Description of the feat of Dobrynya Nikitich. Where did the epic heroes live?

Fight between Dobrynya Nikitich and Zmey Gorynych. V. M. Vasnetsov. 1913–1918

Dobrynya Nikitich is one of the famous trio of Russian heroes. Traditionally he is considered the wisest. As a rule, Dobrynya appears in the form of an experienced knight of noble birth, in the service of Prince Vladimir. Married to Nastasya Mikulishna, daughter of Mikula Selyaninovich.

POLITE AND HUMBLE

Dobrynya appears before us in a completely unexpected image - a hero, famous not only for his strength and ingenuity, but also for what the Russians called politeness. The young man was distinguished by his courtesy and ability for diplomacy. He is able to find the most favorable outcome in any situation. Perhaps this is precisely why the hero is so close to Prince Vladimir.

The hero often carries out his instructions, including those that other glorious warriors refuse. However, there is also a version according to which Dobrynya is the nephew of the prince himself. In any case, popular rumor was inclined to attribute the highest origin to the hero. The good fellow was the son of the Ryazan governor Nikita, and was trained in the use of musical instruments, and singing, and shooting. He is dexterous, swims beautifully - in a word, endowed with all sorts of gifts and talents, to the common man unusual.

The historical prototype of Dobrynya is considered to be Vladimir Svyatoslavovich’s uncle on his mother’s side, who served as a governor under his nephew.

Epic exploits

Dobrynya is the main character of six Russian epics and is mentioned in another 53 stories. Many tales about the burly hero have up to several dozen variations with one or another discrepancy. Therefore, let us again turn to the main plots.

Dobrynya and Ilya Muromets. As Dobrynya Nikitich emerged from his youth, the news of his strength and prowess spread throughout Rus'. Ilya Muromets decided to visit him and marvel at the mighty hero. The knights gathered in an open field. They fought with combat clubs and sharp sabers - both sabers and clubs broke. Then the heroes came together in hand-to-hand combat. And here at Ilya's right leg turned up, left hand weakened. Dobrynya overpowered him, sat on top and began to ask who his mighty opponent would be. As Ilya said who he was, Dobrynya took his hands, exchanged crosses with him and became brothers. And upon his return, Muromets persuaded Mother Dobrynya Amelfa Timofeevna to let her son and his brother-in-law go to the capital Kyiv-grad.

Dobrynya and the Serpent. Mother Dobrynya warned not to go to the Sorochinsky Mountains, not to trample baby snakes, not to swim in the Puchai River. Yes, the son did not listen to his mother, he trampled on the baby snakes, saved many Russians from the sea of ​​snakes, and when he took a swim in the Puchai River, a terrible Serpent flew at him and began to threaten to burn him and destroy him. Dobrynya rushed to one bank, to the other - he could not find either his clothes or his club. But he noticed a Greek cap, grabbed it, hit the Snake, and he fell on the damp ground. Dobrynya was already about to cut off the monster’s head, but the Serpent, promising not to touch the Russian people, begged the hero for fraternization.

The knight trusted his adversary and let him go. He arrived in Kyiv-grad and learned that the Serpent had stolen the niece of Prince Vladimir - Zabava Putyatishna. Here Dobrynya could not stand it, rode to the Sorochinsky mountains on a mighty horse and with a silk whip (that his mother gave him), killed the Snake, and together with Zabava freed many Russian people: both princes and knights.

Dobrynya Nikitich frees Zabava Putyatishna. I. Ya. Bilibin. Late XIX V.

Dobrynya and Marinka. Dobrynya decided to take a walk around Kyiv City. He drove past the house of Marinka Kaidalovna, an atheist heretic. He wanted to shoot down the pigeons that were sitting on the roof, but his hand trembled, and he broke through the glass window. Marinka got angry and started talking about the hero’s traces of burning love. Dobrynya returned to her, and she turned him into a tour-ataman - the head of a herd of nine other tours, turned into knights by Marinka. And so Dobrynya would have remained in the image of the golden-horned one, if not for his godmother, the young widow Anna Ivanovna.

