Ivan the Fool - the meaning of fairy tales and the strategy of Ivan the Fool!

Plan:
— Meaning of the name “fool”
— An example of Ivan’s actions (in fairy tales)
— Ivan always acts stupidly (and towards himself too)
— Alternative logic of Ivanushka the Fool
— The essence of strategy is not in logic, but in intuition!
— The moral of the tales about Ivanushka the fool (why does he always win)?
— The secret is simplicity
— Application in Everyday life tactics of Ivan the Fool

— Meaning of the name “fool”

Eat different versions origin of this name:

1) Due to the fact that the third son does not receive an inheritance
When the time will come to divide the inheritance, it will go to the older brothers, and the younger one will be left with his nose, in the fool. If we adhere to this version, it turns out that Ivan’s nickname is assigned not so much to his intelligence as to his property status.

2) Name-amulet
Offensive nicknames were in use among the people: Ivan the Fool, or Mishka Oblique, or some other Crooked, and so on. Moreover, the parents themselves gave the child offensive nicknames, and not at all because they wanted to mock him. They had their own logic. According to her, the unsightly name helped protect the child from evil spirits, who were eager to spoil everything beautiful and good. What can you ruin when the child is already a fool? And the evil spirit switched to someone else.

It turns out that the prefix “fool” could not refer to the mental abilities of Ivan the Fool, but simply protected him from the evil eye and damage. And then this custom was forgotten, and in the fairy tale everything remained as it was.

— An example of Ivan’s actions (in fairy tales)

Ivan’s brains are really, how to put it, not very good. He is given some simple instructions, for example, to go to the fair and return with new clothes, and he takes and throws the things on the road. Here's what one of the fairy tales says about it:
“Ivanushka bought everything: he bought a table, and spoons, and cups, and salt; a whole cartload of all sorts of things. He was going home, and the horse was like that, you know, unlucky, lucky or unlucky!

“What,” Ivanushka thinks to himself, “the horse has four legs, and the table also has four; so the table will run by itself.” He took the table and put it on the road.

He drives and drives, whether close or far, and the crows hover over him and keep cawing. “You know, the sisters are hungry to eat, they shouted so much!” thought the fool; He put the dishes with food on the ground and began to regale: “Little sisters, eat to your health!”

— Ivan always acts stupidly (and towards himself too)

He reacts this way not only to other people’s orders. He treats his interests in exactly the same way. In one of the fairy tales, Ivan the Fool labored for the priest for three years, and when he offered him a choice of pay, a bag of coins or a bag of sand, the fool took the sand. Well, who is he after this, you ask?

— Alternative logic of Ivanushka the Fool

On the other hand, the strange logic of Ivan the Fool’s actions is striking. The impression is that the hero is not just stupid, but even completely out of his mind. And yet, at the end of the fairy tale, this madman always wins: either he achieves to be left alone, or suddenly acquires a huge fortune, or marries the king’s daughter or a sorceress.

This happened exactly in that fairy tale, where Ivan the Fool took not a bag of money, but a bag of sand for his three years of work. When he was walking home with this ridiculous salary, he saw a fire in the forest in which a beautiful maiden was burning. Ivan covered the fire with sand, and the girl, who turned out to be a witch, married him and began to help in business.

How can it be that she chose not a hero, not a prince, but a complete fool? Because he's not such a fool. He simply acts, completely ignoring all existing rules.

— The essence of strategy is not in logic, but in intuition!

A fool is guided not by logic, but by intuition, which a mere mortal, surrounded by hundreds of frames, does not and will not have, or a smart person who knows exactly what costs, and that is why miracles never happen to him.

Ivan is completely open to miracles, and miracles happen to him all the time. Another Russian proverb - “God loves fools” (or “fools are lucky”) - is about exactly this. Fools give themselves over to chance and are not afraid of consequences, because they simply do not think about them.

— The moral of the tales about Ivanushka the fool (why does he always win)?

The fairy tale says: don’t be afraid, just take a step forward, trust your inner voice, even if it says stupid things, and everything will turn out better than you expect. Then it turns out that the fairy tale about the fool is a story about how you need to forget your excessive rationality if you want to win.

Then the explanation for the popularity of fairy tale fools is that they are actually wise men in disguise. Some researchers compared Ivan the Fool with Socrates, who exclaimed: “I only know that I know nothing,” or with Lao Tzu, who said: “Smart people are not scientists, scientists are not smart.”

The fool is a philosophical figure who calls for abandoning any ideas about the world in order to freely gain the experience of merging with it, to gain knowledge about it, but not from books, but during the game.

— The secret is simplicity

And finally, the last secret The popularity of fools is that they are extremely rarely consciously evil or cruel.

— Application of Ivan the Fool’s tactics in everyday life

This is very important question! I was convinced by personal example of the great practical value of actions in the style of “Ivanushka the Little Fool.”

