Ilya Muromets years of life. Ilya Muromets - epic hero and Orthodox saint

An epic hero or a real historical figure?

Ilya Muromets is the most famous, but at the same time the most mysterious hero of the Russian epic. It is difficult to find such a person in Russia who would never have heard of this glorious hero from the ancient city of Murom. Most people know about him only what they remember from childhood from epics and fairy tales, and are often amazed by the complexity and ambiguity of this image. Scientists of various specialties have been struggling to resolve the mysteries associated with it for almost two centuries, but the secrets still remain.

Our ancestors of the XVI - early XIX centuries. there was no doubt that Ilya Muromets was a real historical figure, a warrior who served the Kyiv prince.

The usual beginning of epic tales, where Ilya leaves “Whether from that city from Murom, from that village from Karacharov”, it would seem that there is no room for doubt that he comes from the ancient Russian city of Murom, where not far from him there still exists the ancient village of Karacharovo. But doubts about the origin of the epic hero arose both in the last century and in our time. They are trying to connect the famous hero with the Chernihiv region, where there are the cities of Moroviysk and Karachev, and where there are also legends about Ilya Muromets. But if we turn to an ordinary geographical map, we can see that these two cities are separated by hundreds of kilometers and it is absurd to talk about the “Morovian city of Karachev”. Meanwhile, it is impossible not to notice that Murom, Karachev, Chernigov, Moroviysk and Kyiv lie on the same line. This is exactly the same “straight path” that the hero traveled from his native Murom to Kyiv “through those forests, Brynsky, across the Smorodinnaya River”, through the village of Nine Oaks, not far from Karachev. That is, there is no contradiction between classical epics and Karachev legends. It is also worth noting that the ancient city of Murom was part of the Chernigov Principality for quite a long time. The confinement of the name of the epic hero to the city of Murom is consistent with both epic and historical reality. Murom and the Principality of Murom were quite significant both in the times of Kyiv, Vladimir-Suzdal, and in the times of Muscovite Russia to become the birthplace of Ilya Muromets.

Meanwhile, Russian chronicles do not mention his name. On the other hand, he is the main character not only of our epics, but also of German epic poems of the 13th century, based on earlier legends. In them, he is represented by a mighty knight, a princely family, Ilya the Russian. In a documentary source, the name of this famous hero was first mentioned in 1574. The envoy of the Roman Emperor Erich Lassota, who visited Kyiv in 1594, left a description of the tomb of Ilya Muromets, located in the heroic chapel of St. Sophia Cathedral.

The mystery of the death of Ilya Muromets.

There can be only one explanation for this fact: the name of a commoner was an eyesore to the well-born boyars and the princes of the golden age of Kievan Rus who relied on him. Therefore, it was blotted out of the annals as an undesirable and even outrageous precedent for the dizzying rise of a simple peasant.

Moreover, he was buried in the aisle of the main temple of Kievan Rus - St. Sophia of Kyiv - the grand ducal tomb (where not all princes were buried). The boyars, on the other hand, could not even dream of burial in St. Sophia of Kyiv, since for them it was an unheard-of honor!

Probably for this reason, at a later time, the tomb of the “peasant boyar” was destroyed, while the tomb of his comrade in the chapel, the son of the Drevlyan prince Mal, Dobrynya Nikitich, “survived”. This significant “memory” from those in power regarding the unborn defender of the Russian Land was reported in his diaries by the ambassador of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II Erich Lasota, who visited Kyiv from May 7 to 9, 1594, on his way to the Cossacks on a diplomatic mission.

By that time, the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra took over the care of the remains of the legendary man, where he still rests, in the Near Caves, under a modest inscription over the tomb “Ilya from Murom”.

According to the church calendar, the day of memory of Ilya Muromets, the son of Ivanovich, is December 19 according to the old style, or January 1 according to the new one. By the way, it was on January 1, 1993, in the homeland of Ilya Ivanovich, in the village of Karacharovo, that the icon of St. Ilya Muromets was solemnly installed (with an reliquary inserted into it with a particle of the relics of the hero, transferred at one time by the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra) in the newly rebuilt church of Guria, Samon and Aviva.

And it is precisely thanks to the archival materials of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra that we at least approximately know the dates of the life of the popularly beloved warrior.

In 1638, the printing house of the Lavra printed the book "Teraturgima" by the monk of the Kiev-Pechersk monastery Athanasius Kalnofoysky. The author, describing the lives of the saints of the Lavra, devotes a few lines to Ilya, specifying that the hero lived 450 years before the book was written, that is, in 1188.

The events of those distant years are extremely dramatic. In 1157-1169 Kyiv became the scene of internecine conflicts for the right to reign. During this period alone, 8 princes changed on the throne of Kiev, in 1169 the capital city was ravaged by Andrei Bogolyubsky (by the way, he took the icon from St. Sophia of Kyiv, now known as the icon of Our Lady of Vladimir), and from 1169 to 1181 them even several times. In addition, the Polovtsy intervened in the struggle for grand princely power, having made devastating raids on the Kyiv lands in 1173 and 1190.

And when examining the body of Ilya Muromets by forensic medicine specialists, it turned out that the epic hero was the victim of one of these raids. According to Sergei Khvedchenya (Vokrug Sveta magazine, No. 1, 1994), this sad event took place in 1203 during a devastating raid on Kyiv by the combined troops of Rurik and the Polovtsy. The city was then taken by storm, the Kiev Caves Monastery and St. Sophia Cathedral were plundered, most of the capital was burned to the ground. According to the chroniclers, "there has never been such ruin in Kyiv before." By that year, the bogatyr, in his declining years, had taken monastic vows in the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery, so that, probably, Ilya, nicknamed "Muromets", became there during his tonsure - his true name was not preserved in the church chronicles. And of course, the former warrior could not stand aside, defending the symbol of Old Russian Orthodoxy and his monastery.

A medical examination of the mummified remains of the hero, carried out already in the 20th century, showed that, judging by his injuries, he did not become easy prey for enemies. Several wounds were found on the body of Ilya Muromets, of which only one turned out to be serious - on the arm from a spear, and fatal - also spear, but in the heart area. Only both feet are missing. In addition to a deep rounded wound on the left arm, the same significant damage is visible in the left chest area. It seems that the hero covered his chest with his hand, and with a blow of a spear it was nailed to his heart. The relics are dressed in monastic clothes. Above the tomb is the image of St. Elijah of Muromets.

The first study of the remains of the hero was carried out in 1963. Then, in that Soviet atheistic era, the commission concluded that the mummy belongs to a person of the Mongoloid race, and the wounds were imitated by the monks of the Lavra. In 1988 The Interdepartmental Commission of the Ministry of Health of the Ukrainian SSR conducted an examination of the relics of St. Ilya of Muromets. To obtain objective data, the most modern technique and ultra-precise Japanese equipment were used. The research results are amazing.

