The name of the lists of the "Tales of the Time". "The Tale of Bygone Years" and its previous vaults

"The Tale of Bygone Years" is one of the most ancient monuments of Russian literature, the creation of which dates back to 1113.

The life of Nestor the Chronicler, the creator of The Tale of Bygone Years

Nestor the Chronicler was born in Kiev in 1056. At the age of seventeen he went to the novices in the Kiev-Pechersky Monastery. There he became a chronicler.

In 1114 Nestor died, was buried in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. November 9 and October 11, he is commemorated by the Orthodox Church.

Nestor the Chronicler is known as the first writer who was able to tell about the history of Christianity. His first known work was "The Life of Saints Boris and Gleb", and soon after it was followed by "The Life of the Monk Theodosius of Pechersky." But Nestor's main work, which brought him worldwide fame, is, of course, the Tale of Bygone Years, a literary monument of ancient Russia.

The authorship of this story does not belong only to Nestor the Chronicler. Rather, Nestor skillfully collected information from various sources and created a chronicle of them. For work Nestor needed chronicles and long legends, he also used the stories of traders, travelers and soldiers. In his time, many witnesses of the Polovtsy's wars and raids were still alive, so he could listen to their stories.

Lists of the "Tale of Bygone Years"

It is known that the "Tale of Bygone Years" has undergone changes. In 1113 Vladimir Monomakh handed over the manuscript to Vydubitsky monastery, in 1116 its last chapters were altered by Hegumen Sylvester. Hegumen Sylvester went against the will of the abbot of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, giving the manuscript to Vydubitsky monastery.

Significant parts of The Tale of Bygone Years later became part of such chronicles as Laurentievskaya, Ipatyevskaya, and First Novgorod.

Usually, any Old Russian chronicle consists of several texts, some of which refer to sources of earlier time. "The Tale of Bygone Years," a list with which was made in the 14th century, became part of the Laurentian Chronicle, created by the monk Laurence. Rather, the monk Lavrenty used the creation of the monk Nestor as the main source for his chronicle. The name of the lists of the "Tale of Bygone Years" was usually created by the name of the monk who made the list, or in the place in which the list was made. In the middle of the 15th century another oldest list of the "Tale of Bygone Years" was created, called the Ipatiev Chronicle.

Contents of the "Tale of Bygone Years"

The "Tale of Bygone Years" begins with biblical subjects. Noah after the flood settled his sons - Ham, Sim and Japheth - all over the Earth. The name of the lists of the "Tale of Bygone Years" also points to the biblical origin of these chronicles. It was believed that the Russian people came from Japheth.

Then the chronicler tells about the life of the East Slavic tribes and the establishment of the state in Russia. The chronicler points out the legend according to which Kiy, Shchek, Horyv and their sister Lybid came to rule the East Slavic lands. There they founded the city of Kiev. The tribes of the Slavs living in the northern part of Russia called on the Varangian brothers to rule them. The brothers were Rurik, Sineus and Truvor. The name of the lists of the "Tale of Bygone Years" also has the goal of magnifying the ruling power in Russia, and for this purpose is indicated on its foreign origin. From the Varangians who came to Russia, the royal family began in Russia.

In general, the chronicle describes wars, and also tells how temples and monasteries were created. Events of Russian history chronicle sees in the context of the history of the world and directly connects these events with the Bible. Prince-traitor Svyatopolk killed the brothers Boris and Gleb, and the chronicler compares with the murder of Abel, which Cain committed. Prince Vladimir, baptized Rus, is compared with the Roman emperor Constantine, who introduced Christianity as the official religion in Russia. Before baptism, Prince Vladimir was a sinful person, but baptism radically changed his life, he became a saint.

Traditions in the "Tale of Bygone Years"

The "Tale of Bygone Years" includes not only historical facts, but also legends. Traditions served as important sources of information for the chronicler, since he no longer had the opportunity to learn about what had happened several centuries or decades before.

The legend of the foundation of the city of Kiev tells about the origin of the city and about the one in honor of whom he was named. Legend of the Wondering Oleg, placed in the text of the chronicle, tells of the life and death of Prince Oleg. The legend of Princess Olga, telling how she severely and severely avenged the death of Prince Igor, was also included in the annals. "The Tale of Bygone Years" tells the story of Prince Vladimir. Ambassadors of different nations came to him and offered every faith. But every faith had its own shortcomings. The Jews did not have their land, Muslims were forbidden fun and the use of intoxicating beverages, German Christians wanted to capture Rus.