Algorithm of actions:
1) Set yourself days when you do only what you want to do (what your intuition tells you). Not intelligence, not logic, not personal gain, but INTUITION. On this day you live by feelings!
2) Do senseless (illogical) actions. For example, write with your left hand (if you are right-handed). Go for a walk (to the store) along the “stupid” route. Those. along a longer and longer route.
3) Walk “back to front” (at least a few steps).

What will all this give?
The mind and psyche calms down. New sensations and thoughts appear. Stupid actions suppress logic and sharpen our intuition (our subconscious).
I started to feel much better! Therefore, I always try to use the “Ivan the Fool strategy” when walking. And, from time to time, I arrange days for myself that I completely spend like Ivan the Fool!

I advise you to do the same!

The Russian folk tale Ivan the Fool says that fools are always lucky. Even though Ivan was a fool, he defeated Dobrynya and married the Tsar’s daughter, and managed to command the Russian heroes Ilya and Fedka. Read an interesting fairy tale about Ivan the Fool.

"Ivan the Fool" Russian folk tale

In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived an old man and an old woman. They had three sons, the third was called Ivan the Fool. The first two are married, and Ivan the Fool is single; two brothers were engaged in business, managing the house, plowing and sowing, but the third did nothing. One day, Ivan’s father and daughters-in-law began sending Ivan out to the field to plow some arable land. The guy rode, arrived at the arable land, harnessed his horse, rode with the plow once or twice, and saw: there were no more mosquitoes and midges; he grabbed a whip, lashed the horse on the side, killed them without estimate; hit another, killed forty spiders and thinks:
- After all, I killed forty heroes in one swing, but the small fry has no budget!
He took them all, put them in a pile and covered them with horse feces; He didn’t bother to plow himself, he unharnessed the horse and rode home. He comes home and says to his daughters-in-law and mother:
“Give me a canopy and a saddle, and you, father, give me the saber that’s hanging on your wall—it’s rusty.” What kind of a man am I! I have nothing.
They laughed at him and gave him some kind of split tyurik instead of a saddle; Our guy attached girths to it and put it on the thin little filly. Instead of a canopy, the mother gave some old oakwood; He took that too, and took a saber from his father, went, sharpened it, got ready and went. He reaches Rosstany - and he was still somewhat literate - he wrote on a post: the strong heroes Ilya Muromets and Fyodor Lyzhnikov would come to such and such a state to a strong and mighty hero, who killed forty heroes at one stroke, but the small fry has no budget, and rolled them all over with a stone.
Sure enough, after him the hero Ilya Muromets arrives and sees the inscription on the pillar:
“Bah,” he says, “a strong man passed by, mighty hero: It is not good to disobey.
Let's go, they'll catch up with Vanyukha; didn't get far, took off his hat and bowed:

But Vanyukha doesn’t break his hat, he says:
- Great, Ilyukha!
Let's go together. Not long after, Fyodor Lyzhnikov arrived at the same post, he saw that it was written on the post, it is not good to disobey: Ilya Muromets has passed! - and he went there; I didn’t even get far to Vanyukha - he took off his hat and said:
- Hello, strong, mighty hero!
But Vanyukha doesn’t break his hat.
“Great,” he says, “Fedyunka!”
All three went together; They come to one state and stop at the royal meadows. The heroes set up tents for themselves, and Vanyukha crucified the oak; The two heroes tangled the horses with silk fetters, and Vanyukha tore the rod from the tree, twisted it and tangled his mare. Here they live. The king saw from his tower that his favorite meadows were being poisoned by some people, and they immediately ordered their neighbor to ask what kind of people they were? He arrived at the meadows, approached Ilya Muromets, and asked what kind of people they were and how they dared trample the royal meadows without permission? Ilya Muromets answered:
- It's none of our business! Ask the elder over there - a strong, mighty hero.
The ambassador approached Vanyukha. He shouted at him and didn’t let him say a word:
- Get out, while you’re still alive, and tell the tsar that a strong, mighty hero has come to his meadows, who killed forty heroes at one stroke, but the small fry has no estimate, and knocked him down with a stone, and Ilya Muromets and Fyodor Lyzhnikov are with him, and demands from The king's daughter is married.
He told this to the king. The Tsar had enough of the records: Ilya Muromets and Fyodor Lyzhnikov are there, but the third, who killed forty heroes at a time, is not in the records. Then the king ordered to gather an army, capture three heroes and bring them to him. Where to grab it? Vanyukha saw how the army began to approach closer; he shouted:
- Ilyukha! Go and drive them away, what kind of people are they? — he lies there, stretched out, and looks at him like an owl.

