The beginning of the tale, the saying and the ending. What words do fairy tales begin with? How do fairy tales begin and end?

Topic: Compositional parts of a fairy tale: saying, beginning, ending.

Target: Systematization of knowledge on literary theory (compositional derivatives)

Objectives for students:

1.Know the compositional parts of a fairy tale.

2.Learn to find them in the text.

3. Compose a fairy tale based on its compositional parts.

Expected results:

1. They know what compositional parts a fairy tale consists of and their definition.

2.Able to find compositional parts in the text.

3. Compose your own fairy tale using all its compositional parts.

During the classes.

I . Motivational stage.

1.Psychological mood for the lesson.

Showing the cartoon “Team Interaction” on the interactive board.

Questions after watching:

2.Formation of groups.

The teacher appoints group commanders:

Each student chooses one student - a speaker, the speaker chooses a secretary, and the secretary - a time speaker.

Show with an emoticon how you feel in this group.

Reviewing the rules for working in groups.

4. Goal setting.

Teacher.

Read the text on the cards and make notes. (Insert method)

Students read the text of the card and make notes:

"!" - I know, I agree;

“-” - I don’t agree;

“+” - interesting and unexpected;

“?” - I don’t know, I want to find out.

After filling out the table, ask the class a question:

What interested you in working with the table? (They answer and stop at “I don’t know, I want to find out”

I want to help you gain new knowledge. Determine the topic of today's lesson.

What is a saying, beginning, ending in a fairy tale.

For what purpose do you want to know this?

To find sayings, beginnings, endings in fairy tales. To correctly compose an interesting, beautiful fairy tale.

Let's write down the topic of the lesson in a notebook.

II . Operational stage.

1.Definition of compositional parts. Work in pairs. “Forecasting” method.

Teacher: Each pair has a card. Consider and try to determine the saying, beginning, and ending using the arrows. (Cards of two options are used)

1 option

1) Oh doo-doo! On the oak tree

A raven thundered into the chimney.

And miracles began:

The skies turned blue

The sails set out to sea,

Dark forests stood up.

2) There lived a grandfather and a woman. Grandfather says to grandma:

You, woman, bake pies, and I will harness the sleigh and go get fish...

3) So they began to live - to live and make good things.

ENDING

SAYING

BEGINNING

Option 2.

1) And in a forest hut

The stove flooded -

Cloudberry pies

The bunny started baking.

Eat some pies

Listen to the story.

2) In the old days, one king had three sons. So, when the sons became old, the king gathered them and said:

My dear sons, while I am not yet old, I would like to marry you, to look at your children, at my grandchildren...

3) And I was there. I drank honey and beer, it ran down my mustache, but it didn’t get into my mouth.

ENDING

SAYING

BEGINNING

2.Check. Mutual checking of pairs using the key in the textbook (pp. 39-40. Literary reading, grade 2)

Who determined it correctly? For those who didn’t succeed, don’t be upset, now you will read the exact definition of concepts and will be able to correctly find the saying, beginning and ending in fairy tales. (Independent reading of the rules in the textbook pp. 39-40. Work in groups)

How is a fairy tale different from a story?

The story has no saying, beginning or ending.

By what features do we distinguish a fairy tale?

The words “once upon a time”, “once upon a time”. Positive and negative heroes. Good and evil. Good wins.

3. Determination of the sequence of compositional parts of a fairy tale. (Work in groups)

Arrange the cards with the names of the compositional parts in the order in which you think the compositional parts are located in the fairy tale.

Cards:

Saying

the beginning

ending

4.Check using the “Delegation” method. Delegates from groups go to other groups and see the work done. Leave your thoughts, ratings and suggestions on the sticker. Each group retains a speaker who presents the work of his group.

Saying

the beginning

ending

5. Physical exercise “Fun exercise” on the interactive board.

6. Consolidation of the studied material.

Cards with multi-level tasks. (Justify your choice)

Level 1.

Assignment: Read the fairy tale and divide it into compositional parts.

The fairy tale will be entertaining. Listen to her carefully. Whoever opens his ears wide will learn a lot of all sorts of things. And whoever accidentally falls asleep will leave with nothing.

One day in the spring there lived on the roof of a house an icicle who really wanted to have a scarf.

And then one morning a little girl ran past. The little girl was in a hurry to go to kindergarten and did not notice how the scarf fell from her shoulders straight onto the asphalt. Icicle, being young and inexperienced, thought that the scarf had been left as a gift for her. All morning she thought about how to get to the scarf. The day came, the sun shone brightly and strongly. The icicle, carried away by her thoughts, slowly melted and dripped down drop by drop, right onto the scarf... She didn’t even notice how it all melted... The scarf, wet from the water, dried out in the evening under the sun’s rays. And in the evening, the girl, returning home from kindergarten, found it in the very place where she left it in the morning. That’s the end of the fairy tale, and well done to those who listened!

Level 2.

Cards with cut text.

Assignment: Read the fairy tale, putting its parts together correctly.

In that ancient time, when the world of God was filled with goblin, witches and mermaids, when the rivers flowed milky, the banks were jelly, and fried partridges flew across the fields, at that time there lived a king named Pea...

In ancient times, King Pea fought with mushrooms.

The boletus mushroom, the colonel sitting above the mushrooms, sitting under the oak tree, looking at all the mushrooms, began to order:
- Come, you little whites, to my war!
The whites refused:
- We are pillar noblewomen! Let's not go to war!
- Come, you saffron milk caps, to my war! The saffron milk caps refused:
- We are rich men! Let's not go to war!
- Come, little girls, to my war! The waves refused.
- We, little girls, are old ladies! Let's not go to war!
- Come, honey mushrooms, to my war! Openings refused:
- Our legs are very thin! Let's not go to war!
- Come, milk mushrooms, to my war!
- We, milk mushrooms, are friendly guys! Let's go to war!

And so the mushrooms defeated King Pea!

And I was there. I drank honey and beer for the victory. It flowed down my mustache, but didn’t get into my mouth.

