Kladenets. Treasure Sword - the legendary blade of invincibility Fairy Tale Treasure Sword

Sword-Treasurer - a special mythical sword, a heroic weapon, with which only one can defeat one or another evil spirit. The hero must first get himself this sword. As a rule, Baba Yaga helps him in this matter, who tells the hero where these weapons are stored and how they can be taken possession of, what dangers await along this path and how they must be overcome. The one who takes possession of this enchanted, magical sword emerges victorious from all battles.

Sometimes only such a sword can cause death to some monster or giant. Thus, the fairy-tale hero Eruslan Lazarevich obtains the Kladenets-sword from under the head of the giant Roslaney, and with this weapon kills the treacherous king Fire-Shield; Bova the prince finds a similar sword in the dungeon where he was imprisoned. Under the dominance of the mythological interpretation of fairy tales, in the treasure-sword, as well as in other similar weapons found in fairy tales - the self-cutting ax, the self-breaking club - they saw a representation of lightning cutting through the clouds, and in the heroes armed with it - the personification of the thunder god, armed with Perun... The name kladenets is in connection with the verb to put (cf. kladen - a beam or log placed at the base of something; kladenets - a large knife with which to cut cattle).

Sometimes in Russian folk tales it appears as a self-cutting sword, which, by order of its owner, can cut down even an entire forest, even an entire enemy army.

Sword spell:

“The sun rolled out from behind the Khvalynsky Sea, the moon rose over the stone city, and in that stone city my mother gave birth and, giving birth, said: “May you, my child, be safe and sound: from arrows and swords, from fighters and wrestlers. My mother girdled me with a treasure sword. You are my treasure sword, turn and turn, like the millstones of a mill turn, you crush and crumble all steel, and lay, and iron, and copper; pierce, cut through all kinds of meat and bone; and let the enemy’s blows fly away from you like stones from water, and so that you won’t get a scratch or a nick from them. I speak to the slave (such and such), and gird him with a treasure sword. Never mind the end of the word, the crown of my work.”

The explanation for the weapons of ancient Russian heroes is logical and simple. The name “sword-kladenets” comes from the word steel, which is “way of life” in Old Russian. Who knows, maybe the family way of life came from here, because it is something unshakable and strong, like steel.

If you turn to the Old Russian dictionary, you can find the translation of the word “way of life” - steel. And “laying” is, accordingly, steel. In Rus' they called “Kladenets” not only a warrior’s sword, but also a large steel knife for butchering cattle. Some linguistics experts are trying to find a connection between the appearance of this word in Old Russian from other languages. So, there is some consonance with the Old Irish claided and with the Latin gladius, but these versions are quite controversial.

Experts are sure that in Rus' there were blacksmiths-gunsmiths who mastered the technology of making special, durable swords from welded damask steel. To do this, they alternated laying steel on iron several times, and then forged it, twisting it many times. If, after firing, some pieces of steel broke off, then the master would arrange them in a special way and perform the forging operation again and again. This took a lot of time and effort, but the treasure sword turned out to be excellent.

Svyatogor, who is leaving for another world, gives the sword to Ilya Muromets: “And now farewell, wield my treasure sword.” But we know from epics that Ilya Muromets had an affair with Svyatogor’s wife. Could it be that the incident with the murder of an unfaithful wife is a later development, while the very moment of handing over the sword on his deathbed is a symbolic reflection of the handing over of the wife to the younger brother? In this case, the intimate relationship between Svyatogor’s wife and Ilya Muromets takes on a slightly different meaning.

And finally, the head of the giant hero says to Eruslan Timofeevich: “You will see my body, under it is my treasure sword, there is a secret hidden in it, it will be useful to you.” These words clearly indicate the location of the notorious “sword”.

Researchers and readers have always been drawn to the weapons of heroes and heroes. With the help of these devices, the people's defenders performed some of their famous feats, fighting various types of enemies and freeing innocent hostages. Similar types of heroic weapons include the treasure sword, a truly heroic weapon possessing magical powers.

Purpose

Usually, this weapon fell into the owner’s hands from some hiding place and, as a rule, gave its owner the property of invincibility. Since the treasure sword is present in several Russian epics at once and allows us to talk about it not as someone’s personal weapon, but rather as a certain type of blade, their category.

Origin and meaning of the word

According to some scientists, the epithet itself in Russian comes from the word “treasure”, associated with the verb “put” (there is also a version: a sword that is laid by the enemy army). Then it becomes clear why the sword is a treasure. Other researchers trace the origin to the word “kladny”, that is, “steel” (perhaps in ancient times, steel swords were rare, which means they were attributed magical properties). Third version: connection with weapons production technology. In ancient times, a bar of iron was buried in the ground for a while. Poor quality pieces were corroded by rust. Then the future sword was dug up, cleaned of rye, and high-quality metal remained, from which the weapon was forged. There are other versions of the origin of the word itself. But in any case, the essence remains the same: the treasure sword was a rather formidable and effectively striking weapon for a warrior.

