Tatar myths and legends in the Tatar language. Tatar myths and legends. Biggest move

Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation

Nizhnevartovsk State Humanitarian University

Faculty of Culture and Service

Department of Social and Cultural Service and Tourism

on the topic “The Myth of the Siberian Tatars”

in the discipline: “Fundamentals of Mythology”

Performer: Antonenkova. A.M.

Scientific supervisor: Gumerova. G.A.

Nizhnevartovsk, 2012

Introduction

Siberian Tatars are the Turkic population of Siberia, living mainly in rural areas of the present Tyumen, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Tomsk regions, as well as in Tyumen, Tobolsk, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Tara, Barabinsk and other cities of Western Siberia.

The characteristic genres of Tatar folklore are epics, fairy tales, legends, baits, songs, riddles, proverbs and sayings. In order to understand the features of national folklore, a number of plots, motifs and visual and expressive means, it is necessary to have at least a general understanding of Tatar mythology. The myths of the Tatars can be considered in the following thematic groups: 1) mythological ideas about the relationship between people and animals; 2) cosmogonic myths; 3) gods and goddesses in myths; 4) stories about characters of “lower mythology”.

myth legend folklore turkic

Tatar myths and legends

Echoes of ideas about the connection between people and animals are preserved, for example, in the wonderful fairy tale “Ak b?re” - (“White Wolf”), which tells about the transformation of a wolf into a young, handsome horseman. There is a lot of information in fairy tales about how pigeons turn into beauties or beautiful horsemen. The plots of some fairy tales from beginning to end are based on family and kinship relationships between women and animals.

Few cosmogonic myths, or rather, their echoes, have survived. Nevertheless, they exist. Thus, the Earth, according to the views of the Tatars, was represented as a flat space. It is located on the horns of a huge bull. In turn, this bull is attached to the mustache of a huge world fish that swims in the vast expanse of water. Thus, these universal ideas are reflected in Tatar mythology.

The most ancient ideas of the Tatars about gods are primarily associated with the common Turkic, perhaps ancient Eastern, heavenly deity Tengri. There are several Tengris, each of them performs a very specific, positive or negative, function. Tengri was widespread in the territory of Asia Minor, Central and Middle Asia, modern Kazakhstan, Southern Siberia, the Lower and Middle Volga and the Urals. It is possible that this is precisely what explains the peaceful and relatively easy penetration of Islam into the Volga region, the Urals and Siberia. The only ideological force that could one way or another resist Islam here was Tengrism. However, the requirements of these two religions were so close to each other that they became complementary.

Starting from the outstanding monument of Bulgar-Tatar literature - Kul Gali’s poem “Kyyssa-i Yusuf” (first quarter of the 13th century) and until the end of the 20s of the 20th century. Almost all works of Tatar written literature are imbued with a very strong influence of the ideology and mythology of Islam. However, in the works of folklore, a slightly different pattern is observed: the absolute majority of examples of those genres that, as such, were formed before Islam, are subject to its influence much less than written literature. These include ritual poetry, proverbs and sayings, riddles, fairy tales, mythological stories and folk epics. It was these genres that brought to us the most significant data about the pagan mythology of the Tatars, one of the representatives of which is the many-headed Div, or Div-peri. Although Div appears as an evil monster in Tatar mythology, he is sometimes depicted as an assistant to the hero.

One of the most popular and widely known characters of Tatar mythology is Shurale - the inhabitant, and in a certain sense, the owner of the forest, a creature with a hairy body, with one horn, with very long fingers, with which it can tickle a person to death.

Ubyr is depicted as another, much more sinister creature, sometimes appearing in the guise of the bloodthirsty old woman Ubyrly karchyk. It “penetrates” a person’s body and “takes” the place of his soul.

Tatar mythology is quite rich in all kinds of spirits - masters of various elements, which are designated by the general term Iya: Su iyase - Master of water, Su anasy - Mother of water, Su kyzy - Daughter of water, Yort iyase - Master of the house, etc. Most often they act as masters, often masters of those elements, structures, premises to which they belong.

Description of characters

Abzar iyase

In addition to the brownie, according to the belief of the Kazan Tatars, there is also Abzar iyase - the owner of the stable, who lives in the yard or in the stable. The Russians do not have a corresponding name for Abzar iyase, since responsibilities he is carried by the same brownie. Abzar Iyase is primarily the ruler of cattle. Sometimes Abzar iyase appears to people in the form of a person or animals, but only from a distance and at night. He is closely related to cattle. The barn owner braids his favorite horse's mane and brings him food. A horse that Abzar doesn’t like for some reason, he tortures it all night, rides it all night, takes away its food and gives it to his favorite horse. Disgraced horses become boring and thin; it is best to sell them out of the yard as soon as possible so that they do not die.

Albasty

The name of Albasta is used by the Tatars to name a force or an evil creature that lives and appears to people mainly in non-residential houses, wastelands, fields and meadows. Albasty appears to the people in the guise of a man, and most of all in the form of a large cart, haystack, haystack, stack, fir tree, etc. Albasty is dangerous because he can crush a person to death, and sometimes also drinks his blood. When Albasty crushes a person, he feels a strong heartbeat and suffocation.