Level 3 (talented and gifted)

Assignment: Orally compose a fairy tale using all the compositional parts.

7.Presentation of completed work by group speakers.

III .Reflection.

1.Checking the mastery of the topic.

You have a test in front of you. Remember what you learned today and answer the questions.

Mini test.

1. Saying

a) the idea of ​​a fairy tale, its heroes

b) lure to listen

c) good conquers evil.

2. Beginning

a) the idea of ​​a fairy tale, its heroes

b) lure to listen

c) good conquers evil.

3.Ending

a) the idea of ​​a fairy tale, its heroes

b) lure to listen

c) good conquers evil.

2.Check.

Look at the board and check your work (key on the interactive whiteboard)

Please rate your test.

If:

all answers are correct – “smiling” emoticon

one or two answers are incorrect - “sad” emoticon

3. Lesson summary - “Unfinished sentences” technique

In a circle they speak in one sentence, choosing the beginning of a phrase from the reflective screen on the board.

Today I found out.....

It was interesting…..

It was difficult….

I did the tasks.....

I realized that.....
Now I can….

I felt that...

I purchased...

I learned….

I managed…

4.Homework.

Repeat the rule on pages 39-40.

Compose a saying, beginning or ending - your choice.

The beginning of a fairy tale, a saying, an epic chorus, a prayerful introduction, an ending - these are the parts included in the structure of a folklore work. They must be distinguished from each other. The complex compositional structure of folk tales is not accidental. Each of the parts they contain plays a specific role.

What is a saying

Most fairy tales, especially fairy tales, begin with a saying. Thanks to its existence, the listener is gradually immersed in a special world and thereby prepares to perceive everything

When reading or listening to a saying, both a child and an adult create in their imagination the image of the cat Bayun, they see an island in the middle of the ocean, on it rises a mighty oak tree with golden chains and a mysterious chest on mighty branches, and in the distance a city from an unknown kingdom-state is visible.

The peculiarity that distinguishes a saying is that the beginning of a fairy tale, despite its small size (sometimes just a few words), is able to immediately immerse the reader in the world of magic and enchantment. And this is very important, because a person is determined not only to enjoy what he reads, but also to comprehend the deep folk wisdom that lies in the content of the fairy tale. And without a special attitude, it can be very difficult to achieve this.

Very often a saying has a humorous character with elements of confusion, gibberish, confusion, and puns. Thanks to this technique, it is possible to avoid excessive edification, but at the same time maintain the educational role of the work.

Functions of the initiator

To fully understand a fairy tale, you need to understand its purpose. It consists of performing several tasks at once:

• introduce the reader to the main works;
• talk about the time the described action was performed;
• give an idea of ​​the place where events take place.

Young readers should understand that the beginning of a fairy tale is very important. Already at the very beginning of the work, you can get a lot of information, which in the future will help you fully understand the image of the characters, their characters and actions.

The beginning of a fairy tale will certainly indicate that the language of the work that you are about to get acquainted with is completely different from everyday speech. An example of this can be the following expressions: “in a certain kingdom, in a certain state”, “golden domes”, “there is a tree”, “a fairy tale is told”, “sea-okiyan” and many other “fairytale” words.

The beginning of fairy tales, their diversity

The beginnings and endings of fairy tales have a huge variety; they are distinguished by structure, language, and semantic content. Only about 36% of folklore works have a traditional beginning. It is known to every person brought up on traditions. From early childhood, when a child is told a fairy tale, he hears the following words: “Once upon a time...” In total, at least nine types of openings are used when telling fairy tales.

Ending

“This is the end of the fairy tale, and whoever listened, well done!” - a traditional form of ending to many folk tales. In addition to the above example, there are at least five other options with which the storyteller can finish the story he tells. Knowing what the beginning is in a fairy tale and what it is used for, it is not difficult to guess for what purpose the ending is used. Fabulous actions must be brought to their logical conclusion. A well-composed ending to the work helps to achieve this. For example, a storyteller can end the story like this: “They live and live and make good things!”, “This often happens!”, “They live and chew bread!” Sometimes the storyteller may end the tale completely unexpectedly, but he must remember that the ending sums up everything that has been said.

Other features of the structure of a folklore work

Fairy tales, their main part, and the ending may contain repetitions. Each new repetition is somewhat different from the previous one, and thanks to this, the reader can guess how the entire story will end.

Poetic parts naturally fit into the structure of folk tales, which gives the work musicality and tunes the reader to a special poetic wave.

The poems used by the storyteller have their own characteristics. Fairy-tale narratives written entirely in such verse are of great interest to readers. Writers call it fantastic.

In the process of presenting the content of a fairy tale, the narrator sometimes has to not only speak, but even sing, since the heroes often use just that among themselves. Suffice it to recall the fairy tales “Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka”, “Cat, Rooster and Fox”, “Wolf and Seven Little Goats” and others.

Onomatopoeia, a lively dialogue between epithets, comparisons, and hyperboles make works of folk art bright and inimitable. It’s not for nothing that everyone, young and old, loves Russian fairy tales: folklore contains not only wisdom, but also the true beauty of the Russian word.

The question “What words begin with?”, he will most likely name the phrase “Once upon a time...”. Indeed, this is the most common beginning of Russian folk songs. Someone else will definitely remember: “In a certain kingdom, in a certain state...” or “In the thirtieth kingdom, in the thirtieth state...” - and he will also be right.

Some fairy tales begin with the common word "one day." And in others, as, for example, in “The Three Kingdoms - Copper, Silver and Gold,” time is described as if more specifically, but still very vague, like a fairy tale: “In that ancient time, when the world was filled with goblins, witches and mermaids “When the rivers flowed with milk, the banks were jelly, and fried partridges flew across the fields...”

Russian folk tales from everyday life, more like jokes, do without traditional beginnings. For example, “One man had a grumpy wife...” or “Two brothers lived in the same village.”

Similar beginnings can be found not only in Russian folk tales, but also in fairy tales of other peoples.