How did you get it?

The formidable weapon itself can only go to a worthy hero. It is usually hidden in the ground or wall (walled up), sometimes hidden under a stove (in one of the fairy tales, under a stove). In order to get a treasure sword, a hero or hero must prove his strength and abilities (lift a stove, stove, unwall a wall). By the way, such swords and stories about them are characteristic not only of East Slavic folklore. Compare a fragment of the ancient Greek myth about Theseus, to whom his mother shows the place under a stone where his father’s sword is hidden. In some cases, the hero must dig up a treasure sword from a mound or grave. This is due to the belief that existed in ancient times that weapons that belong to the dead have special magical powers. Having touched the “other world,” it itself became a carrier of death, deadly. In some epics, a sword is given to a younger hero as a gift from an older one who is leaving for the world of the dead (the ancient Russian epic “Svyatogor and Ilya Muromets”).

In another epic, the sword is located under the headless body of a giant hero on the battlefield. Eruslan Lazarevich, talking with the huge severed head of an ancient warrior, learns about this and obtains a magical weapon (compare the fairy tale in verse “Ruslan and Lyudmila”, written by Pushkin - a similar theme of the extraction of an artifact by a hero is also developed there).

And Prince Muromsky in the work “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” finds a striking sword hidden in the wall of the monastery.

Sword wielders

In later folklore and literary works of authorship, such weapons are almost a mandatory attribute inherent in the main character. And at different times Svyatogor, Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich, Eruslan, Ruslan, Bova Korolevich, and Ivan Tsarevich owned such swords at different times. Which, of course, once again indicates that these were different swords.

"Sword-treasurer." Tale of Weapons

Actually, the treasure sword is mentioned, as has already been said, in many folk tales, epics, and literary works. For example, in “The Tale of Ivan Tsarevich and the Treasure Sword,” the main character goes to purposefully obtain magical weapons to fight the Serpent, who traditionally burns churches and fields, takes hostages and tribute, and rages in every possible way. As a result, the enemy was defeated, the people were released, and the lands were liberated. And all with the help of the magical power of this sharp instrument. By the way, the stable expression “the treasure sword has become dull” means in a figurative sense that the strength has left the person (the hero) and there is no longer any possibility of continuing the battle.

To the question Why was the sword called KLADENETS? given by the author Lika the best answer is
Good question. But no one will give you an EXACT answer to this.
The treasure sword is the weapon of several Russian heroes. Could be magical and
give the owner invincibility.
It is given into the hands only of a hero who can wield it.
There are several versions of why the TREASURE SWORD is called that.
The frequent mention of a treasure sword in fairy tales and epics, with different characters, indicates
that the treasure was not the proper name of a weapon, a specific single sword, but the whole
only by defining a certain category of blades.
The root - “treasure ...” - is usually associated with the word “put”, that is, with the idea of ​​​​something hidden.
The sword could be hidden in the ground, walled up in a wall, or hidden under a slab.
The sword that belonged to the dead has special powers.
Having touched the world of the dead, the hero acquired supernatural strength, becoming himself
the bearer of death.
In the epic "Svyatogor and Ilya Muromets" the two main characters find
a coffin that they both decide to try on. The coffin turns out to be large for Ilya Muromets, but for Svyatogor
- just right.
He asks his younger comrade to take his treasure sword and hit the lid, causing the coffin to
surrounded by an iron strip.
The weapon that another hero departs into the world leaves to Ilya:
“Now farewell, take possession of my treasure sword,
And tie the goodness of my heroic horse to my coffin. »

Another owner of the treasure sword, Eruslan Lazarevich, in search of a weapon with which he can defeat the king of the Fire Shield, enters a battlefield, in the middle of which rises the head of a giant hero. The head tells Eruslan where the sword is hidden:
“...A head the size of a beer kettle answered, with a whole span between the eyes:
- I'm not alive, not dead. Good man, Russian hero Eruslan Lazarevich, you are going to the king Fiery Shield Flaming Spears, you will ride along the battlefield, you will see my body, under it is my treasure sword, there is a secret hidden in it, it will be useful to you...”
But the dictionary of the Code of Russian Folklore, published by the Russian Academy of Sciences, indicates an origin from the word “ukladny”, which simply means “steel” - perhaps at some time steel swords made an impression with their rarity. In this regard, I would like to quote the opinion of a person who dealt with this problem:

And this is how they forged him:
“They took a thick strip of pure iron, separated thin plates 2-3 mm thick in a special way, and laid them on top of each other in an iron trough. The edges of the trough were bent, the plates were heated in a forge and subjected to repeated welding under a hammer, and then this package was welded with iron plates. Until the 12th century. The Suzdal “way of life” was especially famous.