Bichura

Bichura - the same as Russian kikimora or neighbor This creature appears in the form of a woman - from one and a half to two arshins in height. On her head is an Irnak, an ancient Tatar headdress. Bichura lives in living quarters - on the ceiling, in the underground and in the baths, but not for everyone, but only for some owners. Others set aside a special room for the bichura, where she is watered and fed. A plate of food and a few spoons are left overnight. The next morning the plate is empty, Bichura leaves nothing. And if she gets angry with the owner for something, she will break the cup in which she is served food and scatter everything that comes to her hand. Bichura often crushes a person in a dream, likes to suddenly scare him and generally plays pranks on people. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a brick or a piece of wood flies by. It is unknown who threw the log. Because of Bichura, people sometimes leave their homes; it can be impossible to live, especially if you are alone.

The hero Idel and the beauty Akbike

On the banks of the Shirbetle River there once stood a large city, where a rich khan lived happily in a luxurious palace. His wife Fatyma was known as a skilled sorceress. The joy of his parents was their only daughter, the beautiful Akbike. Many young men were secretly in love with her, but they avoided the palace, fearing the sorceress Fatima. The khan's daughter fell in love with the hero Idel. One day he plucked up courage and stole the beautiful Akbike so that he could always be with her. Fatima demanded that her daughter be returned to the palace. But Idel and Akbike did not listen to her. The sorceress became angry, blew and spat at the kidnapper and drove Idel-Volga away from her eyes, to where the current river bed is. Since then, the lovers have never been separated.

Genie

According to folk stories, Jinns do not cause much harm to people. But, distinguished by their intrusiveness and taking on carved guises, they frighten a person, and meeting them is at least undesirable.

Iyyase

Fabulous creatures, according to the belief of the Kazan Tatars, live everywhere - in houses, in the field, in the forest, and in the water. Among those who live in houses and courtyards, next to a person, the place of honor is occupied by Iyase, or the owner of the house, the brownie. He usually chooses underground as his home, from where he comes out at night. He appears to be an old man with rather long hair. The brownie is a caring owner and even a useful creature: he protects the house, in anticipation of trouble he walks around all night, worries and sighs. If some misfortune happens at night, he wakes people up, shakes their legs or knocks.

Pitsen, in the mythology of the West Siberian Tatars, the spirit is the owner of the forest. It was believed that it could bring good luck and cause evil, leading into the wilds. He was represented in the form of a man (in particular, a handsome old man with a long staff and a knapsack over his shoulders), as well as various animals (for example, a monkey). Pitsen lives in abandoned hunting huts, loves horses, rides them, tangles his mane, smears it with resin. In the guise of a beautiful woman, she enters into a love affair with a person. One of the stories about Picena. says that one day a hunter in the forest met a woman (in whose guise a picenus appeared before him), married her and lived richly. One day, coming home earlier than expected, instead of his beautiful wife, he saw a monster with fangs sticking out of his mouth. She pulled out lizards from her flowing hair and ate them.

Zilant

In Tatar legends and fairy tales, a mythological creature in the form of a dragon or snake.

Tulpar

Winged horse in Kipchak (Bashkir, Kazakh, Tatar) mythology. Corresponds to Pegasus in ancient Greek mythology. Tulpar in Bashkir heroic tales acts as an adviser and assistant to the hero, whom he helps to defeat monsters; carries the warrior on himself through the air, throws lightning, raises the wind with his wings, and shakes the earth with his neighing. With a blow of his hoof, Tulpar knocks out a source, the water of which gives inspiration to the sesen.

The epic is not widespread among the Tatars - Mishars; it is characteristic of the Siberian Tatars. Baits, a unique genre inherent in Tatar folk poetry and in essence close to ballads, became widespread. The word b?et (bait) is of Arabic origin and means a two-line stanza. Later it becomes a designation for individual works and an entire genre of Tatar folk art. Baits belong to the lyro-epic genres of folklore. They are created during or after important historical events (wars, peasant uprisings) or after any exceptional incidents (sudden death, death). Therefore, their content is associated with specific historical, most often tragic, events, and the images have prototypes. Baits are characterized by first-person narration. This technique is associated with very deep traditions. In the modern folklore repertoire of the Tatar-Mishars, the genre of baits is fading.

Fairy-tale and legendary stories of book origin are widespread among the Mishars. Fairy tales are considered one of the most durable genres of folklore: having originated in primitive antiquity, they still remain one of the most active genres of prose folklore. Fairy tales occupy the main place in prosaic folklore, although tales about animals were previously a genre variety.

Among the fairy tales there are many heroic tales, in the very names of which, in the designation of the name of the hero, there is the word batyr. But in these tales there is still more of the dastan-epic than the fabulous.

In everyday fairy tales, the plot, composition and artistic features are much simpler and more accessible. There are no traditional voluminous beginnings and endings, and there are practically no repetitions. Their plot is simple and clear and usually consists of two or three episodes-motives. Dialogues, competitions in wit, and wordplay occupy a large place. They contain a lot of sharp satire, but more often gentle humor.

In addition to the genres discussed above, there is another type of Tatar folklore - these are aphoristic genres (proverbs, sayings, riddles).