What are all these sayings talking about? Everything is very simple. The listener or reader is immediately brought into action and finds out with whom, where and at what time the fabulous events will take place. And is waiting for the continuation. It is also important that these phrases are rhythmically constructed in such a way as to create a certain melodiousness.

The origins of author's fairy tales

At A.S. Pushkin’s “The Tale of the Golden Cockerel” brings together two fairy-tale beginnings:
“Nowhere, in the distant kingdom,
In the thirtieth state,
Once upon a time there lived a glorious king Dadon.”

Many fairy tales do not begin with traditional phrases. For example, the first line in Andersen’s fairy tale “Flint” is: “A soldier was walking along the road: one-two! one-two!”

Or here’s an example of the beginning of Astrid Lindgren’s fairy tales: “In the city of Stockholm, on the most ordinary street, in the most ordinary house, lives the most ordinary Swedish family named Svanteson.” (“Baby and Carlson”) “On the night Roni was supposed to be born, thunder rumbled.” (“Roni is the daughter of a robber”)

But even here it can be seen that fairy tales begin either with the introduction of a hero, or with a designation of the scene of action, or talk about time.

It is very rare to find fairy tales, the beginning of which is devoted to lengthy descriptions. Usually the beginnings are quite dynamic.

For example, one of the most beloved Russian children's poets, Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky, without any introduction, immediately, as if on the run, introduces the reader into the thick of fairy-tale events. “The blanket ran away, the sheet flew away, and the pillow jumped away from me like a frog.” (“Moidodyr”) “The sieve gallops through the fields, and the trough through the meadows.” (“Fedorino’s grief”)

A good beginning in a fairy tale is important. The mood with which the listener or reader will immerse themselves in the story depends on it.

One of the key motifs of a fairy tale is the hero’s journey to the “far away kingdom” - the afterlife. Such a construction is three-part: 1 - the road to another world and crossing the border from the world of the living to the world of the dead, 2 - “adventures” in the world of the dead and 3 - the road back and crossing the border back. Complex compositions are in one way or another based on this model, largely emerging from it...

____________________

D. Antonov
Fairy tale endings: an attempt at reading

The question we are considering in this article is quite unusual: these are the endings of fairy tales. As you know, different types of endings perform certain functions: a witty conclusion to a fairy tale, the creation of a happy ending, etc. The field of our research lies in a different area: we will be interested in very specific endings that carry information that cannot be easily explained. Such endings are not so often isolated from the general mass, although their number and diversity, complexity and prevalence in the world do not allow us to recognize them as a private and insignificant element. Let us first turn to the traditional classification.

The first type of endings is perhaps best described as plot endings. These are endings with an internal focus, they are related to the context of the fairy tale and are part of its structure. Their goal is to create a happy ending as an important fairytale element. In most cases, such endings rhyme (“and they began to live, live and make good”). In some cases, there is no rhyme (“they began to live and chew bread”, “they lived long and merrily”, “and they all lived happily ever after”, etc.). They are the most common.

The second type of ending is often called a joke ending. They are not connected with the context or plot of the fairy tale (or the connection is conditional), but are one of the components of the process of telling a fairy tale, a dialogue between the storyteller and listeners. They are determined by purely external factors related to this dialogue. When there is no connection, the endings, as a rule, contain a playful demand for a reward for the story (“here’s a fairy tale for you, and for me a glass of butter,” “here’s a fairy tale for you, and a bunch of bagels for me,” “that’s the end of the fairy tale.” , and I’d like some vodka”, etc.). In other cases, a conditional connection with the context exists, and endings are built according to the following model: when some action begun in the fairy tale is completed, then it will continue (“when<...>(the hero of the fairy tale – D.A.) will wake up, then the fairy tale will begin”, “when the porridge is cooked, then the fairy tale will continue”, etc.) This also includes another model of endings: a short “fairy tale”, the purpose of which is rhyme a word, most often “the end” (“in their yard there was a puddle, and in it there was a pike, and in the pike there was a fire; this fairy tale has an end”; “...she herself is joy, in her eyes there is affection. Here the feast began, and the fairy tale ended" /Af.567/, etc.). The completed fairy tale flows into a joke rhyme, which aims to convey in a rhymed form the idea that the fairy tale is completed.

Moralistic conclusions and conspiracy formulas can act as endings - quite independent elements, more or less connected with the context of the fairy tale itself (sometimes the connection is completely absent). This is the traditional division (1).

A slightly different series of endings that interest us within the framework of this work are often considered funny. In many cases they are also rhymed and in form are close to the type discussed above. The most famous is one of the shortest models of such endings: “And I was there, I drank honey and beer, it flowed down my mustache, but it didn’t get into my mouth.” However, along with this popular fairy-tale formula, there are often entire “stories” with rather specific information contained in them. In these endings, the narrator's narration continues about the events that happened to him at the feast and after it. The huge variety of such endings is united by a common feature - the introduction of the first person and their content - the narrator's narration about certain events that happened to him. Traditionally, their function is defined as emphasizing the unreality of everything told, introducing comedy into the story, “defusing the atmosphere” (2). Such endings, however, have a number of important distinctive features that do not allow them to be classified as humorous and force them to be distinguished as a separate, completely special type. The identification of this type of ending seems to us not to be a private matter of classification, but to identify a new, little touched upon previously, information field for study.

An important – and, in our opinion, identifying – feature of endings of the third type is noted by E.M. Meletinsky: this is the similarity of the latter’s elements with certain elements of the fairy tales themselves, the closeness of their construction to the construction of certain mythological motifs (3). In this study, we will attempt to consider and analyze the plots underlying endings of the third type.

I. OPTION OF THE "BAD PATH"

1. “And I was there.” The first statement of the narrator in our endings boils down to the fact that he was present in the place described and was an eyewitness to the final events of his own tale. In most cases, this is stated directly, or, less often, indirectly (“I barely brought my legs home from that feast” (4), etc. – “I was there” is omitted, but implied). This information is necessary, since everything that follows is built in accordance with it. Most often, this phrase is followed by a further story, but, as you can see, it is completely self-sufficient and can be used without any additions. This is a kind of statement of truthfulness, indicating that the narrator is an eyewitness and a kind of character in the tale. He is present at the hero’s feast, and further adventures occur with him. What could this mean?