She threatened to turn Marinka into a gateway dog. The heretic was frightened, returned her human appearance to Dobrynya and the other knights, began to fawn over the hero, and he cut off her head so that she would not do any more harm.

Dobrynya and Alyosha. Dobrynya went to distant lands to Golden Horde, and ordered his wife Nastasya Mikulishna to wait for him for three years, and if he doesn’t come back, she should live as a widow or get married. He only asked to refuse Alyosha Popovich if he came to marry him, because he was Dobrynya’s godbrother.

Exactly three years have passed. Alyosha Popovich came to Nastasya to tell him that he had seen Dobrynya killed in an open field, and then began to persuade her to become his wife. Nastasya refused him, but under the threats of Prince Vladimir he had to agree. Nastasya sits at the wedding feast, crying and sad. Meanwhile, Dobrynya is fighting against the Golden Horde. I would never have found out about anything if two pigeons hadn’t flown in and started explaining what was going on in Kyiv. Dobrynya returned, came to the prince's mansion in a dress, threw his engagement ring into a glass, gave it to his beloved wife - by that sign she recognized him and was delighted. And Alyosha Popovich was only kept alive by the princess’s prayers.

Far Away Lands, or Far Far Away (Thirtieth) Kingdom, is often found in Russian folklore. Far away is 27 in the old counting by nines, and thirty is 30.

Dobrynya and Vasily Kazimirovich. Prince Vladimir gathered a feast and began to ask which of the good fellows, brave heroes would not be afraid to go to the Polovtsian land to bring tribute to Khan Batur for 12 years. Here the young knight Vasily Kazimirovich boasted, and already leaving the princely chambers, he became sad. And there would have been great misfortune if Dobrynya Nikitich had not met him. The hero extorted the whole truth from his friend and persuaded the prince to send them together - not to pay tribute, but to demand. Three times Batur tested his friends - and three times Dobrynya took the blow upon himself. And at the end of the last test - the battle of death - Batur called on the entire Tatar army, but Vasily Kazimirovich came to the aid of Dobrynya. The warriors defeated the Tatars and brought rich tribute to Kyiv.

One of the popular trinity of Russian heroes was Dobrynya Nikitich. This character is Russian folk epic portrayed as a hero who serves under Prince Vladimir. Dobrynya's wife was the beautiful Nastasya, who was the daughter of Mikula Selyaninovich.

Prototype of Dobrynya Nikitich

According to epics it can be traced interesting point. The fact is that it is Dobrynya who the prince usually gives various kinds of instructions: either to help out his niece, or to collect tribute and bring her to the court, and he himself volunteers to carry out assignments that other heroes have refused. Thus, the closeness to the princely relatives of Dobrynya, who is sometimes called the prince himself, the nephew of himself, becomes obvious. The prototype of the hero in historical terms can safely be called the governor Dobrynya, who was the uncle and governor of Prince Vladimir, the brother of Malusha’s mother. Dobrynya carries out personal assignments, using not only strength and courage, but also diplomatic abilities, which speaks of his education and intelligence. We learn what Dobrynya Nikitich was like from epics, they often talk about his versatility, he is dexterous, swims well, shoots, and also plays musical instruments. He often plays the harp, sings, and plays tavlei.

Characteristics of Dobrynya

The description of Dobrynya Nikitich in epics is definite and clear. He has a courageous character and is endowed with unprecedented ordinary people by force (only Ilya Muromets is stronger). Distinctive feature What distinguishes him from the rest of the heroes is his “vezhestvo,” that is, diplomacy and tact.

Having analyzed what feats Dobrynya Nikitich accomplished in the epics, some conclusions were drawn. Let's try to look at this character in more detail.