At those words, Ilya Muromets jumped onto his horse, drove him, not so much beat him with his hands as trampled him with his horse; He killed everyone and left only the pagans to the king. The king heard this misfortune, gathered more strength and sent to catch the heroes. Ivan the Fool shouted:
- Fedyunka! Go ahead and drive this bastard away!
He jumped on his horse, killed everyone, and left only the pagans.
What should the king do? Things are bad, the warriors have beaten the forces; The king became thoughtful and remembered that a strong hero, Dobrynya, lived in his kingdom. He sends him a letter, asking him to come defeat three heroes. Dobrynya has arrived; The Tsar met him on the third balcony, and Dobrynya, on top, rode up to the balcony level with the Tsar: that’s what he was like! We said hello and talked. He went to the royal meadows. Ilya Muromets and Fyodor Lyzhnikov saw that Dobrynya was coming towards them, they got scared, jumped on their horses and got out of there - they drove away. But Vanyukha didn’t have time. While he was picking up his little mare, Dobrynya drove up to him and laughed, what kind of strong, mighty hero is this? Small, skinny! He bent his head towards Vanyukha himself, looking at him and admiring him. Vanyukha somehow didn’t lose heart, he grabbed his saber and cut off his head.
The king saw this and got scared:
“Oh,” he says, “the hero killed Dobrynya; trouble now! Go quickly and call the hero to the palace.
Such honor came for Vanyukha that, father forbid! The carriages are the best, the people are all kind. They planted him and brought him to the king. The king treated him and gave him his daughter; They got married, and now they live and chew bread.
I was here, drinking honey; It flowed down my mustache but didn’t get into my mouth. They gave me a cap and started pushing me; They gave me a caftan, I go home, and the titmouse flies and says:
- Xin is good!
I thought:
- Throw it away and put it down!
He took it off, and put it down. This is not a fairy tale, but a saying, a fairy tale ahead!

State budget educational institution Samara region

Many interesting tales have accumulated over the centuries,
But she is especially famous about Ivan the Fool.
Frank, kind guy and naive, like a child.
He never lost heart, he did difficult things jokingly.

(G. Ladonshchikov)

Project

“Russian fairy tale hero – Ivan the Fool”

The project was completed by:

students of 1st "B" grade

Supervisor:

Vanshina O.A.,

teacher primary classes

March 2013

Target: Study the image of Ivan in Russian folk tales

Tasks:

1. Find out the meaning of the name;

2. Describe the image of Ivan, find out what his character is.

3. Determine his occupation.

4. Find out what kind of relationship he has with people.

Project implementation methods:

studying sources of information (scientific and artistic);

student survey;

drawing fairy tale plots;

analysis of fairy tales.

Expected Result: the work will help to understand the depth of the semantic content of the fairy tale, the origins and features of Russian folklore

1. Introduction.

2. History of the name.

3. The image of Ivan the Fool in Russian folk tales.

4. The mystery of the image of Ivan the Fool

5. Ivan is a fool and Ivan is a prince.

6. Conclusion.

1. Introduction

Ivan is one of the characters in Russian folklore. How fairy tale character it appeared at the end of the 18th (18) - beginning of the 19th (19) centuries.

Ivan is the third and youngest of the brothers. He is born into a peasant family, but more often than not he does not engage in any useful work, unlike his older brothers - prudent, thrifty owners. However, Ivan's brothers never achieve their goal, while he, on the contrary, gains wealth and happiness. Ivanushka the Fool - Jr. peasant son. Relatives and neighbors consider him a stupid and extravagant youth who can be forced to do any menial work, which does not require special skills and knowledge.

In fact, Ivanushka is the darling of fate and the favorite of nature; he made friends with animals, birds and fish, lives not with his mind, but with his heart, so his actions seem illogical to others. Thanks to his “not smart” and irrational behavior, he succeeds in doing things that are impossible for others. He knows where Koshchei’s death is hidden, he knows weak spots evil spirits and enemies.

Ivan Tsarevich is the youngest son of the Tsar, the most beloved and smartest of the three brothers. Having no rights to his father's throne, he does what he loves: honing his skills with a sword and bow, learning the intricacies of combat and horse riding. He fights against all evil, and with his squad protects the border lands from enemy raids.

In Russian folk tales, Ivashka, Ivanushka, Ivanushka the Fool, Ivan the Fool, Ivan Tsarevich are a positive hero, because he is good-natured, savvy, often a romantic, does not seek profit in any matter, sees the good in everything, lives according to his conscience - a hero , the most beloved by the people.

Therefore, at the end of the fairy tales, the reward goes to HIM, and not to the older brothers who are cunning, deceiving, and looking for profit.

Whoever you ask -

Everyone knows in Rus':

Either he is a king, or he is a peasant,

And his name is... Ivan

_________________________ 2. History of the name

The name Ivan is Hebrew in origin (Yohanan - God has mercy), and came to the Russian name book with the adoption of Orthodoxy as the name of John the Baptist. The name John is one of the iconic names in Christianity. Consequently, the name Ivan emphasizes that our hero is Orthodox Christian.

