Serpent Gorynych origin. On the question of the origin of the Gorynych snake. Serpent Gorynych in modern culture

05.03.2020

Serpent Gorynych - a winged, fire-breathing, many-headed serpent (dragon), a representative of the evil inclination in Russian folk tales and epics.
There are a huge number of hypotheses trying to explain the origin of the fabulous image of the Serpent Gorynych. From heavily altered memories of mammoths, the elements of nature, to weapons based on crude oil. The topic is very extensive, but I will try to describe everything briefly and intelligibly.
Worship of snakes (common among many peoples) has never been characteristic of the spirit of the Russian people. To the snake in Russia, they always treated the snake with disdain and did not look for an object of deification in the reptile. The goblin, the water one, not to mention the brownie, enjoyed incomparably more reverence among the Russian people than the Serpent Gorynych, despite all his strength and awesome appearance.
In ancient times, under the Serpent Gorynych, most likely menacing dark clouds were meant, covering the path of the sun's rays in the sky and thereby depriving the living world of the main source of life - light. Over time, the Serpent Gorynych became associated not with the cloud itself, but with lightning flying out of the "heavenly mountain", similar to snakes, which actually reinforced this image. The proof of this theory is that the Serpent Gorynych in Russian fairy tales always attacks from above and never appears from the forest or from the water, which is typical for dragons from the mythology of other peoples.

Subsequently, the idea of the Serpent Gorynych was transferred to meteors, flying over the earth like a fireball and scattering sparks in front of everyone. So is the analogy of volcanic activity. Streams of liquid or hardening lava, explosions in a crater, an earthquake, clouds of ash shot up into the sky, the formation of a black mountain (GORYnych) from cooled lava. And attendant disasters for the surrounding population.
Ancient legends about the fight against this terrible monster, the embodiment of a cruel enslaving force, pass from century to century. As the legend says, such a serpent flies, flames burst from its mouth, smoke pours from its ears. As he roars with a loud voice, the forest-oak forest will tremble from the serpentine roar, so that the leaves from the trees crumble; he beats his tail on the damp earth - the rivers splash out of the banks; from the poisonous breath the grass-ant dries, the birds fall dead. It seems that there is no escape from such a formidable monster! But the sons of the Russian land stood in his way and saved her from the evil invasion.
The images of mighty heroes who entered into single combat with him have been preserved. The epic bogatyr Dobrynya Nikitich overcame the "fierce Serpent Gorynchischi", trampled the serpents on his horse, rescued the boyars, princes and other captives from captivity and took the loot.

And another epic hero, Nikita Kozhemyaka, harnessed the Serpent Gorynych to a plow weighing 300 pounds and plowed the land on it from Kyiv to the sea, those furrows are still visible. These so-called Serpentine ramparts stretch across the territory of Ukraine for hundreds of kilometers (according to scientists, these legendary ramparts were erected to protect against raids by steppe nomadic tribes around the 9th-10th centuries. The people interpreted their origin in their own way).

There is also a version that the Serpent Gorynych in Russian fairy tales is the personification of the southern enemies of the Slavs. Hordes of invaders who rolled into Russia from the southern steppes, whether they were Polovtsy, Tatar-Mongols or other nomads. This version became the most popular in the Soviet period, when all folk tales were unanimously explained as a reflection of the struggle of the Russian people against oppressors, internal class or external invaders. This version was explained beautifully, but unconvincingly. Like, hordes of nomads rolled into Russia like a multi-headed snake, their avalanche wriggled like a snake, and the cunning and vile disposition of the Tatar-Mongol exactly repeated the character of the reptile reptile.

According to the latest scientific data, the Serpent Gorynych turned out to be not a living creature, but the secret weapon of the same Tatar-Mongolians, like the legendary "Greek fire".
By the time the Tatar-Mongol hordes invaded Russia, they managed to fight in the vastness of Asia, in particular with the Chinese. At the beginning of the 12th century, the Mongol army was not only the most numerous, but also the most modern in the world. As the case described above showed, the Mongols successfully adopted their military developments from other peoples and brought them to the highest level. In particular, they borrowed from the Chinese the secret of making gunpowder, combustible mixtures and throwing machines for shells on this basis.
"irrefutable evidence" of this version is here: http://www.tatworld.ru/article.shtml?article=144

But I consider the image described in the Star Book of Kolyada to be the main image of the Serpent Gorynych. This snake personified the representative of Navi, the Slavic "other world".
Serpent Gorynych (Gorynych, Goryn Vievich, Goryn Zmeevich, Goryn) is a chaotic negative dragon from the mythology of the ancient Slavs. Son of Viy, ruler of the Middle Underworld. It is a monster so powerful that Mother Earth Cheese cannot wear it (the dualistic analogy with Svyatogor is obvious). That is why Gorynych lives in the mountains, hence his name comes from.
Our ancestors represented Goryncha as a powerful and extremely large snake-like creature (dragon) with black scales (less often green) and fiery eyes. At the same time, according to different versions, Goryn had either three, or seven, or nine heads.
Serpent Gorynych can be identified with the eternal guardian of the Dark World. Our ancestors sometimes called this world the sky (two-rune, meaning “there is no god”). One way or another, but on the basis of folklore sources, the image of Gorynych appears absolutely negative. This is an unprincipled villain, ruining villages and entire cities (both earthly and heavenly). Moreover, there is not a single reliable mention that the Serpent Gorynych could spit fire.