It is curious, but back in 1701, the wandering priest Ivan Lukyanov, who visited the catacombs of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, noted: “... I saw the brave warrior Ilya Muromets in incorruption under a golden veil, his left hand was pierced with a spear.” The pilgrim could not see another wound on his chest because of the gilded veil.

Medical experts dated the remains with the honor of a warrior who fell in battle to the 12th century, and according to Sergey Khvedchenya, the time period of the life of Ilya Muromets from 1148 to 1203.

From a modern point of view, the hero was slightly taller than average - 177 cm, but in the 12th century such a man was considered a giant, (and even 350 years after the death of Ilya Muromets, in 1584, a passing Lvov merchant Martin Gruneweg was struck by the "relics of a giant" ancient Russian history).

However, in physique Ilya Muromets really differed from ordinary people - he was “well-cut and well-knit” - “an oblique fathom in the shoulders”, as they used to say in the old days. The phenomenal strength of the hero was also inherited by his distant descendants - the family of the Karacharov villagers Gushchins, who, like their great ancestor, could well move a load in the last century that was beyond the power of a horse.

Anatomists noted in the lumbar part of Ilya's body a curvature of the spine to the right and clearly expressed additional processes on the vertebrae, which made it difficult for the hero to move in his youth due to infringement of the nerves of the spinal cord. By the way, epics tell about the same thing, noting that “for thirty years Ilya sat in the seat and did not have walking at his feet.” And only the "passable kaliks" - folk healers - set Ilya's vertebrae and gave him a drink with a healing herbal decoction, blessing him for feats of arms.

The fact of the presence of the revered relics of the famous hero was also reflected in the epic texts themselves. The end of the epic “Ilya Muromets and Kalin Tsar” performed by the narrator Shchegolenkov is so interesting: “from these Tatars and from the filthy ones, his horse was petrified and heroic, and relics and saints became from the old Cossack Ilya Muromets.” Everyone remembers from childhood that passersby Kaliki prophesied to the famous hero that "death in battle is not written for him." Therefore, in epics and fairy tales, the death of a hero is told differently: either he turns to stone alone, or with other heroes; then the living lies in the coffin and remains there forever; then, together with Dobrynya, he sails away somewhere on the Falcon Ship, and since then there has been no news about him. But as the examination of the relics showed, the Kalik prophecy, unfortunately, did not come true.

Experts determined the age of the epic hero at 40-45 years plus 10 years due to his specific disease. According to the method of reconstructing the soft parts of the face from the skull of the famous anthropologist M. M. Gerasimov, the leading specialist in this field, the criminologist and sculptor S. Nikitin, recreated a sculptural portrait of Ilya Muromets.

According to Sergey Khvedcheni: “The portrait was clearly a success for the master. It is the embodiment of calm strength, wisdom, generosity and peace. There is no remorse in his eyes, he fought for a just cause and did not live his life in vain. The strong hands of the bogatyr rest not on a damask sword, but on a monastic staff as a symbol of the last years of his life spent in the monastery.”

Today, most people living in Russia have a slightly distorted understanding of who the invincible “Russian hero” was, and did the epic hero Ilya Muromets really live?

Facts and investigations

In the nearby caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, scientists have found evidence that the monk Reverend Ilya buried there and the epic hero Ilya Muromets are one and the same person.

But, even if Ilya Muromets existed in real life, why did he suddenly leave military life and go to a monastery? What reasons made the hero never again pick up a sword?

Until that time, the evidence for the existence of Ilya Muromets was only guesswork. Chronicles and other historical documents do not mention the existence of the legendary hero in a single word. Could it really have been deleted from the annals of Kievan Rus for some fault?

It turns out that in 1718 a terrible fire destroyed all the original books of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

The only mention of Ilya Muromets was preserved in the accidentally surviving records of the monk of the Kiev-Pechersk monastery Anastasy Kalnofoysky. They date from the 17th century. And this is the first reliable mention of St. Elijah of the Caves.

The monk wrote: “The people considered this saint a hero and a great warrior, in a word, a brave man.” It was with this word ‘brave’ that the heroes were then called.

And the word ‘hero’ appeared much later. Therefore, the combination ‘brave hero’ is just a tautology, like butter oil or wind wind.

XII century. Kievan Rus is torn apart by civil strife. And from the southern borders, the state is threatened by a new terrible enemy - the Polovtsians. They were short, yellow-skinned and very cruel nomads. They did not build cities and towns, did not run a household, but only killed, robbed and drove captives into slavery.

Bloodless Russia was easy prey for them. The hordes of the Polovtsy capture cities and lands and quickly approach Kyiv. At this threatening moment, the Kyiv prince invites the heroes to the city - chosen warriors with exceptional physical strength.

Who were the real heroes?

People attribute to heroes beyond human capabilities. According to folk beliefs, these were very strong men who rode huge horses and held heavy weapons in their hands, which an ordinary mortal could not lift.

After the attack of the Polovtsy, dozens of such heroes began to gather in Kyiv. Among them was a modestly dressed peasant of a very powerful physique named Ilya Muromets.

He was born in a village near the Russian city of Murom. It is the surname Muromets that indicates the origin of the hero.

But there is some inconsistency in historical facts.

The Russian city of Murom is located one thousand five hundred kilometers from Kyiv. Now this city is territorially located in the Vladimir region.

A natural question arises: how long in the 12th century could a person overcome this distance on a horse? It is not known exactly. But absolutely all epics claim that Ilya Muromets arrived in Kyiv at the call of the prince in five hours.

Few people know that in the Chernihiv region, not far from Kyiv, there is a village called Murovsk. And both small towns - Russian Murom and Ukrainian Murovsk now consider themselves the birthplace of the epic hero Ilya Muromets.

There is nothing strange in this. Six Greek cities claim the right to be called the birthplace of the mythical hero Hercules.

Chernihiv region, about 70 kilometers from Kyiv, the village of Murovsk. In the XII century there was a city here and it was called Muroviysk. There are dense forests and swamps around, and it is only one day to Kyiv on a horse. Many historians believe that the bogatyr Ilya was actually born here, in Muroviysk. But in modern Murovsk (now the town is called so), no one guesses that nine centuries ago the future epic hero was born here.

It was not customary to celebrate birthdays at that time and this event was not given much attention.

After all, it is likely that at some stage, when retelling the epics, there was a failure: someone misheard something and passed on a new, somewhat modified version. As a result, Ilya from Murovsk turned into Ilya Muromets.

Ilya Muromets and the terrible curse

Did Ilya really sit on the stove for 30 years and 3 years? For what offense did the boy receive a terrible birth curse - paralysis of the legs?

Middle of the XII century, Muroviysk. The recalcitrant pagans who lived in this city resisted accepting Christianity for many centuries.

