Where does love begin? At first sight, a captivating smile, an affectionate word, a passionate kiss? It is unlikely that there would be an eccentric who refused to find an answer to this question. We eagerly read the texts of books and peer into the frames of films, but the answer always slips away. Perhaps that is why love stories are so interesting. Romeo and Juliet, D'Artagnan and Constantia, Caesar and Cleopatra - the list is endless. One of the most unusual couples in the field Slavic culture- the union of Peter and Fevronia.
The story of their life is considered a hymn of love. What do we know about these heroes, why is their story so exciting and is it really a hymn of love? In order to understand this, consider the characteristics of the main characters. Unfortunately, as in any other text belonging to the period of ancient literature, one should not look for a description of appearance, a complex plot or extended dialogues - one must draw conclusions about personal qualities based on the actions of the characters.
The beginning of the story
The action of the story covers a long period. The story begins in the city of Murom during the reign of Prince Paul. Once, the devil "sent an evil winged serpent to the prince's wife for a fornication." Of course, such an action did not cause admiration for either the prince or the princess. By deceit, they managed to find out that the death of the pest "is destined from Peter's shoulder, from Agrikov's sword." And while Paul and his wife ponder who Peter is and how to find him. The brother of the prince, whose name is the same as the alleged savior, does not doubt his destiny.
What do we know about Peter?
The author does not tell us anything about the childhood and adolescence of this hero, we get to know him when he is already an adult. Peter is a true believing Christian, from time to time he likes to go to the Church of the Exaltation of the honest and life-giving cross. It is attractive to him because you can stay here alone. Why this is so important to Peter, we do not know. It can be assumed that the presence of many people is distracting, does not make it possible to focus on fellowship with the Lord. One day a boy approached Peter in the church. In fact, he also fulfills his destiny - he shows where the sword that is destructive for the serpent is. Would you like me to show you Agric's sword?" he asks. Peter must make a choice: to refuse or to follow the predestination. However, Peter is sure that the savior from the prediction is he.
In addition, he is driven by the desire to help his brother with his daughter-in-law. "Let me see where he is!" Peter replies confidently. From that moment on, he becomes the main character of the "Tale". In the further course of the story, we can talk about the presence of such qualities in the main character as courage, courage and determination. Peter got a sword, but in order to go out to fight with a snake, you must be not only strong physically, but also strong in spirit. Fear does not prevail over the hero even when it turns out that the servant of the devil takes the form of Paul and Peter can accidentally kill his brother, and not the villain. The problem is solved simply: “Now, brother, don’t go anywhere from here, but I’ll go there to fight with the snake, perhaps, with God’s help, this crafty snake will be killed,” says Peter, showing ingenuity.
In this situation, such a quality as disinterestedness is manifested - Peter does not ask for any reward for killing the snake - he does this act out of a noble desire to help others, and not to receive any benefit for himself.
He is a highly moral person, which confirms the several times repeated epithet “pious” in relation to the hero, moreover, he is resolute - entering the chambers, he strikes a fatal blow without hesitation, but at the same time, the enemy’s blood, falling on the hero’s body, causes a disease: “Sores appeared on his body, and a serious illness seized him.” Why the Lord did not protect or heal Peter also remains open question. We can assume that in this way God makes another omen come true - the wedding of Fevronia and Peter.
Who is Fevronia and what is her merit?
Information about this girl is rather scarce. She lives in the village of Laskovo in Ryazan, her father is a poison dart frog. The girl has the gift of healing. The author portrays her to us as a wise, honest, kind girl. Peter decided to test her and gave her an impossible task, thanks to her mind, the girl easily gets out of a difficult situation. The question of Fevronia's disinterestedness is debatable. About the payment for the service in healing, the girl herself says: “... I don’t demand any reward from him. Here is my word to him: if I do not become his wife, then it is not fitting for me to treat him.
The prospect of marrying a commoner does not look attractive to a noble person, but the desire to get rid of the disease is great. Peter deceives Fevronia and promises marriage, but at the same time he does not forget that it is inappropriate for the prince to take the daughter of a poison dart frog as his wife.
