of the heart”, and the prince showed his will and humility, reaching spiritual heights.

And therefore, both of them received a reward from God - the gift of miracles, and praise, according to their strength, from grateful people who use their gift. The story ends with praise from the author:

“Rejoice, Peter, for you were given from God the power to kill the flying fierce serpent! Rejoice, Fevronia, for in the head of women, the husband of saints, you had wisdom! Rejoice, Peter, for while you bore scabs and sores on your body, you endured sorrow more valiantly! Rejoice, Fevronia, for from God you had the gift of healing ailments in your virgin youth! Rejoice, glorious Peter, for the commandments for the sake of God's autocracy willfully retreat, so as not to leave your wife! Rejoice, wondrous Fevronia, for with your blessing in one night a small tree grew great in age and wore out its branches and foliage! Rejoice, honest leader, for I have lived in humility, in prayer, and in alms without pride; By the same token, Christ will give you grace, as even after death my body lies inseparably in the grave, but in spirit I stand before the Lord Christ! Rejoice, venerable and blessed one, for even after death you invisibly grant healing to those who come to you with faith!” In fact, the praise reflects all the semantic nodes of the story, or more precisely, the lives of the righteous spouses.

Thus, we analyzed the images of Peter and Fevronia, and found out from their example how “roles” are distributed in a harmonious marriage, and what kind of relationship exists between husband and wife in a traditional Russian family. A harmonious marriage is based on the spouses’ trust in each other, on honesty with each other, on mutual assistance, patience and humility. It was these spiritual qualities of Peter and Fevronia that helped them overcome all the trials sent by God and maintain harmonious relationships in the family, following the commandments of marriage.

Peter and Fevronia are an expressive example of spouses whose union is blessed by the Lord and is based on the covenants of the Church.

Conclusion.

In the process of our work, we relied directly on the analysis of the author’s text and several of its translations made by different researchers.

We examined “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” in the aspect of family relationships presented in it, and found that this work is a symbolic indication of the way to create a harmonious, “correct” marriage in which both spouses are able to reach the heights of spiritual development.

Turning to the interpretation of biblical texts by researchers and clergy, we found that the basis of Christian marriage is such spiritual values ​​as fidelity, patience, mutual assistance in physical and spiritual life, honesty and love between spouses, as well as their joint care for spiritual and material benefits of your family. Spouses, according to the canons of Christianity, are destined for each other by God and are responsible for their family not only to each other, but also to the Lord, and must love and honor each other, despite the trials of life.

Analyzing the text of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom,” we considered not only the marital relationships of the main characters, but also the family relationships of secondary characters: Paul and his wife, and the parable element - the story of “a certain man” who was “seduced by Fevronia.” We have discovered that harmonious family relationships should exist not only among “blessed” people close to the Lord, such as Peter, chosen to defeat the serpent, or Fevronia, endowed with the gift of performing miracles, but also among the laity. An important element is that it is the ruling spouses who keep the commandments of marriage, setting an example for their subjects with their behavior.

Thus, in the text of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom”, we can find several episodes that directly relate us to the Christian commandments of family life. These episodes are:

1. The story of Paul and his wife, which conveys the idea that spouses should always be honest with each other and take care of each other’s souls.

2. The episode with the expulsion of Peter and Fevronia from Murom, in which we see that the bonds of marriage are above worldly power and wealth.

3. A parable about how Fevronia explained the meaninglessness of adultery.

4. The final chapter of the story, in which we can see an example of marital unity in death and after it.

An example of harmonious relationships is the relationship of the ruling family, thus, the Christian commandments of marriage seem to overshadow all families of the principality.

Before starting our analysis, we took into account some features of the system of images in the story, which were taken into account when analyzing the characters:

1. Fevronia is presented as the main character of the story, because the main part of the story is devoted to describing her actions, however, the story is named after the names of both spouses, and the husband’s name comes first. Thus, the author makes it clear that despite the chosenness of Fevronia, the main theme of the work is still not a separate female image, but rather the family relationships of the heroes.