When Perun had long been renounced in Kyiv, the ancient pagan gods continued to be worshiped in Muroviysk. Until a heavy curse fell on one of the local clans.

Once upon a time, Elijah's father, who was a sworn pagan, cut an Orthodox icon into pieces in one of the battles. For this his family was cursed: "From now on, all boys in the family will be born disabled." The curse began to come true 10 years later, when the boy Ilya was born to the blasphemer and his legs failed immediately after birth.

Whatever his family did. But all the conspiracies did not help. The boy grew up strong, cheerful, but absolutely helpless. For days on end, Ilya sat on a bench and looked out the window at the children who were playing in the street. At these moments, the boy clenched his fists like a child and promised himself that one day he would become healthy and would no longer be a burden to anyone.

So 30 years have passed. A strong man was already sitting on a bench near the window. Even now he could not stand up and could not feel his legs. But none of his relatives knew that every day Ilya, stubbornly clenching his teeth, trains his hands: he lifts weights and unbends horseshoes. He can do everything, the body obeys his every order, but the legs now seem to belong to another person.

When Ilya was thirty-three years old, he was ready to accept his fate and at home on the stove to atone for the blasphemy of his kind. What about the fact that in his hands he felt heroic strength? After all, an adult man remained a helpless child.

But everything changed one day, when wandering elders appeared near his house. They entered the house and asked for water. Ilya explained that he could not do this, because he could never get up. But the guests did not seem to hear him and repeated their request. This time the request sounded like an order. The 33-year-old man almost burst into tears from resentment. But suddenly he felt an unknown force in his legs.

From now on, he could walk. Who these elders were, Ilya never found out. How did they know about it and why did they help? Modern doctors cannot give an explanation for this case. The only thing they are convinced of is that this man really only started walking in adulthood.

Healing Phenomenon

No one really knows what happened, but many are inclined to believe that psychology can play a decisive role here.

Modern medicine has not yet reached the level of knowledge to explain this phenomenon of healing.

The elders left, but before they left, they gave Ilya an order to atone for grandfather's sin and protect their land from hordes of enemies that would be thrust into Russia in a cloud. Healed Ilya agreed, and then gave the elders a vow to devote his life to God.

Once on his feet, he takes on the hardest physical work: in a day he uprooted a whole field of mighty oaks, on his shoulders he easily carries decks that two horses cannot move. Old parents rejoice at the recovery of their son, but they are even more surprised by his inhuman strength. They did not suspect that Ilya had been training his arms for years. Happy parents hoped that now their son would be their helper and support.

The inscription on the plate: “According to legend, Ilya Muromets uprooted such oaks, but threw them into the Oka and changed the course of the river. This oak is about 300 years old, it grew back in the time of Ivan the Terrible, and then lay in the ocean for another 300 years. Its diameter is about 1.5 m, girth is about 4.6 m. In 2002, the oak was raised by Murom rivermen from the bottom of the Oka at the Spassky rift, 150 km away. from the mouth"

But Ilya did not want to stay at home. The years spent in paralysis changed his body. His hands became unusually strong, in such hands the sword itself asks.

He remembers his vow to the elders: to protect his homeland from enemies and devote his life to serving God.

And when he heard about the terrible invasion of the Polovtsy and the call of the prince to defend the homeland, he goes to Kyiv to obtain military glory and defend the land.

The shortest way from Muroviysk to Kyiv goes through a dangerous forest. There, near the mighty oak, lived a huge monster, which killed every companion with its whistle. This monster was called the Nightingale the Robber.

Epics were told: Ilya Muromets drove into the forest and loudly called the monster to a military battle. The nightingale whistled so that the horse crouched under the hero. But Ilya was not afraid. The fight between them was short. Ilya easily defeated the Nightingale the Robber, tied him up and took him to Kyiv as a gift to the prince.

But what could this meeting look like in reality?

Is it a nightingale, is it a robber?

Scientists believe that the Nightingale the Robber could indeed live in the Chernihiv forests. And it was not a mythical monster, but a very real person. There is even a memory of him in the annals.

The robber's name was not Nightingale, but Mogita. He robbed in the forests near Kyiv. Perhaps it was he who was defeated by the real Ilya Muromets. Like the epic Nightingale, Mogita was caught and brought to court in Kyiv.

There, according to the epic, Ilya met with Prince Vladimir - the Red Sun. But the simply dressed peasant did not please the arrogant prince. Instead of the promised reward for the Nightingale the Robber, Vladimir threw his worn fur coat at Ilya's feet, threw it like some beggar.

The bogatyr became angry not without a joke and began to threaten the prince. The guards barely managed to grab him and throw him into the dungeon. Frightened Vladimir ordered thirty days not to give the insolent bread and water.

Meanwhile, Kyiv is surrounded by a horde of enemies. Their Khan offers to surrender the city and remove the crosses from the church. Otherwise, he will destroy the city, burn down the churches and trample the holy icons with horses. From the prince himself, he threatens to tear off his skin alive. It was then that Vladimir remembered the hero who was in prison. He asks Ilya Muromets to forget the insult and stand up for Kyiv.

So the ancient epics tell. But in fact, Ilya Muromets could not meet in time with Prince Vladimir, because. lived a hundred years after him.

Why epics hid it? And could Ilya Muromets actually help defend Kyiv?

Epics shifted people from two eras in time. There is nothing strange in this. After all, folk stories from generation to generation were supplemented with new details and characters. In epics, they often mixed up and performed their heroic deeds together.

Three legendary epic heroes: Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich could never meet each other in real time because they are separated by three centuries.

Painting by V. M. Vasnetsov "Bogatyrs"

The bogatyr Dobrynya Nikitich lived in the 10th century and was in fact the uncle of Prince Vladimir the Great. The bogatyr Alyosha Popovich fought with a monster - a snake in the XI century, and Ilya Muromets defended Russia in the XII century. But which of the princes did Ilya serve?

When Ilya Muromets arrived in Kyiv, Prince Svyatoslav, the great-grandson of Vladimir Monomakh, was on the throne. He could not be dismissive of the hero.

The first military campaign of Ilya Muromets

Svyatoslav was a sensible and balanced politician. During his reign, he tried to unite the Russian princes against the Polovtsians. Already in their first campaign, under the leadership of Svyatoslav, the Russians defeated the hordes of the Polovtsy.

It was in this campaign, according to historians, that the hero Ilya Muromets first took part. They suggest that he was a member of the prince's squad and took part in all the battles that took place in that period of time.

Ten years have passed in military campaigns. Ilya became a famous hero, about whom legends began to be composed.

Meanwhile, he himself was in no hurry to fulfill the promise he had made to his healers. He was not ready to leave worldly life for a monastery and believed that he still had many feats of arms ahead of him. But he did not have long to fight.