One of the key motifs of a fairy tale is the hero’s journey to the “far away kingdom” - the afterlife. Such a construction is three-part: 1 - the road to another world and crossing the border from the world of the living to the world of the dead, 2 - “adventures” in the world of the dead and 3 - the road back and crossing the border back. Complex compositions are in one way or another based on this model, in many ways leaving it behind. There is no need to dwell on this in more detail now, since we have a different goal: to find out whether it is possible and legitimate to correlate this model with the plot of the endings that interest us, and what picture will emerge if such a parallel is drawn. Having adopted this approach, we will see that what happens to our hero at the final fairy-tale feast is built according to models that localize this place in a rather interesting way - a border key.

2. Inedible treat. Once at the “feast”, the hero-storyteller, first of all, talks about food. He drinks honey beer, eats cabbage, etc. However, oddly enough, all his attempts to eat anything turn out to be fruitless. Food just doesn't get into your mouth. In addition to the will of the hero (and, perhaps, in accordance with it), he does not eat a single piece of food offered to him where he ends up. This is described in different ways. “And I was there, I drank honey and beer, it flowed down my mustache, but it didn’t get into my mouth” - a model, in various modifications, the most common in Russian fairy tales (5). However, “mead-beer” (honey-wine, mead) is by no means the only treat that the hero does not eat; There are also people like this: “I was there, I slurped my ear, it ran down my mustache, but it didn’t get into my mouth” /Af.81/, “I slurped my kutya with a large spoon, it ran down my beard, but it didn’t get into my mouth!” /Af.207/, “they served Beluzhin - but remained without dinner” /Af.124/. In addition to this, other forms are used to express that it was impossible for the hero to eat anything at the mysterious feast: “to whom it was brought with a ladle, but to me with a sieve” /Af.322/, etc.

The idea that the food at the feast of the heroes of the fairy tale is somehow special and not suitable for people to eat is one of the most important. Her expressions can be completely different: “...they called me to drink honey and beer with him, but I didn’t go: the honey, they say, was bitter, and the beer was cloudy. Why such a parable?” /Af.151/ and others /italics mine. - YES./. There is one more important detail in the last ending: it does not rhyme, the idea is “naked.” The traditional formula: “And he ate and drank, it flowed down his beard, but it didn’t get into his mouth” – is also found in Latvian fairy tales (6). Let's try to analyze this motive. What is a food that cannot be eaten? As you know, food is extremely important during the transition from the kingdom of the living to the kingdom of the dead. The food of the dead has some magical properties and is dangerous for the living. “...We see that, having crossed the threshold of this world, first of all we need to eat and drink,” writes V.Ya. Propp (7). “By eating food intended for the dead, the alien finally joins the world of the dead. Hence the prohibition on touching this food for the living.” “In an American story, the hero sometimes only pretends to eat, but in fact throws this dangerous food on the ground,” he continues (8). This motive is close to the situation described by our narrator. The fact that he cannot eat anything, although he tries, does not at all contradict this idea. It is likely that here the food of the dead that is “inedible” (i.e., unsuitable for food, dangerous) for the living turns into food that cannot be eaten. The food described often really seems unsuitable - they talk about bitter honey and cloudy beer, and similar descriptions are found: “... Here they treated me: they took the tub away from the bull and poured milk; then they gave me a roll, and I urinated in the same tub. I didn’t drink, didn’t eat..." /Af.137/. Here we clearly see the hero’s reluctance to eat the food offered due to the fact that it seems unpleasant and inedible to him - all the details are designed to strengthen this image. The hero of Russian fairy tales himself asks Yaga for food from the dead and eats it, thereby passing into the world of the dead, which is what he strives for. Then he nevertheless finds his way back, and he manages to return, although the return path is often fraught with great dangers - this is possible because in the world of the dead the hero acquires magical abilities (which is often expressed in the acquisition of magical objects or assistants) (9) . With the hero-narrator, something different happens. He ends up at a feast where all the treats are “inedible” for him. If we assume that this element is correlated with the fairytale motif of food of the dead, we must admit that the position of our hero is localized by the border of the worlds. In order to go further, it is necessary to taste the food of the dead, which means for him to finally join the afterlife. Unlike the hero of a fairy tale, the hero-narrator does not do this. In accordance with fairy-tale and mythological laws, the border in this case cannot be overcome. Let's see if other elements of the endings correspond to this situation.

3. Expulsion. So, having found himself in the same situation as the fairy-tale hero, the hero-storyteller behaves differently. Because of this, his entire further path is unlike the path of a hero. Often the narrator ends the ending with the message that, having been at the feast, he did not eat anything, but in more complete versions of the tales there is a description of further events. The expulsion that follows the refusal in the endings is not motivated by anything and, it would seem, does not follow at all from what was said earlier. In Afanasyev we find the following examples: “I was at that wedding, I drank wine, it was running down my mustache, there was nothing in my mouth. They put a cap on me and, well, push; they put a body on me: “You, little one, don’t make a fuss / don’t dawdle.” /, get out of the yard quickly"" /Af.234/, "... I didn’t drink, didn’t eat, I decided to wipe myself off, they started fighting with me; I put on a cap, they started pushing me in the neck!” /Af.137/ /italics mine. – D.A./, “And I was there, I drank wine and beer, it flowed on my lips, but it didn’t get into my mouth; then they gave me a cap and pushed me; I resisted, but I got away” /Af.250/ and so on. Here there is clearly a connection between the exile and the fact that the narrator “had nothing in his mouth” of any of the food offered. We see the same thing in a slightly different ending - in the fairy tale told by A.N. Korolkova: “A feast was planned for the whole world. And I was there. Instead of beer, they brought me milk (another form of expressing the “inedibility” of food. - D.A.). They took me by the sides, began to knead me, and I began to laugh. I didn't drink, they started beating me. I started to resist, they started fighting. The feast I was at was scandalous" (10) / emphasis added. - YES./.