Death of Dobrynya Nikitich

In the stories, the hero Dobrynya Nikitich is closely connected with Ryazan. In the Shilovsky district there is an island that is associated with the hero, and the Dobrynin mound near the settlement. Shilovo. According to legends, on his island Dobrynya Nikitich carried out official patrol, robbed merchants sailing by, and exchanged axes with the hero Volodya, who was on duty on the island of Pupki (we are talking more about Ilya Muromets). After a sad battle with the Tatars, Dobrynya was buried on his mound. These events are mentioned in the chronicle story about Among the other dead there is the name of Dobrynya Ryazanich Zlatpoyas. His comrades-in-arms brought the body of the hero home and buried him in the town of Dubki, near the Para River. Shilovo peasants, in turn, excavated a mound in the 20s of the last century. As the peasants said, a belt with overlays, chain mail and a helmet were found in the mound. Things were kept local residents. According to legend, knowing what feats Dobrynya Nikitich accomplished, the mother of the deceased, with a conspiracy, lowered his sword into the river near the Shilovskaya Church. It's time to remember all the merits of this hero.

What feats did Dobrynya Nikitich accomplish?

Roughly counting the number of epics, we come to an approximate figure of 53; of these heroic stories, Dobrynya became the main character in some of them. These are the feats Dobrynya Nikitich accomplished.

Dobrynya's duel with Ilya Muromets

The story is about how the Russian hero Dobrynya Nikitich fought with the strongest hero and found a friend in him. So, Dobrynya grew up, and the fame of his strength reached Ukraine, all the way to Ilya Muromets. Ilya decided to check whether the fellow was really as strong as they say about him, and went to distant Ryazan. Dobrynya did not grow up in wealth, he lived in a simple hut. Upon arrival, Ilya did not find Dobrynya at home, and his mother tried to dissuade the hero from the fight, begging him not to harm her son. Ilya had already decided to go back, but he heard Dobrynya’s praises on the street and offered to fight. In the first duel there was a draw, in the second duel the sabers became unusable, but the forces were equal. The third match decided everything. The heroes sank knee-deep into the ground, Ilya’s leg trembled, then his hand, and then Dobrynya ended up on his chest. Dobrynya Nikitich, thus, met Ilya Muromets, did not harm him and became a friend. Ilya offered his new comrade service with Prince Vladimir.

The story of Dobrynya Nikitich and the Snake

In most versions of this epic, Dobrynya not only fights the Serpent, but also frees the niece of Prince Vladimir, Zabava Putyaticna, from captivity.

The story begins with the words of Dobrynya’s mother, who warns her son about the dangers of Sorochinskaya Mountain, about the ferocity of the Puchai River, the first stream cuts like fire, the second like a spark, and the third fire with smoke. The point is that Russian people are being held captive there. Dobrynya disobeyed his mother and still went to save the Russian people. On the mountain he killed the baby snakes, swam across the river, but a snake with twelve heads appeared from behind the mountain. And the hero realized that death or captivity were in store. As luck would have it, Dobrynya Nikitich’s weapon was not with him. What to do in such a situation? Dobrynya Nikitich's horse is far from him, there is no one to come to his aid. The good fellow was already thinking about his death. He saw a three-pound Greek cap nearby, swung it at the snake, knocked it down, wanted to chop off its heads, but the monster begged, promised not to take more Christians captive, and also promised to become a sister to the hero. Dobrynya took pity on the snake and let it go. When he returned to the princely court, he learned the sad news that the snake had kidnapped Vladimir-Zabava Putyatishna’s niece. Vladimir ordered Dobrynya to return his niece to the court, and if Dobrynya cannot cope with the task, she will lose her head. Dobrynya, upset, went home to his mother. She reassured him, saying that the morning is wiser than the evening. He took his father’s horse Dobrynya and went to Mount Sorachinskaya, his mother gave him a Shamakhi whip on the way and said, if the horse does not trample the baby snakes, so that Dobrynya would say the cherished words: “You little horse, jump, and shake the little snakes off your feet!” . This is what Dobrynya did, killed all the baby snakes, and saved the Russian people from captivity. The snake monster appeared again, because the oath was not kept, a life-and-death battle began. The battle went on for three days and another three hours, blood flowed for days, the earth barely absorbed this blood. After the victory, all the prisoners were freed from the caves, including Zabava Putyatichna. Dobrynya put the young woman on a horse and took her to the court. The girl wanted to thank the young man for saving her and offered him her love, but he refused, because she was from a noble family, and he was a simple guy. This is how Dobrynya’s feat ended.