In 1185 Svyatoslav's son, Prince Igor, gathers his squad for a campaign against the Polovtsy. Seven thousand Russian warriors, led by Igor, are simply marching into the heart of the Polovtsian land.

Then they did not yet know that this campaign would end for them with a defeat, the most cruel in the history of Kievan Rus. It was this battle that was described by an unknown chronicler in the work "The Tale of Igor's Campaign".

V. M. Vasnetsov. After the battle of Prince Igor Svyatoslavich over the Polovtsy

The decisive battle of the Russians with the nomads

There were so many of them that the dust from under the hooves covered the ground. The forces were unequal and the ranks of the Russians were sinking. Prince Igor sees that the Polovtsians are pressing the Russians to the bank of the river.

Ilya is attacked by several nomads at once. A heavy blow throws him off his horse. The Polovtsian brings a crooked scimitar over the head of the hero. One more moment and that's it...

And then an epiphany seems to descend on Ilya. Only now, in the face of death, he remembered his promise to atone for the old grandfather's sin by serving God. Ilya Muromets mentally asks the elders who healed him for help for the last time. If he survived this fight, he would never take up arms again.

Ilya Muromets was seriously wounded in this battle with the Polovtsians. And this was the reason for his departure from military affairs. And his life was saved by the arrow of the Rusich, who managed to pierce the Polovtsian.

Ilya no longer remembered how the faithful horse carried his rider from the battlefield. And when consciousness returned to him, the first thing Ilya saw was the Orthodox crosses on the church.

Kiev Caves Monastery

A wounded man in his forties arrived here on a horse. Near the walls of the monastery, he unsaddled and released his horse, and then took off his armor. In the Lavra, the bogatyr was received by hegumen Vasily. He was not just a monk, but the main defender of the main Russian shrine. He greeted the new novice hospitably and hoped that Ilya Muromets would help the monks defend the Lavra from frequent raids. Therefore, the hegumen allows Ilya to take a sword with him to his cell.

But Muromets immediately tells the monks that he will never again take up a sword, never kill anyone, but will fulfill the vow that he once gave to the holy elders.

He took the tonsure in honor of the prophet Elijah. In the cell he led an ascetic life and did not communicate with anyone.

In a manuscript of the 17th century, memories were found of the extraordinary humility of the former hero, who vowed never to raise his hand against his neighbor. During his stay in the monastery, the gift of foresight and healing came to him. But did Elijah have a chance to die in peace and prayer? Chronicle sources say no.

In 1203 hordes of Prince Rurik Rostislavovich broke into Kyiv. In order to expel his nephew from the city, the prince brought with him the Polovtsy, greedy for robbery and robbery, and after the siege he gave them Kyiv to be torn to pieces.

And a great evil happened on the Russian land. Nothing like this has happened since the baptism of Russia. These unfortunate events are described in "The Tale of Bygone Years".

The Polovtsy burned Podil, robbed St. Sophia of Kyiv and the Church of the Tithes, and destroyed all the monks and priests. The civilian population was mercilessly destroyed. And then they approached the gates of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

Everyone who was in the monastery stood up to fight with them. The only one who did not come out with everyone was the monk Ilya. From the cell he heard the echoes of the battle. But he remembered that he had come to the monastery and made a vow never to take up arms.

Muromets leaves the cell, ready to bow his head before the Polovtsian sword. But suddenly he sees hegumen Vasily, who is holding an icon in his hands. With it, he slowly walks across the battlefield towards the enemy. And then Ilya saw how the hegumen fell, and the broken icon turned red with blood. And then hegumen Ilya breaks his promise for the last time. He raises his sword in order, as once, to cut off the heads of enemies with one blow, but suddenly he feels a strong weakness in his legs. He cannot take a single step.

In a moment, he sees a vision - an icon desecrated by his deed. Surrounded by enemies, Muromets gathered his last strength, but he could no longer stand on his feet, but only felt how he was hit by an enemy spear.

On that day, all the monks of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra were martyred. Among them was the monk Ilya. He was buried along with the others.

And when, half a century later, the monks discovered his burial place, they were very surprised. Smoldering did not touch the body of Ilya Muromets. The fingers of his right hand were folded as if he were signing himself with a cross.

Tomb of St. Elijah of Muromets. In the silver ark there is a part of the left hand of the reverend.

Scientists have not yet found an explanation for this phenomenon. And no one knows the exact circumstances of Ilya Muromets. It is only known that he died, having received a mortal blow with a spear, when he defended the holy monastery. At the last moment of his life, Ilya Muromets was both a hero-warrior and a reverend monk at the same time.

In 1643 he was canonized under the name of Saint Elijah. So the monks hid the truth about the real Ilya Muromets for many centuries. People still come to the relics of St. Elijah for healing, especially people with leg disease.

They pray not to the epic hero who became the hero of fairy tales and anecdotes, but to the one who found the strength in himself to overcome an incurable disease and forever abandon worldly life.

Conclusions of forensic medicine specialists

In 1990 a group of scientists from Kyiv received an unprecedented opportunity. They were instructed to examine the holy Kiev-Pechersk relics. These bodies were kept incorruptible for almost a thousand years in the caves of the Lavra. People who come to these caves are convinced that these relics have an invaluable gift of healing. But who were they in real life and where did they get such power from?

Forensic medicine specialists visited the nearby caves of the Lavra and there carried out a full examination of fifty-four bodies. Among them, the relics of the Monk Ilya of Muromets were also examined. The results were incredibly surprising and simply amazed.

“He was a tall, strong man who died at the age of 45-55. He was one meter seventy-seven centimeters high.

Here it should be understood that ten centuries ago a man of such height was really considered and was a giant, because the average height of men of that time was much smaller. But researchers were struck not only by this.

They came to a reasonable conclusion that the name of the monk does not just coincide with the name of the epic hero, and that's why. On the bones of St. Elijah, scientists found the echoes of many battles in the form of various injuries. On the bones of the Monk Elijah, scientists also found traces of blows with a spear, saber, sword, and broken ribs. But these injuries were not the cause of death.

Description of Ilya Muromets according to the results of the examination:

Experts say that this man during his lifetime had highly developed muscles, an unusually thick skull and much longer arms than ordinary people.

But what struck me the most was something else. It turned out that during his lifetime this monk suffered from a serious illness of the spine and for a very long period of time he could not move at all.

It became known that he really had big problems with the musculoskeletal system, which actually confirms the version of the epic hero Ilya Muromets, who could not move until he was thirty-three years old.

What could be the cause of the illness of such a physically strong man?

The director of the Museum of Medicine, V. Shipulin, claims that initially the experts had a version that the deceased had suffered bone tuberculosis. But after a detailed analysis of the relics, it turned out that this man suffered from polio almost from birth.

