According to various legends, he was buried near Staraya Ladoga. As the locals say, one of the ancient hills is the grave of the famous prince. Why "prophetic"? So he was called for his brilliant quality of foreseeing the situation. It was especially evident when, having unfurled the sails and put the ships on wheels, he reached his intended goal, one might say, quickly. It’s not for nothing that Pushkin’s ballad “Song of prophetic Oleg“according to the school curriculum comes after studying “The Tale of Bygone Years” - this makes it possible to compare two identical events described by different sources.

History of creation

Why does Pushkin even turn to such distant events? An analysis of “The Song of the Prophetic Oleg” cannot be carried out without delving into the poet’s goals.

Pushkin's freedom-loving poems served as a reason for Alexander I to send the poet into exile to the south by decree of Alexander I. He visits many ancient cities, including Kyiv. Here the poet became interested in one of the ancient mounds. Local residents claimed that this was the grave of someone who died a very mysterious death.

Pushkin studies the works of Karamzin, where he retells the plot of “The Tale of Bygone Years” about the death of the glorious ruler.

This is how his “Song of the Prophetic Oleg” was born. The year it was written is 1822.

We should not forget that Pushkin was a true connoisseur of history. His works about “the affairs of bygone days” are very numerous. In Oleg, he saw, first of all, a hero capable of uniting Rus' and raising patriotic feelings.

Legend and plot

Any literary work of a historical nature is based primarily on historical facts. However, the vision of a writer or poet may differ from the original source: he can bring his own assessment, give life to events, even embellish them somewhere.

The plot of Pushkin’s ballad is similar to that which represents During the next campaign, a sorcerer, a magician, turns to the Grand Duke, the prophetic Oleg. He predicts that the master will meet death from his beloved horse, with whom he fought many battles.

Oleg immediately orders his faithful friend to be taken away, but orders that he be well looked after.

Next we see Oleg, already gray-haired. During the feast, he remembers his faithful friend - the horse. He is informed that the animal has died. Oleg decides to visit the resting place of his faithful friend and ask for forgiveness. The prince comes to the bones of the horse, is sad and lamented. At this time, a snake crawls out of the skull and inflicts a fatal bite.

The work ends with Oleg's funeral.

Features of the genre

If we carry out a genre analysis of the “Song of the Prophetic Oleg”, it will become clear that, by its definition, this is a poetic work based on some historical or other event. Often the plot is fantastic.

Another feature of the ballad is the dramatic nature of the events depicted and the unexpected ending. Pushkin embodied all this in his work. “The Song of the Prophetic Oleg” contains a lot of fantastic things, starting with the old magician, his prophecy and ending with the death of the prince.

The poet himself, immediately reading about this event, saw in it a plot for his future work. He wrote about this to Alexander Bestuzhev, noting “a lot of poetry” in the story of the death of the famous prince.

Subjects

Let's consider what the “Song of the Prophetic Oleg” represents at the semantic level. The theme of the work does not fit into any one concept. Pushkin raises various topics:

Idea

Analysis of the “Song of the Prophetic Oleg” is impossible without an ideological outline. What does Pushkin want to say with his work? First of all, about the predetermination of what happens to a person. No matter how hard we try to push away evil rock, it will still overtake us.

Yes, Oleg was able to delay the moment of death by moving his horse away from him and not contacting him. However, death still overtakes the prince. Thus, Pushkin is trying to reveal a very important philosophical problem that great minds have thought about. Fate and freedom: how are these concepts related? Does a person really choose his own destiny (Oleg sends his horse away) or is it impossible to deceive fate (the death of the prince), as Pushkin believes? “The Song of the Prophetic Oleg” clearly answers: everything that happens to people and is destined for them from above cannot be changed. The poet was convinced of this.

Artistic and expressive means

Let us analyze the “Song of the Prophetic Oleg” based on the means of expression used. Pushkin gave the legend from The Tale of Bygone Years his own vision, revived it, and made it sparkle with all its facets. At the same time, he conveyed the verbal flavor of Rus' in the 10th century.

Even the name itself is already poetic. "Song" is a method of worship that dates back to ancient times. Folklore works that came to us through the centuries immediately come to mind.

To convey the flavor of that era, special syntactic constructions are used in the speech; the poet’s speech is replete with archaisms (“trizna”) and archaic phrases (“feather grass”).