There are endings that testify to the desire of the hero-narrator to penetrate into the world that he spoke about in the fairy tale and the failure of this attempt: “Then I wanted to see the prince and princess, but they started pushing me out of the yard; I snuck into the gateway and knocked my whole back off! " /Af.313/. The main reason that the hero-narrator failed to penetrate the “court” (kingdom, world) where his heroes live (refusal of food) is omitted here, but the desire and subsequent failure are clearly expressed. So far, all the analyzed facts do not contradict our theory about the construction of the plot of these endings in accordance with fairy-tale and mythological motifs. However, endings of the third type contain many more facts that require analysis.

4. Escape. We are approaching the consideration of a whole series of facts that form a certain block - one of the most important elements of the endings of a fairy tale. The first information that needs to be considered is the mysterious items received by the hero. The narrator receives these things from those present at the feast. In this case, the motive of expulsion is most often omitted. An example would be the following endings: “...they gave me a blue caftan, a crow flies and shouts: “Blue caftan!” Blue caftan!" I thought: "Take off the caftan!" - he took it and threw it off. They gave me a cap and started pushing me in the neck. They gave me red shoes, the crow flies and shouts: "Red shoes! Red shoes!" I think: “He stole the shoes!” - he took it and threw it away" /Af.292/, "...they gave me a cap, and started pushing me; they gave me a caftan, I go home, and the titmouse flies and says: “The blue is good!” I thought: “Throw it off and put it down!” I took it off, and put it down...” /Af.430/, etc. So the hero gets some things. This reminds us that the guardian of the border (Yaga) can become a giver. In the case when, of his own free will, through food, washing in a bathhouse, the hero joins the world of the dead, the guard-donor gives him magical objects (analogous to acquired magical abilities). Is it possible to assume in this case that here we are dealing with another version of the plot development, when the hero-narrator is not expelled, but recognizes himself as one of his own and receives some gifts in the world of the dead? If this is so, then these two plots overlapped each other quite strongly. In the examples above, we see the refusal of food, the receipt of gifts, and (in one of the cases) the element inherent in exile (“they began to push”). Why is there a violation of internal logic in this type of ending? Does it happen at all, or are there other laws at work here that we have not yet understood? In order to answer these questions, it is necessary to study in more detail the motive that interests us.

Turning to world folklore, we can confidently state the following thing: in endings of the third type, there really are two options for the path of the hero-storyteller. We examined the first option in the previous section: the hero wants to penetrate the world of the dead, he must pass the test of food, but does not pass this test and is expelled. But, what is most interesting, this first option is typical specifically for East Slavic material! Other ethnic groups and peoples practically do not know the unlucky hero who did not overcome the test and was forced to return halfway. This is a characteristic feature of East Slavic fairy tales, and it seems all the more interesting; That is why this section is based on Russian material. In the fairy tales of Europe, Persia, Abkhazia, and Dagestan, which have extensive endings, the picture looks different: elements of failure and exile are absent and the path of the hero-storyteller has a completed form, close to the classical fairy-tale model. What interests us here is that the combination of seemingly incompatible elements in the endings of Russian fairy tales somehow turns out to be connected with the existence of “unsuccessful” and “successful” options for the hero’s path.

In world folklore there are several motives for acquiring magical things in the world of the dead: 1- the hero receives a magical object and brings it to the world of the living - the most famous motive, the roots of which were studied by V.Ya. Propp, 2- the hero receives a magical object, but on the way back he somehow loses it - the roots of the motive go back to the myths of the loss of immortality and 3 - the hero receives a magic object and leaves it along the road (throws it back) in order to escape pursuit. Mountains, forests, etc. arise from thrown objects. - that is, here we are dealing with a reflection of the myth about the structure of the world. Thus, we see that there are three options for developing the plot of obtaining magical objects in the world of the dead. In Russian fairy tales themselves, the first and third plots are common. What can our endings relate to? Having analyzed all the facts, we will come to a somewhat unexpected conclusion: they are based on the first option - without loss - in accordance with which the endings of the “successful” path are found. We will turn to the question of the origin and semantics of the “unsuccessful path” option at the end of the work; here we will emphasize that, in our opinion, the loss of the received items by the hero-narrator is a consequence of a certain transformation of the option with the “successful” receipt of things, i.e. classic fairy tale version. Magical escape is not a prototype of the motif of a fairy tale chase here. In our opinion, we are not dealing with the options of protection or abduction, but with a distorted version of the plot of acquisition.

5. Items received. Now it’s time to turn to the consideration of the objects themselves, received by the hero-narrator and lost by him along the way. These items can be divided into two groups. The first is the things that the hero receives in the version of the ending when the motive of loss is connected with the motive of receiving, which is preceded by both a feast and exile. The second group is things that the hero “loses” in another version of the ending, when the motive for receiving is present independently. In the latter case, it is subject to a fairly strong transformation. The first group, as can be seen from the examples given above, mainly includes items of clothing: shoes, shlyk, caftan, cap. Of the signs that characterize these things, their colors are quite stable: red and, especially often, blue. If the first color can be interpreted in the meaning of “beautiful”, or simply reduce its use to the need to draw a parallel “red - stolen”, then the blue color can have greater meaning. Blue is used to mean black; its etymology can also be traced back to the concept of “shining, luminous.” In both cases (and especially in the second), the connection of this color with the world of the dead is quite stable. In folklore, what comes from another world often turns out to be not only golden (=shining), black or white, but also blue. (See, for example, similar use of blue in Scandinavian folklore) (11). At this stage, this is all that can be said about the gifts received.