2. The second distinctive feature of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” is that in the first parts of the work we observe the heroes separately from each other, in subsequent chapters they are inseparable and act together. As a result of this, an overall picture is created in which it is no longer individual characters who act, but rather a pair of heroes undergoing joint tests. This “doubleness” of characters emphasizes the fact that, according to the canons of Christian marriage, husband and wife are one.

Analyzing the first chapters of the story, we discovered that the acquaintance of the main characters and their symbolic “path” to marriage reflects some elements of the wedding ceremony: the prince first communicates with his future wife through servants, who can be compared to matchmakers, and then he himself appears to her. According to tradition, it is the husband who comes to his wife, and not vice versa. That is why Fevronia calls the prince to her, and does not come to him herself.

The motif of an impossible task and riddle is often found in Russian folk tales, one of the common plots is the marriage of a prince to a commoner with extraordinary wisdom, or the motif of a magical bride who asks riddles to her future husband and wields magic. Riddles are also part of folk rituals.

Using the example of the first chapters of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom”, we can see what spiritual values ​​are needed for future spouses in order to create a harmonious family - the main virtue for the bride and groom are meekness and humility, which are necessary to maintain harmony and peace in future family.

Marriage, as we can observe by analyzing the text of the story, must have spiritual roots, spouses must unite according to divine providence and spiritual attraction.

Future wife, even if she has more wisdom than her husband, she must be able to be patient, not try to prove her superiority, but allow her husband to “grow” to her spiritual level, and help him in this. This is what Fevronia did, patiently enduring all her husband’s trials and humbly awaiting the fulfillment of the Lord’s will, gradually pushing Peter to spiritual development.

The future husband must love his wife more than himself, so Peter must be cured of pride before entering into marriage.

Turning to the analysis of subsequent chapters of the story, we revealed that the images of Peter and Fevronia are an example of how “roles” are distributed in a harmonious marriage, and what kind of relationship exists between husband and wife in a traditional Russian family: a harmonious marriage is based on the trust of spouses in each other , on honesty with each other, on mutual assistance, patience and humility. It was these spiritual qualities of Peter and Fevronia that helped them overcome all the trials sent by God and maintain harmonious relationships in the family, following the commandments of marriage.

In a traditional Russian family, a husband and wife become each other’s support in difficult situations, while the husband’s duty is to make all difficult decisions that can affect the fate of both spouses and bear full sole responsibility for them. The wife, by her example, must strengthen her husband’s spirit and guide him on the path to spiritual development in those moments when he is plagued by doubts or tempted by fate.

Peter and Fevronia are a striking example of spouses whose union is blessed by the Lord and is based on the covenants of the Church.

It is precisely these images, in our opinion, that served as models for the great Russian classics, who created pictures of happy and harmonious families in their works. The problem we have touched upon can be revealed both within the framework of the analysis of works of ancient Russian literature, and in the context of Russian classical literature as a whole, which shows broad prospects for working with the presented problem.

List of used literature

1. Works of Ermolai-Erasmus. The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom // Monuments of Literature of Ancient Rus'. The end of the 15th - first half of the 16th century. – M., 1984. – 626 S.

2. Izbornik. Tales of Ancient Rus' - M. - ed. “Fiction” - 1986. Introductory article by D. S. Likhachev. – 448 C.

3. Tales of miracles: T. 1. Russian fiction of the 11th-16th centuries. / Comp., afterword. and comment. II section Yu. M. Medvedev. - M.: Sov. Russia, 1990.-528 pp.

4. Likhachev D.S. Great Heritage // Likhachev D.S. Selected works in three volumes. Volume 2. – L.: Khudozh. lit., 1987. – pp. 273-277.

5. Uzhankov A.N. Russian literature XI-XVI centuries. Worldview aspect. – P.271-272.

6. “Literary encyclopedic dictionary” - M., ed. "Soviet Encyclopedia" 1987. 1324 pages.

7. Marina Meshcheryakova “Literature in tables and diagrams” - M., - ed. "Iris Press" 2003. 222 pages.

8. Multimedia publication “Big Encyclopedia of Cyril and Methodius”