The Serpent Gorynych is an allegory of strength and power, not burdened with wisdom and knowledge. This character was greedy and proud to the extreme. He lived in the Black Mountains, where he dragged all his booty - gold and jewelry. Once he even coveted the bright maidens of Dazhdbog, demigoddesses, who every morning open the heavenly gates to the solar disk. Dazhdbog rushed in pursuit of the snake, saved the maidens, but did not have time to kill the monster, it hid in its lair in the Black Mountains. However, soon the Serpent Gorynych decided to try again, but this time he chose a different target - the mistresses of the golden, silver and copper kingdoms that stretched out at the junction of earth and heaven. The dragon easily stole the princesses and hid them in the Lower Underworld from Kashchei. Three heavenly heroes Nochka, Dawn and Vechorka went to the rescue of beautiful maidens. At the end of this tale: the heroes rescue the princesses from captivity. And then together they drive the dragon out of its lair. The Serpent Gorynych flew up above the clouds and met in a furious battle with the gods - Semargl, Dazhdbog and Stryi. As a result, Gorynych the Serpent was defeated, collapsed to the ground and turned into a Black Mountain.

Along with the obvious symbolism of this legend, as a metaphor for the eternal confrontation between differently directed principles, many other, deep motives of the ancient culture of our ancestors can be caught in it. Speaking about the Serpent Gorynych, one cannot fail to mention that in fact he is a collective image of an apostate, a person who has ceased to live according to the precepts of his ancestors. Serpent Gorynych strives for wealth, he is unprincipled and perverted. Morality is alien to him, his desires are more important than the desires of others. According to our ancestors, such a person is doomed to death - first spiritual (according to legend, all the plans of Zmey Gorynych collapsed one after another), and then physical (the snake was killed at the end of the story). There is also a theory that it was from this legend that all European fairy tales about dragons and knights were later written off, but without a true, interlinear subtext.

The character of Russian folklore, found in fairy tales and epics. A kind of fire-breathing dragon with several heads (most often there are three, but variations are possible). In folklore, it invariably represents an evil inclination, but in modern interpretations it can also turn out to be a positive character.

Image and character

Gorynych's habitat is usually mountains, which is obvious even from the name of the hero. Near the place where the hero lives, a fiery river flows, and he himself guards the bridge connecting the world of the living with the kingdom of the dead. When describing the Serpent, attention is mainly fixed on the many-headedness, other characteristic features are rarely mentioned. There are not necessarily three heads, but often this number is a multiple of three - six, nine, twelve. It is assumed that Gorynych is a flying kite, but there is no talk of wings. Despite the fact that there is no description of the appearance of the Serpent in the texts, it is often drawn with clawed paws and a long tail with an arrow at the end.

Gorynych is a fiery dragon that spits out flames when it attacks. Sometimes Gorynych is associated with the element of water. He appears sleeping on a stone in the sea or living in the water, comes out of the water to meet the hero.

The Serpent Gorynych often pairs with another negative folklore character in fairy tales. Koschey leads Gorynych and uses the help of the Serpent, committing atrocities.

In culture

The image of the Serpent Gorynych has been repeatedly played up in culture. And not only in literature and cinema. In the park "Kudykina Gora", which is located in the village of Kamenka, Lipetsk region, a huge statue of the Serpent Gorynych, made of concrete, appeared last year. A photo of this impressive three-headed monster has collected one and a half million likes on Instagram. And in Kharkov, on the Lopan embankment, a wooden monument depicting Gorynych was erected.

The serpent also became the central figure of the fountain, set in 2013 in the Kirov Park in Novosibirsk. Between the paws of Gorynych sits another character in Russian fairy tales - Koschey the Immortal.

Writers and poets did not ignore Zmey Gorynych. The brothers placed the hero in NIICHAVO, where he was locked in an old boiler room and used for experiments (the story "Monday begins on Saturday"). In the poem, the Serpent kidnaps the girls and takes them to his own palace. A.K. Tolstoy in the poem "The Serpent Tugarin" gave Gorynych the qualities of a werewolf. In the guise of a singer, the hero appears at a feast at Prince Vladimir and sings there.

