Fairy tale endings: an attempt at reading. Real endings of Disney fairy tales What is the correct name for a fairytale ending?

Fairy tale endings: an attempt at reading

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

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

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

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

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

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

I. OPTION OF THE "BAD PATH"

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

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

2. Inedible treat. Once at the “feast”, the hero-storyteller, first of all, talks about food. He drinks honey beer, eats cabbage, etc. However, oddly enough, all his attempts to eat anything turn out to be fruitless. Food just doesn't get into your mouth. In addition to the will of the hero (and, perhaps, in accordance with it), he does not eat a single piece of food offered to him where he ends up. This is described in different ways. “And I was there, I drank honey and beer, it flowed down my mustache, but it didn’t get into my mouth” - a model, in various modifications, the most common in Russian fairy tales (5). However, “mead-beer” (honey-wine, mead) is by no means the only treat that the hero does not eat; There are also people like this: “I was there, I slurped my ear, it ran down my mustache, but it didn’t get into my mouth” /Af.81/, “I slurped my kutya with a large spoon, it ran down my beard, but it didn’t get into my mouth!” /Af.207/, “they served Beluzhin - but remained without dinner” /Af.124/. In addition to this, other forms are used to express that it was impossible for the hero to eat anything at the mysterious feast: “to whom it was brought with a ladle, but to me with a sieve” /Af.322/, etc. The idea that the food at the feast of the heroes of the fairy tale is somehow special and not suitable for people to eat is one of the most important. Her expressions can be completely different: “...they called me to drink honey and beer with him, but I didn’t go: the honey, they say, was bitter, and the beer was cloudy. Why such a parable?” /Af.151/ and others /italics mine. - YES./. There is one more important detail in the last ending: it does not rhyme, the idea is “naked.” The traditional formula: “And he ate and drank, it flowed down his beard, but it didn’t get into his mouth” – is also found in Latvian fairy tales (6). Let's try to analyze this motive. What is a food that cannot be eaten? As you know, food is extremely important during the transition from the kingdom of the living to the kingdom of the dead. The food of the dead has some magical properties and is dangerous for the living. “...We see that, having crossed the threshold of this world, first of all we need to eat and drink,” writes V.Ya. Propp (7). “By eating food intended for the dead, the alien finally joins the world of the dead. Hence the prohibition on touching this food for the living.” “In an American story, the hero sometimes only pretends to eat, but in fact throws this dangerous food on the ground,” he continues (8). This motive is close to the situation described by our narrator. The fact that he cannot eat anything, although he tries, does not at all contradict this idea. It is likely that here the food of the dead that is “inedible” (i.e., unsuitable for food, dangerous) for the living turns into food that cannot be eaten. The food described often really seems unsuitable - they talk about bitter honey and cloudy beer, and similar descriptions are found: “... Here they treated me: they took the tub away from the bull and poured milk; then they gave me a roll, and I urinated in the same tub. I didn’t drink, didn’t eat..." /Af.137/. Here we clearly see the hero’s reluctance to eat the food offered due to the fact that it seems unpleasant and inedible to him - all the details are designed to strengthen this image. The hero of Russian fairy tales himself asks Yaga for food from the dead and eats it, thereby passing into the world of the dead, which is what he strives for. Then he nevertheless finds his way back, and he manages to return, although the return path is often fraught with great dangers - this is possible because in the world of the dead the hero acquires magical abilities (which is often expressed in the acquisition of magical objects or assistants) (9) . With the hero-narrator, something different happens. He ends up at a feast where all the treats are “inedible” for him. If we assume that this element is correlated with the fairytale motif of food of the dead, we must admit that the position of our hero is localized by the border of the worlds. In order to go further, it is necessary to taste the food of the dead, which means for him to finally join the afterlife. Unlike the hero of a fairy tale, the hero-narrator does not do this. In accordance with fairy-tale and mythological laws, the border in this case cannot be overcome. Let's see if other elements of the endings correspond to this situation.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

II. OPTION OF "GOOD TRAIL"

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

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

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

A. "Milk - whey." When considering this element, we come across very interesting motives - the hero drinking milk and whey, or swimming there. Let’s first consider the first option, known to Russian fairy tales (“I was there recently, drank honey and beer, bathed in milk, wiped myself off” (19), “I recently visited them, drank honey and beer, bathed in milk, wiped myself off.” " (20), etc.). The motif of bathing in milk is known in folklore; both the hero and the old king bathe in milk. Bathing in milk transforms the hero. Having examined this motive, V.Ya. Propp comes to the conclusion that it is connected with the hero's passage through the animal. This makes you look at this story in a completely different way. “We are thus forced to conclude that transfiguration, the apotheosis of the hero, is the basis of this motive,” he writes, “the motive of the death of the old king is artificially attached to it. That one who arrives in the kingdom of the dead experiences a transformation - this is known, and we have a reflection of this idea and here" (21) - he finishes /italics mine. - YES./. The motif of bathing in milk is associated with the idea of the hero’s transformation upon entering the kingdom of the dead. Liquids are usually of two types - milk and water (22), (milk and whey, curdled milk in our endings). This element correlates with transformation when crossing the border from the world of the living to the world of the dead and back.