The functions of proverbs are very wide and varied. And the most important among them is ensuring harmony in relationships between people. They formalized customary law verbally and demanded its observance. Proverbs were of considerable importance in preserving information and passing it on to next generations. The role of proverbs and sayings in the moral and ethical education of people, especially young people, was great.

A specific group consists of riddles that, externally, according to the pattern of the verse, on the one hand, are close to proverbs, and on the other hand, they differ from them in their two-part nature: they must always have a corresponding answer. The origin of riddles dates back to ancient times - to that distant period when the main economic activity of people was hunting, which required adherence to strict rituals, including taboos, i.e. prohibition of certain words - names of animals, hunting tools, designations of certain actions. On this basis, verbal and brief, easily memorized descriptions of various animals and beasts, hunting tools, etc. were formed. There are many mysteries associated with the specific conditions of human life and society. The content of the riddles is generally wide and varied.

The music of the Tatar people, like other types of art, has gone through a centuries-old path of historical development. Mode-intonation (pentatonic) and rhythmic features have common features with the musical traditions of the Turkic and Finno-Ugric peoples.

The entire diversity of Tatar musical folklore can be divided into songwriting and instrumental music. It was in the song that the emotional life of the people was clearly reflected - their sorrows and joys, holidays and customs, life and historical development. The song creativity of the Tatars includes ritual (calendar, wedding), historical (baits), lyrical songs and quatrain songs or ditties (takmaklar). In folk music, only solo singing, traditionally monophonic, developed.

In the ancient songs and folklore dances of girls with their plasticity and grace, shy movements, there is no hint of scope, freedom or revelry. Monotonous movements with small steps almost in the same place in the Tatar folk dance, as well as lingering sad songs, speak eloquently about the modest reclusive life of Muslim girls.

The most common instruments of Tatar musical folklore were: accordion-talyanka, kurai (a type of flute), kubyz (violin), surnai (oriental musical instrument).

Most ancient Tatar written, and most of all oral, sources connect the process of Islamization of the Volga region, including Volga Bulgaria, precisely with the personality of Zul-Qarnain. Of course, knowing that Islam was officially adopted in Bulgaria in 922 AD. e., we can say that mentions of Dhu-l-Qarnain as the first Muslim missionary of the Volga region are an ordinary interpolation of well-known Eastern legends into Tatar folklore and literature.

It is worth noting that in modern oriental scholarship there is no clear opinion about whether Dhu-l-Qarnain and Alexander the Great are the same person. Alexander the Great could well have encountered Turkic tribes during one of his campaigns in Central Asia or on the way to India. Based on this, it would be interesting to consider the ancient Tatar legends about Zu-l-Qarnain.

These legends existed until the beginning of the twentieth century. and even ended up in Tatar wall shamails. This is how the founding of the city of Bulgar is described on a shamail made in 1901 by the brothers Gabdelvali and Muhammadgali Akhmetov: “...15–20 years before the coming of the prophet Isa (Jesus) to this world, Iskander Zu-l-Qarnain went on a campaign with a large army.

On his way back from the kingdom of darkness on the shores of the Yellow Sea, he took many captured Tatars into his army. Returning, the army of Iskander Zu-l-Qarnain, consisting of more than 10 thousand captured Tatars, reached the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers. Their wives, seeing the Volga, turned to their husbands with the desire to stay by this river, and they, in turn, demanded honor from Iskander Zu-l-Qarnain and a decree to build a city in the east of the confluence of the two rivers, where they and their wives would stay.

Iskander Zu-l-Qarnain, having accepted their statement, built the city of Bulgar from oak and called the remaining more than 10 thousand warriors Bulgars - Bu-Volgars - because they remained on the banks of the Volga. After they were given the name Volgar, later the city was given the name Bulgar. But our prophet, Muhammad Mustafa, sent three of his ashabs (companions - A.A.) to the khan in Bulgar to accept him into Islam. These three ashabs, having arrived in Bulgar, accepted both the khan and the entire people into religion. Khan and all his people, having accepted their invitation, became true Muslims.

After this, one of these venerable companions left for Medina. But the remaining two ashabs - Jafar Azi and Zabir - remained in the Bulgars and were buried there - there are such words.” As can be seen from the text, the most popular by that time versions of the legend about the founding of the city of Bulgar were collected here. True, in the same shamail, the author of the text clarifies that the “more truthful statement” is the message of Ibn Fadlan, that is, his famous “Notes”, which in fact have long been recognized by orientalists and historians as a reliable source.

If you pay attention to the dates given in the legend, it immediately becomes clear that they do not coincide with the generally accepted historical ones. As you know, the life of the commander Alexander the Great was 356–323. BC e. Thus, he could not have made the campaigns 15–20 years before the birth of Jesus, that is, in 15–20 AD. BC e. The modern Yellow Sea is located off the eastern coast of Asia and washes China and the Korean Peninsula. We know from history that Alexander the Great only managed to get to India (in 327 BC) and was not in China.