This name was loved in Rus' and three holidays were dedicated to it:

On this day, a ladder is baked from dough to ascend to heaven. future life. On Listvenichka, the brownie rages until midnight, until the rooster crows.

The night before, magical power they buy flowers and plants, Kupala bonfires heal all kinds of ailments in humans and livestock. On this night, all evil spirits acquire special strength and power: witches, mermaids, snakes.

Strict fasting is observed; you cannot eat apples, cabbage, watermelons, or anything else that resembles a head; You can’t cut anything with a knife, drink or dance, because Herod’s stepdaughter Salome, with the help of dance and song, achieved Ivan’s execution.

The hero of fairy tales, Ivan the Fool, is not a fool at all, modern meaning this word. Before the adoption of Christianity and for a long time Afterwards, there was a tradition of not calling children by “adult” names, so that they would not be kidnapped by “devils” while they were helpless. The child received an “adult”, “real” name at initiation at the age of 10-13, and before that he had a fake, childish one. Children's names derived from numerals were widespread - Pervak, Vtorak, Tretyak. And also Drugak, that is, “other,” next. Since it was the most popular, meaning, in most cases, youngest child, then as a result it became a common noun and was simplified to “Fool”. The name "Fool" appears in church documents until the 14th and 15th centuries. From the 17th century it began to mean what it means now - a stupid person. Naturally, the youngest is the most inexperienced and stupid. Therefore, the famous Ivan the Fool from Russian fairy tales is not a fool at all, but simply the youngest of three sons newer

Ivan the Fool, or Ivan the Fool- one of the main characters of Russian fairy tales. As a rule, it social status low - a peasant's son or the son of an old man and an old woman. He was often the third in the family, youngest son. Not married. According to some versions the name Ivan the Fool is a talisman name that prevents the evil eye. As you know, fairy tales took shape during pagan times, and many heroes were representatives of Good and Evil. Ivan the Fool is one of the positive heroes.

______3. The image of Ivan the Fool in Russian folk tales

It’s common to think well of the fairy-tale fool: he looks like that, but in reality he’s crazy. But there are different types of fools.

Fool-ignorant

“You can’t drag it!” - such Ivan the Fool shouts at the funeral. And he wishes the wedding train the kingdom of heaven and eternal peace. He is ignorant and does everything inappropriately. The fairy tale laughs at such a fool.

Lazy fool

Such a fool lies on the stove all day long. But he is incredibly lucky. If he goes for water, he will pull out the magic pike from the ice hole. If he starts lashing the stump, gold will fall out from under the stump. And then he unexpectedly receives everything he wants: a red caftan, beauty, good looks, and even the king’s daughter with half a kingdom in addition. Good principles are hidden in such a fool. When the time comes, he looks and acts like a great guy. One sets the pike free, the other, guarding the wheat, shows dexterity, courage, and ingenuity.

Executive fool

There are executive fools. “Force a fool to pray to God, he will even bruise his forehead” - this is said about such people. Such a worker is such a fool that he guards the door separately from the house, and drives a bear into the cattle instead of a cow.

Just a fool

There are such fools in every nation. No wonder they say: “They don’t sow fools, they don’t reap them - they are born.” Both storytellers and listeners always make fun of them to their heart's content, feeling very smart.

In fairy tales we are faced with the option the worst person- poor, unhappy, impractical and, indeed, stupid. For example, in one of the fairy tales the hero is sent to the market to buy everything needed for the household - a table, spoons, pots, food. On the way back, trying to help his weakened horse, the fool leaves the table on the road: “What,” Ivanushka thinks to himself, “after all, the horse has four legs, and the table also has four; so the table will run by itself.” And it’s not for nothing that the crows scream overhead; they’re probably hungry. And Ivan the Fool lays out food in front of them. He covers charred stumps in the forest with pots: “Oh,” he thinks, “the guys don’t have hats; they’ll be cold, dear ones!” As a result, he comes home empty-handed and lets his family down. But the narrator and listeners do not scold the hero. Everyone understands that Ivanushka did this out of stupidity, and not out of malice. In the fairy tale, he also plays the role of a jester, a buffoon.

The image of Ivan has successfully crossed over into modern reality. ABOUT films and cartoons are shot there, the appearance began to correspond to our day: the film “Ivashka from the Palace of Pioneers”, “Ivashka in the Far Far Away Kingdom”, the film “Sorcerers”. However, the style of his actions remained the same: I see the goal, I do not notice obstacles - and all this is done with kind hearted and for the benefit of people.