The text in Pushkin contains many apt epithets, which he carefully worked on (the poet's drafts remain). Thus, the original epithet “proud” as applied to the old sorcerer was replaced by “wise”. This is really so, because Oleg is proud and arrogant, and the magician is calm and majestic. Let us also indicate the most striking epithets: “glorious head of the mound”, “inspired magician”, “prophetic Oleg”. Metaphors are also abundant in the ballad: “the years are hidden in the darkness”, personifications: “the buckets are making noise.”

The poem is written in an even and calm amphibrach, characteristic of lyric-epic works. It slowly tells the story of the sad fate of Prince Oleg.

The disgraced poet Alexander Pushkin is rightfully considered one of the founders of Russian literature, who in his magnificent works tries to awaken a person’s feelings, awakening only his most best qualities. It helps a person understand and understand the past and the future. The poet easily and unobtrusively in his literary creations makes people forget all the little things in life and worries that interfere with their happiness. In his works the reader encounters a special perception modern world, so it is sometimes impossible to fully understand this sensual and emotional.

Pushkin in his works very vividly describes all the main features of the Russian character, showing its best sides. The main theme of his work is history, the past of his homeland. Pushkin’s work “The Song of the Prophetic Oleg” is dedicated to this topic. In this poetic creation, the disgraced poet easily and freely describes the historical event, which actually happened in a certain era.

It is known that Pushkin’s historical work of poetry was written in the nineteenth century. The exact date of writing is 1822. It is believed that this poem reflected the death of the Grand Duke Ancient Rus', who was famous and famous for his military campaigns, which usually ended very well. Real legends were made about his victories. Alexander Pushkin reflected this historical event in his poetic work. According to the content of Pushkin’s text, the prophetic Oleg, getting ready to go on a campaign, decides to fight the Khazars in order to take revenge on them. Oleg marches stubbornly with his army to take revenge for the last time they attacked his homeland, and now he also burns everything in his path.

And so Prince Oleg, together with his squad, rides across the field where the battle is to take place. This is the plot of Pushkin’s work, but in the historical chronicle Oleg makes his campaign in the Greek Empire, where at that time the capital was the city of Constantinople. Then, by order of the prince, the ships were pulled ashore, who immediately put them on wheels, and it was decided to raise sails on them. This vision frightens the Greeks and they, seeing strange structures that suddenly come into their city, agree to any conditions, even to pay tribute.

Despite their agreement, they are trying to at least slightly change the course of the entire war in order to win it. And in order to destroy him forever, Oleg is presented with food and drinks that are already poisoned. But the prince, realizing that the enemy is in front of him, does not accept their treats and, accordingly, the insidious plan of the enemies is thwarted. After this, the fame of the wise Oleg brought him fame, and soon they began to call him Prophetic Oleg. He was able not only to predict the poisoning attempt, but was also able to foresee the events that would occur, and was able to use them in the way that was convenient for him. This helped him win the desired victory in this difficult battle.

But the author also says that fate haunts his hero, it determines what his future will be like. And this theme occupies a special place in Pushkin’s work. Pushkin says that a horse under a prince is brave, which is not afraid of battle, and understands its owner well. If necessary, he will stand still, even if enemy arrows fly by. But as soon as his master spurs him, the horse will rush quickly across the field. This horse is not afraid of either cold or rainy weather. And suddenly Oleg is predicted that he will meet his death from a faithful horse.

The author shows how his hero begins to doubt, trying to understand the harsh reality. The fate of man occupies a central place in Pushkin's poem. After all, a person does not exist, using only his mind, he lives, and therefore experiences excitement, emotions and feelings that fill his life, making it richer and brighter. The poet tells his reader that a person cannot change his fate, and she does not choose her victims.

Fortune tellers are not afraid of the powerful and rich people of the earthly world, since they obey divine power. And the Magi do not need a gift from the princes at all, since their truth is free and truthful. They cannot say what people want to hear from them. Usually a person does not know anything about his destiny; this secret is hidden from everyone. But the Magi have the gift of prediction. And one of these predictors decides to tell the fate of Prince Oleg.

Pushkin takes as a basis the history of the existence of Prince Oleg; his exploits are also confirmed by ancient chronicles. Therefore, it turns out that the author shows the historical truth. With respect, the poet describes Oleg’s exploits, he also shows what a strong personality there was in Ancient Rus', what a brave and courageous character the prince had. But Pushkin’s poem about this man is a literary work. Accordingly, the author also introduces figurative expressions when he tries to show that nature has its own laws. And the poet does this with the help of mythological images.

We still thought about what the fate of a person is and what it depends on primitive people. At this time, a person began to gradually realize that he himself was not able to change his life, but depended largely on those people who surrounded him, and on the natural world. The disgraced poet knew an interesting legend about how the glorious Prince Oleg, who glorified himself with military exploits, died from early childhood, and this tragic story struck him very much at that time. Little Pushkin painted this story in his imagination.