And Prince Vladimir eventually settled on the Greek branch of Christianity.

The role of the signs in The Tale of Bygone Years

If you carefully read the text of the chronicle, it becomes obvious that the chronicler pays great attention to various natural phenomena, connecting them with divine forces. Earthquakes, floods and droughts, he considers the punishment of God, and solar and lunar eclipses, in his opinion, are a warning from heavenly powers. Solar eclipses played a special role in the life of princes. Researchers note that The symbolism of dates and the title of "The Tale of Bygone Years" Too, are influenced by the phenomena of nature and the chronology of time.

A solar eclipse is seen by Prince Igor Svyatoslavich in 1185 before his campaign against the Polovtsians. His soldiers warn him, saying that such an eclipse is not good. But the prince disobeyed them and went to the enemy. As a result, his army was defeated. Also, a solar eclipse usually predicted the death of the prince. During the period from 1076 to 1176 there were 12 solar eclipses, and after each of them, one of the princes died. The chronicle was set on the idea that the end of the world, or the Last Judgment, would come in 1492, and prepared its readers for this. Droughts and eclipses foreshadowed wars and the swift end of the world.

Style features of the "Tale of Bygone Years"

The name of the lists of the "Tale of Bygone Years" is determined by the genre features of these annals. First of all, the annals are typical works of Old Russian literature. That is, they contain the features of different genres. These are not artistic works and not just historical works, but they combine the features of both. "The Tale of Bygone Years", the list of which is found in Novgorod, also has these features.

The chronicle itself, obviously, was a legal document. Scientist N.I. Danilevsky believes that the chronicles were not intended for people, but for God, who was supposed to read them at the Last Judgment. Therefore, the chronicles described in detail the deeds of the princes and their subordinates.

The task of the chronicler is not the interpretation of events, not the search for their causes, but simply a description. The present is thought of in the context of the past. "The Tale of Bygone Years", about which lists there are legends, has an "open genre" in which features of different genres were mixed. As we know, in ancient Russian literature there was not yet a clear separation of genres, only chronicles existed from written works, so they combined features of the novel, poems, novels and legal documents.

What does the title "Tale of Bygone Years" mean?

The title of the vault gave the first line of the chronicle "The Tale of Bygone Years ...". "The Tale of Bygone Years" means "A Tale of Past Years", since the word "summer" in Old Russian meant "a year". Many are trying to find out what the title "Tale of Bygone Years" means. In its broadest sense, it is a tale of the existence of this world, which sooner or later God's Judgment awaits. "The Tale of Bygone Years," a list with which found in the monastery, is considered the earliest work.

Previous arches

"The Tale of Bygone Years" was subjected to careful textual analysis. And it was discovered that it was compiled on the basis of earlier chronicles.

"The Tale of Bygone Years" and the previous vaults form a single whole, that is, "The Story" in many respects repeats what was written before it. Modern history follows the opinion of Academician A.A. Shakhmatova, who studied all the ancient chronicles using a comparative method. He discovered that the very first chronicle was the Ancient Kiev chronicle, created in 1037. It dealt with when the history of mankind began and when Rus was baptized.

In 1073 the Kiev-Pechersky chronicle was created. In 1095 the second edition of the Kiev-Pechersky arch appeared, it is also called the Initial Arch.

Symbolics of dates

The calendar dates in the "Tale of Bygone Years" were considered to be of particular importance. If for a modern person the calendar dates have no value, then for the chronicler every date or day of the week in which the events occurred were filled with a special historical significance. And the chronicler tried more often to mention those days or dates that possessed more meaning and contained more value. Since special days or sacred days were considered Saturday and Sunday at the time, these days are mentioned 9 times and 17 times in the "Tale of Bygone Years", respectively, and weekdays are mentioned less often. The environment is mentioned only 2 times, Thursday three times, Friday five times. Monday and Tuesday are mentioned only once. It can be argued that the symbolism of dates and the title of "The Tale of Bygone Years" are closely related to the religious context.

"The Tale of Bygone Years" was closely connected with the religious worldview, so all its features were based on this. The Chronicler sees all events only in the context of the coming Judgment Day, therefore he looks at what is happening from the point of view of the divine forces. They warn people about future wars, droughts and low prices. They also punish the villains who committed murders and robberies, and innocent people are brought to the divine throne. The relics of saints acquire unusual qualities. This is evidenced by the traditions of the lives of saints Boris and Gleb. Also, temples are sacred places, where the wicked and pagans can not penetrate.