________________5. The mystery of the image of Ivan the Fool

Ivan the Fool is an inherently unclear, if not mysterious, character. Being the main character of the fairy tale, he, in accordance with the laws of the genre, successfully overcomes all the obstacles placed in his path by fate and achieves prosperity, usually symbolized by marrying the king’s daughter. In this, Ivan the Fool is not much different from Ivan Tsarevich and others fairy-tale heroes, with which listeners can sympathize and identify, but if in others fairy tales luck ultimately rewards the heroes for their intelligence, cunning, loyalty, kindness, courage, then, considering this type of fairy tale, we have to conclude that Ivan the Fool is rewarded for his stupidity. Without possessing any special merits that would at least balance out his stupidity, he nevertheless comes to the same ending as obviously worthy heroes. Moreover, in the fairy tale, in addition to Ivan the Fool, there are often his brothers, who differ from him only in their intelligence and who also try to win luck, but of the three brothers, fate turns out to be favorable to the fool, confirming the conclusion about the reward for stupidity.

The moral straight-forwardly derived from these fairy tales says that a person does not particularly need intelligence, it is not at all required to achieve success in life; if it is written in your family to become the king’s son-in-law, then even if you are a fool, this will not prevent you from becoming one, and if it is not written, then you should not try. Hence, sometimes a rather offensive conclusion is made for us Russians that the people, whose favorite folk hero may be a fool and a slacker, do not value intelligence, hard work, calculation and perseverance in achieving a goal, but are inclined, lying on the stove, to hope for a miracle that will lift him from rags to riches without any hassle. But this conclusion is in clear contradiction with the fact that in other fairy tales - created by the same people - the natural intelligence of the heroes, their education, prudence, wit, and cunning serve as the basis for their success in life and are very highly appreciated.

Ershov in his famous “The Little Humpbacked Horse,” using the folklore story about Ivan the Fool, follows this generally accepted path. In the beginning, however, he follows the folk tale, saying:

“He had three sons.
The eldest was a smart kid,
The middle one was this way and that,
The younger one was a complete fool.”

Ivan the Fool is interpreted by Ershov as a hero who is considered stupid only due to a misunderstanding and whose merits are for the time being hidden under an inconspicuous appearance. Ershov follows the ordinary common sense, confident that if a person whom we considered a fool has achieved extraordinary success in life, then he is probably not such a fool, and perhaps smarter than others. This makes the fairy tale more “correct” and logical, but at the same time the originality and true meaning of the plot are lost.

To correctly understand the meaning of the fairy tale and find out why main character- a fool, what is the functional role of his stupidity in the development of the plot, it is necessary to move away from your usual ideas and try to take the point of view of the subject of folklore,

The plot of Ivan the Fool is similar to the type of fairy tales, and the same elements are used in it: there are also difficult tasks that surpass human capabilities, there are magical assistants who solve insoluble problems for the hero, and at the end the same brilliant ending awaits the hero. Ivan’s stupidity is not proven by anything in the fairy tale; he is a fool by definition. Obviously, his stupidity is so undeniable that there is no need to prove it; he is a well-known village fool, to whom God did not give reason.

In the tales of Ivan the Fool there is a contradiction that is resolved by the development of the plot. So, in one of the versions of this tale, the plot unfolds as follows. When dividing property between brothers, the younger brother, the fool, asks his father to also give him a part, and although the old father doubts whether it is worth doing this - no property will help the fool, his case is hopeless - he still, out of justice and pity, gives the fool a hundred rubles The fool goes outside, and there the boys are torturing a kitten and a puppy. The fool asks to give them to him and in return gives his hundred rubles. Subsequently, the dog and cat grow up and, naturally, turn out to be wonderful helpers for the fool, bringing him good luck and happy ending fairy tales. From this it is clear that success for a fool is brought by the correct (in his situation) choice of path: after it has been made, bringing the plot to a happy end turns out to be a matter of fairy-tale technique.

Who hates Ivan. First of all, Ivan the Fool is completely devoid of three vices, which his enemies consider virtues.

Firstly, he is not at all vain and never demands recognition and glory for his exploits.

Secondly, Ivan is unselfish, nowhere and never does anything for the sake of self-interest.

Thirdly, there is not even any hint of inclination in him to kill or torment others, and he is cruel only in cases of extreme necessity, and only with evil spirits.

From the point of view of his enemies, it is the absence of these three vices, which they consider the most important virtues, that allows them to call Ivan a “fool.” In fairy tales, the enemies, knowing how Ivan will behave, take advantage of this, provoke conditions in which he goes “there, not knowing where,” in order to “bring something, not knowing what,” and for them he gets both fame and wealth.

Why does Ivan win? Supreme meaning travels and all the misadventures of Ivan, even when he goes, not knowing where and not knowing why - in the fight against evil spirits and in the multiplication of good. He defeats enemies by virtue of his natural, God this behavior. Everything that is light and good helps Ivan, and his mother is the damp earth, and forests, and rivers, and little brothers, to small animals and insects. It helps because he himself is bright and kind, and not just close to light and good. He is an inner man, living with his heart - a prophet. "Here an old lady jumps over the garden bed: Fu-fu-fu, what is this! The Russian spirit came to me in the forest!"... Kingdom of the Dead, Ivan’s main enemies - Koshchei, Baba Yaga, Zmei Gorynych - are opposed by the kingdom of the living. A special country, Ivanstvo-Ivania, is a special civilization. “The Russian spirit is here, it smells like Russia.” This is the Russian civilization. You won't find another like it. “Rus Ivan” was and is called by our western neighbors, “Urus Ivan” by our eastern neighbors.

