The history of world painting knows not so many paintings, the creation of which the artist would devote a significant part of his creative life. These canvases include Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov's “Heroes” (“Three Heroes”). Few people know that the heroes depicted in the picture are not only heroes of Russian folklore, but also real people! And if we add to this a lot of mysteries and oddities that at first glance are not striking, it turns out that Vasnetsov's masterpiece is not much inferior in mystery to Leonardo da Vinci's “Mona Lisa” …
Russian bogatyrs
Of the heroes depicted in the picture, the best known, perhaps, is Ilya Muromets, located in the center of the composition. In history he is known as the saint Rev. Ilya of Muromets of the Caves (he died approximately in 1188), a native of the city of Murom. He is the hero of a number of Russian epics that arose in the XII-XIII centuries, and Germanic folk tales of the XIII century.
In 1988, the Interdepartmental Commission of the Ministry of Health of the Ukrainian SSR conducted a comprehensive examination of the remains of the hero, which are still stored in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Scientists found that Ilya died at the age of 40-55 from a puncture wound to the heart (by the nature of the damage it can be judged that the enemy spear, having pierced Ilya's shield and hand, pierced right into the chest), and in his youth suffered from paralysis of the lower extremities (that's why he I lay on the stove for thirty years and three years).
Ilya was from peasants. Despite the fact that with his feats of arms he earned great respect from Prince Vladimir and his entourage, they sometimes nevertheless emphasized this social inequality. For example, Vladimir suddenly "forgets" to invite Ilya to a feast or gives him not valuable gifts like the boyars, but just a Tatar fur coat. Conscious of his services to the Russian land, Ilya does not hesitate to publicly call Vladimir a fool for such an attitude towards himself, shoot a bow at the gilded domes of his palace, and also excite commoners. However, he gets away with all this - after all, after all, he is a hero!
To the right of Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich is sitting on a horse. The historical prototype of Dobrynya is difficult to determine: the whole point is that there were several Dobryn in the epics at once. So, in the Tver Chronicle, next to Alyosha Popovich, his comrade Dobrynya (Timonya) Zlatopoyas is mentioned, and Alyosha Popovich, his servant Torop and Dobrynya Razanich Zlaty Belt are mentioned in the Nikon Chronicle. However, the version that the epic Dobrynya could have a connection with the historical uncle of Prince Vladimir seems the most plausible. This is evidenced, in particular, by the epic about getting a Good bride for Vladimir.
Apparently, this epic was based on the event marked by the chronicle of 980, namely the matchmaking of Rogvold Polotsk's daughter Rogneda by Vladimir. The similarities are obvious: firstly, the action takes place in the land located in the west (according to the chronicle - in the Polotsk region, according to the epic - in the land of Lithuania). Secondly, the bride's matchmaking is refused, and the bride is obtained by violence, and the main role here is played by Dobrynya, who, according to the chronicles, defeated Rogvold and seized Polotsk, and, according to the epic, chopped down every Tatars to a man.
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To the left of Ilya Muromets is Alyosha Popovich, in the annals he is referred to exclusively as Alexander Popovich. Alexander is a real warrior. He participated in a number of significant battles, and not only participated, but showed the wonders of military art and strength. For example, he fearlessly fought on the Ish-ne and Uze rivers against the troops of Yuri, the younger brother of Constantine (who, in turn, was the eldest son of Grand Duke Vsevolod Yuryevich). Popovich also took part in the famous Lipetsk battle.
After the death of his patron Konstantin, Alexander Popovich gathered his friends at a rattling well on the Uza River and put forward an offer - to enter the service of the Great Kiev Prince Mstislav Romanovich the Brave, instead of not sparing his belly, to participate in petty squabbles of different princes. Everyone liked the idea, and Mstislav Romanovich was very happy to receive such reinforcement. But, as can be seen from history, he did not rejoice for long - in a battle with the Tatars on the Kalka River on May 31, 1223, he was defeated, and Popovich fell there along with his seventy old friends.
In the epics, Alyosha Popovich first appears in the form of a mighty fearless warrior (as it was), but later, apparently, under the influence of the nickname Popovich (the son of a priest), popular rumor begins to ascribe other features to Alyosha - cunning, cunning, a tendency to deception and love affairs. This was reflected in Vasnetsov's painting - Alyosha is depicted there as an almost slender young man, shooting from afar at enemies with a bow (although, according to epics, all three heroes fired for a sweet soul, and this was not considered something shameful).
If, taking into account all the above data, we take a fresh look at the picture, then we will understand that all three heroes cannot be depicted in the form in which they are depicted. If we take the age of Ilya Muromets as a standard, it turns out that at that time Dobrynya Nikitich should already be a gray-bearded old man, and Alyosha Popovich - a boy.
What weapons do they have?
But that is not all. Now let's figure out what the epic heroes are depicted with in the picture.
The central figure of the composition - Ilya Muromets - carries a mace and a spear. Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov, apparently, wanted to thereby emphasize the physical strength of the hero. However, the mace was not the main, but an auxiliary weapon of Ilya and served to deliver a quick, unexpected blow in any direction. The main weapon of Muromets (by the way, widespread in Russia) was still a spear.
The sword, as you know, was also a symbol of princely power, and at first only senior warriors or the prince had the right to wear it. Vasnetsov noted this too, putting it into the hands of Dobryna Nikitich, who, apparently, was indeed a representative of the princely family.
The armament of the third character, Alyosha Popovich, is much more interesting. In his hands we see a complex (composite) bow and a sword in a sheath on its side. So, the Russian shooter, if, of course, he was not left-handed, wore a bag (cover) with a bow on his left side, and a quiver with arrows on his right. The fact that Alyosha is right-handed is confirmed by the fact that his sword hangs on his left. Then why is the quiver also on the left? Apparently, Viktor Mikhailovich was so carried away by the creation of a masterpiece that he accidentally lost sight of this moment, thereby creating serious problems for the drawn Popovich in battle.
As for the armor, a very close attention is drawn to the shishak that flaunts on the crown of Dobrynya Nikitich. The fact is that at the time of Dobrynya, this helmet was a rarity more abruptly than all Faberge eggs combined. Why? Because Vasnetsov portrayed a hero in a helmet that belonged to the Pereyaslavl prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, the father of Alexander Nevsky! During the internecine battle of Lipetsk between Vladimir-Suzdal and Novgorod (1216), this helmet migrated from the prince's head to the ground, and 600 years later it was found by a peasant in the forest and handed over to whoever it should be. Well, Vasnetsov could not resist and portrayed Dobrynya in the legendary helmet, once again emphasizing his princely origin … Author: E. Vasiliev
Source: “Interesting Newspaper Plus. Mysteries of Civilization №1