Sword-kladenets - the magic weapon of the heroes

In fairy tales of various peoples, the interest of researchers and readers has always been aroused by the weapons of heroes and heroes. With the help of these adaptations, the people's defenders performed some of their famous exploits, fighting various enemies and freeing innocent hostages. To these types of heroic weapons is the sword-kladenets, truly a heroic weapon with magical powers.

Appointment

Usually, this weapon fell into the master's hands from some cache and gave, as a rule, its owner the property of invincibility. Since the sword-kladenets is present at once in several Russian epics and fairy tales, this allows us to speak of it not as someone's personal weapon, but rather as a kind of blade, their category.

Origin and meaning of the word

According to some scholars, the epithet itself in the Russian language comes from the word "treasure" associated with the verb "put" (there is another version: the sword that puts the enemy army). Then it becomes clear why the sword is a kladenets. Other researchers derive their origin from the word "conformable", that is, "steel" (perhaps in times immemorial, steel swords were a rarity, which means they were attributed magical properties). The third version: the connection with the technology of weapons production. In the olden days a bar of iron was buried in the ground for a while. Substandard pieces corroded rust. Then the future sword was dug, cleaned of rye and there was a quality metal, from which the weapons were forged. There are other versions of the origin of the word itself. But in any case, the essence remains the same: the sword-kladenets was quite formidable and effectively smashing weapons for the warrior.

How to get

The most formidable weapons can only get to a worthy hero. It is usually hidden in the ground or wall (immured), it can be hidden under the stove (in one of the stories - under the stove). In order to obtain a sword-kladenets, a hero or a hero must prove his strength and ability (raise the stove, the stove, wall a wall). By the way, such swords and stories about them are characteristic not only for the East Slavic folklore. Compare the fragment of the ancient Greek myth of Theseus, to which his mother shows the place under the stone where the father's sword is hidden. In some cases, the bogatyr must dig a sword-kladenets from a mound or grave. This is due to the belief that existed in the olden days that weapons that belong to the dead have a special magical power. Touching "that light", it became itself a bearer of death, deadly. In some epics the sword is given to the younger hero as a gift from the older, departing into the world of the dead (Old Russian epic "Svyatogor and Ilya Muromets").

In another epic, the sword is under the beheaded body of the giant warrior on the brigand field. Yerslan Lazarevich, talking to the huge severed head of an ancient warrior, learns about this and obtains a magic weapon (compare the fairy tale in Pushkin's Ruslan and Lyudmila verses-there is also a similar theme for mining an artifact by a hero).

And Prince Muromsky in the work "The Story of Peter and Fevronia" finds a smashing sword hidden in the wall of the monastery.

The Sword Owners

In later folklore and literary works of authorship, such weapons are almost an indispensable attribute inherent in the protagonist. And Svyatogor, Muromets, Prophetic Oleg, Dobrynya Nikitich, and Yerslan, and Ruslan, Bova Korolyevich, and Ivan Tsarevich owned such swords at different times. Which, of course, shows once again that they were different swords.

"Sword-kladenets." The Tale of Arms

Actually, the sword-kladenets is mentioned, as already mentioned, in many folk tales, bylinas, literary works. For example, in "The Tale of Ivan Tsarevich and the Sword-Cradle", the main character goes purposely to obtain magic weapons for fighting the Serpent, which traditionally burns churches and fields, takes hostages and tribute, in every possible way rages. As a result, the enemy is defeated, the people are released, the lands are freed. And all with the magic power of this sharp instrument. By the way, the stable expression "dull sword-kladenets" means in a figurative sense that the forces left the person (hero) and there is no opportunity to continue the battle.