Poliomyelitis (from other Greek πολιός - gray and µυελός - spinal cord) - infantile spinal paralysis, an acute, highly contagious infectious disease caused by damage to the gray matter of the spinal cord by poliovirus and characterized mainly by the pathology of the nervous system.

This disease caused complete paralysis. These were the two main versions of the causes of immobility. That is, Ilya Muromets, described in the epics and the Monk Ilya, buried in the cave of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, is one and the same person!

And 800 years ago he ended his life in this monastery.

Everyone knows about the epic Russian hero Ilya Muromsky, and after the release of the cartoon of the same name, there is no doubt that every child knows about him. I want to emphasize that for an Orthodox person, especially working with children, that cartoon was the biggest missionary discovery. After all, on its basis, we have a real opportunity to talk about the great holy war, Elijah of Murom, whose memory we celebrate at the beginning of the year.

Ilya Muromets - On January 1, the Orthodox commemorate this holy warrior-monk, whom Russian soldiers also revere as their heavenly intercessor (patron of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces).

He became famous not only for his exploits on the battlefield, but also for his monastic ascetic life and angelic holiness.

Very little reliable information about the life of this saint has survived to our time. The Monk Elijah of Muromets of the Pechersk, nicknamed Chobotok, was born around 1143 in the village of Karacharovo near Murom (now a microdistrict of the city of Murom) in the Vladimir region in a peasant family, and folk tradition identified him with the famous hero, known as Ilya Muromets, about whom the Russians sang epics.

In the short life of the Monk Elijah, his nickname is indicated - "Chebotok", that is, a boot. Tradition explains this name in this way: enemies (probably Polovtsy) broke into the monastery at the moment when Elijah was putting on his shoes. Elijah managed to put on only one boot, and he had to defend himself from the attackers with others. With this boot, he dispersed the enemies.

From childhood until the age of 33, Ilya Muromets was paralyzed due to the weakness of his legs that struck him. Years of illness brought up in him great patience, humility, meekness and a character of amazing strength.

Once, when the weak young man was alone at home, the holy elders appeared to him in the form of poor wanderers, saying: “Go and bring us something to drink.” He got up, brought water and drank it at the request of the elders, while receiving "great power." The prophetic elders also predicted that "death in battle is not written for him."

Having received healing from his illness, Ilya Muromets devoted his life to serving the people and the state. Ilya was in the squad of the Kyiv prince Vladimir Monomakh for many years. It is known that Ilya Muromets did not have defeats, but he never exalted himself and released his defeated enemies in peace.

Having received an incurable chest wound in one of the battles, he, obeying the call of his heart, took monastic vows in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. At that time, many warriors did this, replacing the iron sword with the spiritual sword and spending their last days fighting not for earthly values, but for heavenly ones.

Ilya Muromets died around 1188 (at the 45th year of his life).

The monastic path of the Monk Elijah is hidden from us, but the incorruptibility of his relics convincingly confirms the holiness of the hero.

Upon his death, the Monk Ilya Muromets was honored to be buried in the chapel of the main temple of Kievan Rus - St. Sophia Cathedral, which then served as the grand ducal burial vault. This is one of the convincing evidence of the reverence that surrounded the name of the great warrior of the Russian land. Subsequently, the tomb of the hero was transferred to the Near Anthony Caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, where they remain to this day. Together with him rest in the tombs of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, his brothers - spiritual heroes of Holy Russia.

In 1926, the Lavra was closed and a museum was organized in its place, the relics of the saints were opened, examined, and studied. Atheists have spent a lot of effort and money trying to explain the phenomenon of the preservation of the bodies of monks in caves.

In 1988, the interdepartmental commission of the Ministry of Health of the Ukrainian SSR conducted an examination of the relics of the saint. The studies were carried out for 3 years, and they were complex. Scientists of different specialties took part in them. There were employees of the Kyiv Medical Institute from the departments of forensic medicine, anatomy, radiology, biochemistry, and hygiene.

To obtain objective data, the most modern technique and ultra-precise Japanese equipment were used. The research results are amazing. The age of the deceased was determined - 40-55 years; height - 177 cm (at one time he was a head taller than a person of average height); such defects of the spine were revealed, which allow us to talk about the paralysis of the limbs suffered in youth; the cause of death was established - an extensive wound in the region of the heart.

So, in an amazing way, modern medicine has confirmed the evidence of epics that "Elijah sat in his seat and did not have walking at his feet." In Soviet times, it was believed that these relics were a falsification, but it turned out that the epics were based on real events.

According to the reconstruction method of the anthropologist M.M. Gerasimov, criminologist and sculptor S. Nikitin recreated a sculptural portrait of the hero Ilya Muromets.

It is known about the Monk Elijah that he died with the fingers of his right hand folded for prayer, as is customary even now in the Orthodox Church - the first three fingers together, and the last two bent to the palm of his hand. During the period of struggle with the Old Believer schism (late 17th - 19th centuries), this fact from the life of the saint served as strong evidence in favor of a three-fingered addition.

Ilya Muromets was canonized as a saint in 1643 among the 69 ascetics of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

The Church and the Orthodox Russian people have never doubted that the Reverend Ilya of Muromets of the Caves and the epic hero Elijah are one person. Epics about Ilya Muromets were formed back in the days of Kievan Rus. After all, the very name "epic" tells us: this is a song about what was, that is, what took place in life. Our people called epics "old people", that is, songs about antiquity.

The genealogy of Elijah, told in epics, certainly has real grounds. The homeland of the hero is called the village of Karacharovo near Murom (hence the name "Muromets").

The special choice of Elijah for the feat is confirmed by the evidence that from birth he was weak and could not walk until the age of thirty. 30 years of Elijah's sitting "on the stove" is a symbol of life "in seclusion", hidden from the world, the time of preparation for service.

As the epics tell, one day, passersby Kaliki appeared in the house - wonderful wanderers, messengers of God. At their word, Ilya Muromets got to his feet after thirty years of sitting. And the Kaliki say to Elijah: “You, Elijah, will be a great hero, and death is not written for you in battle.”

With the blessing of his parents, Ilya Muromets is going on a journey to heroic deeds. Arriving in Kyiv, Ilya Muromets gets to the prince's feast. The heroes gathered at the table of Prince Vladimir are not lovers of fun, but defenders of the faith of the Orthodox and Russian land from enemies: Ilya Muromets is a peasant son, Alyosha Popovich is the son of a priest from Rostov, Dobrynya Nikitich is of a princely family, Stavr is a boyar, Ivan is a merchant son. The heroes who guarded the borders of Russia, for the most part, knights of a noble family. Dobrynya Nikitich is even a relative of Prince Vladimir, according to the chronicles - his uncle, according to epics - his nephew. Ilya Muromets is the only one of the Russian heroes - a peasant by birth. And it was he who was granted the greatest power - both spiritual and bodily. Ilya Muromets is a peasant son, and in Russia the word "peasant" was identical to the word "Christian". Therefore, as an equal, the prince and heroes of Ilya Muromets meet and honor him not according to class, but according to deeds and deeds.