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

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

V. "True - fable." The last of the highlighted oppositions is the opposition “they were/were not.” Here the border motif manifests itself, perhaps, most complexly - through the category of reality. What is real for the world of the dead is obviously unreal for the world of the living; The laws of the kingdom of the dead do not apply among the living. The narrator seems to emphasize that, having crossed the border, he finds himself in a different reality, where different laws apply. In accordance with this, the attitude towards the story changes. Let us give the most illustrative examples from Persian fairy tales, containing all three motives: “We went upstairs - we found curdled milk, but our fairy tale was considered true. We returned downstairs - we plunged into the whey, but our fairy tale turned out to be a fable” (28) / my italics. - YES./; “And we went downstairs - we found curdled milk, we ran along the upper path - we saw the whey, we called our fairy tale a fable. We hurried up - we drank the whey, we went down - we ate our fill of curdled milk, our fairy tale became reality"; “As we went up, we found curdled milk, as we went down, we found whey: our fairy tale turned out to be a fable. As we went up, we found a fable, as we ran down, we found curdled milk: our fairy tale turned out to be reality” (29). A differentiated attitude to what is told on different sides of the line crossed by the hero is drawn along the line of fact/fiction. Accordingly, in some way there is a statement that the fairy tale is reality on the other side of the border. This option is also interesting: “This fairy tale of ours is a true story, if you go up, you will find sour milk, if you go down, you will find sour milk, but in our fairy tale you will find the truth” (30) / emphasis added. - YES./. In accordance with this, in order to discover the truth in what is being told, it is necessary to cross the border of worlds where other laws apply (compare with the reference to myth along the line of fable/fable in the Abkhaz fairy tale: “I told you a true story, similar to fiction. If you ask me: Is this true or a lie? - I will answer: if the legend is true, it is also true" (31) / emphasis added - D.A./.

Finally, the motive of transition and return is very widely represented. At the end of the Latvian fairy tale, which refers to the “bad path” option, the soldiers shoot the hero from a cannon, where he climbed to escape the rain. The last phrase is typical of many endings: “so I flew in this direction, right to our parish” (32). We see the same thing at the end of the Abkhaz fairy tale: “Now I have come from there and found myself among you” (33) /my italics – D.A./. There are a huge number of similar examples - the narrator confirms his appearance among listeners, in a given area, state, etc. as what happened after moving across the border, which can be expressed in a variety of ways (flight, crossing a bridge, etc.) and is typical for both endings. Next, we learn that the hero-narrator passes on the knowledge he has received to people (“I found out about everything and told you about it” (34), etc.). In addition, the narrator can separately report that he himself is an eyewitness to what was told: “and whoever last told this fairy tale saw it all with his own eyes” (35), says one of the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm; “and at their death I, the sage, remained, and when I die, every fairy tale will end” (36), etc. Thus, the motive of movement in many cases turns out to be connected with the assertion of the authenticity of what is told.

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

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

III CONCLUSION

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

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

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

In a comic context, the narrator talks about the loss of all things received, but there are also non-disappearing objects that stand in a rhyming sequence with some verb. The most common of them is the cap. The examples are typical and numerous: “And I was there, I drank wine and beer, it flowed on my lips, but it didn’t get into my mouth; then they gave me a cap and pushed me; I resisted and got out” /Af.250/ /my italics . – D.A./, “I was at that wedding, I drank wine, it was running down my mustache, there was nothing in my mouth. They put a cap on me and, well, push…” /Af.234/, etc. (41). This widespread use of the cap in the ending structure also raises questions about the possibility of medieval cultural influence. “Inversion” of reality is a fundamental element of buffoonery; here there is a complete change of signs in the semiotic system (42). Also characteristic is a specific self-deprecation, a comic impoverishment of the narrator. These elements, characteristic of the endings of the “unsuccessful path” option, are fully consistent with the traditions of buffoonery, and, first of all, with the ancient Russian culture of laughter (43). The consistent reworking of the elements of the endings of the “successful path”, developing according to the fairy-tale-mythological model, really corresponds to the laws of this cultural environment. If this is so, then the function of indicating unreality turns out to be in a certain sense secondary - not fundamental, but accompanying. The medieval origin of the endings of the “unsuccessful path” on the basis of initially copying, in accordance with the emergence of a new category of storytellers introducing elements of a different cultural environment, seems at this stage to be one of the possible options. These are the main provisions of our proposed hypothesis.

Abbreviations

Af. – Afanasyev A.N. Russian folk tales: In 3 volumes / Rep. editors E.V. Pomerantseva,

K.V. Chistov. – M.: Nauka, 1984.

Notes

1 The above classification of endings, dividing them into two types, is found in various studies. We find a very characteristic classification of endings in N.M. Vedernikova. Plot endings are called “endings,” while funny endings are called “funny endings.” Their functions are differentiated: the “endings” are recognized as having a connection with the context and some information content. “Begins” (formulas introducing the narrative: “once upon a time,” “in a certain kingdom, in a certain state,” etc.) and “endings” form “introductory and final formulas,” which are part of the fairy-tale action. “Endings of a humorous nature” form the framework of the work, paired with “sayings”. “Sayings” are a short humorous “story”, often built on the model of conspiracy formulas: “This happened at sea, on the ocean; on the island of Kidan there is a tree of golden makouks, the cat Bayun walks along this tree...”. This "story" contains information that is not relevant to the immediate context of the tale. According to this feature, “sayings” are combined with “endings of a humorous nature” and form “framing formulas”. “Endings of a humorous nature,” in turn, are divided into several types: their role can be played by proverbs, tongue twisters or rhyming proverbs; in terms of content, they can thank listeners for their attention, hint at a reward, treat, etc. Vedernikova N.M. Russian folktale. M.: Nauka, 1975.

