Mysteries folk for children. Russian folk riddles

Outside the windows is the 21st century, but you can still hear how people teach each other with the help of folk wisdom, which has a long history. “Hurry - you make people laugh,” they say to the hasty people. “And there is a bungle for the old woman,” - so console people who have failed.

Folk proverbs, sayings, riddles - this is the legacy that is transmitted orally today in communication and in writing in books and school books. And so it will be as long as the language and its speakers are alive.

The uniqueness of the puzzle

The riddle is a kind of speech phenomenon, the main direction of which is, through comparisons and metaphors, to make the human brain reflect and work more figuratively. She develops the observantness necessary when familiarizing herself with the environment in children, and maintains clarity of mind in adults.

It is not known exactly when the puzzles appeared. This folklore genre is still used for teaching and educating children in kindergartens and in literature classes at school, which means that its effects on young minds are the same as at the time when the Sphinx asked travelers with a catch.

Modern psychologists argue that writing or solving riddles develops figurative speech and imagination in children. The property of this small folklore form to indicate any qualities of the subject listing their similarities or differences that are unique to it makes children think about the connections between phenomena in the real world.

The search for the answer to the riddle develops the ability:

• draw independent conclusions and analyze;
• expand knowledge about the surrounding reality;
• improve memory;
• develop speech and imagination.

Mysteries folk convey to children the entire depth of the wisdom of their ancestors and teach them to appreciate their work.

History from ancient times

As it turned out, riddles in ancient times were an effective tool for testing the mind for maturity. They were used by priests in Ancient Egypt, with their help they recognized the true heroes in Ancient Greece, and they did not pass the Slavic traditions.

Regardless of the level of development of human civilization, the peoples living on different continents and in different epochs created puzzles very similar in content. This suggests that people at all times closely watched the world around them and compared the events occurring in it.

Mysteries folk - this is a whole layer of the history of the development of culture and beliefs of mankind. For example, one of the Sphinx’s questions about who walks in the morning on four legs, in the afternoon on two, and at sunset on three, has reached our days. According to legend, many people died trying to guess it.

The use of puzzles

In ancient times, people often used allegory in order to protect themselves, their home and cattle from the evil eye. The hunters, going into the forest for game, used the secret language of riddles so that the alleged "trophies" did not eavesdrop on their plans in advance and did not go to other lands.

Merchants, buffoons and buffoons also actively used puzzles to protect themselves from evil spirits. Russian folk riddles, for example, since ancient times were a way of testing warriors in military time, and in peacetime - grooms and young men.

In the history of ancient Germans and Scandinavians there is evidence that there was a custom: a traveler could get an overnight stay only by guessing a riddle. The ancient Slavs had special evenings held in autumn and winter when there was no work in the field. The whole village gathered in the largest hut, women spun and needleworked, men repaired tools, and old people tested children and youth for quick wits.

When the subjects were asked riddles (Russian folk), they answered in turn. He won the most quick-witted and observant. In this way, wise old people encouraged young minds to develop, to be inquisitive and to know the world.

Until the end of the 19th century, there was a custom when the bridesmaids did not let the groom and his friend to her until they guessed all the riddles prepared for them. Nowadays, this folklore genre is actively used for the development of imagination, memory and observation in children of preschool and primary school age.

Proverbs

Today, only linguists and cultural scientists are interested in the history of the origin of proverbs, although almost everyone uses them in their speech, without even bothering to find out what caused them to appear. But it turns out that most of them are based on specific historical facts or the deep observation of the people, who in this way transmit their wisdom from generation to generation.

A proverb is the same brief allegorical literary form as a riddle, but with an instructive meaning. Often it has a rhyme, but its main load is the training of the young generation and the transfer of life experience to it. For example, “they consider chickens in the fall,” they say when a person, starting a business, prematurely calculates what profit or benefit he will get from him.

Folk proverbs and riddles were the educational material on which many generations of children grew and developed.

Sayings

This is another type of small literary form whose main purpose is the reflection of a fact of life or phenomenon. A saying does not have a complete meaning, but acquires it by being inserted into speech. For example, when a sentence refers to the fulfillment of a promise, the phrase “when the cancer hangs on the mountain” is often used, meaning that the person does not keep his word.

A proverb never teaches. Its function is to convey the meaning of what has been said with the help of a more figurative and accurate expression. You can, for example, say "he is drunk", but the phrase "he does not knit a bast" better conveys the degree of intoxication.

As V. I. Dahl defined the notion of a proverb, it is “an allegorical expression, a devious speech conveying a judgment about a phenomenon or object”.

The emergence of proverbs and sayings

Like riddles, folk proverbs and sayings are the result of centuries of experience of a large number of people. Their formation began with the emergence of language. For example, the first Russian proverbs are mentioned in the "Tale of Bygone Years" by the chronicler Nestor. It deals with the formation of Kievan Rus from the time of the creation of the world until 1117 onwards. e.

