Around the image of the legendary Arina Rodionovna - the nanny of the great Russian poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin - many different rumors and legends arose. Despite the fact that the famous pupil himself always spoke of this respected woman with sincere love and gratitude, some Pushkin scholars and contemporaries of the poet noted surprising and even contradictory moments in the biography and character of the nanny, whose name became a household name.
Izhorka or Chukhonka?
Arina Rodionovna (1758-1828) was a peasant serf. She was born in the village of Lampovo, Petersburg province, not far from the village of Suida. Her parents Lukerya Kirillova and Rodion Yakovlev raised seven children. The girl's real name was Irina (or Irinya), but in the family she was always called Arina, and so it happened.
Despite the fact that officially in the 18th century almost all serfs of the St. Petersburg province were considered Russian, the majority of the inhabitants of those places, in fact, were representatives of assimilated Finno-Ugric nationalities. The suburbs of Suida were inhabited mainly by the Izhorians - the descendants of one of the tribes of the people, which bore the name "Chud". In addition to them, Chukhonts also lived on these lands.
Historians and Pushkin scholars do not have exact information to which of these Finno-Ugric nationalities, completely mixed with the Russians and not preserved, Arina Rodionovna belonged to. But some of the tales she told the famous pupil have a distinct northern flavor. Even the image of an oak near the Lukomorye clearly echoes the Scandinavian legends about the Yggdrasil tree connecting different levels of the universe.
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From a family of Old Believers?
Some historians note that families of Old Believers have long lived in the vicinity of the village of Suida in the Petersburg province. Many of these people hid their religious views so as not to be persecuted by the official church.
In addition to the fact that Arina Rodionovna was born in the places of the traditional settlement of the Old Believers, the information contained in the letter to A. S. Pushkin to his friend P. A. Vyazemsky dated November 9, 1826. Thus, the great poet writes: “My nanny is hilarious. Imagine that at the age of 70, she learned by heart a new prayer "For the tenderness of the heart of the ruler and the taming of the spirit of his ferocity", probably composed under Tsar Ivan. Now her priests are tearing up a prayer service …"
The simple fact that Arina Rodionovna knew by heart or learned from somewhere a rare ancient prayer that existed even before the split of the Orthodox Church may testify to her close communication or kinship with the Old Believers. After all, only they so anxiously preserved religious texts, many of which were lost by the official church.
Serf without a surname
Arina Rodionovna did not have a surname, like many serfs. Although her parent is recorded in the church registers as Yakovlev, and her husband as Matveyev, these were not names, but patronymics. In those days, Peter, the son of Ivan, was called Peter Ivanov, and the grandson of the same Ivan did not inherit the surname of his grandfather, but was named after his father - Petrov.
However, Irina is indicated in the birth register - the daughter of the peasant Rodion Yakovlev. The church book of the village of Suida also contains information about the wedding of Irinya Rodionova and Fedor Matveyev. These facts confused many researchers, who mistakenly called Pushkin's nanny nee Yakovleva, and Matveyeva in marriage.
Mother of four children
Some people believe that Arina Rodionovna did not have her own family, and therefore she was strongly attached to her pupil. However, this was not the case. In 1781, a 22-year-old peasant woman married and moved to the village of Kobrino, Sofia district, where her husband Fyodor Matveyev (1756-1801) lived, who was two years older than his young wife.
In this marriage, four children were born. The eldest son of the legendary nanny was named Yegor Fedorov. In the revision tale for 1816, he is listed as the head of the family, since he was the eldest man in the widow's mother's house.
And the husband of Arina Rodionovna died at the age of 44. Some sources claim that from drunkenness.
Drink lover
All records of A. S. Pushkin about his nanny is imbued with special warmth and gratitude. But some people familiar with this woman pointed out that Arina Rodionovna liked to knock over a glass or two from time to time.
Thus, the poet Nikolai Mikhailovich Yazykov wrote in his memoirs: "… she was an affectionate, caring hustler, an inexhaustible storyteller, and at times a cheerful drinking lady." This man, who knew his friend's nanny well, noted that despite her fullness, she was always a lively and energetic woman.
A neighbor of the great poet on the estate in the village of Mikhailovskoye spoke quite frankly about Arina Rodionovna. The noblewoman Maria Ivanovna Osipova left such a note in her memoirs: "… the old woman is extremely respectable, all gray-haired, but with one sin - she loved to drink."
Perhaps in the poem "Winter Evening" by A. S. Pushkin, it is no accident that the following lines appeared:
Let's have a drink, good friend
My poor youth, Let's drink from grief; where is the mug?
The heart will be more cheerful.
Although there is no other information that this respected woman ever drank or (God forbid!) Introduced her famous pupil to alcohol.
Folk storyteller
It is unlikely that any of the Pushkin scholars will deny that Arina Rodionovna had a noticeable influence on the work of the great poet. Some historians call her a real folk storyteller - an inexhaustible storehouse of ancient traditions, legends and myths.
Having become an adult, A. S. Pushkin realized what an invaluable national and cultural heritage fairy tales are, which his dear nanny knew by heart. In 1824-1826, while in exile, the great poet took the opportunity to once again listen and write down the magical stories about Tsar Saltan, the golden cockerel, the Lukomorye, the dead princess and the seven heroes, as well as many others. The author breathed new life into these tales, bringing into them his literary gift and poetic outlook.
In early November 1824 A. S. Pushkin wrote to his younger brother Lev Sergeevich from the village of Mikhailovskoye that he was writing until lunchtime, then riding, and in the evening listening to fairy tales, thereby making up for the shortcomings of his education. The poet probably meant that at the beginning of the 19th century, the nobles did not study oral folk art at all.
“What a charm these fairy tales are! Each is a poem! The poet exclaimed in a letter to his brother.
As the Pushkinists established, according to their nanny A. S. Pushkin also recorded ten folk songs and several expressions that seemed very interesting to him.