Other versions:
In “The Tale of Babylon-City”, he bears the nickname “Aspid the Serpent” and can turn into a serpent. He is also called “Samosek” - because he could chop himself.

There are other equally interesting versions.

And this definition is given by the mythological dictionary:
SWORD-TRAISH, self-cutting sword - in Russian folklore - a wonderful weapon that ensures victory over enemies. In the legend about Babylon-city, the sword is called “Aspid-snake”, endowed with the features of a werewolf.
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Answer from 22 answers[guru]

Hello! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: Why was the sword called KLADENETS?

Answer from Neuvind Storm of the Fiords[guru]
The word has the same root as TREASURE. It's hidden, I mean

Answer from Natasha[guru]
sword - Kladenets, self-cut - in Russian folklore and medieval book tradition, a wonderful weapon that ensures victory over enemies. In the legend about Babylon - the city, the self-cutting sword is called “Apid-Snake” and is endowed with the features of a werewolf (turns into a snake). A common motive is to search for a sword hidden in the ground, walled up in a wall, etc., associated with the idea of ​​a treasure (kladenets) or burial (a sword under the head of a killed hero

Answer from Great fighting elephant[expert]
treasure - because treasure. Now there are a lot of sawn-off shotguns, revolvers and other Kalash guns buried in the gardens. Previously, swords were buried. When they come up with a superblaster, fairy tales will be about the Kalash-kladenets.

Answer from I'll be better[guru]
A large number of references to the treasure sword in fairy tales and epics relating to various characters clearly indicates that the treasure was not the proper name of a weapon, a specific single sword, like, for example, Excalibur, but just a definition of a certain category of blades.
The root of this epithet - “TREASURE ...” - is usually associated with the word “CLAD”, that is, with the idea of ​​​​something hidden, obtained from a treasure or burial. But the dictionary of the Code of Russian Folklore, published by the Russian Academy of Sciences, indicates an origin from the word “UKLADNY”, which simply means “STEEL” - perhaps at some time steel swords made an impression with their rarity. However, there is no clarity in the etymology of the word; some are looking for its origins in the West: they note a connection with the Old Irish word claideb (sword) and Welsh cleddyf (sword), and Lat. gladius (sword) and possibly goes back to the word "smooth".
In “The Tale of Babylon-City”, he bears the nickname “Aspid the Serpent” and can turn into a serpent.
He is also called “Samosek” - because he could chop himself.
In some later dialects it became spoken as "sword-splitting sword".
UKLAD is a type of Damascus (and a technology for producing semi-finished steel). This is when thin plates, broken off from the crust, are sorted by type (it differs depending on the carbon content), placed in a mold and forged.
High-quality steel was called LAYING because it was welded onto the blade (laid). This is where such names as “stacking knife” and “stacking ax” arose.
Uklad was understood as a certain material, and not a product (at least in some period of time): there are many references to “furnaces for the style”, “hammers for the style”, about supplies of the method as raw materials along with iron, steel, etc. d.
There is a version that the phrase originates from Italian.
chiarenza ("shine, radiance") thanks to the "Tale of Beauvais" - a revised Italian novel of the thirteenth century "Buovo d'Antone" - one of the variations on the theme of Lancelot, the main character of which wields a sword called Chiarenza, Clarenza (Similarly, the character Pulicane from there became Polkan).
"Get me a good horse and a treasure sword, an iron club and strong armor, and a shield..."
That is, judging by the context, we are not talking about something unusual, we are just talking about a good, expensive, but ordinary weapon. Otherwise, the club would have been some kind of self-saw.
But in post-Mongol legends, the sword takes on a frankly fabulous meaning. In "The Tale of the Hero Eruslan Lazarevich" this is a magic sword for fighting wizards, and it is accompanied by a Fire Shield and a Flame Spear.
However, in explanatory and etymological dictionaries (including Vasmer) “TRAISH” is interpreted as a word derived from the words “treasure” or “put”. Nobody associates it with the adjective “laid”.
The treasure sword is given into the hands of only such a hero who can wield it. It could be hidden in the ground, walled up in a wall, hidden under a slab. In one of the epics, a mother hides her father’s gift from her son under the stove and gives it away only when the grown child is able to pick it up (cf. Theseus, to whom his mother points out the stone under which his father, when leaving, hid the sword).
It is worth noting cases when a hero digs up a treasure sword from a grave or mound. Such weapons, which belonged to the dead, have special powers. Having touched the world of the dead, he acquired supernatural power, becoming the bearer of death himself.