Now let's turn to consider the second group of items. They are presented in endings of a different type, examples of which we gave above. The emphasis here is precisely on the loss of things; In addition, there are two distinctive features: 1 - the motive for obtaining things is absent, 2 - the things described are of a slightly different kind than in the first group. “I also had a nag, wax shoulders, and a pea whip. I saw that a man’s barn was on fire; I set up the nag and went to fill the barn. While the barn was pouring, the nag melted, and the crows pecked at the little stick.” /Af.146/ is a typical example of such endings. Although the memory of the origin of things in this ending is not preserved (unlike the first group, where the motive of receiving is preserved; the loss follows the description of the feast and exile), in its last part we see a preserved “trace” from the previously dropped motives of exile and flight: “...I had a shlyk (transformation from “they gave me a shlyk” - D.A.), I snuck under my collar, but knocked off my tire, and now it hurts. That’s the end of the fairy tale!” /Af.146/. This element testifies to the origin of this variant of endings from the same original model, where things are obtained in the kingdom of the dead (hence the poorly preserved motives of exile and flight with the loss of things). The Latvian example is also very indicative. In it, the hero-narrator is invited to a wedding. He buys and makes his own clothes, but, oddly enough, these clothes are made from various foods (he made boots from pancakes, bought two sugar horses and a gingerbread cart...). Along the way, from rain, sun, etc., all objects melt, get wet and, as a result, disappear. The hero is left with nothing (12). How to evaluate such ending options? We see that here the motive of loss is presented separately. It was already mentioned above that the “unsuccessful path” option was constructed with a certain violation of logic. The “attachment” of the motive of gifts was quite artificial, which could have influenced its subsequent separation from the motives of food, exile, and flight. Receiving objects is conceptualized already in this world (“they gave it to me” is replaced by “I had it,” or the hero talks about buying things or making them). Accordingly, the path from the “feast” is replaced by the path “to the feast” - objects disappear on the way not back, but there. Knowing the original version, you can get an explanation for why the narrator talks about some strange things that disappear from him so that he is left with “nothing.” This is evidenced by the preservation of elements of the chase and the very description of things. These are also, for the most part, items of clothing - a hat, caftan, trousers, etc. However, this time they turn out to be made from different foods. This can be explained through the transformation of the motive of not overcoming the food test, the memory of which is preserved in such an unusual form in such endings. In itself, this motif in the endings emphasizes the fragility, unreliability of the material - the non-functionality of things (“nag, wax shoulders”, “pea whip” (13), etc.). All this explains to the listeners the reason for the loss of things in a different way: they are not abandoned by the narrator himself due to a “misunderstanding,” but disappear because of their fragility and inability to adapt to reality.

These are the main elements that make up the motive for the hero-storyteller to receive magical objects. The various modifications have one thing in common: no matter what happens to our hero, he loses all the things he took from the border of the kingdom of the dead, where he was unable to get. The explanation for this paradox, as well as the whole situation with losses and unsuccessful attempts to overcome the border, lies in the study of the roots of the “failed path” option.

6. Option "unsuccessful path". Let's summarize what has been said. We examined the following elements of endings of the third type: 1 - the narrator's statement that he was where the heroes he described were. Almost all endings begin with this statement. The study of further elements localized the place that the narrator is talking about, defining it as the border with the kingdom of the dead. 2 - the hero's story that, having got there, he had to eat some food. 3 - characterization of food as tasteless, practically inedible, followed by transformation into something that cannot be eaten. 4 - the hero’s refusal to eat (in the case of the indicated transformation, the inability to eat it). 5 - the consequence of refusal is expulsion from the place where the hero ends up; sometimes the expulsion is described with the omission of the reason - refusal of food, in this case it is strengthened by the fact of the impossibility of going further. 6 - a slightly different motive for receiving gifts and then losing them on the way back. All this is an element of the “bad path” variant, presented primarily in the endings of Russian fairy tales. The “unsuccessful path” option represents the path of the hero who did not pass the test of eating the dead, was expelled from the border, and was not allowed further into the kingdom of the dead. The description of this path is based on the classic fairy-tale-mythological motif of the border. At the same time, we do not reject the traditionally defined function of these endings as an indication of unreality in the discourse aspect - using them for this purpose and creating additional elements subordinated exclusively to this goal actually take place. However, the construction of this type of ending, which preserves traces of effective fairy-tale-mythological models, “mirror” transformed in relation to the fairy tale, is, from our point of view, their most important, meaning-determining feature. What is the genesis of the “unsuccessful path” option, how can one determine the time of its occurrence, and what is the reason for the violation of internal logic we noted with the acquisition/loss of things following the expulsion - questions that we will try to answer when considering the “successful path” option.

II. OPTION OF "GOOD TRAIL"

Here we begin to consider another plot of the endings of fairy tales - the “fortunate path” option and analyze its constituent elements.

Border. The motive of testing food is also present in the “good journey” version, but here the hero-narrator acts “correctly” (in accordance with the fairy-tale model). “I was visiting him myself. I drank Braga and ate halva!” (14), “I walked at their wedding and still can’t forget about it!” (15), says the fairy tales of Dagestan. “They arranged a rich wedding. And they gave me a good drink, and now they live in happiness and prosperity” (16), etc. There are such examples in Russian fairy tales: “I was there recently, drank honey and beer, bathed in milk, wiped myself,” “I recently visited them, drank honey and beer...” (17), etc. However, the test food is by no means the only transitional element. The border motif in its “successful” version is presented quite widely. This happens because the hero needs to cross the border twice. Often it is the motive of return that is noted in the ending. The border is present in the endings and latently - through a certain contrast between the kingdom of the dead and the world of the living.

The motif of the border is expressed quite fully in Persian fairy tales. One of the most characteristic examples: “We went up - we found curdled milk, and considered the fairy tale to be our truth. We returned downstairs, plunged into the whey, and our fairy tale turned out to be a fable” (18). Such endings contain a fairly large information field. It contains three most important elements: opposition 1 - “milk - whey (yogurt)”, 2 - “top - bottom”, and 3 - “fable - fiction”.