Dobrynya and Marinka

Dobrynya served with the prince for nine years, and in his tenth year he decided to take a walk around the city and do some archery. Then he saw pigeons feasting on the window beautiful house, fired, but missed. The window broke. Marinka lived in that mansion with Zmey Gorynych. She bewitched Dobrynya and he himself came to her house. Marinka turned Dobrynya into a beast. For six months no one heard about him. Once at the prince’s party, Marinka began to boast that she turns good young people into animals. Dobrynyushka’s mother burst into tears and turned to her godmother Annushka, who herself heard the words of praise. Annushka attacked Marinka, scolded her, injured her, and then Marinka turned into a darling and flew away. She flew to Dobrynya, sat on her shoulder and asked for her permission to marry her. Dobrynya agreed on the condition that he would teach her as his wife. She turned him again into a good fellow and turned into a girl herself. They got married in an open field and returned to her mansion. There is no icon in her house, no divine candle, so let Dobrynya teach her prayers. Then Dobrynya Nikitich’s weapon was used. He cut off Marina’s hand because she was hugging the Snake Gorynych, then he cut off her legs because she approached him with them, then her nose and lips because she used them to talk to him and kiss him. And so the end came for the sorceress.

Dobrynya and Nastasya

Dobrynya served at the outpost, a girl walked past the outpost, mocked the heroes, Dobrynya could not stand the ridicule and challenged him to a fight. They fought for three days, without bloodshed, the girl overpowered the hero, put him in a leather bag, but the horse could not withstand two strong people. Then the girl began to ask the prisoner. She promised him that if he was old, she would become his daughter, and if his equal, then his wife. She rescued Dobrynya, who gave his word to take her as his wife in 3 years. And so it happened. After the wedding, a state matter forced him to leave home.

Dobrynya and Alyosha

Dobrynya was not at home for 12 years. Alyosha Popovich began visiting Nastya, told her that he had seen Dobrynya dead, and invited the girl to marry him. The wedding was noisy. A buffoon came to the court and was allowed into the celebration. He played the harp so beautifully that the people cried with pleasure. Then Nastasya offered a glass of wine to the buffoon, who drank it and left a personalized ring in the glass. Nastasya burst into tears and declared that her husband was not sitting next to her, but was playing the harp. So Alyosha Popovich was left without Nastenka, and Dobrynya remained with his beautiful wife until old age. These are the feats Dobrynya Nikitich accomplished, based on Russian epics. Perhaps now these feats seem ridiculous, but then people believed in evil spirits, in witches and monsters, and therefore only a real hero endowed with courage, bravery, ingenuity and magical power Mother Nature.

That's why it's interesting folklore that all the stories were made up ordinary people, all emotions came from the heart, making the characters colorful, unusual and at the same time very wise. Despite the fact that the stories are ancient, invented by ordinary people, they have been preserved in history for a long time and have survived to this day. Even in modern society epics about heroes are still popular, they have received a second wind, cartoons and fairy tales have been made based on them.

(wife)

Epic stories

14. Dobrynya’s duel with Ilya Muromets

15. Dobrynya and the Serpent (in most versions, Dobrynya not only fights with the Serpent, but also frees Prince Vladimir’s niece Zabava Putyatichna from captivity)

23. Duel between Danube Ivanovich and Dobrynya Nikitich

24. Danube Ivanovich - matchmaker (Danube and Dobrynya get a bride for Prince Vladimir)

Character and prototype

As a rule, the image of Dobrynya is outlined in epics clearly and definitely. He has courage and great physical strength, while being distinguished by “courtesy” - that is, courtesy and diplomacy. Dobrynya spoke “12 languages ​​and knew the conversation of birds.”