2 Vedernikova N.M. Decree. Op. pp. 63-64; B.A. has the same interpretation. Uspensky - see: Uspensky B.A. Poetics of composition // Semiotics of art. – M.: School, 1995. P. 182. In the Encyclopedia of Myths of the Peoples of the World, in an article devoted to fairy tales and myths, the endings we highlighted are combined with beginnings of the “once upon a time” type - i.e. with those that in Vedernikova’s classification are combined with plot endings, plot endings themselves (as well as joke endings) are not considered at all. The goal is determined by the same indication of the unreality of what is described in the fairy tale, see: Meletinsky E.M. Fairy tales and myths // Myths of the peoples of the world: Encyclopedia: In 2 Volumes / Ch. ed. S.A. Tokarev. M., 1991. T.2. pp. 443-444. The structure of endings of the third type is considered in detail by N. Rosianu, but the definition of their function remains similar, see: N. Rosianu. Traditional fairy tale formulas. M., 1974.

3 Meletinsky E.M. Fairy tales and myths // Myths of the peoples of the world: Encyclopedia: In 2 Volumes / Ch. ed. S.A. Tokarev. M., 1991. T. 2. P. 443-444.

4 Abkhazian fairy tales / Under. ed. R.G. Petrozashvili. Sukhumi: Alashara, 1965. P. 227.

5 Afanasiev: Decree. Op. pp. 3, 81, 95, 103, 109, 123, 124, 126, 128, 129, 132, 134, 135, 141, 151, 157, 160, 162, 182, 184, 197, 202, 203, 210, 251, 270, 279, 284, 293, 294, 322, 331, 344, 379.

6 Latvian fairy tales. Riga: Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, 1957. P.416.

7 Propp V.Ya. Op. op. P. 69.

8 Propp V.Ya. Op. op. P. 67.

9 For more information about this, see: Propp V.Ya. Magic gifts // In the book. Historical roots of fairy tales. St. Petersburg, 1996.

10 Russian folk tales / Storyteller A.N. Korolkova / Comp. and resp. ed. E.V. Pomerantseva. – M., Nauka, 1969. P. 269.

11 Elder Edda; Grimnir's speeches; About the sons of King Hraudung; The Saga of the People from the Sandy Shore - Ch. XXXIV; The Saga of Hrafnkel Godi Freyr - Ch. XVIII; The Saga of Gisli - Ch. XVI and others; description of Hel in the Younger Edda.

12 Latvian folk... P. 377.

14 Dagestan folk tales / Comp. N Kapieva. M., 1957. P.64.

15 Ibid. P. 57.

16 Georgian folk tales / Rep. ed. A.I. Alieva. T. 2. M.: Nauka, 1988. P. 140.

17 Russian folk... P. 117, 188, 152.

18 Persian tales. / Comp. M. N. Osmanov. – M.: Nauka, 1987. P. 188.

19 Russian folk... P. 188.

20 Ibid. P. 152.

21 Propp V.Ya. Decree. Op. P. 341.

22 Ibid. – P. 321.

23 Persian tales... P. 35.

24 Propp V.Ya. Decree. Op. P. 199.

25 For more information about this, see: V.V. Ivanov Top and bottom // Myths of the peoples of the world: Encyclopedia: In 2 Vol. / Ch. ed. S.A. Tokarev. M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1991. T. 1. P.233-234.

26 Persian tales... P. 35.

27 Persian tales... P. 188.

28 Ibid. P. 35.

29 Ibid. P. 16.

30 Ibid. P. 167.

31 Abkhazian fairy tales. Sukhumi, 1935. P. 29.

32 Latvian folk... P. 377.

33 Abkhazian fairy tales. Sukhumi, 1935. P. 29.

34 Ibid. P. 26.

35 Brothers Grimm. Fairy tales / Transl. G. Petnikova. – Minsk, 1983. – P. 95.

36 Uspensky B.A. Semiotics of art. – M., 1995. – P. 182.

37 Russian folk... P. 117.

38 Dagestan folk... P. 42.

39 Ibid. P. 26.

40 The picture we have drawn corresponds to the structure of endings of the “successful path” defined by N. Rosianu (and the researcher himself does not share these ending options, but considers them together). The author calls the four fundamental elements of endings of this type: “1 - the presence of the storyteller at the feast, 2 - the actions of the storyteller, 3 - the movement of the storyteller from the scene of action to the listeners, 4 - the purpose of the movement - the presentation of the tale." At the same time, however, to the second element N. Rosianu includes the motives of food that cannot be eaten - an element of another option, and unrealistic actions (water scooped with a sieve, eggs carried by a pitchfork, etc.) - an element that already purposefully serves to affirm the idea unreality (in most cases, while maintaining, characteristically, a connection with the first motive - food that cannot be eaten!). The “successful path” option as such is not explained in the researcher’s work. – Roshiyanu N. Decree. Op. – P. 55.