A. "Milk - whey." When considering this element, we come across very interesting motives - the hero drinking milk and whey, or swimming there. Let’s first consider the first option, known to Russian fairy tales (“I was there recently, drank honey and beer, bathed in milk, wiped myself off” (19), “I recently visited them, drank honey and beer, bathed in milk, wiped myself off.” " (20), etc.). The motif of bathing in milk is known in folklore; both the hero and the old king bathe in milk. Bathing in milk transforms the hero. Having examined this motive, V.Ya. Propp comes to the conclusion that it is connected with the hero's passage through an animal. This makes you look at this story in a completely different way. “We are thus forced to conclude that transfiguration, the apotheosis of the hero, is the basis of this motive,” he writes, “the motive of the death of the old king is artificially attached to it.

That one who arrives in the kingdom of the dead experiences a transformation - this is known, and we have a reflection of this idea here too" (21) - he ends / my italics - D.A./. The motive of bathing in milk is associated with the idea of ​​​​the transformation of the hero upon entering kingdom of the dead. Liquids are usually of two types - milk and water (22), (milk and whey, curdled milk in our endings). This element correlates with the transformation when crossing the border from the world of the living to the world of the dead and back.

“We hurried upstairs - we drank whey, we went downstairs - we ate curdled milk, our fairy tale became reality” (23) - says the narrator in a Persian fairy tale. This motive could be attributed to the transformation of the same bathing in milk (a similar transformation is, apparently, the “finding” of milk and whey by the hero-narrator on the way). Perhaps this is indeed the case, but here one cannot help but suggest a connection between the two drinking (and antagonistic) liquids with the motif of “living and dead” (“strong and weak”) water. Let us turn to the analysis of this motif carried out by V.Ya. Propp. "...I assume that “living and dead water” and “weak and strong water” are one and the same<...>A dead man who wants to go to another world uses only water. A living person who wants to get there also uses only one. A person who has set foot on the path of death and wants to return to life uses both types of water" (24), writes Propp / my italics - D.A./. The situations in which these motives are used in the endings also correlate with the hero’s passage to the kingdom of the dead and return to the world of the living with the sequential use of two types of liquids, antagonistic by definition (milk/whey, curdled milk).

B. "Top - bottom." The concepts of “top” and “bottom” are directly connected in the endings with the opposition of “milk” and “whey” - accordingly, if we draw the same parallels, the concepts of “top” and “bottom” are also directly related to the transition from the world of the dead to the world of the living and back. As you know, the opposition between up and down is one of the most important mythological elements that corresponds to ideas about the structure of the world. The binary system “top – bottom” separates and unites the world of the living and the other world. It is the “two-term” picture of the world that is original, but it has the ability to “turn over”, i.e. one concept - “up” or “down” - can mean either the kingdom of the dead or the world of the living (25). This may explain the inconstancy of the concepts of “up and down” in endings - their meaning actually changes interchangeably. One way or another, the concepts of “top” and “bottom” are directly related to the concepts of the world of the dead and the world of the living. We get the following picture: the hero goes on a journey, bathes in milk or drinks some liquid, as a result he crosses the line between “top” and “bottom”, then he returns, performing the same operations [“they hurried up - drank whey, went down - They've eaten enough curdled milk..." (26)]. This system clearly correlates with the motive of crossing the border between the kingdom of the dead and the world of the living.

V. "True - fable." The last of the highlighted oppositions is the opposition “they were/were not.” Here the border motif manifests itself, perhaps, most complexly - through the category of reality. What is real for the world of the dead is obviously unreal for the world of the living; The laws of the kingdom of the dead do not apply among the living. The narrator seems to emphasize that, having crossed the border, he finds himself in a different reality, where different laws apply.

In accordance with this, the attitude towards the story changes. Let us give the most illustrative examples from Persian fairy tales, containing all three motives: “We went upstairs - we found curdled milk, but our fairy tale was considered true. We returned downstairs - we plunged into the whey, but our fairy tale turned out to be a fable” (28) / my italics. - YES./; “And we went downstairs - we found curdled milk, we ran along the upper path - we saw the whey, we called our fairy tale a fable. We hurried up - we drank the whey, we went down - we ate our fill of curdled milk, our fairy tale became reality"; “As we went up, we found curdled milk, as we went down, we found whey: our fairy tale turned out to be a fable. As we went up, we found a fable, as we ran down, we found curdled milk: our fairy tale turned out to be reality” (29). A differentiated attitude to what is told on different sides of the line crossed by the hero is drawn along the line of fact/fiction. Accordingly, in some way there is a statement that the fairy tale is reality on the other side of the border. This option is also interesting: “This fairy tale of ours is a true story, if you go up, you will find sour milk, if you go down, you will find sour milk, but in our fairy tale you will find the truth” (30) / emphasis added. - YES./. In accordance with this, in order to discover the truth in what is being told, it is necessary to cross the border of worlds where other laws apply (compare with the reference to myth along the line of fable/fable in the Abkhaz fairy tale: “I told you a true story, similar to fiction. If you ask me: Is this true or a lie? - I will answer: if the legend is true, it is also true" (31) / emphasis added - D.A./.

Finally, the motive of transition and return is very widely represented. At the end of the Latvian fairy tale, which refers to the “bad path” option, the soldiers shoot the hero from a cannon, where he climbed to escape the rain. The last phrase is typical of many endings: “so I flew in this direction, right to our parish” (32). We see the same thing at the end of the Abkhaz fairy tale: “Now I have come from there and found myself among you” (33) /my italics – D.A./.

There are a huge number of similar examples - the narrator confirms his appearance among listeners, in a given area, state, etc. as what happened after moving across the border, which can be expressed in a variety of ways (flight, crossing a bridge, etc.) and is typical for both endings. Next, we learn that the hero-narrator passes on the knowledge he has received to people (“I found out about everything and told you about it” (34), etc.). In addition, the narrator can separately report that he himself is an eyewitness to what was told: “and whoever last told this fairy tale saw it all with his own eyes” (35), says one of the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm; “and at their death I, the sage, remained, and when I die, every fairy tale will end” (36), etc. Thus, the motive of movement in many cases turns out to be connected with the assertion of the authenticity of what is told.