Russian heroes, led by Ilya Muromets, not only successfully guarded the borders of Russia from numerous enemies. By their efforts, the struggle was transferred to the territory of the enemy. Chronicles report how the squads of Vladimir Monomakh drove the troops of Khan Otrok Sharukanovich “behind the iron gates” in the Caucasus, “drank the Don with golden helmets, taking their whole land.” Russian heroes reached the Sea of ​​Azov, conquered the Polovtsian camps on the Northern Donets, forced the enemies to migrate beyond the Don and the Volga, into the steppes of the North Caucasus and the South Urals.

There are about thirteen independent stories about the glorious Ilya in the classic epic: “Ilya Muromets and the Nightingale the Robber”, “”, “Quarrel of Ilya Muromets with Prince Vladimir”, “Fight of Ilya Muromets with Zhidovin”, “Svyatogor and Ilya Muromets”, “Ilya Muromets and robbers", "Ilya Muromets on the Falcon-ship", "Ilya Muromets and son", etc.

The most common and ancient are the epics about Ilya Muromets and the Nightingale the Robber: the story about his battle with the Nightingale the Robber has more than 100 options. The nightingale the robber personifies the pagan force, from which, according to his Christian purpose, the hero is called to cleanse the Russian land.

In the 19th century, Vasnetsov painted his famous painting “Bogatyrs” (Three heroes). Due to the popularity of the painting and the very theme of the three heroes among the Russian people, the painting "Bogatyrs" has become the artist's calling card. Vasnetsov and the three heroes became inseparable in the soul of a Russian person. He worked on this picture for almost twenty years, starting in 1881. After finishing this work, the work with three heroes was bought by Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov and today the masterpiece is in the Tretyakov Gallery.

The painting depicts three heroes - Dobrynya Nikitich, Ilya Muromets and Alyosha Popovich (the main characters of Russian epics). In the middle, on a black horse, Ilya Muromets, looks into the distance from under his palm, in one hand the hero has a spear, in the other a damask club. On the left, on a white horse, Dobrynya Nikitich, takes out a sword from its scabbard. On the right, Alyosha Popovich, on a red-colored horse, holds a bow with arrows in his hands. Compared to his comrades, he is young and slim. Alyosha Popovich has a quiver on his side. Three heroes stand on a wide plain, turning into low hills, in the middle of withered grass and occasionally looking through small Christmas trees. The sky is cloudy and disturbing, which means the danger threatening the heroes.

In 1956, based on epics about Ilya Muromets, a feature film was shot in the USSR, as well as several cartoons.

Russian people still honor the memory of the holy hero. In his homeland, on January 1, 1993, in the church of Saints Guria, Samon and Aviv, the icon of Saint Elijah with a particle of his relics was solemnly installed.

PRAYER TO THE HOLY REVEREND ILIYA OF MUROMETS

O holy venerable father Elijah! Holy Intercessor of Russia, a mighty warrior, a spiritual and bodily warrior appearing to her, faithfully serving the good of the Russian people and the glorification of the Christian God in his life, and after the resignation of his intercession for us, ask, holy, from the All-merciful Lord to our Fatherland Tsar, peace and prosperity, well-being of the church, deliverance to the Orthodox people from the wicked, victory to the Russian warrior in the army and to the enemies plotting an evil Church and the Orthodox Fatherland, overcoming, intercede for all of us, and we also ask thee, holiness of God, send us reason from God, yes let us know our sins, and spiritual strength, may we repent of our sins, and bodily strength, may we be able to correct our lives and revive Holy Russia, and pass into the Kingdom of Heaven from it, and there with you and all the saints be able to unceasingly praise the glorious God in the Trinity Father and Son and Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Troparion, tone 8

You enlightened your soul with fasting, with unceasing prayers your heart made a vessel of the Holy Spirit, our reverend father Elijah, with the same all the enemy of the militia you strongly confounded and, like a true victorious, you received retribution from Christ God, pray for our souls.

Kontakion, tone 8

Having wounded the soul with Christ's love, our reverend father Elijah, in the cave gloom you found the light of salvation and, like a chosen child of the great fathers of the Caves Anthony and Theodosius, together with them you inherited the monastery of paradise, now look down on the earthly abode, in it you labored, and pray for those who honor your memory, let us call you: rejoice, Elijah, prayer book for our souls.

May 28 - Border Guard Day, celebrated simultaneously in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. On this day, let's remember the patron saint of the border troops - Ilya Muromets, equally revered by the fraternal peoples that make up Holy Russia.

The name of Ilya Muromets does not appear in chronicles and other documents of the corresponding era. But the relics of the hero, preserved in the Kiev-Pechersk monastery, testify that it was not a mythical, but a very real character of history, who lived in the XI-XII centuries.

Ilya Muromets, the hero of legends created in the wake of the era of Vladimir Monomakh, led the invincible squad of the defenders of Russia. The second in rank was Dobrynya Nikitich; its real prototype was the famous governor Dobrynya, uncle of Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich the Red Sun. The honorable third place was taken by Alyosha Popovich.

The glory of Ilya Muromets even in ancient times went beyond the borders of the Russian land - he is mentioned in the works of the German-Scandinavian epic, recorded no later than the 13th century. And in Russia he was as famous as Roland in the countries of Western Europe.

The second-rate vassal of Charlemagne was immortalized by the "Song of Roland", created by a brilliant Western European poet, whose name may have been Turold.

Warrior Ilya from Murom was glorified by a poetic legend created by an unknown genius of Ancient Russia. This legend, unlike the Song of Roland, was not written down in its original form and was preserved in the tradition of oral retelling. The content of the masterpiece of ancient Russian literature, as well as some elements of its artistic design, have come down to us in a cycle of epics, coarsened in style and language by the peasant environment, where they existed until the first recordings made only in the 19th century.

Considering the epic texts in this light, one can single out the original storyline in them, built on the facts of the true biography of Ilya Muromets.

Chronological framework of the biography of Ilya Muromets

According to the opinion that dominates in the scientific community, Ilya Muromets served Vladimir Monomakh, one of the most prominent sovereigns of the Kyiv era.

Epics tell of a serious illness that paralyzed the hero in his youth (this fact was indirectly confirmed by the examination of the relics, which was carried out in 1988). Having recovered at the age of thirty, Ilya decided to become a professional warrior.

Soon he took a baptism of fire near Chernigov, defending this city. It happened presumably in 1093. This statement is supported by the analysis of epic texts in comparison with the annalistic military-political chronicle (the corresponding calculations are partially presented below). Therefore, the probable year of birth of Ilya Muromets is 1063.

An examination in 1988 found that the famous hero could live from 40 to 55 years.