41 For the presence of the cap as an enduring gift, see: Af. 137, 234, 250, 292, 430, 576.

42 See: The funny world of ancient Rus' // D.S. Likhachev, A.M. Panchenko, N.V. Ponyrko. Laughter in ancient Rus'. L., 1984.

43 Ibid.
The material is posted on the site with the support of grant No. 1015-1063 from the Ford Foundation.

____________________

D. Antonov
Fairy tale endings: an attempt at reading

I. OPTION OF THE "BAD PATH"

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

II. OPTION OF "GOOD TRAIL"

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

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

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

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

III CONCLUSION

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

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

Many types of final formulas of fairy tales are known in world folklore, see. Among them, the endings stand out, where the narrator talks about the events that happened to him and were connected with the tale he was telling. One of the variants of this formula is well known in Russian material: “And I was there, I drank honey and beer, it flowed down my mustache, but it didn’t get into my mouth.” Along with this, there are also more extensive and original stories.

These types of endings refer to; two known types of final (as well as initial) formulas. As part of the first, the narrator points out the authenticity of fairy-tale events (at the end, emphasizing that he himself witnessed them). In the second, he, on the contrary, points out the deliberate unreality of what is being told (at the end, he talks about himself in a humorous context, using various “formulas of the impossible”).

Despite the cardinal difference in intention (to indicate the reliability/unreliability of the story), the endings that interest us are built according to a general model. Since they are about a certain journey, the movement of the hero-storyteller, they can be divided into options for a “successful” and “unsuccessful path”. The structure of such formulas in both versions is akin to fairy-tale and mythological models, cf. , and it is this feature that I would like to focus on in this article.

First, let's look at the more famous "bad path" endings.

OPTION OF THE “BAD PATH”

“And I was there...” Traditionally, the narrator's first statement boils down to the fact that he was present at the fairy tale locus (most often at a feast) and was an eyewitness to the final events of the fairy tale. This is stated directly or, less often, indirectly (“I barely brought my legs home from that feast”, etc.). The expression “I was there” is self-sufficient and in the endings of a “good journey” can be used without any additions, but in the variant under consideration this is only the beginning of the story.

One of the key structural models of a fairy tale is the hero’s journey to the “far away kingdom” - the afterlife. The plot structure, as a rule, is three-part: 1) the road to another world and crossing the border from the world of the living to the world of the dead, 2) adventures in the world of the dead and 3) the road back and crossing the border back. It is noteworthy that the hero-narrator’s message about the events that happened to him at the fairy-tale feast in both versions of the endings is constructed according to a pattern similar to this one.

Inedible treat. Once at the feast, the hero-narrator begins the meal: he wants to taste honey, fish soup, cabbage, etc. However, all his attempts to eat something turn out to be fruitless: the treat is inedible or simply does not get into his mouth. The model “And I was there, I drank honey and beer, it flowed down my mustache, but it didn’t get into my mouth,” in various modifications, is widespread in Slavic fairy tales, see, for example:. and is present in the folklore of other peoples, see, for example:. However, “med-beer” (med-wine, honey) is by no means the only treat that the hero does not eat; There are also people like this: “I was there, I slurped my ear, it ran down my mustache, but it didn’t get into my mouth,” “I slurped my kutya with a large spoon, it ran down my beard, but it didn’t get into my mouth!” , “Belugins were served, but I didn’t have dinner.” In addition to this, more original options are also used: “...to whom they brought it with a ladle, but to me with a sieve”; “...they invited me to drink honey and beer with him, but I didn’t go: the honey, they say, was bitter, and the beer was cloudy. Why such a parable? ; “...they gave me a pancake that had been rotting in a tub for three years”; “... here they treated me: they took the basin away from the bull and poured milk; then they gave me a roll of bread and I urinated in the same basin. I didn’t drink, I didn’t eat..."; “...they gave me a cup with a hole, but my mouth was crooked - everything ran past, it didn’t get into my mouth”; “...and the fish they had was shshuka, I picked at the dish, raised my claws, didn’t pick anything up - so I left hungry,” etc. Such options, despite all the variety, emphasize one idea: the food offered at the feast was disgusting or “disappeared” from the dishes, as a result of which the hero-narrator did not touch it.

The motive of eating food is very important in a fairy-tale context - on the border of another world, the hero needs to taste the food of the dead, despite the fact that it is antagonistic to the food of the living and is very dangerous for them. “...We see that, having crossed the threshold of this world, first of all we need to eat and drink,” wrote V.Ya. Propp, - having partaken of food intended for the dead, the alien finally joins the world of the dead. Hence the ban on touching this food for the living." The hero of fairy tales himself asks for food from the dead from the border guard and eats it, thereby passing into the afterlife. Then he finds his way back - often the return journey is possible thanks to magical objects or helpers. Something different happens to the hero-narrator: once at the feast, he cannot touch the treats. According to the logic of the fairy tale, the border in this case cannot be crossed. Let's see if other elements of the endings correspond to this situation.