Moreover, a person of a nasty personal class, opposite to civilization, where, first of all, “favorite” wealth is held in high esteem, that is, an external person, living with a cold mind, considers the Orthodox no longer fabulous, but real fools, and Russia - a wild, uncivilized country of fools. People from this country-civilization who remained Orthodox, that is, you and me, are Ivans - Fools.

Meanwhile, the immortality of Russia lies precisely in the fact that the Ivans, who remember their kinship, lived and worked in it, live and create.

____________________5. Ivan is a fool and Ivan is a prince.

How did it become possible that the same image of Ivan is embodied in two heroes - a fool and a prince.

Tsarevich is a man of noble birth, the son of a king. And the king's son must always be positive and strong. Therefore, Ivan Tsarevich is the people's positive hero. The image of Ivan the Fool is much more ancient than Ivan the Fool.

Ivan the prince is a positive character.

poor, lost by parents, persecuted by enemies, unaware of his royal origins;

fights evil, helps the offended or weak;

at the end of the fairy tale he receives half a kingdom, a king's or king's daughter, a magic or expensive horse.

The favorite hero of Russian fairy tales is Ivan the Tsarevich, Ivan the Fool, Ivan the Peasant Son. This is a fearless, kind and noble hero who defeats all enemies, helps the weak and wins happiness for himself.

6. Conclusion

The Russian people love fools not because they are stupid, but because they are smart: smart with a higher mind, which is not contained in cunning and deception of others, not in trickery and the successful pursuit of one’s own narrow gain, but in wisdom that knows true price any falsehood, ostentatious beauty, which sees the value in doing good to others, and therefore to oneself as an individual.

And the Russian people do not love every fool and eccentric, but only one who cares for an ugly little humpbacked horse, doesn’t offend a dove, doesn’t break a talking tree, and then gives his own to others, saves nature and respects his parents. Such a “fool” will not only get a beauty, but the princess will give her an engagement ring from the window, and with it half a kingdom-state as a dowry.

Tales of Ivan.

Ivan the Fool

Sivka-Burka Prophetic-Kaurka

How Ivanushka the Fool went after a miracle

Ivan Tsarevich and the Grey Wolf

How Ivan the Fool guarded the door

Go there - I don’t know where, bring that - I don’t know what.

Ivanushka and the brownie

The Tale of Rejuvenating Apples and Living Water

Ivan Bestalanny and Elena the Wise

Ivan - a peasant son and a miracle - Yudo

Marya Morevna

Ivan Bykovich

Koschei the Deathless

Copper, silver and golden kingdom

Vasilisa the Wise

Magic ring

Sister Alyonushka and brother Ivanushka

Student Survey

1. Ivan - is he a fool or smart?

2. What qualities do you like in Ivan the Fool?

8 .References

Propp V. Ya. Historical roots fairy tale. L., 1986

Novikov N.V. Images of an East Slavic fairy tale. L., 1974.

Andrey Sinyavsky. Ivan the Fool in Russian fairy tales // Sinyavsky A.D. Ivan the Fool: An Essay on Russian Folk Faith. - M.: Agraf, 2001, p. 37-48

Bakhtin V. Fairy tales

Likhachev D.S. Once again about beauty

Propp V.Ya. Morphology of a fairy tale

Internet materials

There was an old man and an old woman; They had three sons: two were smart, the third was Ivanushka the Fool. The smart ones tended the sheep in the field, but the fool did nothing, just sat on the stove and caught flies.

One day the old woman cooked some rye dumplings and said to the fool:

- Come on, take these dumplings to the brothers; let them eat.

She poured a full pot and gave it to him; he wandered towards his brothers. The day was sunny; As soon as Ivanushka left the outskirts, he saw his shadow on the side and thought:

“What kind of person is this? He walks next to me, not a step behind: right, he wanted some dumplings?” And he began to throw dumplings at his shadow, and so he threw away every single one; looks, and the shadow keeps walking from the side.

- What an insatiable womb! - said the fool with a heart and threw a pot at her - the shards scattered in different directions.

So he comes empty-handed to his brothers; they ask him:

- You fool, why?

- I brought you lunch.

-Where is lunch? Come on lively.

- Look, brothers, an unknown person got attached to me on the way and ate everything!

- What kind of person is this?

- Here he is! And now it’s standing nearby!

The brothers scold him, beat him, beat him; They beat off and forced the sheep to graze, and they themselves went to the village to dine.