The listed studies of the plots attached to the name of Dobrynya Nikitich allow us to draw the following conclusions about the epic history of this hero.

In the pre-Tatar period, there were legends and songs in which the relative and governor of Prince Vladimir I Svyatoslavich Dobrynya played a significant role. The most ancient motif attached to the name of Dobrynya Nikitich in epics is his role as a snake fighter and matchmaker. In both stories, some historical echoes can still be noted.

The first plot was processed into an epic, apparently in the north, in the Novgorod region, as evidenced by the Novgorod legend about the snake.

Perhaps the main epic about Dobrynya Nikitich getting a wife (Rogneda) for Vladimir developed in the north and then entered the Kiev cycle. The epic about Dobrynya Nikitich on leave is nothing more than oriental tale, attached to the name Dobrynya; the unseemly role of Alyosha Popovich indicates late time(not earlier than the 16th century) the inclusion of this tale in the epic epic, when it entered the repertoire of buffoons.

The epic about Marina - converted into an epic fairy tale plot about a sorceress wife. If Marina’s name is at the same time as the transformation of the fairy tale into an epic (which is quite probable, due to the lack of variants of the name and some details, for example, Marina turning into a magpie), then the epic may have been composed in the 17th century. Finally, the name of Dobrynya Nikitich is included in the unnamed song, which is not related to epics. This is a song about a good fellow and the Smorodina River. The motive for introducing the name of Dobrynya Nikitich (instead of good fellow) was due to the fact that Dobrynya in the epics is also in danger of drowning in the Puchai River.

History of research

The epics about Dobrynya the snake fighter are considered by V. F. Miller in his “Excursions into the field of Russian folk epic”. Pointing out the similarities between Dobrynya and the serpent fighters of Russian spiritual poetry, St. George the Victorious and Fyodor Tiron, the author draws the following analogy between them: just as in the church-folk environment the name of the Great Martyr George was once (probably in Syria) attached to the serpent-fighting motif as an external shell of religious spiritual feat- the spread of Christianity, - this is how the epic about Dobrynya the snake fighter was reflected, in epic features, the once energetic and memorable activity in Rus' of the historical uncle of Vladimir, Dobrynya, to spread Christianity, accompanied by the overthrow of idols and the mass forced baptism of pagans. To confirm this idea, the author examines the story of the forced baptism of Novgorodians by Dobrynya, preserved in the so-called Joachim Chronicle, and points out some historical echoes in the epics about Dobrynya. The author sees hints of baptism in the bathing of Dobrynya Nikitich, in the name of the river - Puchaya (that is, Pochayna). The chronicle connection between Dobrynya Nikitich and Tysyatsky Putyata (expressed in famous proverb: Putyata crosses with a sword, and Dobrynya with fire) was reflected in the epic in the patronymic of Zabava Putyatichny, saved by Dobrynya from the snake. Echoes of the chronicle legend about Dobrynya Nikitich’s acquisition of Rogneda-Gorislava for Vladimir are indicated by the same researcher in the article “Dobrynya the Matchmaker.” Parallels to the epics about the departure of Dobrynya Nikitich and his wife’s marriage to Alyosha Popovich are indicated by Miller in Turkish fairy tale about Ashik-Kerib.

Detailed analysis the appeal of Dobrynya Nikitich Marina to the tour - golden horns was presented by Professor Nikolai Sumtsov. He cites many parallels from fairy tales different nations about a sorceress wife. One detail of the same epic plot - Dobrynya's shooting at the pigeons sitting on Marina's tower - is compared with Vs. Miller with the Talmudic apocrypha about the shooting of King David at a bird sitting over the washing Bathsheba.