The rock group "Red mold" has a song "Aria of the Serpent Gorynych". There are jokes about the Serpent Gorynych and the three heroes, often of indecent content, which speaks of the unfading people's love for their native folklore.

The theme of the Serpent Gorynych was addressed by Russian artists of the first half of the 20th century and (the paintings “The Battle of Dobrynya Nikitich with the Seven-Headed Serpent Gorynych”, “Frees Zabava Putyatishna from the Serpent Gorynych”).

In the slang of the military, the UR-77 "Meteorite" demining system, created back in 1977, is named after Gorynych. "Gorynych" is still in use. Other equipment is also called, for example, airfield special vehicles for cleaning the runway.

Screen adaptations

A movie was made several times about Zmey Gorynych and other epic characters. In the fairy tale film of 1986 release “They sat on the golden porch ...” Koschei the Immortal flies on the Serpent Gorynych, which he fills with jet fuel, like an airplane. In the 1982 film called "There, on unknown paths ..." the hero is turned into a goat with three heads, and the Serpent does not appear on the screen at all, although it is present in the plot.

Even earlier, in 1956, the film "" was released, where Gorynych plays the role of a "superweapon" in the Tugar army. In the midst of the battle, the Serpent is released onto the battlefield. And the first film, where the Serpent Gorynych appeared, was still black and white and was called "" (1939). The hero there wants to marry Vasilisa and for this he kidnaps the girl. Gorynych, as expected, has three heads, and one of them spews fire, the other spits out a stream of water, and the third blows a hurricane. At the same time, the fairy-tale beast lives in his own luxurious palace, surrounded by servants, along with a henchwoman.

Most often, the Serpent Gorynych appeared in animated films. In the 1978 cartoon of the release “The Last Bride of the Serpent Gorynych”, the hero bears little resemblance to the “canonical” Gorynych - he has only one head, but as many as eight paws, like an insect. The snake there kidnaps beauties all over the world and can turn into a human. Two years later, a three-episode cartoon "Baba Yaga Against!" was released on the screens, where Gorynych is shown as Baba Yaga's pet. The hero "lit up" even in the 16th issue of the series "Well, wait a minute!", where he appears in a dream of the Wolf, in which various fairy-tale characters appear. Gorynych there acts as a guard of the castle.

In the 2000s, the hero became known mainly for a series of cartoons about three heroes from the Melnitsa studio. The first cartoon of this series, where the hero appears, is called "Dobrynya Nikitich and the Serpent Gorynych." He came out in 2006. The snake here is a positive hero, an old comrade of the hero Dobrynya Nikitich. According to the plot, Serpent Gorynych got into debt to the dishonest merchant Kolyvan and, in payment of the debt, agreed to snatch the princely niece Zabava for Kolyvan, who is then sent to rescue the main characters - Dobrynya Nikitich and Elisha. The good Gorynych is tormented by his conscience because of his deed, and later the Serpent helps the heroes return Fun.

In the cartoon "Three Heroes and the Queen of Shamakhan" (2010), Dobrynya meets Gorynych in a Chinese monastery, and in "Three Heroes on Distant Shores" (2012), Gorynych again enters into a confrontation with Kolyvan and Baba Yaga (together with the wives of the missing heroes). In the cartoon "and Tugarin the Serpent" Gorynych is not present as a character.

Studio "Melnitsa" has released another series based on Russian folk tales - "and the gray wolf". In the first cartoon of the series, which was released in 2011, the Serpent Gorynych is also present, but this is not the character that is familiar to viewers from cartoons about heroes. Gorynych starts here as a negative character, but Ivan teaches the hero good deeds.

The origin and the semantic content of the name "Gorynych" associated with it has long been of concern to admirers of the Russian epic. There are many versions; Let's take a look at five of the most common.

Linguistically convincing, but absolutely nothing explains the reduction of the word "Gorynych" to a patronymic from the name of Goryn; probably, we are talking about the same Goryn, who is in the same group with Usynya and Dubynya.

The second and third explanations try to reveal the semantic connections of the word "Gorynych", elevating it to the word "mountain" (supposedly, a cave dweller under the mountains) or "burn" (the fact of the Snake's flame throwing is generally accepted). However, these versions are linguistically untenable and, probably, are “folk etymology”, because in the case of a mountain, the word “Gorich” would arise (Snake-Highlander - it sounds unexpectedly relevant, yes), and as for the fiery essence, then, according to the principles of Russian language, possessive adjectives, from which patronymics originated, for some reason were not formed from verbs; the formation could only go through a noun with the substantiating suffix "-un-", and then the Serpent would become Gorunych. Therefore, it is more correct to associate Gorynych with burning not directly, but through the word "horn" (Old Russian "grn"), especially since in common parlance this word takes the form "goron" with an indistinct second "o". Thus, "Gorynych" can be regarded as a "son of a forge", which, perhaps, hints at the artificial, "blacksmith" origin of the Serpent and makes him related to golems.