True, in the East there are many legends associated with the Macedonian campaigns specifically in China. For example, one of them says that after the ruler conquered China, his warriors began to take as wives local girls, from whom the Kalmyks and Dungans descended. In addition, it is known that the Volga Bulgaria mentioned in the source was formed in the Middle Volga region only at the end of the 9th – beginning of the 10th centuries. n. e., after part of the population of the even more ancient state of Great Bulgaria moved here, which in turn was defeated by the Khazars.

The dates and geographical names mentioned in the Shamail are used here as a meaningless, beautiful shell to frame the legend of the founding of the Bulgar. To a person familiar with history, it immediately becomes clear that this message, which ended up in the Tatar shamail, is more like a legend than a historical document. In this case (in the Tatar shamail) we see a rather simplified compilation of scraps of legends based on ancient Arab-Persian sources.

In the above example of the legend, the desire of the Tatars is also clearly visible, firstly, to distance themselves from the ethnonym “Tatars” (at the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th centuries, such trends especially intensified) and to identify themselves with the ancestors of the Bulgars, and secondly, to interpret their history as more ancient and “more Muslim”, that is, to feel part of a single Muslim community - the ummah. Therefore, probably, legends were born among the people telling that the Muslim religion was “sent” to the Bulgars by none other than “the Prophet himself.”

Based on approximately the same goals, according to historian I.L. Izmailov, it is possible to explain the stories that became widespread among the Volga Bulgars about the kinship of the ruling Bulgar dynasty with the famous Koranic and historical character - Iskander Zul-Qarnain. Later, the story of Dhu-l-Qarnain found its way into most Tatar artistic and historical works, Tatar dastans and fairy tales: “Jumjuma Sultan” by Khusam Katib, “Gulistan Bit-Turki” by Saif Sarai, “Dastan-e Babahan” by Sayadi, “Tuhfa” -i mardan" by Muhammadyar, "Mukhimmatu-z-zaman" by Utyz Imeni, "Tavarikh-e Bulgaria" by Tadzhetdin Yalchigul, etc., where Dhu-l-Qarnain was mainly shown as an ideal ruler.

To be continued

Tatars (self-named Tatars) are the people, the main population of Tatarstan (1.77 million people). They also live in many republics and regions of Russia. The Turkic-speaking communities of Siberia (Siberian Tatars), Crimea (Crimean Tatars), etc. are also called Tatars. According to 1995 data, about 5.6 million people live in Russia (without Crimean Tatars). The total number is 6.7 million.

Anthropologically, the Tatars are extremely heterogeneous. Among the Tatars of the Middle Volga region and the Urals, representatives of the large Caucasoid race predominate. Some of the Astrakhan and Siberian Tatars are close in physical appearance to the South Siberian type of the large Mongoloid race. The ethnic basis of the Tatars of the Middle Volga and Urals regions was made up of Turkic-speaking tribes that penetrated into the region of the Middle Volga and Kama region from the 2nd half. 1st millennium AD e. The Volga-Kama Bulgarians, together with other Turks and Finno-Ugrians, created in the beginning. X century state - Volga-Kama Bulgaria.

Believing Tatars, with the exception of a small group of so-called. Kryashens and Nagai-Baks, who accepted in the 16th–18th centuries. Orthodoxy - Sunni Muslims.

The Tatar language belongs (according to one of the classifications) to the Kipchak group of Turkic languages. The Tatars of the Middle Volga and Urals speak the Tatar language of the Kipchak subgroup of the Turkic group of the Altai family. The language of the Astrakhan Tatars - basically Nogai - was strongly influenced by the Tatar language and transformed towards closer relations with it. The literary Tatar language was formed on the basis of the middle (Kazan-Tatar) dialect. Writing on a Russian graphic basis (until 1927 - on the basis of Arabic graphics).

All works presented in this section are published based on the book “Myths of the Ancient Volga” - Saratov: Nadezhda, 1996.

WHY WAS THE CITY NAMED ZAINSKY

A long time ago, nomads with their wagons came to the banks of the river from the distant eastern steppes. Tired of long wanderings across the waterless expanses, they joyfully noticed the silvery stream of a cool river, and someone was the first to enthusiastically shout: “Sai! Sai!” And the word “sai” is translated from the Turkic language into Russian as follows: “River!”

So they began to call the nameless river the river - Sai. And only after the letter “s” was replaced by “z”, and the river became Zai.

At the time when the Bulgars settled on the banks of the Kama and Volga, a large city appeared on the rich lands of the Zai River. Hardworking townspeople raised livestock, cultivated the land, many artisans tanned hides, made boots, made furniture, sewed clothes, wove linens... They lived peacefully and happily on the banks of beautiful rivers.

But suddenly disaster struck their city: the terrible dragon Baraj appeared in the vicinity of the city, devouring livestock and people. Many brave men dared to fight the dragon, but not a single hero was able to cope with the huge monster; they all died in the mighty clutches of Baraj. Fear and despondency gripped the Bulgars. And they decided to leave their beloved city of Zainek.

They built another city in a new place and lived as before - freely and calmly. Many years passed like this.

And again, misfortune followed the Bulgars: the enemies destroyed and plundered their new city, killed many, and took some captives to a foreign land. And then one brave hero named Yskhan-bek said: “I’ll go to the Zay River, the homeland of my ancestors, I’ll kill the dragon, and then we’ll settle there again.”