Exile. In the case when the narrator does not limit himself to a brief formula, but continues to talk about his “adventures,” refusal of food is followed by beating And exile hero: “I was at that wedding, I drank wine, but it was flowing on my mustache and there was nothing in my mouth. They put a cap on me and, well, push; They put the body on me: “Don’t be a jerk, kid, get out of the yard as quickly as possible”; “I didn’t drink, I didn’t eat, I decided to wipe myself off, they started fighting with me; I put on my cap and they started pushing me in the neck!” ; “And I was there, I drank wine and beer, it flowed over my lips, but it didn’t get into my mouth; then they gave me a cap and pushed me; I resisted, but got out,” etc. Sometimes ideas are combined in one rhyming phrase: “...I didn’t drink, they started beating me(hereinafter italics are mine. - D.L.). I began to resist, they began to fight. The feast I was at was scandalous.”

Thus, the hero-narrator finds himself expelled from the fairy-tale locus. It is noteworthy that some endings speak specifically about the failed penetration into the fairy-tale space: “Then I wanted to see the prince and princess, but they started pushing me out of the yard; I snuck into the gateway and knocked my whole back off!” . There is no idea of refusing food here, but the motive of failure on the way to the heroes of the fairy tale is clearly expressed.

Disappearing gifts and the return of the hero. Following the story of the ill-fated meal, many endings of the “unsuccessful path” deal with the loss of objects received at the feast by the hero-narrator. An example would be the following endings: “..they gave me a blue caftan, a crow flies and shouts: “Blue caftan!” Blue caftan! I think: “Take off your caftan!” - he took it and threw it off. They gave me a cap and started pushing me on the neck. They gave me red shoes, the crow flies and shouts: “Red shoes! Red shoes! I think: “I stole the shoes!” - took it and threw it away"; “...they gave me a caftan, I go home, and the titmouse flies and says: “The blue is good!” I thought: “Take it off and put it down!” He took it, threw it off, and put it down...” So, the hero-narrator receives some things, just as the hero of a fairy tale who successfully crosses a border can receive magical gifts from its guardian. However, having not eaten the food and being expelled, he loses everything he received, fails and returns with nothing.

The very movement of the hero-storyteller back into the everyday world from a fairy-tale space often occurs in a comic, unrealistic way. If in the endings of the “good journey” the hero returns on foot or arrives on horseback, then in this version he is shot from a cannon, he arrives on an oar, arrives on a chicken, a straw, etc., see, for example: The Road Back, in the everyday world, happens in an obviously absurd way: (“they took me by the nose and threw me by the nose; I rolled and rolled, and ended up here.” “Formula of the Impossible” parodicly emphasizes the unreality of the events described.

Thus, we see a certain set of motives included in the endings of the “unsuccessful path”: 1) the narrator’s statement that he has visited a certain locus belonging to fairy-tale space; 2) a message that, once there, he had to eat some food; 3) characterization of food as tasteless/unfit for consumption; 4) refusal of a treat / inability to eat it; 5) beating and expulsion; 6) standing apart motives for receiving gifts with their subsequent loss, as well as a comic return *.

In various modifications, the “bad path” option is known to many peoples, see, for example:. Such endings retain traces of fairy-tale-mythological models, mirrored by the path of the fairy tale hero (and related to the path of the antagonist hero).

OPTION OF “GOOD PATH”

In contrast to the final formulas considered, the version of the “successful path” is built according to the classic scenario of a fairy tale. There is a motif of a food test here, but the hero-narrator does not break the rules: “I visited him myself. I drank Braga and ate halva!” ; “We had a rich wedding. And they gave me a good drink, and now they live in happiness and prosperity”; “I was there recently, drank honey and beer, bathed in milk, wiped myself,” etc. . After this, it is no longer about expulsion and flight, but about crossing the border and successfully returning back: this motive can be represented by many elements, including latently - through a certain contrast between the described loci.

We find interesting examples of this kind in Persian fairy tales. I will give one of the options, built on the general model: “We went up - we found curdled milk, and considered the fairy tale to be our truth. We returned downstairs, plunged into the serum, and our fairy tale turned into a fable.” In this case, we have three oppositions: I) curdled milk-whey, 2) top-bottom, and 3) reality-fable.

Curdled milk whey. In different variations of the “good journey” endings, the hero-storyteller can drink a certain drink or bathe in him. Bathing in two liquids is a well-known fairytale motif: both the hero and the antagonist (the old king) bathe in milk and water with different consequences. V.Ya. Propp emphasized that this motive is associated with the transformation of a person on the way to another world and back. As in a fairy tale, two liquids are most often mentioned in the final formulas: whey (churning) and curdled milk, which corresponds to a double passage of the border.

The version of the endings, which talks about drinking liquids (“They hurried upstairs - they drank whey, they went down - they ate curdled milk”), in turn, refers to the fairytale motif of “living and dead” (“strong and weak”) water. These drinks are also used to transition between worlds: “a dead man who wants to get to another world uses only water. A living person who wants to get there also uses only one. A person who has set foot on the path of death and wants to return to life uses both types of water.” Similarly, the crossing of the border by the hero-narrator is accompanied by drinking two different liquids.

Top bottom. The concepts of “top” and “bottom” complement the opposition of “yogurt” and “whey” in the endings under consideration; in a fairy-tale context, they are directly related to the contrast between the earthly and otherworldly worlds. In accordance with one of the basic mythological models, another world is removed from the earthly one vertically - up and/or down. In endings, the use of these concepts is unstable - “up” and “down” may be mentioned by the narrator along the way as there, so back. Such instability, in turn, is characteristic of mythology and folklore: the system has the ability to “turn over”, i.e. the concepts of “top” or “bottom” can both mean both the kingdom of the dead and the world of the living, see.