And only using this legend, the poet takes it as a basis and reworks it in such a way as to highlight in it the motive of the prince’s affection for his comrade in arms. Pushkin also adds a magician to his poetic plot, who precisely predicts Oleg’s fate. He describes this meeting as follows: a magician who is not subject to people suddenly comes out of a dark and dense forest straight towards the prince. He only obeys Perun, who helps him predict the future. Perun spent his entire life in fortune-telling and prayer.

Now the fortuneteller and servant of Perun himself approaches Oleg. He predicts his death from a faithful comrade, whom the prince tested in battle. The prediction comes true, as Oleg, approaching the skull of his faithful horse, dies. But death comes from a snake that hides in the horse’s skull. But it is known that a snake and its bites have always been considered signs of death, chaos, this is a kind of symbol of sin and evil. The fate of man is subject only to the gods. Nothing can be changed in human destiny, there is no escape from it, everything is already predetermined.

“Song about the prophetic Oleg” was written in 1822, the genre is ballad.

“The Song of the Prophetic Oleg” reflects one of the cross-cutting themes of Pushkin’s work - the theme of the relationship between earthly power and the power of higher powers, the clash of the “poet” and the “tsar”.

A. S. Pushkin based the plot on the story of the mysterious death of one of the ancient Russian princes.

• Oleg asks the wise “magician” to predict the future: “What will happen to me in life?” The elder, like a poet-prophet, is not afraid of the prince. He predicts a glorious life for the “mighty” winner of the “khozars” Oleg: “your name is glorified by victory,” “both the waves and the land are submissive to you,” but death will come from a horse, a faithful friend.
• Oleg is trying to escape his destiny by parting with his beloved horse. But the magician’s prophecy comes true: Prince Oleg dies from the bite of a snake crawling out of the horse’s skull at the moment when the prince comes to the hill to say goodbye to his dead horse, reproaching the “lying old man” for the fact that his prediction deprived the prince of a fighting friend. Prince Oleg failed to deceive fate.

Pushkin shows the clash of two different attitudes to life: the sorcerer and the prince.

Magician- a man of “secret knowledge”. He is submissive to the will of the gods and neglects “earthly” values. This is an “artist” serving the highest truth, nature.

The wizard's habitat- a dark forest, or rather, eternity in which he remains, serving the gods.

Prince Oleg- a man of action, a warrior and a conqueror. He tries to outwit the will of the gods, to subordinate him to his human will.

Place of life and actions of the prince- field, open space, hill, battlefields.

The magician’s “truth” wins - it is stronger than the will of the PRINCE. But Oleg is depicted in the poem as a worthy opponent of fate: he is a brave and strong warrior.

The use of archaic words allows us to create an image of the “ancient world”. magician, sorcerer, ax, rested in a deep sleep, slash, sling, gate

In addition to the “Song of the Prophetic Oleg”, historical themes are developed by A. S. Pushkin in such works as “Borodin Anniversary”, “Boris Godunov”, “Poltava”

“If we translate this competition between the magician and the prince from the language of the ancient chronicle into the language of history, then Pushkin’s ballad will appear as a poetic depiction of the conflict between the “ruler of thoughts” and the ruler of the state, between the poet and the king, any poet and any king, or, in particular, between Pushkin and Romanov"

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Composition

The drama of A. S. Pushkin’s verse “Song of the Prophetic Oleg” leads one to think about those harsh times when our ancient ancestors lived. Details about life and
Nestor the Chronicler recounts the activities of the Novgorod prince Oleg in The Tale of Bygone Years. After the death of Prince of Novgorod Rurik, the principality became
rule by Oleg, his relative, to whom Rurik entrusted the upbringing of his son Igor. Oleg had a strong, decisive and cunning character. He tried
extend his influence to all lands adjacent to his possessions. Oleg's life is a constant campaign of aggression in order to enrich himself, strengthen
personal power over tribes and peoples. Winning battles, Oleg increased his strength and power at any cost. Particularly striking is the insidiousness with which he
captured Kyiv.

Times were harsh and cruel - times of civil strife and betrayal. In 881, Prince Oleg of Novgorod went on a campaign along the large waterway “from the Varangians to
Greeks" for the sake of annexing their cities and lands. “And they came to the Kyiv mountains, and Oleg saw that Askold and Dyr reign here,” says Nestor
chronicler. Then Prince Oleg and his fighting wife, posing as peaceful merchants and inviting the rulers of Kyiv Askold and Dyra to their tent, insidiously
killed them. “And they killed Askold and Dyra, carried them to the mountain and buried them on the mountain,” the chronicle testifies. “And all Russian cities will have this,” said
Oleg, having captured Kyiv.