An interesting version is the consideration of the Serpent as a representative of the "mountainous", that is, the higher, heavenly world. In addition to linguistic dubiousness, the scheme of the pagan worldview of pre-Christian Russia now adopted by historians speaks against this version: Snakes (lizards) were definitely present there, but occupied a diametrically opposite place, the “ground floor” of the Cosmos, only occasionally appearing on the surface.

Finally, there is a beautiful hypothesis about the connection of this name with the Goryn River, a tributary of the Pripyat, and the non-existent Sorochinsky Mountains, in which the Serpent lives, with the nearby village of Sorochen.

The study of the life of ancient peoples allows us to express a new version of the origin of the name "Gorynych". In modern Teke (Turkmen) cuisine, there is a dish whose cooking features suggest its origin in the era of nomadic Sarmatian-Alanian tribes - the earliest stage in the ethnogenesis of this nation. The dish was prepared as follows: the washed stomach of a ram or goat was rubbed with hot pepper and salt and stuffed with pieces of meat and bacon, rubbed with the same mixture, after which it was alternately dried in hot sand and dried in the air; the result was a product reminiscent of the familiar basturma, but much richer flavored with spicy seasoning. The name of this dish is “garyn”, which means “gastric” in the local dialect. It can be assumed that our distant ancestors, communicating with the Sarmatian nomads, treated themselves to this delicacy - after which the association with fire-breathing monsters becomes completely justified, and the nomadic lovers of peppered meat, by analogy with the contemporary "frogs" and "pasta", received the nickname " mountaineer".

And epics.

Gorynych usually lives in the mountains, often near a fiery river and guards the Kalinov Bridge, through which they enter the kingdom of the dead.

Characteristics of the Snake

The many-headed snake is its indispensable feature. The number of heads is usually a multiple of three, most often there are 3, 6, 9 and 12, but sometimes 5 and 7. Most often, the serpent appears as three-headed. Other features of the serpent are mentioned less often or not at all. In most cases, the snake has the ability to fly, but, as a rule, nothing is said about its wings. So, in the entire Afanasiev collection of Russian folk tales, only once is it reported about "fiery wings" (the fairy tale "Frolka-seat"). The body of a snake is not described in fairy tales, however, in popular prints depicting a snake, the favorite details are a long tail with an arrow and clawed paws. Another important feature of the snake is its fiery nature, however, fairy tales do not describe exactly how fire erupts. Serpent fire carries within itself and spews it out in the event of an attack. In addition to the fire element, the serpent is also associated with the water element, and these two elements do not exclude each other. In some fairy tales, he lives in the water, sleeps on a stone in the sea. At the same time, the snake is also the Serpent Gorynych and lives in the mountains (it is also possible that the middle name came from the Slavic name Gorynya). However, such a location does not prevent him from being a sea monster. In some fairy tales, he lives in the mountains, but when the hero approaches him, he comes out of the water. According to Dahl, “Gorynya is a fabulous hero and giantess who shakes mountains. Gorynich is a fabulous patronymic given to heroes, sometimes a snake, or inhabitants of mountains, dens, caves. The three-headed serpent Azhi-Dahak from Iranian mythology and the Serbian Serpent Fire Wolf (Serb. Zmaj Ogњeni Vuk) are similar to the Serpent Gorynych.

Opponents

Theodore Tiron in The Tale of the Exploits of Fyodor Tirinin

Serpent Gorynych in modern culture

Serpent Gorynych in literature

Folk epic.
In the story-tale by V. M. Shukshin “Until the third cocks”, the Serpent Gorynych is going to marry the mustachioed daughter of Baba Yaga, he threatens to swallow Ivan the Fool for tricks with his bride, but in the end he is defeated by the Don ataman.
In the story of the Strugatsky brothers "Monday begins on Saturday" Serpent Gorynych was used for experiments at NIICHAVO.
In a poetic tale by Dmitry Polovnev, the Snake got bored with his former life and decided to improve.
In Nikolai Gumilyov's poem "The Serpent", he is the ruler of Lagor, who, turning into a Serpent, kidnaps girls to take them to his palace.
In the poem by Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy "The Serpent Tugarin", he also has the properties of a werewolf and, turning into a singer, sings at a feast at Prince Vladimir.
In Sergei's novel, Patsiashvili is the main character, a werewolf-wizard who fights against the yoke of vampires during the christening of Russia.