Image in culture

Objects named after Dobrynya

• Dobrynya Nikitich is an island in the Nordenskiöld archipelago.
• Dobrynya Nikitich is a mountain of the Grozny ridge on the Iturup island of the Great Kuril ridge.
• Dobrynya Nikitich is a British-built Russian icebreaker.
• Port icebreaker of the Dobrynya Nikitich type - a project of Soviet ships.
• “Dobrynya Nikitich” is the former name of the river passenger ship “Prikamye”, belonging to the “Rodina” type.

Music

• In 1818, composers Caterino Cavos and Ferdinando Antonolini wrote the opera Dobrynya Nikitich, or the Scary Castle.
• Character from the farce opera by A.P. Borodin “Bogatyrs”.
• Character from Alexander Serov's opera "Rogneda"
• In 1901, composer Alexander Grechaninov wrote the opera “Dobrynya Nikitich”.

art

• The artist V.P. Vereshchagin painted the painting “The Fight of Dobrynya with the Serpent Gorynych” for the palace of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, now the House of Scientists in St. Petersburg.
• 1898 - “Bogatyrs” (author Viktor Vasnetsov).
• 1918 - “The fight between Dobrynya Nikitich and the seven-headed Serpent Gorynych” (author Viktor Vasnetsov).
• 1941 - “Dobrynya Nikitich liberates Zabava Putyatichna from the Serpent Gorynych” (author Ivan Bilibin).
• 1974 - “The Battle of Dobrynya Nikitich with the Serpent” (author Konstantin Vasiliev).
• 1976 - “Dobrynya and the Serpent” (series of illustrations, author Ivan Arkhipov).
• 2002 - “Dobrynya Nikitich” (author Stanislav Moskvitin).
• 2017 - “Dobrynya Nikitich” (series of illustrations, author Stepan Gilev).

Movies

• 1956 - “Ilya Muromets, director Alexander Ptushko, in the role of Dobrynya Georgy Demin.
• 2005 - “The Saga of the Ancient Bulgars. Vladimir’s Ladder “Red Sun”, where Dobrynya was played by Leonid Kuravlev.
• In 2010, the film “Adventures in the Thirtieth Kingdom” was released, where Dobrynya was played by Andrei Bronnikov.
• In 2011, the film “Real Fairy Tale” was released, where Dobrynya was played by Pavel Klimov.
• In 2014, on June 28, the premiere of the documentary television series “Land of Heroes” took place, which talked about Dobrynya.
• In 2017, the film “The Last Hero” was released, where the role of Dobrynya Nikitich was played by Evgeny Dyatlov.
• In 2017, the Ukrainian adventure fantasy film “Strong Outpost” was released, where the role of Dobrynya Nikitich was played by Alexander Komarov.

Cartoons

• 1965 - the animated film “Dobrynya Nikitich” was created at the Soyuzmultfilm studio.
• 2006 - “Dobrynya Nikitich and the Serpent Gorynych” (directed by Ilya Maksimov, Dobrynya is voiced by Valery Solovyov).
• 2006 - “Prince Vladimir” (directed by Yuri Kulakov, Dobrynya is voiced by Dmitry Nazarov).
• 2010 - “Three Heroes and the Shamakhan Queen” (directed by Sergei Glezin, voiced by Dobrynya

Nikitich

The second oldest hero is Dobrynya Nikitich. He is famous in epic epic as the main snake fighter and matchmaker. In the struggle between Dobry and the Serpent Gorynych and his little serpents, clashes are depicted, peace treaties and their violation between the Russians and the steppes. Dobrynya Nikitich is cunning, intelligent, educated and dexterous, an excellent shooter, swims, sings, and plays the harp. With his intelligence, he won the favor of Prince Vladimir and serves as his assistant. This hero often carries out various orders of the prince: to collect and bring tribute, to help out Prince Vladimir’s niece Zabava Putyatichna or sister Marya Divovna, or daughter Marfida. He is the hero closest to the prince’s family and is endowed with diplomatic abilities. Dobrynya often volunteers to carry out assignments that other heroes refuse.