For example, there are such lines: "And there is a saying in Russia today - they perished as arcs." We are talking about how the tribe of Dulebs destroyed their enslavers of obro: “There is no tribe, no offspring.” This saying was used when it came to the death of a whole kind.

As early as the 9th century, in Kievan Rus, expressions were used that originated in the pagan Slavic period or transmit information about historical events and their individual participants, which are well known today. For example, the proverb “mother of the earth’s cheese” (pagans animated nature), the proverb “the wolf has dwelled on the sheep’s flock, then he will bear all the sheep” (the Drevlyans used to say about Prince Igor, who went to them several times in the war).

Many proverbs were formed during serfdom, which today have already lost their original meaning, but have gained a new meaning. For example, "Here you are, grandmother, and St. George's Day!" They say when expectations are not met. The original value was due to the fact that one day a year (Yuryev), serfs were allowed to leave to another master. By the decree of Boris Godunov, this right was abolished, and all serfs were assigned to their masters.

This type of genre, like riddles, has many topics that relate to almost all natural phenomena and the spheres of human life.

Themes and types of folk riddles

Russian folk riddles today can be classified into several types. These include:

• allegories - “Beyond the dark forests, two swans danced” (earrings).
• description - “Himself from the top, and the head with a pot” (samovar).
• questions - “What is the sweetest thing in the world?” (sleep).
• jokes - “Which island itself speaks of its size” (Yamal).
• with numbers - “6 legs, 2 heads and 1 tail” (rider on a horse).

Riddles folk can be divided into the following topics:

• "man";
• "natural phenomena";
• "house, hut";
• "wild and domestic animals";
• "yard";
• "insects";
• "garden Garden";
• "rivers, water";
• "forest";
• "field, meadow";
• "professions, labor";
• "birds";
• "fairy-tale heroes";
• "sky".

In fact, there could be so much more. All countries of the world have their own puzzles, for example, in Europe, handwritten collections dating back 1000 years are known. This is truly one of the oldest literary genres.

Mysteries for children about nature

The most popular Russian folk puzzles for children are dedicated to nature and man. This is understandable, since people have long been observing what and who is around them, and were able to analyze both the events around them and the behavior of those around them.

The destiny of the old people in ancient times was the training of the younger generation of worldly wisdom and knowledge of the world. At that time, there was no better tool for this than folk riddles for children. Intuitively, people understood: giving the children's mind difficult tasks, thereby they make them observant and savvy. This developed imaginative thinking, and children better understood the essence of natural phenomena. For instance:

• “The gray-haired grandfather at the gates closed his eyes to everyone” - indicates the color of the fog.
• “A multi-colored rocker hangs over the river” - draws attention to the shape of the rainbow.

• “Although it is snow and ice, and when it leaves, it sheds tears” (winter) - the property of snow and ice is to melt.

In this way, adults taught children to pay attention to the qualities inherent in each particular phenomenon and characterizing it.

Mysteries for children about people

Observation of others was also characteristic of the Russian people. Drawing conclusions from everyday situations, our ancestors created folk riddles. With answers, they later began to be published in children's collections, spreading the wisdom of generations from different parts of the country beyond its borders.

Riddles dedicated to people concerned both their appearance and condition, as well as their lifestyle. For instance:

• “It is given to you, but people use it” (name of a person).
• "What kind of food is most needed?" (mouth).

• “What you want - you won’t buy, what you don’t need, you won’t sell” (in youth there are many desires, but there is no money, but in old age there are no desires).

So the older generation taught in ancient times children to know themselves and their essence. Today the books “Russian Folk Riddles” (with answers) are no less popular among children than oral art by their peers in the old days.

Riddles about folk tales

Tales are one of the favorite types of folk art in children. Their admiration for fictional characters gave rise to another topic - riddles about folk tales. Today you can find options dedicated to both Russian and foreign heroes there.

They are conditionally divided by age:

• For the smallest, these are the heroes of such tales as “Teremok”, “Kolobok” and others. For example: “A house is in a field, forest residents found a shelter in it and live together: a hare, a fox, a Norushka and a wolf, only a bear crushed ...” (“Teremok”).
• For older children of preschool and school age, these are the heroes from the fairy tales “Geese-Swans”, “Snow Maiden”, “Princess Frog” and others. For example: “This girl is afraid of the sun and heat, because she is made of snow” (Snow Maiden).

Today, in kindergartens, much attention is paid to the development of imaginative thinking of children, for which they use folk riddles with answers (for the smallest).

Riddles in the modern world

Judging by the fact that children's psychologists note the positive influence of puzzles on the development of thinking and imagination, this kind of folk art will always be in demand. Today you can meet not only folk, but also author's puzzles, which are more suitable for modern children and their ideas about the world and book heroes. For example, “One fat man lives on the roof and he flies above all” (Carlson).