So he did. He returned to his native place and looked: the dragon-devourer had been gone for a long time. He was delighted, called his fellow tribesmen, and life began to boil here again, the ancient city of Zainek was revived.

LEGENDS ABOUT KAZAN

One day, a rich man ordered his worker to carry water into barrels to water the garden. The worker grabbed a copper cauldron (and in Tatar the cauldron is called a “cazan”) and ran to the river, the bank of which was very steep and inconvenient. The worker tried to scoop up water with a cauldron, but it didn’t work out: the cauldron slipped out of his hands, fell into the water and drowned. After this, they began to call that river Kazanka, and the city built on its bank - Kazan.

And other knowledgeable people claim that everything was completely different. But as? Listen here.

Khan Aksak Timer decided to capture one Bulgar city. For a long time he fought with the townspeople besieged in the fortress, but he could not defeat the courageous defenders. The cunning khan then decided: I’ll find out the secret why my fearless warriors cannot defeat this fortress.

The khan dressed himself as a beggar, made his way into the city and asked to spend the night with an old woman. Not knowing who her guest was, she let slip:

Aksak Timer will never capture our city by force, but will be able to defeat the Bulgars only by cunning. For example, if he decides to lure all the pigeons out of the city, tie rags to their legs, set them on fire and release them, then the pigeons will fly to their homes, returning to their nests - then the city will burn, and then Khan Aksak Timer will be able to defeat the Bulgars.

Aksak Timer was delighted and decided to listen to the old woman’s advice. He took pity on the old woman and told her to take her things and follow him. He took her out of the fortress and ordered:

Settle down where the fire will light itself under the cauldron.

The woman then guessed what trouble would happen through her fault, but it was too late. She had no choice but to obey the khan. She took her cauldron, collected her belongings and hit the road. She walked for a long time, got tired and stopped to rest. She put the cauldron on the ground, and then suddenly a fire broke out under it by itself. She remained to live in this place, as Khan Aksak Timer ordered her. Other people from the devastated city soon settled next to her, and little by little a whole city grew up, which they called Kazan.

Whether it was so or not, the legends tell. And the glorious city of Kazan has been reflected in the mirror of the great river - the Idel-Volga - for many centuries.

WHY DID KAZAN MOVE?

One hundred and four years later, Kazan moved from its original location. Why? Tradition speaks about it this way.

One rich resident of ancient Kazan, or Iski-Kazan, as she was called, kept bees in the forest on Dzhelan-tau (Snake Mountain), where present-day Kazan stands. When he went to inspect the hives, he often took with him his beautiful daughter, who greatly fell in love with this mountainous forest area on the banks of the Volga. Tatarochka grew up, got married, and this is what happened to her one day: according to the custom of all eastern women, she herself went to the river to fetch water; One day she climbs with a heavy jug on her shoulder to the steep bank of the Kazanka and begins to scold the khan who came up with the idea of ​​​​building a city on such a steep slope. Her words were overheard by someone and reported to the then reigning khan, one of the descendants of the founder of ancient Kazan. He demanded an answer to the impudent young woman, but she was not taken aback.

She said what she said, “my fault,” she answered. - And what’s true is true: your grandfather probably didn’t walk on water himself, and he didn’t know what it was like for us sinners to carry heavy jugs up such a steep slope.

Well, where do you think the city should have been built? - asked the khan, softened by the beauty and courage of the young Tatar woman.

Yes, even where my father’s beekeeper is, on Dzhelan-tau,” she answered.

And what about the wild boars and snakes that there are so many between Kazanka and Bulak (the rivers at the confluence of which is Dzhelan-tau)? - the khan objected.

And what about our sorcerers? Can't they cope with these vile creatures? - the Tatar woman answered with confidence.

(According to Muslims, there is no creature more vile than a wild boar or wild pig, the meat of which was recognized by Mohammed as filthy and harmful.)

Khan himself did not like his city; Therefore, he decided to listen to the advice of the young Tatar woman and sent his son-heir with two nobles and detachments of horsemen to the mouth of the Kazanka to find a place there to build a city. Those sent were given a sealed envelope, which they had to open at a place chosen for the city and immediately carry out what was written there. The choice of those sent settled on the place where present-day Kazan stands. Having opened the envelope, they learned with horror the will of the khan, which was that one of the three sent, by lot, should be buried in the ground alive, so that the new city would “stand stronger.” The lot fell on the khan's son. The nobles felt sorry for the young prince, and they hid him from the khan, and buried a live dog in the ground.

Soon the khan began to grieve greatly for his son. The ambassadors then confessed to him that they had deceived him and brought the prince to his father. The Khan was very happy, but the old mullah reacted unsatisfactorily to this and predicted that the new city, the foundation of which was based on deception, would eventually pass into the hands of the infidels (Christians), enemies of the Muslim faith, considered by Muslims on a par with dogs.

The extermination of snakes was entrusted to a sorcerer who did an excellent job with this task. In the fall, he prepared a huge fire from wood, brushwood and straw, and around the fire he also laid brushwood in the form of a fence. Snakes crawled here from all sides to spend the winter in a ready-made room made of brushwood and straw. With the onset of spring, the sorcerer added dry hay to the piles, poured tar and sulfur over everything and lit it. The snakes were all burned. To drive out the wild boars, they set fire to the forests near Lake Kabana, which is still located in the vicinity of Kazan, which is why all these forest-loving animals moved away from the city.

