The image of the “Turgenev girl” in the works of I.S. Turgenev “The purest example of purest charm...”. Turgenev girl: what is she like?

Characteristic

In Turgenev's books, this is a reserved but sensitive girl who, as a rule, grew up in nature on an estate (without the corrupting influence of light or the city), pure, modest and educated. She is a clear introvert, does not get along well with people, but has a deep inner life. She is not distinguished by her striking beauty; she can be perceived as ugly. She falls in love with the main character, appreciating his true, not ostentatious, merits, desire to serve the idea and does not pay attention to the external gloss of other contenders for her hand. Having made a decision, she faithfully and devotedly follows her beloved, despite the resistance of her parents or external circumstances. Sometimes he falls in love with an unworthy person, overestimating him. She has a strong character that may not be noticeable at first; she sets a goal and goes towards it, without deviating from the path and sometimes achieving much more than a man; she can sacrifice herself for the sake of any idea. Her traits are enormous moral strength, “explosive expressiveness, determination to “go to the end,” sacrifice, combined with an almost unearthly dreaminess,” and a strong female character in Turgenev’s books he usually “supports” the weaker “Turgenev’s youth”. Reasonability is combined with impulses true feeling and stubbornness; She loves stubbornly and relentlessly.

In the modern linguistic situation, this stereotype has been deformed and the epithet “Turgenev young lady/girl” is mistakenly used to mean “a romantic girl; idealists; a gentle and sincere young lady; an unmodern, old-fashioned person; weak, whiny, sentimental, unadapted to life; poetic, tender, light, in love, graceful; romantic and sublime, fragile and touching, feminine and sophisticated; instantly blushing and embarrassed.” Obviously, there was a partial confusion with the characteristics of the muslin young lady, the schoolgirl - initially more negative, nervous and unadapted to real life female images.

In Turgenev's books

Turgenev largely follows Pushkin’s canonical image of a Russian woman with her natural, open and bright feelings, which, as a rule, do not find a proper response in the male environment.

• Natalya Lasunskaya from the novel "Rudin":

...Natalya Alekseevna, at first glance I might not like her. She had not yet had time to develop, she was thin, dark, and stood a little stooped. But her facial features were beautiful and regular, although too large for a seventeen-year-old girl. Her clean and even forehead above her thin eyebrows, as if broken in the middle, was especially beautiful. She spoke little, listened and looked attentively, almost intently, as if she wanted to give herself an account of everything. She often remained motionless, lowered her hands and thought; her face then expressed the inner workings of her thoughts... A barely noticeable smile would suddenly appear on her lips and disappear; large dark eyes will quietly rise... “Qu’avez-vous?” - Mlle Boncourt will ask her and begin to scold her, saying that it is indecent for a young girl to think and take on an absent-minded look. But Natalya was not absent-minded: on the contrary, she studied diligently, read and worked willingly. She felt deeply and strongly, but secretly; Even as a child, she rarely cried, and now she rarely even sighed, and only turned slightly pale when something upset her. Her mother considered her a good-natured, prudent girl, she called her jokingly: mon honnete homme de fille, but she was not too high opinion about her mental abilities. “Fortunately, Natasha is cold,” she used to say, “not like me... so much the better. She will be happy". Daria Mikhailovna was wrong. However, it is rare that a mother understands her daughter.

• Marianna Sinetskaya from the novel “Nov”:

Compared to her aunt, Marianne could seem almost “ugly.” She had a round face, a large, aquiline nose, gray, also large and very light eyes, thin eyebrows, thin lips. She cut her thick brown hair and looked like a beech. But from her whole being there was something strong and bold, something impetuous and passionate. Her legs and arms were tiny; her strongly and flexibly built small body was reminiscent of Florentine figurines of the 16th century; she moved gracefully and easily. (...) She was alienated from her uncle, like all other people. She was precisely alienated from them, and not afraid; Her disposition was not timid. (...) Marianne belonged to a special category of unfortunate creatures - (in Russia they began to come across quite often) ... Justice satisfies, but does not please them, and injustice, to which they are terribly sensitive, outrages them to the bottom of their souls.

I don't like languor
of your crossed arms,
And calm modesty,
And bashful fear.

The heroine of Turgenev's novels,
You are arrogant, gentle and pure,
There is so much of stormless autumn in you
From the alley where the sheets are circling.