The disease returns, and the prince is forced to fulfill his promise. Does Peter regret this forced action? No, upon returning to Murom, "without violating God's commandments in anything." And, despite the low origin, Fervonia turned out to be a good wife, an intelligent and reasonable wife. It seems that in many situations she is superior to Peter's mind - he often consults with her and advises her advice, but this is not so - she just knows how to see the situation from a different angle. Both spouses have a high level moral qualities and do not deviate from their prejudices under the influence of difficult life situations. Even the intrigues of the boyars did not become a stumbling block for their relationship. 
Did the spouses love each other?
For a modern reader, accustomed to the template of passionate, emotional love, it may seem that there is no love between spouses. Peter marries Fevronia because he wants to be healed, he does not follow the advice of the boyars to marry “on an equal footing”, because “if someone drives away his wife, who is not accused of adultery, and marries another, he himself commits adultery” - about no love the author of the Tale does not tell us. However, you should read the text more carefully.
The author calls Fevronia a saint. And this is not surprising - the bread crumbs collected from the dining table in her palm turned into "fragrant incense and incense", and the small stakes from the fire, at her command, the next morning became "big trees with branches and foliage." Fevronia is identified with God, therefore Peter's love for his wife is equated with love for the Lord. So it's useless to talk about passion here.
Spouses are loved by their people - thanks to their pious life and justice, they have become for ordinary people a role model and remained so until the end of their days.
Summarize
The story of Peter and Fevronia cannot be equated with the story of Romeo and Juliet or Tristan and Isolde. Here, the feelings of the characters are cut off from everyday background - they switched to more high level. Spouses, despite the similarity in beliefs, vision of the world and attitude to different life situations harmoniously complement each other. In general, both Peter and Fevronia are positive characters.
Of course, in the text you can find moments where their behavior does not quite correspond with the constant epithet "pious" to characterize their lives. It is worth perceiving such situations not from the point of view of self-interest or weakness of the spirit of the heroes, but from the position of God's providence. If Peter had not fallen ill, he would never have met Fevronia; if it were not for the requirement to marry as payment for treatment, the prince would never have taken a simple girl as his wife; if it were not for the intrigues of the boyars, the spouses would never have learned about the importance of their righteous deeds. Yes, it is very difficult to follow one's path, adhere to the laws of morality and God's statutes, but only in this case one can become happy oneself and fill the lives of other people with joy - this postulate just confirms the text of the story.
Fevronia: The image of the “wise maiden” F. goes back to a Russian fairy tale. The daughter of a beekeeper ("tree climber") from the village of Laskovo, Ryazan land, is famous for good deeds, intelligence and insight. She is a faithful and caring wife who knows how to fight for her happiness. F. embodies love that neither evil people nor the force of circumstances can defeat. Researchers have repeatedly compared the old Russian story with the Western European novel about Tristan and Isolde, who also encounter various obstacles on the path to happiness. The main character is active, she herself creates her own fate and the fate of Prince Peter, over whom she wins a moral victory.
The image of P. plays a less noticeable role in the narrative, it is as if overshadowed by the bright and colorful figure of F. Prince P. of Murom, standing up for the honor of his brother's wife, fights with a flying kite that has become accustomed to her. Having mastered the Agric sword, P. wins, but the snake's poisonous blood causes incurable ulcers and scabs on his body. F. heals the prince, putting forward the condition: she will cure P. if he takes her as his wife.
The prince does not want to marry a simple peasant woman. But after a second appeal to F. for help, the ashamed prince takes the peasant girl as his wife.
F.'s wisdom is manifested not only in deeds and deeds, but also in the ability to speak in allegory, riddles. So the princely envoy does not understand her, in response to whose questions F. says: “It’s bad when the yard is without ears, and the house is without eyes”; "Father and mother went on loan to cry, and the brother went through the legs of death to look into the eyes." F. herself explains the meaning of what has been said: the ears of the house are a dog, and the eyes are a child.
They, each in their own way, will warn the owner of the approach of a stranger. The heroine's father and mother went to the funeral, and the beekeeper's brother went about his dangerous trade, climbing tall trees.
