The Battle of the River Kayale: date. Where is the river Kayala?

The name "river Kayala" is found only in one Old Russian work, namely, in the "Lay of Igor's Host", which conceals in itself eight hundred years of its creation countless mysteries and mysteries. An Inok-poet wrote no more than 8000 words, and the number of works on this topic will soon approach twenty thousand. Slavists around the world read and reread it and comment every time, introducing more and more new clarifications and finding something unnoticed, interpreting the ancient text again.

Why study a work

Why study the origin of the work, the place where it was written, the time of writing? To look into its content, to understand its essence. Mysterious and mysterious river Kayala. She is mentioned eight times in the text of the scribe. Historical geographers can not reliably say where the river Kayala is located. In the 70s of the last century, Ukrainian archaeologists produced large surveys, but found no traces of the battle. If it were not for three works, we would never have known about some kind of supernumerary prince Igor, especially we would not have heard of the river near which the battle took place. The river Kayala is a semi-mythical river.

Psychology of creativity

Old Russian writers wrote not by themselves, but by grace, in prayer. They had a completely different attitude to the scripture, that is, the monk was called by the abbot of the monastery and gave obedience. So the author of "The Words ..." is not an exception. Any Old Russian scribe did not want to give out, stick himself out, but wanted to dissolve in his work. Therefore, most likely, no one will find his name. But he did not hide his time carefully. And now it is dated by separate literary critics between 1188-1200 years, and it is supposed that it was created, most likely, in Vydubitsky monastery in Kiev, where Ipatiev's chronicle was kept, already written, in which it was possible to specify the details. But it seems that the monk was also a participant in this campaign, because he sometimes puts personal impressions on the text.

And why did the author write "The Word ..."?

If you look at all the ancient Russian literature of the 11th-12th centuries, you can see that she does not know fiction. The river Kayala, which is mentioned in the "Word", apparently, in modern names has a different name. Academician D. Likhachev saw in her the river Syuurly. And the root of the word is connected with the verb "repent". So the scribe-poet called the river, where Igor was not accidentally defeated. And, as can be seen from the narrative, the prince needed to repent. The ancient scribe was dominated by religious symbolic thinking. This understanding of events through the texts of Holy Scripture. All - both monks and laymen - were Orthodox people, they looked at everything, checking the Scriptures, with the Divine Providence, especially the monks. They believed that there is nothing in historical events that would not have been described in the Bible. They sought to show how an Orthodox man to save his soul, especially on the eve of the end of the world, which in those days was awaited with fear by both Orthodox and Catholics. Therefore, one should not approach these works in a purely secular way. It is necessary to search for them in those meanings that are laid by the author. This is what the researchers of The Word have been doing for almost two hundred years.

Igor's campaign

Once in the Bible it was said that Sim, Ham, Japheth, the sons of the righteous Noah, divided the land, and there was a treaty that they do not transgress each other's land. Its land should and should be protected, but it is strictly forbidden to go on aggressive campaigns. This prohibition is violated by Igor Svyatoslavovich. A year before his campaign, the Polovtsi were routed. In that campaign they performed for the second week of Lent. And they fought on Friday, also on the day of fasting. And the Lord gave them victory. Prince Igor could not take part in that campaign because of the diseased hoofs of his horses, who were wounded about the ice. Igor's army was forced to return. He did not win glory.

Unnecessary trek

And now he yearns for her, and the broken Polovtsians are weak, they will not be able to resist him. He decisively goes to another country's land not to defend himself, but to win both wealth and honor and glory. This alone is bad and contradicts the biblical commandments, pride leads to it - the greatest sin. And God gives him a sign - stop, turn back. It sends a total solar eclipse. So full that only the stars in the sky are visible during the day, and the sun looks like a thin sickle of the month. So it describes the Laurentian Chronicle. But Igor can not even stop it. He hurries to break the spear, to drink with water, that is, to conquer the Polovtsian lands. He wants to prove that last year he was not afraid of his former Polovtsian allies, and this time, in spite of everything, he will prove to everyone that he is a brave warrior. And his boyars were drowning their heads. They realized what kind of trial it would be. The river Kayala simply will not be given to them.

Continuation of the trek

And he sees both Igor and his brother Vsevolod, who is Igor's vassal, and son Vladimir, and nephew, Prince Svyatoslav, as the poet describes, an army covered with darkness. But Igor persists. He believes that it is better to perish. Let there be a battle on the river Kayale, than to wait with the fear of a Polovtsian raid, sitting at home. "I want," he says, "either to lay down his head, or to defeat the Polovtsi." Yes, the prince of the martial spirit was fulfilled and filled his companions with them. And God's sign is becoming stronger and stronger. Russian bright land remained behind their backs. The night was moaning with a thunderstorm, the birds awoke, as if trying to make Igor think, the gophers and those whistled. All nature seeks to stop Igor in his path, at the end of which there will be destruction.