You'll never believe anything
Before you count, don't measure,
You'll never go anywhere
If you can’t find the paths on the map.

And that mad hunter is alien to you,
That, having climbed the naked rock,
In drunken happiness, in unaccountable melancholy
Shoots an arrow straight into the sun.

• Elena Stakhova from the novel “On the Eve” (follows her husband to Bulgaria for the liberation struggle against the Turks)

She recently turned twenty. She was tall, had a pale and dark face, large grey eyes under round eyebrows, surrounded by tiny freckles, a forehead and nose completely straight, a compressed mouth and a rather a pointy chin. Her dark brown braid hung low on her thin neck. In her whole being, in her attentive and slightly timid expression, in her clear but changeable gaze, in her smile, as if tense, in her voice, quiet and uneven, there was something nervous, electric, something impetuous and hasty, in a word, something that could not please everyone, that even repelled others. Her hands were narrow, pink, with long fingers, legs are also narrow; she walked quickly, almost swiftly, leaning forward a little. She grew up very strangely; At first she adored her father, then she became passionately attached to her mother and lost interest in both of them, especially her father. (...) Weakness outraged her, stupidity made her angry, she did not forgive lies “forever and ever”; her demands did not yield to anything, her very prayers were more than once mixed with reproach. As soon as a person lost her respect - and she pronounced judgment quickly, often too quickly - and he ceased to exist for her. All impressions fell sharply on her soul; Life was not easy for her. (...) Elena listened to him attentively and, turning halfway to him, did not take her eyes off his slightly pale face, from his eyes, friendly and meek, although they avoided meeting her eyes. Her soul was opening up, and something tender, fair, good either poured into her heart or grew in it.

In memory of I.S. Turgenev
(fragment)

10.
And there in the distance, where the grove is so foggy,
Where the beam barely flutters over the path, -
Elena, Masha, Lisa, Marianna,
And Asya and unfortunate Susanna -
They gathered in an airy crowd.

11.
Familiar quaint shadows
Creatures of love and beauty,
And a virgin and feminine dream, -
They were brought to life by a pure, gentle genius,
He gave them shape, colors and features.

12.
If it weren't for him, we wouldn't know for a long time
The suffering of a woman's loving soul,
Her cherished thoughts, silent sadness;
Only with him did we hear for the first time
Those songs that lurked in silence.

13.
He disturbed the silence of the stagnant waters,
The loud one answered secret requests,
From the darkness he brought a woman into the light,
Into the wide world of aspirations and consciousness,
On the path of living delights, battles and troubles.

• Elizaveta Kalitina from the novel “The Noble Nest” (the difference from other heroines of this type is their special religiosity. Having failed in love, she goes to a monastery).

“All imbued with a sense of duty, the fear of offending anyone, with a kind and meek heart, she loved everyone and no one in particular; she loved God alone enthusiastically, timidly, tenderly. Lavretsky was the first to break her quiet inner life"(...) "Nice girl, will anything come of her? She's pretty too. A pale, fresh face, eyes and lips so serious, and an honest and innocent look. It’s a pity, she seems to be a little enthusiastic.”

• Lisa from the story “The Diary of an Extra Man”
• Faith from the story "Faust"
• Asya from the story “Asya” (the most unbalanced of the heroines of this type).

The girl whom he called his sister seemed very pretty to me at first glance. There was something special about her dark complexion, round face, with a small thin nose, almost childish cheeks and black, light eyes. She was gracefully built, but as if not yet fully developed. (...) Asya took off her hat; her black hair, cut and combed like a boy's, fell in large curls over her neck and ears. At first she was shy of me. (...) I have not seen a more mobile creature. Not a single moment did she sit still; she got up, ran into the house and came running again, hummed in a low voice, often laughed, and in a strange way: it seemed that she was laughing not at what she heard, but at various thoughts that came into her head. Her large eyes looked straight, bright, bold, but sometimes her eyelids squinted slightly, and then her gaze suddenly became deep and tender.

• N. S. Tankova “Turgenev Girl” (Literature at school. - 1996. - No. 5)

Love the book, it will make your life easier, in a friendly way it will help you sort out the colorful and stormy confusion of thoughts, feelings, events, it will teach you to respect people and yourself, it inspires your mind and heart with a feeling of love for the world, for people.