In 1638, the monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra Athanasius Kalnofoysky indicated that Ilya Muromets died "450 years before that time", that is, in 1188. This dating cannot be accepted, since it takes the years of Ilya's life beyond the era of Monomakh, who died in 1125. However, the learned monk could not invent the year of death of the famous hero at his whim. Athanasius, most likely, was guided by some record that was then kept in the documents of the monastery, or the inscription at the tomb of Elijah.

Year 1188 A.D. corresponds to 6696 "from the creation of the world." In the old Russian digital system, this last four-digit number could look something like this:

S X Y S
/

It can be assumed that the configuration of numbers seen by Kalnofoysky was slightly damaged. The sign "worm" (Y), denoting the number 90, could appear instead of the sign "kako" (K) - 20. One lower stick was erased, and instead of K, a kind of Y appeared. In fact, the year of Ilya's death was probably marked in the following way:

S X K S
/

Displaying this digital combination in the modern decimal system, we get the year 6626 "from the creation of the world", 1118 from R.Kh.

Consequently, Ilya Muromets, who was born in 1063, lived for 55 years, which is quite consistent with the data of the 1988 examination.

Episodes of a combat career

As you know, Ilya Muromets was born in the village of Karacharovo into a peasant family. Therefore, his desire to become a professional defender of the fatherland could not come true easily, even in the presence of heroic strength.

The army of that time was a militia, gathered for a period of hostilities, and then dispersed to their homes. Professional warriors were only princely combatants who had a high social status. In order for the "hillbilly man" to be in the ranks of the retinue corporation, special circumstances were required. And such circumstances arose in 1093.

Then the Grand Duke of Kyiv Vsevolod died, and his son Vladimir Monomakh voluntarily ceded the great reign to his cousin Svyatopolk Izyaslavich, and took Chernigov as his inheritance. Shortly thereafter, the cousins-princes opposed the Polovtsy, but suffered a severe defeat on the Stugna River. Monomakh returned to Chernigov, where he urgently began to gather a new army.

The good fellow Ilya went to his first war, presumably, not alone, but as part of a military contingent that came to the aid of Monomakh from Murom, which at that time was part of the Chernigov principality.

“Whether that city of Chernigov was overtaken by some black-and-black silushki ... He somehow became this great force, began to trample on his horse and began to stab with a spear ...” The enemy force with which Ilya fought was the Polovtsians, who were brought by the Russian prince Oleg Svyatoslavich, the most dangerous enemy of Monomakh and Svyatopolk (at the same time - their cousin). Oleg demanded for himself the reign of Chernigov, which once belonged to his father according to the will of Yaroslav the Wise.

The fighting lasted 8 days, after which Monomakh ceded the city to an enemy relative, not wanting to continue the internecine war at a time when the Polovtsy tormented the Russian lands.

The Chernigov boyars and warriors swore allegiance to the new prince, the people of Murom swore allegiance, but Ilya did not follow the general example.

Vladimir Monomakh went to Pereyaslavl with his family and squad, in which no more than 100 soldiers remained. A worthy place in this select squad was taken by the warrior Ilya, a commoner from the city of Murom.

Svyatopolk and Monomakh made peace with the Polovtsian khans, but this did not bring peace to the Russian land. The steppe hordes roamed without fear at the very borders of Russia, the border people groaned from their violence.

In 1094, the Polovtsian Khan Itlar (Idolishche, as the epics call him) appeared at the walls of Pereyaslavl with his horde, as if visiting "Russian friends". Monomakh had to invite Itlar to the city. At the same time, the security of the khan was to be guaranteed by the young son of the Russian prince Svyatoslav, who was given as a hostage to the Polovtsy.

Khan, received in the city with honor, behaved arrogantly, like a winner among the defeated people. His behavior humiliated the prince in front of his fellow citizens. The boyars were advised to deal with the aliens, and after some hesitation, Monomakh agreed. Princely warriors and hired Torks attacked the Polovtsian camp at night and freed Svyatoslav, killing his guards. And in the morning Khan Itlar was also killed.

In the annalistic story about those events, there are no important details that can be restored from epic stories. Having conceived a plan for an attack on the Polovtsian camp, Monomakh had to think about protecting Svyatoslav. The duty of a bodyguard, apparently, was taken over by Ilya Muromets. He penetrated the Polovtsian camp in the guise of a "passable Kalika" - a beggar pilgrim, limping and leaning on a stick. The Polovtsy allowed him to Svyatoslav: let the miserable stranger entertain the bored prince. At the decisive moment of the night battle, Ilya covered the prince's son with himself from the guards assigned to him. The disabled stick in the right hand of the hero became a formidable weapon, and he pulled a wanderer's hat on the fingers of his left hand and with this semblance of a shield repelled a knife thrown by one of the Polovtsians.

After the reprisal against Itlar, the war broke out again, during which Monomakh managed to unite most of the Russian principalities into a single union.

The troops of the Russian princes repulsed the onslaught of the Polovtsians and made a series of deep raids on enemy territory, subduing the steppe predators, who had to abandon the raids on Russia.

Ilya Muromets participated in many battles and campaigns, but did not serve "soft bread" - high and comfortable positions. That is why he did not get into the annals.

But the hero did not remain an ordinary warrior either. He was appointed commander of the village - a small detachment stationed at one of the border outposts. The stanitsa followed the steppe, repulsed the raids of small Polovtsian bands. In large campaigns, the village of Ilya Muromets performed the functions of reconnaissance, extracted languages, and destroyed enemy outposts. It was a real border special forces, whose actions significantly contributed to the triumphs of the Russian army during the time of Monomakh.

Rebel by duty and the dictates of the soul

For twenty years, Ilya Muromets faithfully served Vladimir Monomakh, who gradually took power over Russia, formally remaining a modest specific prince.

In 1113 Svyatopolk Izyaslavich died and the de facto leader of the country had the opportunity to become a Grand Duke. But the Kyiv nobles, led by the thousand Putyata, put forward conditions for Monomakh, with which he could not agree.

In order to get rid of Putyata and his associates, Monomakh tried to win over to his side the middle-class citizens who were dissatisfied with the boyar rule, and most of all with the extortion of usurers (who were patronized by the late Svyatopolk). The pretender to the great reign secretly promised to make life easier for the respected citizens if they convened a veche and demanded the resignation of the thousandth. This action required strong support, and the prince of Pereslavl sent sensible soldiers to Kyiv. Among them was Ilya Muromets. He, as a true native of the people, was glad to stand up for the cause of the people.

And this turned into a lot of trouble.

When middle-class citizens took to the streets, the city mob joined them, and instead of a decent veche, a riot turned out. The crowd rioted in the streets, instilling fear in the nobles and the clergy. Ilya actively participated in the riots, he rioted himself and incited others.