Serpent Gorynych in painting

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov: "The battle of Dobrynya Nikitich with the seven-headed Serpent Gorynych" (1913-1918)
Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin: "Fight of Dobrynya with the Serpent"
Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin: "Dobrynya Nikitich frees Zabava Putyaticna from the Serpent Gorynych" (1941)
Nicholas Roerich: "Victory" (1942). On this one, created by Roerich during the war years, the Russian hero cuts off the head of the Serpent Gorynych, depicted in the color of the Nazi uniform.

Serpent Gorynych in films

Vasilisa is beautiful. Gorynych kidnaps the frog princess Vasilisa to marry her, but the hero Ivan (who used to be a simple peasant) comes to the wedding itself and destroys the snake. In this film, Gorynych does not live in the mountains, but in a beautiful palace with numerous servants and an assistant, Baba Yaga.
Ilya Muromets (1956; USSR) director Alexander Ptushko.
"Fire, water and ... copper pipes". In this film, Gorynych, invited to the wedding of Kashchei the Immortal, is not. The servant of the Serpent tells Kashchei that Gorynych could not come because "he is ill - he has been sick for a week in a row: the first, fifth, seventh heads hurt, the twelfth is spinning."
"There, on unknown paths ...". The film is shot in such a way that Gorynych never appears in a single frame. According to the plot, Gorynych flies to visit Kashchei the Immortal, who gives him a place in the barn. Soon he gives the captured king Makar to be eaten, who, with the help of magical water, turns the dragon into a three-headed goat.
"They sat on the golden porch." In this film, the one-headed Serpent Gorynych serves as a flying transport for Koshchei the Immortal.

Serpent Gorynych in animation

Dobrynya Nikitich and the Serpent Gorynych (2006; Russia) directed by Ilya Maksimov, the Serpent Gorynych was voiced by Oleg Kulikovich.
Three Bogatyrs and the Queen of Shamakhan (2010; Russia) directed by Sergei Glezin, the Serpent Gorynych was voiced by Oleg Kulikovich.
Three heroes on distant shores (2012; Russia) directed by Konstantin Feoktistov, the Serpent Gorynych was voiced by Oleg Kulikovich.
"The fairy tale affects". The three-headed dragon is one of the avatars of Kashchei the Immortal, which can only be defeated in this image with the dead hair of his brother Vodyany.
"Ivan Tsarevich and the Grey Wolf ". Serpent Gorynych is an evil character, but learns from Ivan to do good deeds.
"Key ". Four (instead of the traditional three) diverse heads of the Serpent Gorynych are a parody of formalist bureaucrats.
"Nikitich ". The puppet cartoon is based on the Russian folk epic. The hero Dobrynya goes to the mountains, where he kills the Serpent Gorynych.
"Mezha". The oppressors of the villagers are the Serpent Gorynych and the greedy king.
"Alyonushka and the soldier". The three heads of the Serpent are multi-colored (green, blue, yellow) and diverse. First, the soldier turns them against each other, and then by cunning Gorynych turns into a birch block and throws him into the oven, from where a small and harmless Gorynchik appears.
"The last bride of the Serpent Gorynych". In this film, the Serpent Gorynych is a kidnapper of beauties from all over the world. Has one head, but many paws; can also take on human form.
Baba Yaga is against! ". According to the plot, the young Serpent Gorynych is a pet and assistant to Baba Yaga.
"Ivashka from the Palace of Pioneers". According to the plot of this cartoon, the Serpent Gorynych is a guest of Baba Yaga and the latter must kill and eat the pioneer Ivan, but Ivan defeats him with the help of a fire extinguisher.
"Sineglazka". Serpent Gorynych can take on different guises.
"Wait for it! (Issue 16)". A wolf in a dream finds himself in a magical land where the heroes of different fairy tales live outside of time and plot. Serpent Gorynych guards the fairytale castle. (In this film, director Vyacheslav Kotyonochkin and artist Svetozar Rusakov reused the image stated in the film "Mezha".)
"Dreamers from the village of Ugory". The Serpent Gorynych appears in the fantasies of the main characters as an ally of the enemies: Baba Yaga and Koshchei the Immortal.
"Grandma Yozhka and others". Serpent Gorynych is the only negative character in the film.
"Gullible dragon" - The three-headed Serpent Gorynych grows up among people not knowing who he really is.