Maxim Gorky

The image of the "Turgenev girl"

The work of I. Turgenev gave Russian literature a vivid image of a girl, which over time transformed into a stable stereotype. It's about about such a phenomenon as the “Turgenev girl”.

The phenomenon is based on a whole string of images of heroines created by the writer during the 1850-1890s. IN research literature The main prototypes of the stereotype under consideration are considered to be Natalya Lasunskaya (the novel “Rudin”), Marianna Sinetskaya (the novel “Nov”), Elena Stakhova (the novel “On the Eve”). All these heroines are united by constant characteristics.

First of all, the “Turgenev girl” is distinguished by the presence of a harmonious and integral inner world. Despite some detachment from everyday life, this girl feels amazingly organically at one with nature. Many Turgenev heroines are distinguished by innate modesty and simplicity, but behind this appearance there is a strong will and an unyielding character. In most cases, girls have to come into conflict with the existing family life or the conventions of the world, but whatever the obstacles, in their desire to achieve their goal, the girls go to the very end.

In addition, the “Turgenev girl” presupposes not only the presence of specific character traits, but also some external features. Many of the writer’s heroines have porcelain (and even slightly transparent) white skin, on which a slight blush flares up every now and then (the writer Turgenev emphasizes especially expressively the ability of girls to be shy and blush). Heroines are also characterized by natural slimness, thin musical fingers, sophistication and regularity of facial features, and an attraction to gentle pastel colors in choosing clothes.

Let's move on to the age of women older than adolescence, and this is what they are like... Turgenev's maiden, age is usually from 19 to about 21 years. This is the period when a charming flower appears, barely opened.

Turgenev's girl and Chekhov's lady

A girl at this age is already more mature, she has no problems with excess weight and pimples, her skin is clear and the problem orange peel, is still missing.
Physical exercise, as well as mental, is not a problem for them. But, unfortunately, they don’t really use their acquired abilities, since problems of a more global nature are in the foreground.

It is possible that there are girls who this problem doesn’t occupy much attention, their heads are clearer, they are mainly busy with their studies and hobbies. They are, one might say, not fully opened buds.

But still, Turgenev’s girls usually hover in the clouds of love in search of their betrothed. The likelihood of finding a groom is not great; usually it ends in a sad but invaluable experience - Turgenev's girl and Chekhov's lady .

The goal of Turgenev's girls is an inexorable desire to love and be loved. Accessory is a love story.
The main cosmetics are lipstick and mascara. And we love to eat - pizza and pies, mainly with cabbage. Hobbies are usually different, such as equestrian sports, tennis, mostly, the main thing is that there would be more people, and in fact, ! Modern girls they love the Internet and communication, and of course, parties. The motto is something like this: “Seek and fight, find and surrender.” Problems with men are usually of a “global” nature, can be compared to the “end of the world,” but there are simpler cases.

Chekhov's lady, a woman, is the age when a woman stops growing and gradually begins to fade. At this age, there is usually experience of a failed marriage, in some cases there are children, a couple of extra pounds, dreams of happy life — Turgenev's girl and Chekhov's lady …

After 25 years, a woman has already gained enough “sad” experience, but in order to adequately perceive the situation and learn from mistakes, she has not yet matured enough and does not want to accept it. As a rule, most often women of this age become victims of marriage scammers. Due to constant disorders, a single woman is susceptible to various diseases.
It could be a migraine, brittle nails and hair loss, and - every woman has her own...

Fortunately for everyone, Chekhov's age passes quite quickly, but the fear of old age does not leave them. Although it’s too early to think about it!

Ministry of Education and Science of the Udmurt Republic
AOU SPO UR "Economic and Technological College"
Topic of the speech:

(clothing collection)
Author: Konovalova Alisa Nikolaevna
Student 14 years old by specialty 261019
"Design, modeling and technology
manufacturing of garments"
Head: Batinova Anastasia Igorevna
Izhevsk
2014
Introduction
“What can be said about the works of Turgenev? Is it that after reading them it’s easy to breathe, easy to believe, and feels warm? What do you clearly feel, how your moral level rises, what do you mentally bless and love the author? It is precisely this impression that these transparent images, as if woven from air, leave behind, this beginning of love and light, flowing in every line with a living spring,” this is how the great Russian satirist M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin spoke about Turgenev’s work.
Not only his contemporaries, but also many subsequent generations of Russian and foreign readers perceived Turgenev’s works in a similar way. In his stories, novels, imbued with humane, noble feelings, exciting pictures of the past, pictures of Russian nature come to life for us.
“Turgenev Girl” is a girl who has a strong, independent character, capable of accomplishing any feat in the name of love and her happiness. Sincerity and honesty are the qualities that distinguish the “Turgenev girl” from other women.
Turgenev was a master of his craft - he was able to discern in the girl those sublime qualities that no one had seen before him. "Turgenev's Girl" is collective image, one might say ideal. It is impossible to accurately answer the question: “Do “Turgenev girls” exist now? Surely they live among us and do not succumb to outside provocations modern image life. They study or work, strive for their ideal of life, where there is a husband who is preparing to make some discovery or revolution in science, politics or society. Today, however, she no longer dreams of social and political activities or improving her own personality, but of simple female happiness – perfect family and children.
The purpose of the work is to determine, using examples from Turgenev’s works, who the “Turgenev girl” is, to create a collection of clothes that reflects the image of the “Turgenev girl” in the 21st century.
Job objectives:
use the example of the heroines of Turgenev’s works to determine the image of the “Turgenev girl” as a historical and literary concept;
give a definition of the concept of “Turgenev girl”;
determine what the “Turgenev girls” have become now;
create a collection of clothing reflecting the image of the “Turgenev girl” in the 21st century.

"Turgenev's girl" as a historical and literary concept
In memory of I. S. Turgenev (fragment)
And there in the distance, where the grove is so foggy,
Where the beam barely flutters over the path, -
Elena, Masha, Lisa, Marianna,
And Asya and unfortunate Susanna -
They gathered in an airy crowd.
Familiar quaint shadows
Creatures of love and beauty,
Both virgin and feminine dreams,
They were brought to life by pure gentle genius,
He gave them shape, colors, and features.
If it weren't for him, we wouldn't know for a long time
The suffering of a woman's loving soul,
Her cherished thoughts, silent sadness,
Only with him did we hear for the first time
Those songs that lurked in silence.
He disturbed the silence of the stagnant waters,
The loud one answered secret requests,
From the darkness he brought a woman into the light,
Into the wide world of aspirations and consciousness,
On the path of living delights, battles and troubles.
Konstantin Balmont
In Turgenev's works, love most often has a sad, tragic connotation, but the hero brings both grief and joy, making them more sublime. This is no coincidence, since the writer sincerely and disinterestedly loved the married singer and remained faithful to his love until the end of his days. The heroines of his stories and novels are always unusual.
“Turgenev girl” is the name given to a special type of heroine, distinguished by a unique and deep inner world. Basically, she is an introverted girl, but sensitive, who, as a rule, grew up on an estate, untouched by the light (city). Very clean, modest and educated. This image is clearly an introvert, does not get along well with people, but has a very deep inner life. Such a girl is not distinguished by her bright appearance, she is characterized by simplicity, and is often mistaken for an ugly girl. The “Turgenev girl” is considered to have a truly strong character, which may not be noticeable at first. She is the one who sets a goal and goes towards it. To achieve a goal, such a girl can sacrifice herself. Rationality in her is combined with impulses of true feeling and stubbornness. She also loves stubbornly and relentlessly.
Peculiarities literary type"Turgenev girl":
a soul that is impossible not to love;
tenderness, sincere feelings, lack of artificiality and coquetry;
a strong character;
activity and independence;
isolation;
education;
determination, thirst to serve and sacrifice oneself for the sake of some high idea.