A. S. Pushkina brightly, picturesquely, deeply showed in a small-sized but very meaningful work “Song about the prophetic Oleg” full of
adventures and trials of the life of the Prince of Kyiv. In 907, Oleg set out on a campaign against Constantinople, the capital of Byzantium, a powerful and invincible
the time of the Christian Empire. Oleg the pagan challenged the already formed, recognized in the world, strong, believing in one God, state, and his
brought its inhabitants “to their knees” through brutal aggressive actions. Oleg concluded an agreement with his subordinates that was very convenient for Rus', and as a sign of victory
hung his shield on the gates of Constantinople. This is how A. S. Pushkin describes it:

* Your name is glorified by victory;
* Your shield on the gates of Constantinople:
* Both the waves and the land are submissive to you;
* The enemy is jealous of such a wondrous fate.

Prophetic Oleg, as a pagan conqueror, was very superstitious and impressionable, he believed in omens and the magic of the Magi. And like all powerful rulers and
the conquerors wanted to know their future. The wizards claimed that, despite fame, power, invincibility, he was powerless against fate - “but you will accept
death by his horse." Having heard such a sentence from the Magi, Oleg ordered the horse to be set free and to take care of him, deciding for himself never again.
approach your pet. Time passed, and one day during a banquet Oleg mentioned his comrade in arms and wanted to see him, but the servants said
the prince that the horse died. Oleg, disappointed in the prophecies of the Magi, regretted that he had listened to them;

* And he thinks: “What is fortune telling?
* Magician, you lying, crazy old man!
* I would despise your prediction!
* My horse would still carry me.

Oleg remembered the raging past associated with the horse and decided to see the remains of his fighting friend. But fate is inexorable - when the prince approached the horse's bones
and put my foot on his skull, -

* From the dead head the grave snake
* Meanwhile, hissing, she crawled out;
* Like a black ribbon wrapped around my legs,
* And the suddenly stung prince cried out.

Why did Pushkin turn to the plot of a legend that has come to us from the depths of centuries? Alexander Sergeevich was a worthy expert on history - he felt romance and
the significance of this legend. Prophetic Oleg, Grand Duke of Kiev, a hero in his time, died so uselessly. Despite the greatness and merits of the prince as a statesman
and an invincible conqueror, fate defeated him. This is probably payment for the deceit in the murder of Askold and Dir. Deceit punished - into history Prophetic Oleg
entered as a prince who died an extraordinary, inglorious death.

Other works on this work

A.S. Pushkin loved to study history. He created “The Song of the Prophetic Oleg” after reading the historical chronicle about the Kiev prince Oleg. The author poetically depicted Oleg's meeting with the magician who predicted his fate. At the beginning of the song, Pushkin informs the reader about the prince’s preparations for the next battle with the “foolish Khazars.” In the field, Oleg and his squad meet a magician who came out of the “dark forest”.

From the first line we know that the prince himself foresees a lot. It was not for nothing that he was called “the prophetic.” But Oleg is interested in the sorcerer’s prediction. He drives up to the “wise old man.” Pushkin creates the image of a magician, as a man who is submissive only to the gods and is not afraid of any prince. Through his prayers and fortune-telling throughout his life, the magician earned the right to give advice and predict human destiny.

Both characters are presented as equal interlocutors. The prince respects the elder and asks him to tell the whole truth about his fate. Oleg tells the elder not to be afraid, and will receive a reward. But the magician does not need “princely gifts” and “magi are not afraid of mighty rulers,” because they bring only the truth.

From the predictions of the sorcerer we learn about merits Prince of Kyiv, which will bring him glory, the obedience of people, nature, even the envy of his enemies. All this will be given to Oleg without any defeats. The horse will be a faithful assistant. But not everything is so rosy in the elder’s prediction. The prince will accept his death from his faithful horse. In this prediction of the magician we see a detailed description of Oleg. The strength and power of the prince lies in his just power and military prowess. This is a powerful and wise ruler.

Only the prophetic Oleg wants to deceive fate and lets go of the horse. The prince tries to change the predictions and show that the magician is wrong. Only fate decides as it is written from above. After all, the magician brings only the truth, and Oleg’s death is inevitable.