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Notes

Literature

Bride / Gura A.V. //: in 5 volumes / Under the general editorship of. N. I. Tolstoy; . - M. : International relations, 2004. - V. 3: K (Circle) - P (Quail). - S. 381–388. - ISBN 5-7133-1207-0.
/ Levkievskaya E. E. // Slavic Antiquities: Ethnolinguistic Dictionary: in 5 volumes / Ed. N. I. Tolstoy; . - M. : International Relations, 1995. - Vol. 1: A (August) - G (Goose). - S. 520-521. - ISBN 5-7133-0704-2.
Propp V. Ya. The historical roots of fairy tales. Scientific edition, textual commentary by IV Peshkov. - M .: Labyrinth, 2000. - 336 p. - ISBN 5-87604-008-8.
// = Russisches etymologisches Wörterbuch: in 4 volumes / ed. M. Vasmer; per. with him. and additional Corresponding Member Academy of Sciences of the USSR O. N. Trubacheva. - Ed. 2nd, sr. - M. : Progress, 1987. - T. III: Muse - Syat. - S. 689.

Links

Ivanov Vyach. Sun. , Toporov V. N.// Mythological Dictionary / Ch. ed. E. M. Meletinsky. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1990. - 672 p.
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ritual characters

mythical places

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Notes: 1 the historicity of the deity is debatable; 2 divine status is debatable.

An excerpt characterizing the Serpent Gorynych

One evening, when the old countess, sighing and groaning, in a night cap and blouse, without overhead letters, and with one poor tuft of hair protruding from under a white calico cap, was laying prostrations of the evening prayer on the rug, her door creaked, and in shoes on her bare feet, also in a blouse and hairpins, Natasha ran in. The Countess looked back and frowned. She was finishing her last prayer: “Will this coffin be my bed?” Her prayer mood was destroyed. Natasha, red and animated, seeing her mother at prayer, suddenly stopped in her run, sat down and involuntarily stuck out her tongue, threatening herself. Noticing that her mother was continuing her prayer, she ran on tiptoe to the bed, quickly sliding one small foot against the other, kicked off her shoes and jumped onto that bed, for which the countess was afraid that he would not be her coffin. This bed was high, feather-bed, with five ever-decreasing pillows. Natasha jumped up, drowned in a feather bed, rolled over to the wall and began to fiddle under the covers, laying down, bending her knees to her chin, kicking her legs and laughing a little audibly, now covering her head, then looking at her mother. The countess finished her prayer and with a stern face went up to the bed; but, seeing that Natasha was covered with her head, she smiled her kind, weak smile.
“Well, well, well,” said the mother.
“Mom, can we talk, huh?” – said Natasha. - Well, in the darling once, well, more, and it will be. And she took her mother's neck and kissed her under the chin. In her treatment of her mother, Natasha showed outward rudeness of manner, but she was so sensitive and dexterous that no matter how she wrapped her arms around her mother, she always knew how to do it so that the mother would not be hurt, unpleasant, or embarrassed.
“Well, what are we talking about today?” - said the mother, sitting on the pillows and waiting until Natasha, also rolling twice over herself, lay down next to her under one blanket, holding out her hands and assuming a serious expression.
These nightly visits by Natasha, made before the return of the count from the club, were one of the favorite pleasures of mother and daughter.
– What are we talking about today? And I need to tell you...
Natasha covered her mother's mouth with her hand.
“About Boris… I know,” she said seriously, “that's why I came. Don't say, I know. No, tell me! She let go of her hand. - Tell me, mom. Is he nice?
- Natasha, you are 16 years old, I was married at your age. You say that Borya is nice. He is very sweet and I love him like a son, but what do you want?… What do you think? You completely turned his head, I can see it ...
Saying this, the Countess looked back at her daughter. Natasha lay, looking straight ahead and motionless at one of the mahogany sphinxes carved on the corners of the bed, so that the countess could only see her daughter's face in profile. This face struck the countess with its peculiarity of a serious and concentrated expression.
Natasha listened and thought.