In Turgenev’s books you can see the following examples of representatives of the image of the “Turgenev girl”.
Natalya Lasunskaya from the novel “Rudin”: a girl of seventeen years old. The author notes in her such features as modesty, restraint, accuracy, as well as a certain dreaminess and thoughtfulness into which the heroine constantly immerses herself. Her main activities are walking, embroidering on canvas, reading, and not only history books and edifying works, but also, secretly from his mother and governess, Pushkin. She was also interested in horses. Describing Natalya’s appearance, the author focuses on her facial expression, which almost always reflected the “inner work of her thoughts”: “she felt deeply and strongly, but secretly; As a child, she rarely cried, and now she rarely even sighed, and only turned slightly pale when something upset her.” Nevertheless, Turgenev himself notes that this girl is not young at all. This idea is confirmed after the meeting between Natalya and Rudin. She saw in Rudin a man with rich soul and intelligence, capable of bright, significant, undoubtedly beneficial actions. But he treats the girl strangely main character, Rudin, and she remarks: “he treats me like a girl.” But the author speaks in Lezhnev’s voice in his conversation with Alexandra Pavlovna: “Natalya is not a child; Believe me, she thinks more often and more deeply than you and I. And it is necessary that such an honest, passionate and ardent nature would stumble upon such an actor, such a coquette!”, the last phrase refers to Rudin. Even in an upset state, Natalya finds the strength to say wonderful words to Rudin: “... I still believed you, I believed every word you said... Go ahead, please weigh your words, don’t say them to the wind. When I told you that I love you, I knew what this word meant; I was ready for anything... Now all I have to do is thank you for the lesson and say goodbye.” In this remark we hear the pain in the soul of the Russian girl, her sadness and disappointment.
Elena Stakhova from the novel “On the Eve”: In this heroine one can definitely feel the desire for “active goodness”, sympathy for all the suffering and oppressed. She perfectly combines courage and determination. To achieve her goal, she breaks with her previous life without any exceptions. For the sake of her love for Insarov, the girl rejects everyone. She has become a symbol of the people that Russia needs. Despite the death of her husband, she becomes a sister of mercy in order to practically participate in the struggle of the Bulgarian people, in memory of her beloved.
Asya from the story “Asya”: one of Turgenev’s most poetic female images. She is an open, passionate and proud girl. He amazes the reader with his unusual appearance and nobility. She is also characterized by shyness and inability to behave in society. IN early age Thoughts about the contradictions of life come into this young lady's head. What she has in common with other incarnations of the image of the “Turgenev girl” is moral purity, sincerity, and the ability to strong passions, a dream of a feat.
In the novel “Fathers and Sons” Turgenev showed three main female images.
Anna Odintsova Katya FenechkaAppearance
Beautiful, slim, with decent posture. “...the hands lay along the slender figure; the bright eyes looked calmly and intelligently, precisely calmly; some kind of gentle and soft power wafted from her face.” It cannot be said that she was a beauty, but she smiled a lot and looked somehow sternly, from bottom to top; dark brunette with large features and thoughtful eyes. A young woman, all white and soft, with dark hair; neat
Character
A proud, even arrogant, lady from high society.
Her mind was “inquisitive and indifferent at the same time.”
“If she weren’t independent, she could have rushed into battle.”
Married out of conviction.
Cold mind and some spiritual coldness.
The heroine is bright and strong personality. Timid, silent.
He likes to read and think more.
Close to nature, natural.
Kind, gentle and simple.
Loves music and flowers.
Patient, undemanding, but stubborn.
Individuality is revealed gradually, in alliance with Arkady it will be the main one.
A peasant woman, her position in the novel is ambiguous.
The author sympathizes with her more than anyone, tries to protect and show that in her motherhood she is above all prejudices.
Fenechka is natural, she is a strong person with self-esteem.
The image of the “Turgenev girl” in the 21st century
What could a “Turgenev girl” be like now? This question is actually quite difficult, since time changes everything. It will change everyone, but I think its main features would remain the same. Decisiveness and modesty would be very characteristic of her, this is what distinguishes her from others. It seems to me that such a girl will always be characterized as dreamy, educated and very modest, even a little aloof. It is difficult for her to get along with people, because often they simply do not understand her, since she inner world very complicated. Many will never be able to understand her sacrifice to her cause, her goal. With such aspiration, she can rise to incredible heights, but at each new level she will be hindered by her own isolation. Now we live in a time when you must be open to the world, you must keep up with the times, but to achieve your goal you will have to swim against the tide and not crash into an iceberg, like the Titanic, which was shipwrecked during such a meeting and went down. Yes, she would have a hard time in our time, although, like everyone else.
In my mind, she has shoulder-length mahogany hair that falls in light waves over her fair shoulders. Complicated hairstyles are not for her, so she is content with a braid or a loose bun at the back of her head. The color of her skin shows that she is not affected by the southern sun, and she is not a sunbather. She is also a small girl with a plain figure, good, but nothing more. Face a little round shape, expresses education and modesty, and even a little coldness. The high forehead is covered only by a couple of stray strands, not very thick eyebrows complement her eyes perfectly. They are brown with splashes of green and radiate determination. An unremarkable nose and thin lips complemented her image. She was not particularly extreme in her makeup. As natural as possible, except that she had to add a little blush so as not to appear too pale. She was the one who dreams of wearing light, flowing, floor-length dresses with crinoline. It wouldn't hurt her to do it public opinion, but practicality got in the way. Her wardrobe consists mainly of skirts, blouses and dresses made of flowing and delicate materials (for example, silk, chiffon and guipure). Such a girl likes beige and lilac, pink shades, or noble dark red and dark green.
Conclusion
Thus, as a result of the work done, we came to the conclusion that the “Turgenev girl” is a typical heroine of the works of Ivan Turgenev, a literary stereotype formed in Russian culture on the basis of a generalized image of several of his female characters from works from the 1850s to the 1880s.
"Turgenev girls" - strong girls. They are much stronger in spirit the men around them. Turgenev's ideal lies in the ability to love and sacrifice oneself for the sake of a loved one. All these heroines, of course, are very different, each of them has their own life, their own experiences, but they are all united by love and the desire to be happy. All this is still relevant today. And “Turgenev girls” undoubtedly exist in our modern world. You just need to take a closer look.
"Turgenev's Girl" is romantic and sublime, fragile and touching, feminine and sophisticated. For for long years this image inspires artists and designers and remains relevant in the modern world.
The key components of the modern image of the “Turgenev girl” are:
Makeup that is barely noticeable;
The hairstyle is very simple, a braid or a loose bun;
The clothes are very feminine, which makes them even more tender;
The character of a strong determined girl with a sensitive soul.
Bibliography
Tankova N. S. “Turgenev’s Girl” (Literature at school. – 1996.-No. 5).
Yuferova N. E. The future of the “Turgenev girl” / Turgenev archive.
Turgenev's young lady. Experiment //fashion.ru
Turgenev girl //ru.wikipedia.org