Essay » Song about the prophetic Oleg - Pushkin » Contrasting comparison of the images of the prince and the magician in the “Song about the prophetic Oleg” by A. S. Pushkin

The image of Prince Oleg in “Song of the Prophetic Oleg” by A. S. Pushkin

Great Russian poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin was the founder of Russian realistic literature. With his poetry, he brings out the best in people and makes them forget about the little things and worries of life. But it is impossible to comprehend the full meaning of his thoughts and feelings. In his poems, the poet highlights all the best features of the Russian character. A.S. Pushkin was always interested in the historical past of his homeland. The “Song of the Prophetic Oleg” describes a historical event, a certain era. The poem was written in 1822, in which the author describes the death of the great Russian prince, famous for his military campaigns and victories over his enemies:

• How the prophetic Oleg is getting ready now
• Take revenge on the foolish Khazars,
• Their villages and fields for a violent raid
• He condemned him to swords and fires;
• With his squad, in Tsaregrad armor,
• The prince rides across the field on a faithful horse.

Oleg takes a hike to the capital of the Greek Empire Constantinople. At his command, the ships were pulled onto land, put on wheels, and sails raised. When the Greeks saw that ships were moving towards them on land, they agreed to pay any tribute. Wanting to somehow change the course of the war, they bring poisoned food and wine to Oleg. Since then, Oleg has been called prophetic (wise), since he did not accept the treat. All this happened because he not only figured out the poisoning attempt, but could also predict the course of events, approaching a successful outcome. The poem also talks about fate, about the predetermination of the future. We see that the author begins to doubt, he agrees with reality. But there will be moments when the poet believes in a bright future. The most important place in this work is occupied by the concept of “fate”. Pushkin says that life is not only an area of ​​the mind, that there is a place in it for feelings, worries, emotions:

• The Magi are not afraid of mighty rulers,
• But they don’t need a princely gift;
• Their prophetic language is truthful and free
• And friendly with the will of heaven.
• The coming years lurk in darkness;
• But I see your lot on your bright brow.

The poet based his works of the Russian prince Oleg, he told us about his exploits, about his courageous character. But ideas about the predetermination of fate arose long before this, when man just began to think about the connection between his life and the world around him. Since childhood, Alexander Sergeevich was struck by the dramatic nature of the death of Prince Oleg. The poet applied this legend, but at the same time added to it the prince’s attachment to the horse and added a very important image of a magician. The snake is considered to be a symbol of sin and evil, a sign of death and chaos. The gods can control fate, but often the opposite is true. A person cannot avoid what is destined for him by fate. In adulthood, and throughout his life, any poet is interested in the past of his homeland, his people. Pushkin always considered poetry an art, a manifestation of the creative spirit. He saw the most important thing in his activity as freedom of thought, the independence of the poet as an individual. In “Song of the Prophetic Oleg,” the author says that there is a certain space between the hero and fate, which gives the right to choose future events. And indeed, Prince Oleg overcame all the difficulties that came his way, but he died from his horse. Pushkin admires the strength and courage of his character.

In “Song. » Oleg is a fearless hero who makes raids and never loses. Unable to remember Oleg's real death, the poet supplements the prince's fate with a folklore motif. “The Tale of the Prophetic Oleg” is a story in poetic form that lyrically describes the connection between time, fateful moments and happiness. Indeed, fate connects the past with the future. Before us appears a man who predicts the future, he is not afraid of anything and does not depend on anyone. The cause of Oleg's death is the skull of his own horse. Symbols play a special role here: the skull means death, the snake is also considered to be a negative character, symbolizing deception, temptation, dreams, evil. Oleg does not believe the prediction. And yet he replaced his horse, abandoning the previous one. He gets the impression that the prophecies are wrong: after all, he is alive, but the horse is no longer there. But you cannot escape from what is destined:

• “So this is where my destruction was hidden!
• The bone threatened me with death!”
• From the dead head of the grave serpent
• Hissing, meanwhile she crawled out;
• Like a black ribbon wrapped around my legs:
• And the suddenly stung prince cried out.

Reading a poem, we draw conclusions that you cannot escape from fate, despite all the precautions. Thoughts about fate have long interested people. They have tormented him for many years, ever since he began to think about life and his place in it. Fate has always been the subject of philosophical reflection because in a person’s life there is a large number of emotions, worries, and feelings. Fate does not give the right to freedom. It is not a person who chooses, but he is chosen. In conclusion, I would like to say that in “The Song of the Prophetic Oleg” A.S. Pushkin wants to show us that each person is destined for his own, and he is not able to change it. He also tells us that people dear to you need to be loved and appreciated during life, so that it doesn’t hurt like crazy later.