So, according to the plot of the epic “Dobrynya Nikitich and Vasily Kazimirovich”, together with Vasily Kazimirovich, this hero-diplomat brings tribute to the horde for twelve years. He beats the khan, defeating him in archery, beats the Tatar strongmen who attacked him and intimidates the khan so much that he himself is ready to pay “tribute” to the Russians, if only the heroes would leave “the Tatars at least a little.”

In the epic “Dobrynya and the Danube - Matchmakers,” Dobrynya Nikitich, close to the prince, even acts as Vladimir’s matchmaker to the Lyakhovitsky princess Apraksa, whom he brings to Kyiv.

With my future wife According to the epic, Polyana Nastasya Dobrynya first fights and then marries her. The meeting of this hero with a heroic woman, apparently, is an echo of ancient Russian relations with the Caucasus. Polyanitsa Nastasya Nikulichna is a foreigner. This can be seen from her words: “I thought Russian mosquitoes bite, even Russian heroes pinch.” In Caucasian legends about the Narts, the latter have to face not only male giants called emegens, but also female giants. Emeghens, male and female, are gifted with gigantic stature and enormous physical strength. Images of emegens are very echoes ancient life the era of the hunting period and matriarchy, when women did not differ from men in their lifestyle. Having left his Caucasian wife alone for a long time, Dobrynya Nikitich is faced with the fact that she is again going to marry Alyosha Popovich, but, having appeared on the wedding day, the hero upsets her.

Dobrynya insults the sorceress Marina, who turns him into a tour, but, having survived this unpleasant event and returning to her previous appearance, the hero executes her. In the end, having seduced Elena the Beautiful, Dobrynya Nikitich dies at the hands of her husband, the boyar Permyata. These are the main storylines the adventures of this hero.

In epics, Dobrynya is sometimes called a prince, and sometimes the nephew of Prince Vladimir. And this definition of Dobrynya Nikitich is probably not without real grounds. Historical prototype This hero is considered Dobrynya, the uncle and governor of Prince Vladimir, the brother of his mother Malusha, who according to the chronicle was the daughter of a rabbi.

The whole of Kyiv knew that Dobrynya’s mother was Jewish, but it was forbidden to talk about it under pain of punishment by the batogs. The real Dobrynya was the leader of young Vladimir in his reign in Novgorod and then in the war with his brother Yaropolk. After the death of Yaropolk and the installation of his nephew in Kyiv, he became the ruler of Novgorod. He took part in the campaign against the Volga Bulgarians in 985 and baptized Novgorod in battle in 989, moreover, he threw into the Volkhov the statue of Perun, which he had erected shortly before.

Judging by the stories set out in the chronicle, Dobrynya played big role in legends associated with Vladimir, acting as a wise adviser and chief assistant to the prince. In particular, these legends attribute Dobrynya a key role in the events associated with the matchmaking of Prince Vladimir to Rogneda, daughter of Rogvolod of Polotsk.

The epic Dobrynya, when compared with the chronicle Dobrynya, Vladimir's uncle, seems to have nothing in common with him. While the chronicle of Dobrynya has almost leading importance before Vladimir’s accession to the throne of Kiev and for a long time later after this, Dobrynya took the epic position at the court of Vladimir minor role. Moreover, the epic Dobrynya complains to his mother about his fate: he regrets that his mother did not give birth to him as a flammable pebble, that she did not throw this pebble to the bottom of the blue sea, where he would lie calmly and would be spared the need to drive across an open field .

This discrepancy can be explained by the fact that under the name Dobrynya in epics, not only Dobrynya, Vladimir’s uncle, is sung, but also a number of other Dobrynyas, who were mixed with the first. Thus, in the Tver Chronicle, next to Alexander Popovich (the epic Alyosha Popovich), his comrade Dobrynya (Timonya) Zlatopyas is mentioned; and the Nikon Chronicle mentions Alexander Popovich, his servant Torop and Dobrynya Razanich Golden Belt. Some epics about Dobrynya, indeed, take him out of the city of Ryazan, and the trading guest Nikitushka Romanovich is called his father.