However, one, a large winged serpent, Zelant, with two heads, flew away and settled on a mountain, not far from the city, which is why this mountain was named Jelan-tau (Snake Mountain) or Zelant’s Mountain. On it was the Assumption Monastery, founded in 1552 in memory of the soldiers killed during the capture of Kazan. It was also most often called the Zelantov Monastery.

Zelant, according to legend, had two heads, of which with one, a snake, he devoured animals, and with the other, an ox, he devoured plants. Zelant lived happily: every day at noon he flew to Lake Kaban to drink water; then all the inhabitants fell prostrate before him, and in this case he did not harm them. However, Zelant could not fly to the city to quench his thirst, but drink from his lake, which was a few steps from his home; this lake is still called Snake Lake.

For a long time Zelant brought terror to the surrounding area, but finally, through the art of wizards, he was killed. In memory of this event, the khan included his image in the coat of arms of the city of Kazan.

The legend about Zelant is also explained in an allegorical sense, that is, allegorically: Zelant is, according to Tatar legends, the personification of ancient idolatry, defeated by Mohammedanism.

FROM AMUR-BATYUSHKA TO MOTHER VOLGA

The Volga is the largest river in Europe. The Amur is the largest river in the Asian part of Russia. The tradition of the Bulgar people retained a vague memory that the ancestors of the Volga residents of the 15th century once lived near the Pacific Ocean.

Even in ancient times, on the lands near the Amur River, a tribe of Turks called Ta-Tan, Tatars roamed among other tribes. The Turkic tribes were then at enmity with each other, and in the end the Tatar tribe subjugated the surrounding tribes. Those who were conquered also began to be called Tatars, and their lands Tatar. Some Tatar tribes migrated to the north and west.

The Ta-Tan tribe, having mixed with other Turkic tribes, became known as the Tatars.

Centuries passed, and in the same places in northern China where the Turkic-Tatar tribes roamed, Mongol tribes formed. Wars began between the Tatars and Mongols. They ended with the Mongols conquering all the Tatar tribes and occupying their lands.

The conquered lands were called Tatar, therefore the Mongols who settled here also began to call themselves Tatars. And then Genghis Khan, the Mongol leader, completely destroyed the Tatar tribes in northern China, there were none left at all. But their name remained, and the Mongols began to call themselves Tatars.

The Mongols moved from China to the west, conquered the lands of the Polovtsians, Bulgars, Khazars, and approached the borders of the Russian principalities. In ancient times, it was customary to call a defeated people after the winner. Therefore, the Mongols, who called themselves Tatars, began to call all the conquered Turkic tribes that way. And there were many of them, and they occupied lands near the Black and Caspian seas, in Siberia, the Volga region, and in the Crimea. Thus, the entire Turkic population conquered by the Mongols began to be called Tatars.

Many years passed, the Mongols disappeared completely from the lands they conquered, and the state of the Golden Horde also disappeared. And in Russia for many centuries all Turks were called Tatars. They even wrote in the documents: Caucasian Tatars, Kazan Tatars, Uzbek Tatars. Azerbaijanis, Circassians, Khakassians, Dagestanis and many other peoples were considered Tatars.

And today the Tatars are the Turkic population of the former Bulgaria, Crimea, Volga region, Urals, Western Siberia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus. The Tatars also have their own republic on the Volga - Tatarstan - where in the 10th–13th centuries there was the state of Volga Bulgaria.

Myths and legends of the peoples of the world. Peoples of Russia: Collection. - M.: Literature; World of Books, 2004. - 480 p.

Like any ancient city with a rich past, the history of Kazan is besides boring facts. Described in chronicles and recorded in dusty archives, there are many secrets, legends and mysteries hidden from us by the fog of time. Of course, the vast majority of us will say that all these legends are fiction, they are too beautiful and implausible. But who knows, because every story is based on even a small grain of truth.In Kazan, ancient legends are told about the city itself, about how the name of the tower, which is similar to the Leaning Tower, came about, and, of course, about the treasures. After all, in any city in Russia there is not a corner where there are no legends about a secret treasure, and at the same time there is no hope of finding this treasure.Let's plunge into the legendary and mysterious history of Kazan together!

The Legend of the Treasures of the Old Lake

Over the years, Lake Kaban in Kazan has become overgrown with folk legends. It has been known for a long time that at the bottom of this lake, since the time of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich, countless riches have been buried - the khan's treasury.

And this is what the legend tells. Having learned that the army of the Moscow Tsar was approaching the walls of Kazan, the Kazan Khan ordered to take out his treasury and flood it in a secret place. The old people say that there were gold and silver bars, coins of different denominations and origins: Turkish, Persian, Russian, Western European.

