Tugarin
Tugarin (
Name forms and origins
Tugarin has many different names in
"Tugarin" as a corruption of "Tugar-Khan" (
Description
Tugarin, although spoken of as a dragon, largely retains an "
Tugarin was a great glutton, which is somewhat of a dragon-like trait.[7] He could stuff a whole wheel of bread in each cheek, then deposit a whole swan on his tongue and swallow it.[10][11] This is similarly but somewhat differently sung in some versions of bylinas.[12]
He had a huge head,[13] and in some texts, his severed head rolled off like a beer cauldron,[14] or it rolled off like an onion, later to be described as big enough to serve as a cauldron.[15][b]
The pagan Tugarin
Nature myth
It has been suggested by some commentators that Tugarin represents the element of fire, since in some versions of "Alyosha Popovich", Tugarin's torso is covered with fiery snakes which he uses as a weapon, attempts to strangle Alyosha with smoke, throw fiery sparks at him, scorch him with fire, and shoot firebrands (головни́, or ignited logs of wood) at him.[1]
Tugarin may also represent the element of water, because their duel usually takes place near a river (usually Safat River[1]). However Tugarin is defeated due to rain, which spoils his papery wings.[1]
Combat with Alyosha
Tugarin Zmeyevich is best known from the bylina about his duel with Alyosha Popovich, which comes in many different versions.[1] The story is also found in the prose fairytale version.[18][10]
In some versions, they two meet for the duel at Safat River, where they pitch pavilions.[19] Tugarin roars in a booming voice,[19] or else hisses like a snake.[1]
He is flying in the sky flapping his paper-like wings, which fail him when it rains. Alyosha Popovich wins the duel, cuts Tugarin's body into pieces and scatters them across the field.[1]
Some bylinas mention Tugarin's intimate relations with the wife of
Other dragons
Tugarin Zmeyevich is a chtonical character of an ancient dragon-fighting myth, related to
Modern depictions
The legend of Tugarin Zmeyevich is mentioned in the novel The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros, with the character Yakov imagining the antisemitic murderer of his family as Tugarin. The dragon is portrayed as an amalgamation of burned corpses.[20]
Explanatory notes
- ^ Related to verb tuzhit тужить "to grieve".
- ^ Alyosha plays a game with it by tossing the head onto his spear. This is seenfby Alyosha's follower at a distance. In one version, the follower is called Marýshko, and he announces it is Alyosha playing with the "little head".[16]
- ^ Of course, Aloyosha Popovich too has the "Son of Pope" byname, his father being called the "prebendary León" (or "Catheral priest Leontii"[10]) or "León the pope".[11]
References
- Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Тугарин" in Mythological Dictionary, E. Meletinsky (ed.) Soviet Encyclopedia (1991); Ivanov, V.V.; Toporov, V. N. Тугарин (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2016-03-05.
- ^ Hapgood (tr.) (1886), p. 345.
- ^ a b "Тугарин" in Fasmer's Mythological Dictionary
- ^ Bailey & Ivanova (1998), p. 123.
- ISBN 0904693554
- ^ Каллаш, Этногр. Обозр., 1889, No 3, стр. 207, cited by Fasmer's Mythological Dictionary.[3]
- ^ a b Bailey & Ivanova (1998), p. 122.
- ^ Afanáśev, "Alyósha Popóvich", Magnus (tr.) (1916), p. 168
- ^ "Alyosha Popovich, his Squire Yekim, and Tugarin", Bailey & Ivanova (1998), pp. 124–129 and preface, p. 122
- ^ a b c Afanas'ev, "312. Alyosha Popovich", Haney (2015)
- ^ a b Magnus (tr.) (1916), p. 166.
- ^ Bailey & Ivanova (1998), p. 126.
- ^ Bailey & Ivanova (1998), p. 124.
- ^ Alexander (1973), p. 271.
- ^ Bailey & Ivanova (1998), pp. 124–129.
- ^ a b Magnus (tr.) (1916), p. 169.
- ^ "[Turgarin] converted.. Vladimir's tsardom to the Latin faith" (#312, Haney (2015))
- ^ "Alyósha Popóvich", Magnus (tr.) (1916), pp. 165–169
- ^ a b Hapgood (tr.) (1886), p. 89.
- ISBN 978-1-335-40250-9.
- Bibliography
- texts
- Afanasʹev, Aleksandr Nikolaevich (2015). "#312 Alyosha Popovich". In Haney, Jack V. (ed.). The Complete Folktales of A. N. Afanas'ev. Vol. 2. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-4968-0275-0.
- Afanasʹev, Aleksandr Nikolaevich (1916). Russian Folk-tales. Translated by Magnus, Leonard Arthur (2nd ed.). New York: E.P. Dutton. pp. 165–169.
- Bailey, James; Ivanova, Tatʹiana Grigorʹevna, eds. (1998). Anthology of Russian Folk Epics (Folklores and folk cultures of Eastern Europe). Armonk, New York: M.E. Sharpe Inc. p. 122. OCLC 940533848.
- Hapgood, Isabel Florence (1886). The Epic Songs of Russia. Armonk, New York: C. Scribner's Sons. pp. 88–. OCLC 560334961.
- studies
- Alexander, Alex Edward (1973), Bylina and Fairy Tale: The Origin of Russian Heroic Poetry, The Hague: Mouton, OCLC 164086156