Here we can catch some hints of acquiring knowledge as the goal of overcoming the border by the hero-narrator ("I recently visited them, drank honey and beer, talked to him, but forgot to ask about something" (37) - reported in a Russian fairy tale; " I was also at this feast. I drank the mash with them. I found out about everything and told you about it" (38) - says the narrator of Dagestan, etc.). In one of the Dagestan fairy tales we come across a very interesting example: “I was at that feast, danced like a bear, and then left the people to sing and have fun, and I ran to the little children to tell them this fairy tale” (39). Two motives appear here: the desire to pass on the acquired knowledge and an obviously ritual “bear dance”.

We are finishing our consideration of one of the key motifs in the endings of fairy tales - the border. Its transition is the most important stage in the journey of the hero-storyteller, and often the attention in the ending is focused on it. Crossing the border back is a separate motif that has its own ways of expression (40).

III CONCLUSION

Having briefly examined our material, we see a whole complex of mythological constructions contained in the structure of the group of endings we have considered. Our goal here was to illustrate the very fact of structural structures developing according to mythological models inherent in fairy tales. The version of the “good journey” ending contains the narration of the hero-storyteller, constructed in accordance with the fairy-tale model. The hero passes the test with food, bathes in milk or drinks some liquid, as a result of which he overcomes the border and ends up in the kingdom of the dead. Here he can acquire magical knowledge (bear dances, etc.), or certain objects (in a fairy tale - an analogue of the acquired abilities). After this, he returns to the world of the living and passes on the knowledge he has acquired to people - first of all, these are the same fairy tales. This is the outline of the endings of the “good path” option. The very phenomenon of constructing the final formula according to the fairy-tale-mythological model seems to be an interesting fact - its presence as such (as a self-sufficient element) was not noted in studies of fairy tale formulas; the function and genesis of this type of ending is an unexamined question. We see a peculiar transfer of fairy-tale models to the final formula, which receives different types of expression.

Another type of ending is the “bad path” option. While the endings discussed above can be characterized as copying - the laws of construction correspond to fairy-tale-mythological models - the construction of the endings of the “unsuccessful path” turns out to be mirror, the opposite of this option.

First of all, we see that the development of the plot of the “bad path” endings occurs in accordance with and on the basis of the same fairy-tale-mythological models that underlie the “successful path” option. However, the hero’s rules of behavior turn out to be violated, which entails a violation of the entire system - the situation is turned “upside down” with the introduction of ridicule and elements of buffoonery; speech is always rhythmic and rhymed. The traditional consideration of these endings defines their function as a statement of the unreality of the story told by demonstrating the unreality of the described situation (feast). However, another hypothesis arises regarding the semantics of the endings of the “unsuccessful path”. Based on the material we have considered from Russian fairy tales, an element of buffoonery becomes visible, becoming the defining imperative of these endings. The ridicule is directed not so much at the situation itself as at the figure of the hero-storyteller. Laughter is caused primarily by the description of the hero - the actions performed by him and on him: “it flowed down his mustache, it didn’t get into his mouth,” “they began to push him in the neck,” “they snuck into the gateway - but knocked off a tire and now it hurts” /Af.146/ and so on. In the hero’s description of himself there is clearly some “poorness”, ironic self-deprecation. As we remember, the hero of the “unsuccessful path” option gets a lot of things, but loses everything along the way, which happens because of his “stupidity”, “bad luck”, etc. This element seems important as well as the idea of ​​​​the non-functionality of the received objects and the unreality of what is being described - the presence of elements of buffoonery does not refute the role of this type of ending as indicating the unreality of what is being told, but introduces a different aspect of consideration. The characteristically buffoonish manner in which the narrator describes himself forces one to put forward an assumption about the later origin of the endings of the “unsuccessful path”, their origin from the endings of the first version, developing according to the correct fairy-tale-mythological model. This assumption is supported by the fact, noted during the study, that the elements of the endings of the “unsuccessful path” are a direct adaptation of the elements of the classic fairy tale version that underlies the endings of the “successful path”, with the loss of the logical outline (the receipt of gifts occurs after exile and not is justified by nothing other than the need to use this element with a minus sign, in an “inverted state” - the logic is based not on the consistent outline of what is being told, but on the need to introduce an element of negation into all components of the original version). In this case, we may be dealing with a reworking of the "fortunate journey" ending with an underlying imperative of buffoonery. What is characteristic here is that the endings of the “unsuccessful path” are inherent primarily in Slavic material, most common in Russian fairy tales, while the latter (which is important) also contain variants of the “successful path”.

In a comic context, the narrator talks about the loss of all things received, but there are also non-disappearing objects that stand in a rhyming sequence with some verb. The most common of them is the cap. The examples are typical and numerous: “And I was there, I drank wine and beer, it flowed on my lips, but it didn’t get into my mouth; then they gave me a cap and pushed me; I resisted and got out” /Af.250/ /my italics . – D.A./, “I was at that wedding, I drank wine, it was running down my mustache, there was nothing in my mouth. They put a cap on me and, well, push me…” /Af.234/, etc. (41).

This widespread use of the cap in the ending structure also raises questions about the possibility of medieval cultural influence. “Inversion” of reality is a fundamental element of buffoonery; here there is a complete change of signs in the semiotic system (42). Also characteristic is a specific self-deprecation, a comic impoverishment of the narrator. These elements, characteristic of the endings of the “unsuccessful path” option, are fully consistent with the traditions of buffoonery, and, first of all, with the ancient Russian culture of laughter (43). The consistent reworking of the elements of the endings of the “successful path”, developing according to the fairy-tale-mythological model, really corresponds to the laws of this cultural environment. If this is so, then the function of indicating unreality turns out to be in a certain sense secondary - not fundamental, but accompanying. The medieval origin of the endings of the “unsuccessful path” on the basis of initially copying, in accordance with the emergence of a new category of storytellers introducing elements of a different cultural environment, seems at this stage to be one of the possible options. These are the main provisions of our proposed hypothesis.

Abbreviations
Af. – Afanasyev A.N. Russian folk tales: In 3 volumes / Rep. editors E.V. Pomerantseva,
K.V. Chistov. – M.: Nauka, 1984.