And unprecedented treasures. Gifts from overseas guests, various gems: emeralds the size of walnuts, the rarest diamonds and gold hookahs. All the wealth of the Khan of Kazan could not be counted.Since then, this treasure has rested at the bottom of Lake Kaban, among the water and silt. The Hata servants hid him so well that even the fish did not know where to look for him. There were many daredevils, many went in search of treasured treasures, but no one was lucky enough to find them.Legend says that to find the treasury, you need to know the secrets. First you need to stand at the stream that flowed into the Kaban at the very source of Bulak, then measure a distance equal to a couple of bow shots, find a noticeable place on the bank and the same on the opposite one. That's where the treasures are hidden. But even if you find this place, you still won’t get the treasure without a special secret. That’s why they lie at the bottom of the Boar until these very days...

The Legend of Syuyumbik

The legend tells about the Tatar queen Syuyumbik, who was famous for her beauty throughout the entire region. So Tsar Ivan the Terrible decided to woo the Kazan queen, but the proud beauty refused him. The tsar could not forgive such insolence; he gathered an army, went to Kazan and besieged the city.To save their people from certain death, the queens had no choice but to marry him. But the wise Syuyumbike set one condition for the Russian Tsar: to build a high tower in Kazan in seven days.The tower was ready by the appointed time. Then the beautiful queen climbed to the very top and rushed down.So the wise queen saved her people, but she did not change her pride - she did not submit to the hated Tsar Ivan the Terrible. And in memory of the beautiful Syuyumbika, the Kazan people gave the tower her name.But the people grieved so much for their queen that the tower of weeping and lamentations could not stand it; it bent over from human sadness. That’s how that Syuyumbike tower is tilted to this day.

Legend about the origin of the name “Kazan”

There are countless legends about the origin of the city walking around the Kazan land. And each one is more bizarre than the other. The old people said that when choosing a place for the city, the Tatar people turned to the wise sorcerer for advice.His answer surprised them, the sorcerer said: “there will be hail where a cauldron of water dug into the ground will boil by itself.” They looked for such a place for a long time, and where the Bulak River flowed into the Kazanka, without fire, the cauldron began to boil.This is where people founded the city, and the name was given in honor of this cauldron - Kazan: kazan in Tatra means “cauldron”. According to another legend, the name was given after a golden cauldron (cauldron) that fell into the river. And then there was another story.

One of the sons of the Bulgarian Khan Gabdulla Altynbek was fleeing from the hated Mongols pursuing him. After long wanderings, he found himself on the banks of a river and decided to set up camp here. As befits a khan’s son, Altynbek sent his servant for water, but not empty-handed, but with a golden cauldron.The banks of that river were very steep, and the servant, naturally, could not hold the cauldron and dropped it into the water. So, years later, both that river and the city that was built on its banks began to be called Kazan. Why is that? But because among nomadic tribes the cauldron was a symbol of power. And the fact that he fell into the river meant that these people would now have to live here.

The mystery of the white leopard

One of the main symbols of the republic is the white leopard (or “ak leopard” in Tatar). His image can be seen on the coat of arms of Tatarstan; sports palaces, squares, monuments, and sports clubs are named in his honor.These predators have never been found in the Volga region, so the white leopard is a fictional animal. However, as the legend says, one orphan boy went into the forest, but got lost and would probably have died if he had not been found, protected and fed by a snow-white leopard.

The Legend of Our Lady of Kazan

One of the greatest icons in the history of the country - the icon of Our Lady of Kazan - has a semi-legendary past.According to legend, the archer's family's house burned down. The Mother of God appeared to his little daughter several times in a dream, saying that her Most Pure Image was located right on the site of the burnt house. They did not believe ten-year-old Matryona, and then she and her mother began to look for the shrine on their own.On the ashes of the house, in the oven, she found an image of the Mother of God with a baby in her arms, and it looked as if it had just been painted by a master. The found icon was moved to the temple, and a little later it turned out that the Kazan icon was a copy (copy) of the Byzantine icon of Hodegetria.The miraculous shrine was sent to Moscow, to the same long-suffering Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible, who ordered the construction of a nunnery for the icon. However, only a copy of the Mother of God was left in the monastery; she herself was still in Kazan.During the years of the terrible Troubles in the Russian land, people prayed day and night to Our Lady of Kazan to rid the Motherland of the Poles who occupied Moscow. Inspired by prayers and vigils, Russian troops drove the Poles out of the capital.Later, this icon played a vital role in the great victories of Russian weapons: both in the Northern War and during the Patriotic War of 1812. At the beginning of the 20th century, the icon was destroyed by a thief, but believers to this day believe that the icon will return again. She is waiting in the wings to help people again.

The Legend of Zilant

This is the name of the winged dragon depicted on the coat of arms of Kazan. According to legend, the first local residents literally could not find a peaceful life due to the excessive number of giant dragon-like snakes that lived in the area.People lured all the snakes into a trap and burned them, but the name of the place “Zilan tau” - “Snake Mountain” changed and became the name of the symbol of the city. According to another, more slender version, the giant snakes had a king - Zilant, who, at the cost of his own life, was defeated in battle by the Tatar Bagatur. In gratitude and memory of the victory and feat, the image of the defeated Zilant was transferred to the coat of arms and banners of Kazan.

The Republic of Tatarstan is a fairly large region of our country, including many districts, cities and settlements that previously existed outside of Tatarstan. Each of these places has its own legends and traditions, which are no less interesting than the well-known tales of Syuyumbik or Zilant, and deserve that we get to know them.

