Bova Korolevich, aka Bova Gvidonovich, aka Bueve, aka Bovo from Anton (Buovo d'Antona). Today this name (s) is unlikely to say anything even to fans of Russian folklore.
And just a century ago, Bova Korolevich was one of the most "cult" characters, who, in terms of popularity among the people, far bypassed other "epic" heroes Ilia Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich.
Lubochnye tales about the "great hero" were published in hundreds of editions from the 18th to the 20th centuries. This was the "Batman" of its time. Arina Rodionovna read the tale of Bova Korolevich to Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. The poet will then write "The Tale of Tsar Saltan", partially borrowing the plot and the names of the heroes of this poem. Moreover, Alexander Sergeevich will even make sketches of the poem "Bova", but death will prevent him from completing the work.
French ancestry
Bova Korolevich was not only the most popular hero of Russian folk literature, but also the most mysterious. So, unlike the "home-grown" Ilya Muromets and Dobrynya Nikitich, Bova Gvidonovich had a "foreign" origin. The prototype of this knight was the French knight Beauvo de Anton from the famous chronicle poem Reali di Francia, written already in the XIV century.
Promotional video:
The main secret is how the French knight got to Russia and became a popularly beloved hero here. Moreover, among the common people, who had never even heard of the existence of France and courtly knights. Interestingly, the Russian version of the knightly romance has undergone minor plot changes. Of the characters, only the hero Polkan was added. Hero names have changed slightly. Duke Guido became King Guidon, the beloved of the knight Druziniana became Druzhevna, etc. Many French heroes received rather bizarre middle names in the Russian version.
Bova the King's Incredible Adventures
The plot of the tale is as follows: Bova Korolevich runs away from home from the evil mother of Militrisa Kirbityevna and the stepfather of King Dodon. Fate brings him to King Zenzivy Andronovich, where the hero falls in love with his daughter Druzhevna. In honor of her, he performs miracles of courage, defeats one whole army of contenders for the hand of Druzhevna - kings Markobrun and Lukoper Saltanovich. Thanks to the intrigues of one envious courtier Bova, the Korolevich finds himself in a series of dangerous adventures, is saved only thanks to his courage, a sword-kladenets and a heroic horse, on which no one except Bova dares to sit.
In the tale, Bova acts as a zealous champion of the Orthodox Faith. Even when he is threatened with death, he does not want to abandon Orthodoxy and believe in "the Latin faith and God Akhmet." In the end, Bova frees Druzhevna from Markobrun and marries her. After marriage, he goes to take revenge on King Dodon for the murder of his father; at this time Druzhevna is hiding with the daughter of King Saltan, Minchitrisa. Bove, deciding that his wife was dead, is going to marry Minchitris, whom he converted to Christianity. But Druzhevna is alive, Bova returns to her and to her two sons, while Minchitris marries the son of Licharda, Bova's loyal servant.
Disappearing
Probably, with a certain adaptation, Bova Korolevich could now compete with fantasy bestsellers such as The Lord of the Rings. But after the revolution, the knight-hero also mysteriously disappeared from the folk epic, as he appeared in his time. This is very strange, since nobody forbade Bove Gvidonovich. Why, at one fine moment, in the villages and townships suddenly stopped retelling his incredible adventures?
One of the most fantastic versions says that Bova Gvidonovich was brought in and popularized in Russia by legendary women. It was they who originally translated the French knightly romance into Russian popular print and carried it across the country. Allegedly, the "Russified" plot of the tale contained some kind of secret knowledge of Russian peddlers. After the revolution, it is likely that the spread of this "Ofen Kabbalah" lost its relevance, so Bova Korolevich quietly disappeared into new information flows.
Anton Elston