With wise speeches, F. confounds her future husband. Peter: After F. becomes the wife of the prince, the evil boyars and their wives, "like psi barking", do not want to be ruled by a woman of peasant origin, they seek to drive F. out of the city, to separate the heroes. However, even here the power of love prevails. F. wants to take with him the most precious thing - his spouse.
P. refuses to reign, leaves Murom together with F. The heroes of the story do not value power and wealth. So the love of P. and F. overcomes social obstacles. In this episode, a certain anti-boyar tendency is noticeable. The creator of the story emphasizes that the "evil" boyars quarreled because of power: each "although to be powerful."
The townspeople beg P. to rule Murom as before. Returning to the city, P. and F. rule not with rage, but with truth and justice, they treat their subjects not as mercenaries, but as true shepherds.
They are compared to gracious and cordial child-loving parents. Neither social inequality nor "malicious" boyars can separate the heroes.
They are inseparable in the face of death. At the same time, having accepted the monastic rank, P. and F. pray to God: “Yes, in one hour there will be a repose by her”; and bequeathed to be buried in one tomb. The description of the death of the saints is especially expressive. Before her death, "blessed" F. embroiders "air" with the faces of saints for the cathedral.
The prince, feeling his imminent death, sends to tell his wife that he is waiting for her in order to leave this world together. F. asks her master to wait until she finishes her work. After P.’s third appeal to her (“I’m leaving this world, I can no longer wait for you”), the nun princess, who managed to embroider the face and hand of the saint, responds to the call of her husband. Having stuck the needle into the unfinished cover and wrapped the thread around it, F. sends to P. to say that she is ready.
Even a posthumous miracle important element compositions of the hagiographic narrative - reaffirms the inseparability of the marital ties of the characters. People who sought to separate P. and F. during their lifetime separate them twice after death: P.’s body was laid in the city, “in the cathedral church of the Most Pure Mother of God”, and F.’s body was buried “outside the city”, in the Exaltation Church of the Women’s Monastery. In the morning, everyone sees a miracle: the bodies of the prince and princess are in a common tomb.
About the popularity of the story says big number lists that have survived to this day. The story combines two ancient folklore motifs - about a snake fighter and a wise maiden. In a number of lists, the "Tale" is called a life, but Yermolai-Erasmus could not deviate from the folk poetic tradition in the depiction of heroes, in plot construction. Probably, due to this genre uncertainty, the predominance of folklore beginnings in the narrative of the “new miracle workers of Murom”, the work of Yermolai-Erazm was not included by Metropolitan Macarius in the composition of the Great Menaion of the Four.
The image of the “wise maiden” F. goes back to a Russian fairy tale. The daughter of a beekeeper (“tree climber”) from the village of Laskovo, Ryazan land, is famous for her good deeds, intelligence and insight. She is a faithful and caring wife who knows how to fight for her happiness. F. embodies love that neither evil people nor the force of circumstances can defeat. Researchers have repeatedly compared the old Russian story with the Western European novel about Tristan and Isolde, who also encounter various obstacles on the path to happiness.
The main character is active, she herself creates her own fate and the fate of Prince Peter, over whom she wins a moral victory. The image of P. plays a less noticeable role in the narrative, it is, as it were, overshadowed by the bright and colorful figure of F.
Prince P. of Murom, standing up for the honor of his brother's wife, fights with a flying kite that has become accustomed to her. Having mastered the Agric sword, P. wins, but the snake's poisonous blood causes incurable ulcers and scabs on his body. F. heals the prince, putting forward the condition: she will cure P. if he takes her as his wife. The prince does not want to marry a simple peasant woman. But after a second appeal to F. for help, the ashamed prince takes the peasant girl as his wife.
F.'s wisdom is manifested not only in deeds and deeds, but also in the ability to speak in allegory, riddles. So the princely envoy does not understand her, in response to whose questions F. says: “It’s bad when the yard is without ears, and the house is without eyes”; "Father and mother went on loan to cry, and the brother went through the legs of death to look into the eyes." F. herself explains the meaning of what has been said: the ears of the house are a dog, and the eyes are a child. They, each in their own way, will warn the owner of the approach of a stranger. The heroine's father and mother went to the funeral, and the beekeeper's brother went about his dangerous trade, climbing tall trees. With wise speeches, F. confounds her future husband.