The third contrast true story, is a very remarkable motif that introduces the category reality or relationship to reality. In Persian fairy tales, such examples are often found: “We went upstairs - we found curdled milk, and our fairy tale was considered true. We returned downstairs and plunged into the serum, but our fairy tale turned into a fable”; “And we went downstairs - we found curdled milk, ran along the upper path - we saw whey, they called our fairy tale a fable. We hurried upstairs - drank whey, went downstairs - ate curdled milk, our fairy tale became reality,” etc. As you can see, the attitude towards the fairy tale changes on different sides of the line crossed by the hero: crossing the border leads him to a space where the fairy tale turns out to be true (true), the reverse transition leads him to a world where the fairy tale is a fable. This option is also interesting: “This fairy tale of ours is a true story, if you go up, you will find sour milk, if you go down, you will find sour milk, but in our fairy tale you will find the truth.” In order to discover the truth in what is told, it is therefore necessary to cross the border - the fairy tale is recognized as a truth that belongs to another space: what is unreal in the earthly world is real in the other world, and vice versa. This is exactly how the relationship between the world of the living and the dead is built in folklore; the world of the dead is the “inverted” world of the living.

Return and transfer of knowledge. The motive of return is presented in the endings of the “good journey” in a variety of modifications. Traditionally, the narrator claims that he appeared among the listeners, in a given locality, state, etc. directly from the fairy-tale locus: “Now I have come from there and found myself among you”; “They are still there, but I came to you,” etc. This motive is often associated with another thought: as a result of moving, the hero-narrator conveys to people the knowledge he has received (“... I was at this feast. I drank mash with them. I found out everything and told you about it”; “... I recently visited them , drank honey and beer, talked to him, but forgot to ask about something”, etc.; “... and at their death I, the sage, was left behind; and when I die, every story is over”, etc. This, in turn, , the authenticity of fairy-tale events is confirmed - having visited another world, the narrator receives knowledge that he successfully passes on to listeners.

As you can see, both versions of the endings considered are built on a fairy-tale-mythological model. In the endings of the “successful path”, the hero-narrator passes the test of food - he eats at a feast, drinks a certain liquid or bathes in it, as a result of which he overcomes the border, successfully moves in the fairy-tale locus, Having acquired some knowledge, he returns back, sometimes performing similar operations, and transmits knowledge to people. The “unsuccessful path” option is close to this model, but the hero’s path is built in a mirror manner in relation to the first option. The fairy-tale hero violates the rules of behavior, which entails a change in the entire system - the situation is turned upside down when ridicule and a humorous context appear. The comedy is directed at the figure of the hero-narrator, who commits unsuccessful actions (he could not eat food, was kicked out, lost his gifts). It is interesting that in some versions of such endings the clownish (buffoonish)** attribute is mentioned - the cap: “...here they gave me a cap and pushed me over there”; “...put a cap on me and just push me”, etc.; unlike other objects, it does not disappear on the way back.

The comic elements inherent in the “bad path” version indicate its late origin. The general goal of such endings is to return listeners to the space of the everyday with laughter, to point out the unreality of the events described, see; ".. .tasty it was, only now everything floated away"; and so on. ****.

Notes

* Certain elements of the “bad path” endings can be traced in the Playful Final Formulas, which do not talk about a feast, but mention the path to the wedding, disappearing objects, escape, and there is also a food motif. See, for example: .
**It is noteworthy that the role of professional storytellers in medieval Rus' was performed by buffoons; This is associated with the variety of humorous endings in the repertoire of East Slavic storytellers.
***Wed. other interpretations regarding the motive of uneaten food: .
****Wed. also options in which a “successful” feast is combined with the loss of gifts: ; and etc.

Literature

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2. Alieva M.M. Uyghur fairy tale. Alma-Ata, 1975.
3. Afanasyev A.I. Russian folk tales: In 3 volumes / Rep. ed. E.V. Pomerantseva, K.V. Chistov. M., 1984.
4. Brothers Grimm. Fairy tales / Transl. G. Petnikova. Minsk, 1983.
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6. Volkov R.M. Fairy tale: Research on the plot of a folk tale. T. I, Odessa, 1924.
7. Gerasimova N.M. Formulas of the Russian fairy tale (On the problem of stereotyping and variability of traditional culture) // Soviet ethnography. 1978. No. 5. P. 18-26.
8. Georgian folk tales / Rep. ed. A.I. Alieva. T. 2. M., 1988.
9. Dagestan folk tales / Comp. N. Kapieva. M., 1957.
10. Ivanov V.V. Top and bottom // Myths of the peoples of the world: Encyclopedia: In 2 volumes / Ch. ed. S.A. Tokarev. M., 1991. T. 1.
11. Latvian fairy tales. Riga, 1957.
12. Meletinsky E.M. Fairy tales and myths // Myths of the peoples of the world... Vol. 2.
13. Meletinsky E.M., Neklyudov S.Yu., Novik E.S., Segal D.M. Problems of structural description of a fairy tale // Structure of a fairy tale, M., 2001. pp. 11 - 121.
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15. Persian tales / Comp. M.N. Osmanov. M., 1987.
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24. Tales of the green mountains, told by M.M. Galitsa. Uzhgorod, 1966.
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28. Tales and legends of the Chuvash. Cheboksary, 1963.
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31. Tales of M.M. Korgulina,.. Book. 2.
32. Tales of the peoples of the Pamirs / Comp., translation, and commentary. A.L. Grunberg and I.M. Steblin-Kamensky. M., 1976.
33. Suleymanov A.M. Bashkir folk everyday tales: Plot repertoire and poetics, M., 1994.
34. Tumilevich F.V. Tales and legends of the Nekrasov Cossacks. Rostov-on-Don, 1961.
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Scenario of entertainment based on fairy tales for older preschoolers and younger schoolchildren

Leisure activities for children 5-9 years old: “In the world of fairy tales.”