There is a strong idea that female warriors are a derivative of the cultures of exclusively Iranian-speaking nomads, primarily the Sarmatians. Surprisingly, the massive presence of Amazons among others nomadic peoples- Turks, Mongols are almost always ignored.

In this post I have collected several excerpts from the texts historical chronicles and epic tales that tell of the massive presence of warring women among the Turks and Mongols. As is known, in almost all nomadic cultures a woman had a higher social status than among agricultural peoples. This was due to the way of life of nomads, which contributed to a certain equality between men and women.

Plano Carpini, "History of the Mongols"
“Girls and women ride and skilfully gallop on horses like men. We also saw them carrying quivers and bows. And both men and women can ride long and hard.”

Annals of the Burton Monastery (Annales Burtonenses) about the Mongol army:
“Women, like men, ride, fight and shoot with bows. Their armor is made of multi-layered leather, and it is almost impenetrable.”

Seyfi Chelebi (XVI century) "Tavarikh" (Chronicle)
“After the battle, when they rob the Kalmyks who died in the battle and remove their armor and armor, they discover that they are girls. These people have such courage that even girls go to war dressed in military armor."

Tatar women, like all warriors of the Middle Ages, they were incredibly cruel; Thomas of Split (1200 - 1268) wrote about how they mocked prisoners.

Thomas of Split "History of the Archbishops of Salona and Split"
“Tatar women, armed in a masculine manner, like men, bravely rushed into battle, and with particular cruelty they mocked captive women. If they noticed women with more attractive faces, who at least to some extent could arouse a feeling of jealousy in them, they immediately killed them with a blow of a sword, but if they saw those suitable for slave labor, then they cut off their noses and, with disfigured faces, sent them to perform their duties slaves."

Johann Schiltberger, Travels through Europe, Asia and Africa from 1394 to 1427.
“When I was at Chakra, one Tatar lady named Sadur-melik, with a retinue consisting of 4 thousand girls, appeared before him and Edigei. This noble lady, wanting to take revenge on one Tatar king for killing her husband, asked Edigei to help her expel that king. It is necessary to know that this lady, as well as the women accompanying her, rode and handled archery no worse than a man, and that, in preparation for battle, she tied a sword and a bow to each side (horse or saddle).

When the cousin of the king who killed her husband, having been captured in the battle with Chakra, was brought to her, she ordered him to kneel, drew her sword and cut off his head with one blow, saying: “Now I have taken revenge!” This happened in my presence, and I am talking about it here as an eyewitness.”

Many militant female characters are present in the main Oghuz epic “The Book of My Grandfather Korkut”; these are wives, mothers, brides of khans and heroes. This epic dates back to the 11th century - the time of the conquest of the Turks throughout Western Asia.

