The Novgorod epic: to what cycle the epic "Sadko" belongs

Many are interested in the question: to what cycle does the epic "Sadko" refer? It turns out that the folk epic with this common name refers to the Old Slavonic Novgorod epic cycle, which, according to researchers, arose in the 12th century - the time of economic development of the city of Novgorod, but the general decline of all Kievan Rus.

At that time, Novgorod almost did not affect the invasion of the Tatar-Mongol horde, and it was the largest trade and trade center. By this time, the heyday of Kiev has become a thing of the past. And with Novgorod, epic tales about military exploits of Russian soldiers begin to be connected.

The Novgorod cycle of the epic "Sadko"

The flourishing of trade and commerce in Novgorod became for the XII century a real and lively modernity, and therefore the themes were mainly praised by social and everyday life: the organization of trade and the life of the merchant class.

The main hero of the epics is the merchant Sadko, and not the historical hero of any. The epic itself is narrated in three parts, which can also occur as completely independent works. And yet it is interesting, to what cycle does the epic "Sadko" refer?

Sadko was the hero of the epic of the Novgorod cycle, and I must say that there are 9 of the most famous variants that were recorded in the Olonets province. And they can have a completely different story line. However, there are only two complete ones: from the storytellers Vasily Shchegolenok and Andrey Sorokin.

The development of the plot

In one part Sadko resides in the underwater kingdom, this kind of plot is also found in other peoples.

Later the story about how Sadko got rich with the help of goldfish, which the sea king rewarded him , heard the hero's unusual play on the harp standing on the bank of the Ilmen Lake. In some epics about Sadko, the catechists call the king not "sea", but "watery". And this fact pushes to the fact that these are two different characters.

After all, in Russian folklore there is in some way a three-tiered hierarchy of water spirits, some inhabiting small streams and backwaters, others in rivers and lakes, and there is a sea king-master of the seas and oceans.

To which cycle is the epic "Sadko"

The latest part of the epic is a very colorful story about how Sadko argued that he would buy all Novgorod merchandise from merchants, but he could not do it.

Some researchers epic argue that the hero Sadko had a prototype - the rich Novgorodian Sadko Sytinich, who is mentioned in one of the chronicles as a builder of the Novgorod church in honor of Boris and Gleb in 1167. It is believed that the basis of epics and became a tale of it.

In the question of which cycle the epic "Sadko" refers to, it is necessary to note the main thing that the stories can sound in a variety of interpretations. Even in one old French novel there is a hero Sadok, whose adventures are very similar to the adventures of our hero. This gives grounds to assume that the novel and epic originate from one source, in which the name already existed.