Dvoretskaya Tatyana Nikolaevna
GBOU secondary school No. 1499 SP No. 2 preschool department
Educator
Description: Leisure activities will introduce children of senior preschool and primary school age to different types of fairy tales.

Purpose of work: Leisure activities are intended for children of senior preschool and primary school age, preschool teachers and parents.
Target: formation of children's ideas about various types of fairy tales.
Tasks:
1. Develop an interest in reading in preschool children
2. Teach to listen carefully to literary works
3. Maintain emotional interest in the work you read
4. Expand children’s understanding of different types of fairy tales

Introductory part in verse.

Fairy tale oral retelling
Plot fiction.
Magic and miracles
They'll go around half the world.

Both heroes and villains
In a fairy tale, listeners are welcome.
Unnoticed small children
They will educate and entertain.

The value of a fairy tale is great!
A storehouse of knowledge!
Violators of the ban
There will be tests.

Who will pass with dignity
Difficulties and sorrows
Awards at the end
For deeds according to conscience!

A fairy tale is our priceless gift!
Rich in wisdom.
And with her excitement
The guys are listening.

Justice triumphs
Evil is punished with good.
She gives joy to people

Included in every home!

Fairy tale is an ancient idea
But it has survived to this day.
It contains an idea.
And messages for people!

Leisure: In the world of fairy tales.

Presenter: Fairy tales are of great importance in the lives of children. Fairy tales have come to us from time immemorial. People composed stories, memorized them and told them to each other. Fairy tales spread around the world from one listener to another. Each narrator added small changes and additions to the plot of the tale. Then they began to collect and write down fairy tales. This is how fairy tales have survived to this day. The plots of fairy tales are so different: funny and sad, scary and funny. From fairy tales we learn about cultural traditions, the folk way of life, and the characters of people who lived many years ago. Fairy tales are familiar and loved by all people since childhood.
What is a fairy tale?
Folk tale- an oral narrative of a work of fiction with a fictional focus, told to listeners for educational or entertainment purposes.
Listen to folk proverbs about fairy tales:
Eat the porridge and listen to the fairy tale: figure it out with your mind and mind, and use your mind.
The tale begins from the beginning, is read to the end, and does not stop in the middle.
Soon the fairy tale is told, but not soon the deed is done.
Every fairy tale will have an ending.
It's a fairy tale, nothing more can be said.

Composing a fairy tale is not an easy task. Each fairy tale has a plot plan:
1. Saying- an aesthetic element in a fairy tale. It is an optional condition in constructing the plot of a fairy tale.
The purpose of the saying is to prepare listeners for the perception of the fairy tale, to set them up. The saying exists on its own; it is not related to the content of the work. The presence of a saying depends on the talent of the storyteller and his character.
Example: “Hey, should I amuse you with a fairy tale? And the fairy tale is wonderful, there are marvelous wonders, wonderful miracles in it!”
2. Beginning- the beginning of a fairy tale.
The opening takes the listener into a fairy-tale world, emphasizing the unusualness of the fairy-tale world about which the story will go further.
Example: “In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived Ivan Tsarevich”
The beginning of a fairy tale has a huge role; it determines the place of action and time, and introduces the main characters of the fairy tale. With the help of the beginning, the author captivates the reader or listener into a fairy-tale world and fascinates him with mystery and uncertainty.
3. The main part of the tale- This is the central action of the tale and the denouement. It is in this part that magical transformations occur, magic words are pronounced, objects or animal helpers with a magical gift are encountered, etc.
Example: “Sivka-burka, prophetic kaurka! Stand before me like a leaf before the grass!”
4. Outcome or ending- the final part of the fairy tale. It sums up the results of the fabulous action.
Example: “They began to live well and make good things.”
The famous collector of fairy tales, Alexander Nikolaevich Afanasyev, collected a great variety of folk tales and divided them according to the plot into: magical, everyday, adventurous, boring, tales about animals.

Let's get acquainted with the amazing and diverse world of fairy tales.

1. Tales about animals.

Tales about animals are the most ancient works. Ancient man animated nature, endowed animals with properties and qualities inherent in humans.
In fairy tales about animals, animals can talk to each other and perform household chores. Animals in folk tales cannot think, they do not think about their actions, they only act.
In fairy tales about animals, animals are carriers of one character trait: the fox is cunning, the bear is clumsy, the wolf is stupid.
Tales about animals are interesting, simple, unpretentious, based on dialogue between animals, and sometimes short expressive songs are used in the plot.
Example: I am Kolobok, Kolobok! I'm scraping the box
The bottom line is methen, There is meshon in sour cream, And there is pryazhon in butter,
There is a chill on the window; I left my grandfather, I left my grandmother,
And it’s not smart to get away from you, hare!
Guys, what fairy tales about animals do you know? (Children's answers)
Examples of fairy tales about animals: “Teremok”, “Tops - Roots”, “Fox Sister and Wolf”, “Cat, Rooster and Fox”, “Kolobok”, “Ice and Bast Hut” and others.