Stories about Burla-Khatun, the wife of Kazan-Bek:
“She put forty slender maidens on horses, ordered to bring a black stallion, she sat on horseback, girded herself with a sword and went [in search of her son] ...
“The tall Burla-Khatun cut the black banner of the infidels with her sword and threw (it) to the ground.”

Stills from the Turkish TV series "Ertogrul".

It is interesting that in the 17th century, Adam Olearius, a participant in the German embassy to Persia, left a description of the graves of Kazan-bek and his wife Burla-Khatun in Azerbaijan; he even noted the unusual length of her tomb, because it was not for nothing that Burla-Khatun had the constant epithet “tall”)

Adam Olearius "Description of the journey of the Holstein embassy to Muscovy and Persia"
“King Kassan, who later died a natural death, was buried near Tabriz near the Adzhi River. This tomb can still be seen there. The burial place of his wife, Queen Burle, is shown near the Urmia fortress. The grave is said to be 40 feet long. The inhabitants claim that this former nation was distinguished by people much taller and stronger than the present ones.”

The 17th century Khiva historian Abu-l-Ghazi notes that the wife of Kazan-bek from the Salor tribe (Salor-Kazan-alp) had high growth and was one of the seven women who seized power in Turkic state(il), apparently we are talking about Burla Khatun again.

Abu-l-Ghazi (1603-1664) “Genealogy of the Turkmens”
“Noble people and bakhshis from the Turkmens, knowledgeable in history, say: seven girls, having subjugated the entire Oguz region, were beks for many years. The first of them is Altun-Goseki, the daughter of Sundun-bai and the wife of Salor-Kazan-alp, she was tall.”

"Shot", artist Bulat Gilvanov.

"The Book of My Grandfather Korkut" (Kitab-i Dede Korkud)
The story about the bride of the Turkic hero Kan-Turaly Seljan-Khatun:

“Kan-Turaly opened his eyes, raised his eyelashes, and his bride saw him on a horse, and the horse herself was in armor, with a spear in her hand, not a princess, but a maiden king!”

About the hostilities of Seljan-Khatun:
“When Seljan Khatun saw this, a fire lit up inside her; like a falcon flies into a flock of geese, she launched her horse at the infidels; Having crushed the infidels at one end, she came out to the other end.”

“Then Seljan Khatun launched her horse and defeated (the enemies); She did not pursue those who fled, and did not kill those who asked for mercy. She thought that the enemy was defeated; she came to the tent with the blade of her sword in her blood.”

It is more than likely that the basis of the women's headdress among the Turkmen tribes - the gupba, which has the shape of the top of a combat helmet, is indeed a decorative copy of it, designed to leave a memory that Turkic women once wore protective weapons.
This Tatar women's jewelry became the basis for the Russian Monomakh Cap, I made a special post about it.

Excerpts from the Karakalpak poetic legend “Forty Girls” (“Kyrk Kyz”) The poem tells about the struggle of the hero Gulaim and her female squad with the Dzungars and the Persian Nadir Shah in the 18th century. The very idea of ​​women warriors is undoubtedly more ancient and dates back to the 9-10 centuries. - the time of the formation of Turkic ethnic groups in Central Asia. One of the versions of the epic “Kyrk Kyz” can be

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Took my friends along

To a wide green meadow,

Started a funny fight.

The horses are fast and hot,

And in the girls' hands there are swords.

To your dear friends

Gulaim looks, cheerful,

Encourages and teaches them

Knock the enemy out of the saddle,

In a man's combat outfit

Fight the enemy like a man,

Tightening his thin waist with a sash,

wield the blade without error;

Teaches them the art of how

A true brave hero

In a terrible hour the world is surprised.

Paintings by Bulat Gilvanov from the cycle “Altynchech and Forty Girls”

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"Kyrk Kyz"

Our strength, like bows, is tense,

Our horses are fat and strong,

The shafts of valiant spears are in our hands

Equipped with gold-plated steel.

You took up the matter like a straight hero.

You prepare for battle, even though you love peace.

So that the blades do not rust, you are sheathed

You patiently rub in the resin and fat.

You handed swords to your friends, teaching

To attack and chop from the shoulder like a man,

So that the enemy may buy our blood dearly,

Didn't escape the maiden's sword.