The boyars rushed to Monomakh, begging him for protection. And, as soon as the new Grand Duke appeared in Kyiv, the riots stopped by themselves.

Entry into the angel regiment

Performing a special task of his superiors in Kyiv, Ilya Muromets overdid it and seriously harmed Monomakh, who tried to look in the eyes of society as a strict guardian of the law. The prince became angry and sentenced Ilya to three years in prison.

Time softens wild morals, but it is unlikely that the essence of relations between the elite and the smerds has changed too much after Vladimir baptized Russia in 988 (his pagan pantheon stood for only eight years). Just to replace the god of the prince and the squad of Perun, George the Victorious came. Vladimir's son Yaroslav (Wise) adopted the name George (Yuri) at baptism and began to mark the space with this name.

The bogatyr could not recognize such a verdict as fair. Coming out of prison, he decided to serve not the princes, but God, accepted the monastic dignity in the Kiev-Pechersk monastery, where he spent the rest of his life (from about 1116 to 1118).

The Moscow pilgrim John Lukyanov left a curious description of the relics of Ilya Muromets, whom he worshiped in 1701: “I immediately saw the brave warrior Ilya Muromets, incorruptible, under the cover of gold, growing like today's large people, his left hand is pierced by a spear, the ulcer is all to know On the hand". According to eyewitnesses, in addition to a deep round wound on the left arm, there was the same significant injury in the left chest area.

Thus, Ilya's monastic life did not end with a peaceful repose. He was killed in hand-to-hand combat, which he apparently entered without a weapon. The left hand of an experienced fighter reacted to the attack with a spear and tried to repel the blow. But there was no shield in that hand, and the deadly weapon pierced it, and the unprotected body to the very heart.

The last battle of Ilya Muromets took place near the monastery or even within its walls. The body, not yet touched by the decomposition process, was buried immediately after the battle in the monastery underground necropolis, where it underwent natural mummification, and remained in this form until at least the beginning of the 18th century. Later, the mummy nevertheless decayed.

The Kiev-Pechersk monastery in the 12th century was famous for its riches, which attracted predatory gangs of various kinds. Apparently, the famous hero faced one of these gangs.

Posthumous service of Ilya Muromets

A popular legend about Ilya Muromets arose around the thirties and forties of the XII century, in hot pursuit of the dramatic era of Vladimir Monomakh. But due to political reasons (their analysis is beyond the scope of this article), the author of the legend moved the action into the distant past, during the time of Vladimir the Red Sun. At the same time, reworked plots from pagan mythology were added to the real exploits of Elijah, including a colorful story about Elijah's victory over the Nightingale the Robber.

The invincible warrior Ilya could not end his life in such a miserable way as it happened in reality. The author prepared a different fate for his hero: after leaving prison, Ilya accomplished new feats. He defeated the countless hordes of Tsar Kalin and became the successor of the great Svyatogor, the ancient defender of the Slavic lands.

The bright, figurative narration about Ilya Muromets gained immense popularity in Russia and was passed on from one generation of storytellers to another.

Epic stories about Ilya turned out to be relevant ideological material in the 14th century, on the eve of the first victories of Muscovite Russia over the khans of the Golden Horde. The storytellers of that time made a feasible contribution to the nationwide cause: taking as a basis the ancient masterpieces of poetic creativity, they created a collective image of an invincible heroic squad led by Ilya Muromets as an example for contemporaries who still had to put up with the Horde yoke.

In the 16th-17th centuries, an increased interest in the legends about Ilya Muromets manifested itself in Ukraine, where a popular movement for liberation from Polish rule arose.

In 1643, Ilya Muromets was canonized by the Orthodox Church as a saint in the rank of reverend. This happened five years before the speech of Bohdan Khmelnitsky, which resulted in the unification of Kyiv and the Left-Bank Ukraine with the same faith, fraternal Russia.

P.S.: Read a more complete and detailed version of my research about Ilya Muromets in the online magazine Changes,.

In Kyiv, the Park of Friendship of Peoples is being renamed. Now, when the Russian-Ukrainian war is going on, the name inherited from the USSR is considered irrelevant. From now on, the recreation area will be called Muromets. A slippery topic, because the origin of the warrior has not been established.

Muromets Park is located on an island in the middle of the Dnieper. According to legend, there was a camp there, from where the heroes went to hire to. The island is 100% Ukrainian, but whose is Ilya?

It is impossible to find out from the remains of the hero. Traditionally, the relics stored in the caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra were attributed to Ilya Muromets. Thirty years ago, the bones were examined by forensic experts. The growth of the deceased during his lifetime was established - 177 centimeters, quite heroic dimensions for the Middle Ages. Mounds on the bones speak of developed muscles, healed fractures - of a military past. The skull has signs of acromegaly. Such a pathology can be traced, for example, in boxer Nikolai Valuev.

According to legend, Ilya lay paralyzed on the stove for 33 years until he was healed by the elders. Indeed, the experts examined traces of spondyloarthrosis on the vertebrae of the skeleton, which can confine a person to bed and is treated by chiropractors.

Inflammatory disease that limits the mobility of the spine.

Who and where Ilya was from cannot be established exactly because of the scarcity of written sources. Therefore, WAS gives a set of facts that supporters of various versions use:

1. Bogatyr Ilya is the main character of 15 Russian and 4 Ukrainian epics. All of them were recorded no earlier than the middle of the 19th century.

2. Knight Ilya from Russia (Ilias von Riuzen) appears in the German epic poems of the 13th century. Old Russian chronicles do not know such a warrior.

3. The first mention of Ilya Muromets was found in a letter, which in 1574 the headman of Orsha Filon Kmita sent to the caretaker of the Trakai castle. The message is written in the language of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which, depending on their citizenship, scientists now call "Old Belarusian", "Old Ukrainian" or "Western Russian":

Nieszczasnij ja dworanin, zhib jesmi w nendzy, a bolsz z žalu: ludi na kaszy perejeli kaszu, a ja s hołodu zdoch na storožy. Ilii Murawlenina i Sołowia Budimirowicza, prijdet czas, koli budiet služb naszych potreba.

"Bogatyrs", Viktor Vasnetsov, 1881-1898 Ilya Muromets in the center. Source: Tretyakov Gallery

4. Ilya is named in the letter an ant. The Austrian diplomat Erich Lassota, who visited Kyiv in 1594, writes about the hero Morovlin. Known other variants of the nickname: Muravlenin, Murovets, Muromlyan, Murin.

5. Russian epics say that Ilya comes from the "village of Karacharovo near Murom", Ukrainian - that from the "city of Muroml".

Ilya Muromets and the Nightingale the Robber. Lubok, 1887. Source: New York Public Library Digital Collections / nypl.org "Strong and brave hero Ilya Muromets." Russian lubok, lithograph by Ivan Golyshev, 1868.