- Well, so what? - she said.
- You turned his head completely, why? What do you want from him? You know you can't marry him.
- From what? - without changing the position, said Natasha.
“Because he’s young, because he’s poor, because he’s kindred… because you don’t love him yourself.”
– Why do you know?
- I know. This is not good, my friend.
“And if I want ...” said Natasha.
“Stop talking nonsense,” said the Countess.
- And if I want ...
Natasha, I'm serious...
Natasha didn’t let her finish, pulled the countess’s big hand to her and kissed her from above, then on the palm, then turned again and began to kiss her on the bone of the upper joint of the finger, then in the gap, then again on the bone, saying in a whisper: “January, February , March April May".
- Speak, mother, why are you silent? Speak, - she said, looking back at her mother, who looked at her daughter with a tender look and because of this contemplation, it seemed that she forgot everything she wanted to say.
“That won’t do, my soul. Not everyone will understand your childhood connection, and seeing him so close to you can harm you in the eyes of other young people who travel to us, and, most importantly, torment him in vain. He may have found himself a party of his own, rich; and now he's going crazy.
- Coming down? Natasha repeated.
- I'll tell you about myself. I had one cousin...
- I know - Kirilla Matveich, but he is an old man?
“There was not always an old man. But here's the thing, Natasha, I'll talk to Borey. He doesn't have to travel so often...
“Why not, if he wants to?”
“Because I know it won’t end.”
- Why do you know? No, mom, you don't tell him. What nonsense! - Natasha said in the tone of a person from whom they want to take away his property.
- Well, I won’t get married, so let him go, if he’s having fun and I’m having fun. Natasha looked at her mother smiling.
“Not married, but like this,” she repeated.
- How is it, my friend?
- Yes, it is. Well, it’s very necessary that I won’t get married, but ... so.
“So, so,” repeated the countess, and, shaking with her whole body, she laughed a kind, unexpected old woman’s laugh.
- Stop laughing, stop it, - Natasha shouted, - you are shaking the whole bed. You look terribly like me, the same laughter ... Wait a minute ... - She grabbed both hands of the countess, kissed the bone of the little finger on one - June, and continued to kiss July, August on the other hand. - Mom, is he very in love? How about your eyes? Were you so in love? And very nice, very, very nice! Only not quite to my taste - it is narrow, like a dining room clock ... Don't you understand? ... Narrow, you know, gray, light ...
– What are you lying about! said the Countess.
Natasha continued:
- Do you really not understand? Nikolenka would understand... Earless - that blue, dark blue with red, and it is quadrangular.
“You flirt with him, too,” said the countess, laughing.
“No, he is a Freemason, I found out. He is nice, dark blue with red, how do you explain ...
“Countess,” came the voice of the count from behind the door. - Are you awake? - Natasha jumped up barefoot, grabbed her shoes in her hands and ran into her room.
She couldn't sleep for a long time. She kept thinking about the fact that no one can understand everything that she understands and what is in her.
"Sonya?" she thought, looking at the sleeping, curled-up kitty with her huge braid. “No, where is she! She is virtuous. She fell in love with Nikolenka and doesn't want to know anything else. Mom doesn't understand. It's amazing how smart I am and how ... she's sweet," she continued, speaking to herself in the third person and imagining that some very smart, smartest and best man was talking about her ... "Everything, everything is in her , - continued this man, - she is unusually smart, sweet and then good, unusually good, dexterous - she swims, she rides excellently, and her voice! You can say, an amazing voice! She sang her favorite musical phrase from the Kherubinian opera, threw herself on the bed, laughed at the joyful thought that she was about to fall asleep, shouted to Dunyasha to put out the candle, and before Dunyasha had time to leave the room, she had already passed into another, even happier world of dreams. , where everything was just as easy and beautiful as in reality, but it was only better because it was different.