Answer left Guest
Characteristics of Fevronia. The heroine of the story is the maiden Fevronia. She is wise with folk wisdom. The first appearance in the story of the girl Fevronia is captured in a visually distinct image. She is found in a simple peasant hut by the envoy of the Murom Prince Peter, who fell ill from the poisonous blood of the snake he killed. In a poor peasant dress, Fevronia sat at a loom and was engaged in a “quiet” business - she wove a linen, and a hare jumped in front of her, as if symbolizing her fusion with nature. Her questions and answers, her quiet and wise conversation clearly show that "Rublev's thoughtfulness" is not thoughtless. Fevronia astonishes the envoy with her prophetic answers and promises to help the prince. Knowledgeable in healing potions, she heals the prince. Despite social obstacles, the prince marries peasant girl Fevronia. The swaggering wives of the boyars disliked Fevronia and demanded her exile.
Fevronia makes wise riddles and knows how to solve life's difficulties without fuss. She does not object to enemies and does not offend them with open teaching, but resorts to allegory, the purpose of which is to teach a harmless lesson: her opponents themselves guess their mistakes. It works miracles in passing: it makes branches stuck for a fire to bloom in one night into a large tree. Her life-giving power extends to everything around. The crumbs of bread in her palms turn into grains of fragrant incense. Mind, nobility and meekness help Fevronia overcome all the hostile actions of her strong opponents. In each conflict situation the high human dignity of a peasant woman is contrasted with the low and selfish behavior of her noble opponents. Fevronia used the wisdom given to her not for herself, but for her husband. She led him, helped in matters, including state ones, she was a real assistant to him. Fevronia Zhe did not force the prince to do what she wanted. A wise wife is always a joy for her husband and for those around her. Fevronia, as we know, glorified and exalted with her wisdom both herself and her husband, Peter. There is a saying that family life- this is a ship and the captain on it is a husband, but all this huge ship is in the hands of his wife. Thus, where she turns the steering wheel, the ship will sail there, and she can turn it towards a calm and calm sea, or maybe towards the reefs. "A wise woman will build her house, but a foolish woman will destroy it with her own hands." (Parable 14.1) Fevronia died in 1228 on the same day as her husband. Both of them, according to the will, are placed in the same coffin. In 1547, their memory was established to be celebrated "everywhere in Murom" on the 25th day of June. The relics of Saint Prince Peter and Saint Princess Fevronia rest under a bushel in one shrine in the Murom Cathedral Church.
The story of Peter and Fevronia of Murom, perhaps, can be called a story about true and bright love, which everyone tries to find in their lives.
The main character, Fevronia herself, appears to readers as a wise, honest, fair and beautiful young girl who is respected by those around her for her sensitive and complaisant character. In the course of the story, she shows herself as a faithful, caring and intelligent wife who does everything possible for the happiness of her family and her husband. Despite this, readers may also notice that there is resilience and endurance in her character, this is manifested in her struggle for the happiness of her family. Also, the main character can be called an active creator of both her life and the life of her prince Peter, whom she falls in love with and marries him.
Prince Peter himself is a less significant figure compared to Fevronia, however, according to the author's idea, he is also the main character of this story. This hero appears before readers as a brave, courageous and caring. Without hesitation, he enters the fray for the honor of Fevronia, and fights with a flying kite. Receiving a wound from the enemy, he trusts Fevronia and allows him to treat him, promising to marry her. However, when the prince decides not to fulfill his promise, the wounds again begin to affect his body, and he, realizing his mistake, still marry Fevronia. It is worth noting that at this time he truly sincerely falls in love with her.
Having found true love, both of these heroes were not only able to carry it through their whole lives, no matter what, but they also died on the same day. This only proves that real love still exists. After all, even after death, no one could separate them, and sent them to another world together.
Since ancient times, these heroes have been recognized as the defenders of all loving people, as well as guardians of families and marital ties.
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