The fool began to herd; sees that the sheep have scattered across the field, let's catch them and tear out their eyes. He caught everyone, gouged out everyone’s eyes, gathered the herd into one heap and the little one sits there as if he had done the job. The brothers had lunch and returned to the field.

- What have you done, fool? Why is the flock blind?

- Why do they have eyes? When you left, brothers, the sheep scattered apart, and I came up with an idea: I started catching them, collecting them in a pile, tearing out their eyes - I was so tired!

- Wait, you’re not so smart yet! - the brothers say and let’s treat him with their fists; The fool got a lot of nuts!

Not much time had passed, the old people sent Ivan the Fool to the city to buy household chores for the holiday. Ivanushka bought everything: he bought a table, spoons, cups, and salt; a whole cartload of all sorts of things. He’s going home, and the horse is such an unlucky little horse: he’s lucky or unlucky!

“Well,” Ivanushka thinks to himself, “the horse has four legs and the table also has four, so the table will run away on its own.”

He took the table and put it on the road. He drives and drives, whether close or far, and the crows hover over him and keep cawing.

“You know, the sisters are hungry to eat, that they shouted so much!” thought the fool. He placed the dishes with food on the ground and began to regale:

- Little sisters! Eat for your health.

And he keeps moving forward and forward.

Ivanushka is driving through a forest; All the stumps along the road are burnt.

“Eh,” he thinks, the guys are without hats; they’ll be cold, dear ones!”

He took pots and pots and put them on them. So Ivanushka reached the river, let’s water the horse, but she still doesn’t drink.

“You know, he doesn’t want it without salt!” - and well, salt the water. I poured out a bag full of salt, but the horse still didn’t drink.

- Why don’t you drink, wolf meat? Did I pour out a bag of salt for nothing?

He grabbed her with a log, right in the head - and killed her on the spot. Ivanushka was left with only one purse of spoons, and he carried that too. As he goes, the spoons go back and clang: clang, clang, clang! And he thinks that the spoons say: “Ivanushka is a fool!” - he threw them and, well, trampled them and said:

- Here's Ivanushka the fool! Here's Ivanushka the Fool! They even decided to tease you, you bastards! He returned home and said to his brothers:

- I've redeemed everything, brothers!

- Thank you, fool, but where are your purchases?

- And the table is running away, yes, you know, it’s lagging behind, they’re eating from the sisters’ dishes, he put pots and pots on the heads of the children in the forest, he salted the horse’s swill with salt; and the spoons are teasing - so I left them on the road.

- Go, fool, quickly! Collect everything you scattered along the road!

Ivanushka went into the forest, took the pots from the charred stumps, knocked out the bottoms and put a dozen different pots on the batog: both large and small. Brings it home. His brothers beat him off; We went to the city ourselves to do some shopping, and left the fool to run the house. A fool listens, but the beer in the tub just ferments and ferments.

- Beer, don't wander! Don't tease the fool! - says Ivanushka.

No, beer doesn't listen; He took it and let everything out of the tub, sat down in the trough, drove around the hut and sang songs.

The brothers arrived, became very angry, took Ivanushka, sewed him up in a sack and dragged him to the river. They put the sack on the shore, and they themselves went to inspect the ice hole.

At that time, some gentleman was riding past in a troika of brown ones; Ivanushka and well shout:

“They put me in the voivodeship to judge and dress, but I don’t know how to judge or dress!”

“Wait, fool,” said the master, “I know how to judge and judge; get out of the bag!

Ivanushka got out of the sack, sewed the master there, and he got into his cart and drove out of sight. The brothers came, lowered the sack under the ice and listened; and in the water it just gurgles.

- You know, the burka catches! - the brothers said and wandered home.

Out of nowhere, Ivanushka rides towards them in a troika, rides and boasts:

- That's a hundred horses I caught! And Sivko was still there - so nice!

The brothers became jealous; say to a fool:

- Now sew us up and quickly lower us into the hole! Sivko will not leave us...

Ivan the Fool lowered them into the ice hole and drove them home to finish their beer and commemorate their brothers.

Ivanushka had a well, there was a dace fish in the well, and my fairy tale was over.

Ivan the Fool appears. At first glance it seems that some village lazy and incompetent serendipity receives not only the princess as his wife, but also half of the kingdom. If you look more closely, it becomes clear that the moral qualities of Ivan the Fool are not so simple. In fact, he is only pretending to be a fool, and ingenuity and dexterity are almost his main features.

How the image appeared

It is still not known exactly where the tales about Ivan the Fool came from. Folklorists who are closely engaged in research folk art, they believe that this colorful image came into our fairy tales from ancient myths.

Agree, a successful, but at the same time narrow-minded and funny character is in the legends of almost all peoples of the world, but this image is so popular only in our culture. Any child knows who the hero of fairy tales is - Ivan the Fool.

Why do they love Vanya?

