The Paths of Folklore: Essays in Honor of Natalie Kononenko

Saints, Sinners, and Spirits: Women in the Russian Legend Tradition

The Paths of Folklore: Essays in Honor of Natalie Kononenko. Svitlana Kukharenko and Peter Holloway, eds. Bloomington, IN: Slavica Publishers, 2012, 127–43.       Saints, Sinners, and Spirits: Women in the Russian Legend Tradition Jeanmarie Rouhier-Willoughby Тhe  legend  in  all  its  forms  is  historically  one  of  the  most  popular  genres  in   Russia.  Tellers  use  the  genre  to  confirm  and  to  express  dissent  with  core  soci-­‐‑ etal  and  state  beliefs.  The  legend  genre,  classified  within  the  Russian  scholarly   tradition  of  folkloristics  as  predanie,  legenda,  bylichka,  byval’shchina  (heroic  leg-­‐‑ end,   religious   legend,   memorat,   fabulate),   reflects   not   only   folk   Orthodox   beliefs,  but  expresses  social  problems  and  lays  out  reasons  for  their  existence.   Within  this  context,  tellers  reflect  on  the  perceptions  of  women  within  Rus-­‐‑ sian   society   from   the   point   of   view   of   Orthodoxy,   folk   belief,   and   Soviet   ideals.   This   paper   will   explore   the   range   of   these   perceptions   and   how   legendy,   bylichki,   and   byval’shchiny   in   particular   both   reinforce   and   subvert   social  norms  about  women  from  the  19th  century  to  the  present.   We  will  begin  with  a  discussion  of  religious  legend  from  the  19th  century   to   the   present.   These   legends   convey   two   common   images   of   women:   as   saintly,   devout   figures   or   as   sinners   subject   to   temptation   by   evil   forces.   In   stories   presenting   the   first   image,   women   typically   sacrifice   themselves   for   religious   ideals   and/or   suffer   on   this   earth,   knowing   that   they   will   be   re-­‐‑ warded   in   heaven.   These   women   are   characterized   by   their   strength   and   devotion  to  the  true  faith.  In  the  second  set  of  stories,  women  are  perceived  to   be  the  “weaker”  vessel,  often  corrupted  by  the  devil,  who  uses  them  as  a  tool   to   wreak   havoc   on   humankind.   These   opposing   images   of   the   feminine   in   religious  legends  illustrate  the  contradictory  messages  that  women  must  ne-­‐‑ gotiate  within  Russian  society.  They  are  conceived  of  as  both  powerful,  de-­‐‑ vout  figures,  like  Mother  Russia  herself,  and  yet  weak-­‐‑willed  and  susceptible   to  corruption  by  otherworldly  forces,  perhaps  traits  that  also  account  for  their   perceived   strength.   We   will   trace   how   oppositional   depictions   of   women   emerge   from   a   combination   of   Orthodox   doctrine   and   social   values   about   women  in  Russian  life.     We  might  suspect  that  religious  legends  conform  fairly  closely  to  the  two   most  prominent  female  figures  of  the  biblical  pantheon:  Eve  would  represent   women’s   susceptibility   to   the   devil,   while   Mary   would   define   the   image   of   feminine  devotion  to  God’s  will.  However,  while  there  is  certainly  evidence   of  this  parallel,  as  we  will  see,  the  situation  is  not  so  simple.  Legend  tellers  do   not  slavishly  conform  to  official  doctrine,  but  establish  their  own  version  of   lived  Orthodoxy,  in  which  the  folk  (and  Soviet)  social  roles  they  hold  intersect   128 JEANMARIE ROUHIER-WILLOUGHBY with   doctrinal   images.   Women   in   Russian   culture   have   access   to   the   spirit   world  (inhabited  by  God,  the  devil,  and  other  less  powerful  spirits,  be  they   place  spirits  or  the  dead)  that  men  typically  do  not  share.  Religious  legends,   memorats,   and   fabulates   convey   the   ambiguity   of   female   spiritual   power.   They  also  draw  on  a  woman’s  position  within  the  family  and  her  bond  with   (and  thus  control  over)  her  relatives,  particularly  her  children,  and  on  her  es-­‐‑ sential  role  in  the  transitional  rituals  of  birth,  weddings,  and  death,  a  major   source  of  her  social  influence  and  spiritual  power  (for  more  discussion  of  this   issue,  see  Adon’eva  1998,  27;  Moyle  1996,  230;  Rouhier-­‐‑Willoughby  2003,  21– 22;  2008).  In  sum,  doctrine  combines  in  subtle  and  complex  ways  with  folk   beliefs  and  political  ideology,  resulting  in  a  view  of  women  that  does  not  rely   simply  on  official  Orthodox  standards.   We  see  the  image  of  the  woman  as  a  saintly  figure  in  two  common  relig-­‐‑ ious  legend  cycles,  one  in  which  a  poor  woman  offers  hospitality  she  can  ill   afford;  another  in  which  a  woman  sacrifices  herself  for  her  family  or  loved   ones.  Afanas’ev  ([1859]  1990,  34–37)  collected  a  legend  that  is  a  classic  of  this   genre,  in  which  a  rich  man  refuses  to  house  Christ  and  his  apostles  for  the   night,  but  a  poor  widow  takes  them  in.  Her  sole  source  of  food  and  earnings   is  her  cow.  After  performing  miracles  to  ensure  that  there  would  be  enough   food  from  her  meager  stores,  Christ  and  company  take  their  leave.  They  meet   a   hungry   wolf,   whom   Christ   instructs   to   kill   the   widow’s   cow.   When   they   find  a  barrel  of  cash,  Christ  sends  it  to  the  rich  man.  The  apostles  question   him,  whereupon  he  explains  that  the  widow  will  be  rewarded  in  the...