Alesha Popovich

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Alesha Popovich

 

A Russian epic hero, one of the heroes of the byliny.

Alesha Popovich’s possible prototype is the brave Aleksandr Popovich, of Rostov, who is mentioned in Russian chronicles of the 11th to 13th centuries. In some byliny Alesha Popovich is further characterized as a liar and a deceiver, a “mocker of women.” However, later additions did not obscure the nature of Alesha Popovich as a mighty epic hero who guarded Rus’ from external enemies.

REFERENCES

Propp, V. Ia. Russkii geroicheskii epos, 2nd ed. Moscow, 1958.
Likhachev, D. S. “Letopisnye izvestiia ob Aleksandre Popoviche.” In Tr. Otd. drevnerusskoi lit-ry AN SSSR, [vol.] 7. Moscow-Leningrad, 1949.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.