People's love for this character is quite easy to explain: the funnier the hero, the more readers love him. And since children are most often carried away by fairy tales, Vanya is made even more attractive to them by the stove that carries him, the buckets that independently walk around the village, and the baton that distributes blows left and right.

Ivan's magical qualities

Some experts argue that Ivan has some qualities of a priest. He is the youngest of three brothers, the most stupid and lazy, but at the same time only he has the ability to speak in riddles. And not only talk - he also solves them quite successfully.

And why all? Not only does a totem animal (for example, a pike) help Ivan the Fool, but also the stove is not just a means of transportation, but a symbol of family comfort, a hearth in the house, a “portal” to deceased ancestors.

Ivan's character has similar traits to the priests Ancient Rus': he easily communicates with otherworldly forces, they help him quite willingly. Such characters are called tricksters. These are jokers, liars and pranksters who, oddly enough, benefit people. They do a lot of stupid things, but that's what gives them a certain charm.

Why "fool"?

It is very difficult to call Vanya stupid, since he often uses cunning and ingenuity in his actions. From anyone, even the most difficult situation Ivan the Fool emerges victorious, and at the end of the tale he marries the king’s daughter and takes on the title of ruler of the state.

There are several explanations for this offensive nickname.

1. By family traditions those times youngest child they did not leave an inheritance, that is, he remained offended and deprived.
2. The fool is a kind of amulet. In ancient times, children were given a second, “false” name so that the spirits would not find it. No one will even look for a child with the nickname “fool.”

The most interesting thing is that a person with such an offensive nickname most often sings beautifully, speaks musical instruments and makes up rhyming jokes.

Image in fairy tales

One can only speculate about the real origin of the character. Experts in this field have not come to a consensus, but the main version, as mentioned above, is this: the authors of fairy tales about Ivan the Fool borrowed the image from ancient mythology.

Vanya is the youngest of three brothers. He was born into a peasant family, and this fact implies a lot of work, but our hero is usually lazy and does nothing. But his older brothers are homely, hard-working, real masters.

The whole paradox of the fairy tales about Ivan the Fool is that the older brothers remain simple peasants, while the younger one becomes rich and happy.

The first fairy tales began to appear in those distant times when people believed in pagan gods. Back then, each hero represented a dark or light side. Ivan the Fool is undoubtedly a representative of good.

How Ivan is perceived in Russia

In fairy tales, foolish heroes most often ridiculed not their own stupidity, but that of others, especially the lack of intelligence of those in power. From time immemorial, it was the buffoons and holy fools that rumor put on a pedestal. It was the unsightly people who managed to accomplish the feat for which they were canonized. Take, for example, the famous Novgorod epic “Vavilo the buffoon.” It is in this legend that the phrase “But buffoons are not simple people - buffoons are holy people” is found.

But all this does not mean at all that the Russian people have a special love for stupidity. IN real life narrow-minded people are not at all honored, only it is customary to speak well of the fairy-tale fool. It is believed that he only pretends to be stupid for the sake of intrigue.

There are several types of fools.

1. Fool-ignorant. “You can’t drag it!” - quote from Ivan the Fool. Only it was said completely out of place - at a funeral. Such a hero is not particularly literate, and his actions, as a rule, only cause laughter.
2. Lazy fool. This character does not leave the stove for days on end, does nothing, but he is incredibly lucky. For once, I went into the water and immediately caught a magic pike. And from the stump, which he had foolishly lashed, gold suddenly fell out. From this moment on, Vanya receives all the desired benefits: beauty, wealth, and a smart, beautiful bride. A good beginning is hidden in such a hero. His positive traits They wake up only when the time comes for this.
3. An executive fool. They even made up a proverb about such characters. “Force a fool to pray to God, he will break his forehead.” Here the hero immediately comes to mind, who guarded the door, separate from the house.
4. An ordinary fool. Every nation has such a character. Against the background of such characters, anyone feels smart enough, so both storytellers and listeners love to laugh at this hero.

The image of Ivan the Fool in fairy tales of the peoples of the world

Of course, the folklore of each nation is original and has its own national flavor, but if you look closely, in the legends different countries you can find very similar heroes. The most interesting thing is that in other countries our hero is also called Ivan. The English fool's name is John, the French one is Jean, the Spanish one is Juan, the German one is Hans, the Italian one is Giovanni.

French Jean- simply a standard of hopeless stupidity. He firmly believes that the pig he bought will run home on its own if he shows it the way. Here the fool serves as an example of ordinary human stupidity, which can be laughed at for a long time.

English fairy tales are different in that they are more like cautionary tales. The main features of the hero are decency and kindness, but at the same time he is not particularly savvy. He is very efficient, so he takes orders given as a joke literally, which is why he often finds himself in ridiculous funny situations.

If we take closer foreign countries, that is, the countries of the former Soviet Union, whose fairy tales are similar not only in the same names of the characters, but also in overlapping plot lines.