The next day, the countess, having invited Boris to her place, had a talk with him, and from that day he stopped visiting the Rostovs.

On the 31st of December, on the eve of the new year 1810, le reveillon [night dinner], there was a ball at the Catherine's nobleman. The ball was supposed to be the diplomatic corps and the sovereign.
On the Promenade des Anglais, the famous house of a nobleman shone with countless lights of illumination. At the illuminated entrance with red cloth stood the police, and not only the gendarmes, but the police chief at the entrance and dozens of police officers. The carriages drove off, and new ones kept coming up with red footmen and with footmen in feathers on their hats. Men in uniforms, stars and ribbons came out of the carriages; ladies in satin and ermine carefully descended the noisily laid steps, and hurriedly and soundlessly passed along the cloth of the entrance.
Almost every time a new carriage drove up, a whisper ran through the crowd and hats were taken off.
- Sovereign? ... No, minister ... prince ... envoy ... Can't you see the feathers? ... - said from the crowd. One of the crowd, dressed better than the others, seemed to know everyone, and called by name the noblest nobles of that time.
One-third of the guests had already arrived at this ball, and the Rostovs, who were supposed to be at this ball, were still hastily preparing to dress.
There were many rumors and preparations for this ball in the Rostov family, many fears that the invitation would not be received, the dress would not be ready, and everything would not work out as it should.
Together with the Rostovs, Marya Ignatievna Peronskaya, a friend and relative of the countess, a thin and yellow maid of honor of the old court, who led the provincial Rostovs in the highest St. Petersburg society, went to the ball.
At 10 pm, the Rostovs were supposed to call for the maid of honor to the Tauride Garden; and meanwhile it was already five minutes to ten, and the young ladies were still not dressed.
Natasha was going to the first big ball in her life. She got up that day at 8 o'clock in the morning and was in feverish anxiety and activity all day long. All her strength, from the very morning, was focused on ensuring that they all: she, mother, Sonya were dressed in the best possible way. Sonya and the countess vouched for her completely. The countess was supposed to be wearing a masaka velvet dress, they were wearing two white smoky dresses on pink, silk covers with roses in the corsage. The hair had to be combed a la grecque [Greek].
Everything essential had already been done: the legs, arms, neck, ears were already especially carefully, according to the ballroom, washed, perfumed and powdered; shod already were silk, fishnet stockings and white satin shoes with bows; the hair was almost finished. Sonya finished dressing, the countess too; but Natasha, who worked for everyone, fell behind. She was still sitting in front of the mirror in a peignoir draped over her thin shoulders. Sonya, already dressed, stood in the middle of the room and, pressing painfully with her little finger, pinned the last ribbon that squealed under the pin.
“Not like that, not like that, Sonya,” said Natasha, turning her head from her hairdo and grabbing her hair with her hands, which the maid who held them did not have time to let go. - Not so bow, come here. Sonya sat down. Natasha cut the ribbon differently.
“Excuse me, young lady, you can’t do that,” said the maid holding Natasha’s hair.
- Oh, my God, well after! That's it, Sonya.
- Are you coming soon? - I heard the voice of the countess, - it's already ten now.
- Now. - Are you ready, mom?
- Just pin the current.
“Don’t do it without me,” Natasha shouted: “you won’t be able to!”
- Yeah, ten.
It was decided to be at the ball at half past ten, and Natasha still had to get dressed and stop by the Tauride Garden.
Having finished her hair, Natasha, in a short skirt, from under which ballroom shoes were visible, and in her mother's blouse, ran up to Sonya, examined her and then ran to her mother. Turning her head, she pinned the current, and, barely having time to kiss her gray hair, she again ran to the girls who were hemming her skirt.
The case was behind Natasha's skirt, which was too long; it was hemmed by two girls, hastily biting the threads. A third, with pins in her lips and teeth, ran from the countess to Sonya; the fourth held the entire smoky dress on a high hand.
- Mavrusha, rather, dove!
- Give me a thimble from there, young lady.
– Will it be soon? - said the count, entering from behind the door. “Here are the spirits. Peronskaya was already waiting.
“It’s ready, young lady,” said the maid, lifting a hemmed smoky dress with two fingers and blowing and shaking something, expressing with this gesture the awareness of the airiness and purity of what she was holding.

Serpent-Gorynych is the common name for dragon-like creatures. Although he does not belong to dragons, but according to the classification he belongs to snakes, there are many dragon features in Gorynych's appearance.

Outwardly, the Serpent-Gorynych looks like a dragon, but it has many heads. Different sources indicate a different number of heads, but three heads are most common. However, a greater number of heads rather indicates the fact that this serpent has repeatedly participated in battles and lost its heads, in the place of which a greater number of new ones grew. Gorynych's body is covered with red or black scales, on the paws of the serpent there are large copper-colored claws with a metallic sheen, he himself has a large size and an impressive wingspan.

These snakes live in mountainous areas, choosing large caves for dwellings, quite often they can be found on water bodies, as they like to eat fish, but they choose underwater caves for housing much less often.

Gorynych always hunts at some distance from his nesting place, large mammals (deer, cows, etc.) and fish predominate in his diet. In case of shortage of food, the serpent can attack people. During the period of rearing the cubs, Gorynych catches the prey and takes it to his nest while still alive, so that the growing serpents learn to hunt. Rarely, these snakes leave their victims alive, usually they stock up on food. These snakes prefer to live alone, occupying a large territory. While the serpents are small and weak, they live with their parent under his protection, reaching a certain age, young snakes leave their native territory in search of a new home. Clashes between snakes are quite rare, as different individuals try not to enter someone else's territory, and do not win it back, but are looking for unoccupied lands.

Capabilities

Zmey-Gorynych is able to fly and spew fire. The scales of Gorynych cannot be pierced by any weapon. His blood is capable of burning, and the blood spilled on the ground burns it out so that nothing grows in that place for a long time. Zmey-Gorynych is able to grow lost limbs, he is able to grow even a lost head. He also has intelligence and is able to imitate the voices of various animals, including the ability to reproduce human speech, which distinguishes him from snakes and makes him closer to dragons.

How to fight?

The cubs of the Gorynych Serpent are very weak and defenseless, but as they grow older, their scales become invulnerable to any weapon and fire. The only weak point in Gorynych's "armor" is a small area of scales on the neck near the head, where the scales are very soft. You can pierce it with almost any weapon, but the severed head will grow back and this will not kill the snake, but only scare it away for a while, but sometimes this is enough. The legends nevertheless describe a weapon capable of killing the Serpent-Gorynych - the “Seven-Tail Whip”. The key point is the fact that in order to kill Gorynych, it is necessary to destroy all the heads, while not separating them from the body, so in some legends there is a description of how Gorynych kills the heroic horse by crushing the snake's skull with a hoof.