2. Boring fairy tales.

Boring tales are tales with endlessly repeating content. From the word “bother” - to bother. With their help, the storyteller either sparked interest in listening to fairy tales, or, on the contrary, stopped those who were ready to listen to them endlessly. Guys, how many of you are already familiar with such fairy tales?
Example: Once upon a time there lived a grandmother near the river.
The grandmother wanted to swim in the river.
And the grandmother bought herself a washbasin
This fairy tale is good - Start over!

3. Household fairy tales

Everyday fairy tales are extraordinary, unheard of stories, stories about the impossible. The heroes of everyday fairy tales are boyars, officials, judges endowed with all sorts of vices: stupidity, greed, irresponsibility.
On the other hand, there are smart, cunning, brave, resourceful peasants and soldiers. There are no magical objects or helpers in these fairy tales. The events of the tale are ordinary events from life, but are described with humor. In everyday fairy tales, such negative traits as stupidity, greed, and injustice are ridiculed.
Example: The Tale of the Priest and the Worker Balda, Porridge from an Axe.

4. Adventurous tales

Adventure tales are a short entertaining story, a plot from real life that makes fun of universal human vices. These are tales about talkative and greedy wives, about lazy and sloppy housewives, about naivety and human simplicity. Guys, remember and name such fairy tales? (children's answers)
Example: Greedy old woman, slanderous water, penless.

5. Fairy tales

A fairy tale is the most vivid and widespread in the world. The fairy tale is filled with miracles and adventures.
In fairy tales, you will definitely encounter objects and things endowed with magical powers (tablecloth - self-assembled, boots - walkers, hat - invisible and others), words can have magical power (By the command of the pike, at my request), magical helpers (The Little Humpbacked Horse, Pike sorceress and others)
In fairy tales there are positive heroes and negative heroes.
The main features of the fairy tale: the presence of a prohibition (don’t drink from the hoof, you will become a little goat), violation of the prohibition (brother Ivanushka did not listen to his sister and drank from the hoof), a test (turned into a little goat), reward (the little goat threw himself over his head three times in joy and turned around boy Ivanushka).
In the fairy tale, those who violate the ban always take the path of correcting the troubles that they themselves have caused. In the process of overcoming trials and difficulties, the hero atones for his guilt with good deeds and pure spiritual thoughts.
Fairy tale- an optimistic work in which good always triumphs over evil. Fairy tales always have a hidden moral. The fairy tale is a lie, but there is a hint in it - a lesson for a good fellow. While reading fairy tales, children try on the roles of certain fairy-tale characters, their imagination draws images. Children sincerely worry about the fate of their favorite fairy tale heroes.
Guys, what fairy tales do you already know? (children's answers)
Examples: Geese - Swans, At the behest of the pike, Sister Alyonushka and brother Ivanushka, The Frog Princess, Cinderella and others.

Quiz: Guess the fairy tale
1. In what fairy tale on the sea and ocean did the miracle Yudo the fish, the whale, live? (The Little Humpbacked Horse)
2. In what fairy tale did a vegetable grow that three people and three animals could not pull out of the ground? (Turnip)
3. In what fairy tale did a simple village man go to the palace on a stove? (By magic)
4. In what fairy tale did the evil stepmother send the girl into the forest to get snowdrops? (Twelve months)
5. In what fairy tale was the old woman punished for her greed? (Gold fish)
6. In which fairy tale did the girl outwit the bear? (Masha and the Bear)
7. In what fairy tale did the father leave a cat as an inheritance to his son? (Puss in Boots)
8. In which fairy tale did the girl help a sick swallow recover? (Thumbelina)
9. In which fairy tale did all the animals live in one house? (Teremok)
10. In what fairy tale did the wolf reforge the blacksmith’s voice? (The wolf and the seven Young goats)
11. In which fairy tale, a girl and her dog were carried away by a hurricane to a fairyland, where she found friends? (The Wizard of Oz)
12. In which fairy tale was there a Flower City where the short people lived? (The Adventures of Dunno and His Friends)
13. In what fairy tale did a pumpkin turn into a carriage? (Cinderella)
14. In which fairy tale is the main character a naughty boy who lives on the roof? (Carlson, who lives on the roof)
15. In what fairy tale did the sisters one-eyed, two-eyed and three-eyed live? (Little Khavrochechka)

Presenter: Well done guys, you listened to the fairy tales carefully, you know all the fairy tale characters, and you named the names of the fairy tales absolutely correctly!
Do you know how to write fairy tales yourself? (children's answers) And this is what we will check now.
I start, and you take turns continuing.
So, in a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived King Eremey. He had three sons. One was tall, the other was of average height, and the youngest was short, as tall as a stool. And so the father gathered his sons and said: ...(Then the plot of the fairy tale is put together by all the children of the group in turn).