The people of Tatarstan themselves love mysterious stories and myths about their land: it is not without reason that in the Mamadysh region they announced a competition for the best legend about various places in the region.

The legend of the appearance of the Tatars

Ethnographers will certainly be able to tell a lot of interesting things about this issue, but we are interested in the semi-legendary times when they did not even think about ethnic groups.

So, there lived two brothers - Bulgar and Burtas (from their names came the names of the city on the Kama and the Burtas people). They, in turn, were the sons of the mythical hero Alp, the brother of the Turk himself, who gave his name to many Asian peoples. This is such a complex legendary family tree.

Actually, there are no other dramatic stories in this matter: two brothers came to these lands with their families-tribes and began to simply live, giving rise to the modern Tatar ethnic group and culture.

As for the word “Tatars” itself, the residents of the republic believe that this name comes from the times when their ancestors lived in the Mongolian and Manchurian steppes: the Ta-Tan tribe roamed along the banks of the Amur.

It, together with the warlike Mongols, went to conquer lands in the west, and settled in the Volga-Kama lands. And over time, the name of the tribe was distorted by other peoples, and became attached to the Ta-Tan tribe, who became the Tatars.

Legend about Bilyar

This ancient city existed for about 500 years, from the second half of the 9th century. It was a very rich, developed city, which was destroyed by the Tatar-Mongols almost to the ground. That is why only legends have reached us about how brave Bilyar residents resisted the invaders.

The Mongols were unable to capture the city for a long time - its walls and defenders were too strong. Then the Tatar-Mongols resorted to a trick: they caught many pigeons, tied burning rags to them and released them in the direction of Bilyar.

Does this plot remind you of any legends from the history of Ancient Rus'? One way or another, a terrible fire started in the city (the city was mostly made of wood), the townspeople rushed to put out the raging flames, weakening their defenses, and the Mongols took advantage of this and took Bilyar by storm.

The Legend of the Serpent-Oracle (Elabuga)

In Eastern mythology, and Tatar mythology in particular, there are a lot of characters and creatures that in one way or another resemble snakes or dragons. You can verify this simply by looking at the symbols of Kazan or getting acquainted with the mythology of the people.

Therefore, it is not at all surprising that in the places where Elabuga is now located, the legend of the snake-oracle, which lived on the site of today's Devil's Settlement, still lives.

However, he was not at all aggressive, on the contrary - people came to him to find out about their fate, their future. They say that even the famous princess Syuyumbike came to the serpent-oracle for providence and prediction.

Why is one of the cities of Tatarstan called Zainsk?

Not only Kazan can boast of an interesting legend about the origin of its name. Small Zainsk also has a rather nice history and a dramatic legendary past.

When the ancestors of modern Tatars came to these lands, they were extremely exhausted by the long journey through dry, waterless steppes and forests. Therefore, when they saw the river, they began to shout “sai” with joy, which in their language meant “water”. That is why the previously nameless river began to be called Sai.

Over time, the name changed slightly and began to sound like Zai, and a city appeared on the banks of the river - Zainek. Over time it grew and became very rich. However, he was attacked by the evil dragon Baraj, who destroyed and burned the entire city, killing almost its entire population. No one dared to settle on these lands. The survivors moved a little further from Zaya, but even there they were unable to establish a peaceful life: refugee settlements were constantly being ravaged by warlike neighbors.

Then the hero Yskhan-bek decided to return to his people the old place where they lived calmly and well. He went to the old village, destroyed by Baraja. However, the dragon was no longer there, the hero returned to his people, told them the good news, and they returned to their old place.

Over time, the city was restored, but it, like all Tatar lands, was annexed to the Russian kingdom, and the name began to sound more traditional for the Slavs - Zainsk.

The legend about the water bull (Vysokogorsk region)

To the northwest of Kazan there is a lake whose name is exactly the same as a similar body of water in Central Asia - Kara-Kul.

According to legend, from the very first times that people settled in the area of ​​the High Mountain, a terrible roar, similar to the mooing of a bull, has been heard almost every night in the vicinity of the lake.

Since no one has seen this creature alive on land, it is generally accepted that the bull lives under water. They called him “su ugese” - “water bull”.

Everyone described it differently: someone saw either a snake with the head of a bull, or a winged horned fish.

A similar creature lives in another lake - Elan-er. According to legend, a huge snake also lived here, demanding tribute from those who planned to fish or hunt in the local forests. For centuries, no one dared to swim in Erlan-er, from which the terrible sounds of some monster also sounded. To this day, elderly residents of local villages do not swim in the pond.

However, geologists have their own answer to the question of where these soul-piercing sounds come from: apparently, karst slabs and layers are moving, and water is noisily drawn into the resulting gaps.

Sviyazhsk mermaids

Many old-timers of villages along the banks of the Volga and Sviyaga near the city of Sviyazhsk claim that mermaids are found in local waters. There are no reasons or legends for their appearance in these places, but residents say that they saw mermaid women, albeit without tails, walking through the forests.

According to the same local residents, in winter mermaids go into underwater caves and wait out bad weather and cold weather there.

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