Trek to perdition

These terrible and formidable signs strengthen the impression of the future tragic outcome of the few Igorev troops. And the formidable wolves, the help of the Polovtsi, are already settling along the ravines, waiting for accidental prey, the birds of prey are sitting on the battlefield in the oaks, waiting for the food. It turns out that the steppe animals then sympathize with the Russians, worry for them, then threaten them and spite. Yes, the good light Russian land has already left behind the hills - ahead only darkness. A small, five thousand people, the detachment is approaching the Don, where the Kayala River may have entered. Modern amateur readers see in Kayala Potudan, flowing into the Don.

Tmutarecani

This area was in the area of the current Taman. In the Byzantines it was called otherwise - Tamatarha. But in the XI century it was a Russian principality with a large Russian population and was ruled by Chernigov princes. Is that why Igor saw her as her lot, her "stepfather", forcibly torn away by the Polovtsi, which should be returned. On the spurs of the Caucasus Mountains, in the gorges, perhaps the river Kayala originated. This is where she was, according to the definition of the poet, fast. And the plains and steppe rivers are all smooth, with a slow current, and a battle took place on the river Kayale in its quiet, non-flowing current.

Night before the battle

The long fading night of Igor's army awaits a fight. The author correctly noted that a sleepless night with tense anticipation always seems painfully long and troubling. The night descended gradually, the morning came ... It's getting light, the dawn rises, its light drops. The fields were covered with haze. The nightingales fell silent. Galki woke up. Here it is figuratively said about the change of night for the day, since the nightingale is a bird of the night, and a jackdaw is a day. And the Russian soldiers were already in the morning built into battle order. And the Polovtsians approach Igor's army with great haste, off-road, swamps and ghats. That's about to start a battle on the river Kayale (year 1185 of the Nativity of Christ).

The first collision

But the Polovtsians are unaware of being caught. And Igor was counting on it. Igor's troops lined up along the battle formation. Four of them were basic. In the center is Igor's regiment, on the right is Vsevolod's regiment, to the left - Svyatoslav, nephew of Igor, ahead of Vladimir, Igor's son. By the way, he was 14 years old. And he had to take the first blow at himself. Ahead of the formation stood the best, best of all regiments archers.

And the battle began

In a word, Igor encouraged his army and princes. And the battle began on the river Kayale (date - May 5, 1185, Friday). Polovtsy also built their streltsy. They gave a salvo of bows and ran back. The fighting system of the Polovtsi was destroyed. The advanced regiments pursued them. Igor and Vsevolod, not hurrying, went, keeping the fighting system. Good luck on Friday. They captured the prisoners and captured the nomadic dwellings of the Polovtsians on carts. Some of the regiments chased the filthy for a long time, until night, and returned with a polonium. According to the testimony of the Ipatiev Chronicle, the Russians after the first skirmish seized the rich prey. They were rich Byzantine fabrics, highly appreciated everywhere, blankets and bedspreads, outer clothing, lined with expensive fur and covered with expensive fabrics, sewn with gold threads and spears, and bunchukes - horse tailings on the shaft, which served as a sign of power. Bunchuk's hair was dyed red.

Day two and three

Poetically, the scribe describes the black clouds coming from the sea. This metaphor serves in folk poetry as the symbol of an impending enemy. These storm clouds want to cover our brave princes and their army. And in the clouds trembling, sparkling, blue-violet lightning flashes. Everything was dragged by the haze. The battle, as usual, began from afar by the shooting of archers, who were moving ahead of the formation. A tail wind from the sea, like the clouds, gave the Polovtsi an advantage. Their arrows hit the target exactly, and Russian soldiers flew in different directions arbitrarily. As a symbol of sadness, the poet depicts a picture of turbid rivers flowing in their upper reaches with heavy rain. This muddy water, signifying sorrow-grief in folk poetry, depicts a picture of advancing misfortune. It portends the defeat of Igor on the river Kayale. And the dust is swept in the scorched steppe by a pre-threatened whirlwind. "The power of evil is rising, unfaithful." Polovtsev was very much. They surrounded a small detachment, like a thick forest, with a dense ring, through which it was impossible to break through.

Sad end

For three days Igor tried to get out to the Donets. People were suffering from thirst, and more horses. Many were wounded and killed in Russian regiments. Green papoloma, that is, a black burial cloth, covers the dead, but here it is meant that they cover the grass.

From morning till evening the army fought desperately. The soldiers fought the second night as well, and at the dawn the kovui (Turkic warriors living in the Chernigov princedom) flinched. Igor could not hold them. And on the way back was taken prisoner. He saw how his brother Vsevolod fought and asked, according to the chronicle, death, not to see the death of his brother. A half dozen people were saved from the whole Russian army. The rest drowned.

For the first time the Russian army suffered a terrible defeat. This special tragedy chained so much attention to Igor's campaign. And the stories about the steppe campaign of the Russian prince were compiled. And with respect to the river Kayala, it should be said that its search is the task of historians-geographers and archaeologists. Perhaps, and her tracks were gone, as the battle places of Igor were lost.