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In regards to the writer: For lovers of Russian tradition, folklore, and historical past, Kotar’s work is a treasure. The grandson of White Russian immigrants, the 34-year-old is an writer of epic fantasy novels impressed by Russian fairy tales. You possibly can see his 4 books right here on Amazon.
He’s additionally a deacon of the Russian Orthodox Church, knowledgeable translator, and choir director on the Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY, the place he lives. Right here is his bio from his weblog, the place he writes about many points of Russia. We extremely advocate following it and subscribing to his e-mail record to get unique materials.
He has a superb Pinterest web page, and you’ll observe him on Fb. Right here is an archive of his work printed on Russia Insider.
I’m having a good time stepping into the thrilling bits of my new novel. Bear-riders have appeared, my most important character is in the course of an enormous dilemma, two different characters have misplaced their households, and one other is getting himself caught in some very darkish, dangerous enterprise (it could or could not contain giants. Or dragons. Or each!)
My second novel, I’m be trustworthy, is a tad darkish. So whilst I’m writing it, really feel the necessity to lighten it up a bit. In my first novel, sudden bits of comedy got here from secondary characters. I’m making an attempt to do the identical on this one. There’s one character, a form of royal bodyguard named Bhuk, who’s modeled on a man I labored with within the kitchens of a monastery in north Russia (true story).
Bhuk can hardly say a single sentence with out having some form of folksy expression in it. It’s a really Russian factor. So I believed it may be attention-grabbing to seek out and translate a number of the extra colourful Russian expressions and discover out what they really imply. Right here we go:
The hidden meanings of Russian people sayings: half 1.
- Иван родства не помнящий—Ivan who doesn’t keep in mind his household
Actually, it means somebody who doesn’t prefer to observe traditions or guidelines. An innovator (not in a great way). The historic that means is that this. Throughout Tsarist instances, police needed to take care of runaway prisoners, serfs who had been making an attempt to flee arduous masters, troopers who couldn’t end boot camp, varied sectarians, and different wanderers with no official papers. These individuals usually hid their actual names and locations of residence. If requested about their names, all of them name themselves “Ivan,” and claimed they didn’t keep in mind their households.
- Толочь воду в ступе—To beat water in a mortar
It means “to beat the air,” to waste time doing one thing ineffective. The hidden that means has to do with the supposedly miraculous properties of water. From pagan instances, Russians had been in awe of water. Individuals used to whisper blessings on water and anticipate miracles. However what if somebody already mumbled one thing over the water? Particularly if that somebody swore when he dropped a jug of it? Water remembers all the pieces!
So the outdated pagan druids discovered a strategy to “erase” the unfavorable info from water. They used to beat water in a vessel for a very long time. After a number of days of torturing the water, the water was able to be whispered over and used for magical rites. The druids would use the supposedly magic water for barter. However ultimately, individuals realized that the water didn’t do something particular. So after a very long time, it grew to become an expression that means “to waste your time.”
- Шут гороховый—A pea-green jester
It’s a derogatory expression: “silly fool,” or “moron.” The picture of the jester of Medieval Europe is well-known—carrying motley, a hat with donkey ears, holding a rattle in his hand (the rattle was usually a bull bladder full of dried peas). He would all the time start his performances by rattling the peas. In Russia, jesters favored to brighten themselves with dried stalks of pea crops. Throughout the people celebrations earlier than Lent, an effigy of a pea-green jester was carried round on the streets.
- Тянуть канитель—To spin gold thread
Actually, it means to do humdrum work. To work a very long time at a monotonous process. So why do you should spin gold thread? Metallic threads, whether or not of silver or gold, had been utilized in decorations of clothes and rugs. To make it “sewable,” you needed to make it extraordinarily skinny by beating it and pulling it by smaller and smaller holes. The method was laborious and really, very boring.
- Делить шкуру неубитого медведя—To divide the pelt of a dwelling bear
An English equal may be “to depend your chickens earlier than they hatch.” The older model of this phrase is “to promote the pelt of a dwelling bear.” The that means is fairly clear—you shouldn’t construct plans earlier than you realize they’re going to come back by. The supply of the bear picture is definitely from a French fable known as “The Bear and Two Companions” by Jean de La Fontaine. The story considerations two fur merchants who make a cut price for the pelt of a bear they haven’t killed but. Hilarity ensues. Right here’s the complete fable on-line.
- Съесть Собаку—To eat a canine
The phrase now means to undergo bitter expertise, and are available out the wiser. However initially, the phrase was ironic. Right here’s the complete model: “He ate the canine, however choked on the tail.” The expression was used to snort at somebody who had completed a really tough job, however tripped up on the finish over some trifle.
- Кричать во всю Ивановскую—To scream over all Ivanovskoe
Actually: “to scream bloody homicide.” Contained in the Moscow Kremlin, the sq. that has the well-known bell tower of Ivan the Nice is named “Ivanovskoe”. In outdated instances, sextons would announce all public legal guidelines, paperwork, and different official enterprise regarding Moscow and all different cities. These sextons had very loud voices, apparently.
- Выносить сор из избы—To hold the rubbish out of the hut
Actually: “to air soiled laundry”. This one additionally goes again to pagan rites. The factor is, rubbish was by no means carried out of the hut. It was burned within the range. Why? Individuals believed {that a} magician might discover out a household’s secrets and techniques by smelling their rubbish. If he actually wished to hurt them, he might even bury the rubbish in a cemetery (not good!)
- Делу время и потехе час—There’s a time for work, and a time for play
This one may appear apparent, however there’s an attention-grabbing historic episode right here. In seventeenth century Russia, the most well-liked approach for a noble to spend his free time was searching with falcons. Even Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich beloved it—he hunted virtually on daily basis, aside from winter. He even printed a algorithm for correct falconry.
On this rulebook, the hunt was praised as an occupation that was excellent at banishing sorrow and misfortunes. Nevertheless, in the end the Tsar determined that folks had began having fun with it tooa lot, and authorities enterprise was struggling. So on the finish of his rulebook, he added a warning: “Don’t forget the enterprise of presidency: there’s a time for work, and a time for play.”
- Куда Макар телят не гоняет—The place even Makar received’t take his cows
Actually: very, very distant. Right here’s one model of this saying’s provenance. Peter the Nice was touring by Riazan’. He favored to speak to the frequent individuals incognito. It so occurred that on a sure day, each peasant he met simply occurred to be named “Makar”. The Tsar was shocked by this, then was reputed to say, “From at the present time forth, you shall all be known as Makar!” From that point, the title “Makar” was used as a catchphrase for “peasant man.”
- Танцевать от печки—To bop from the range
Unusually sufficient, this expression means “to behave all the time in the identical approach, by no means altering based mostly on newly acquired information.” Joke. A sure man named Sergei Terebenev returned to Russia after a protracted absence. When he returned, filled with nostalgia, he recalled his childhood recollections of taking dance courses.
So he’s standing on the range, his toes in “place three.” His dad and mom and servants are standing round watching him. The trainer provides the command: “One, two, three.” Sergei does step one, however loses his beat, and his toes get snarled.
His father says, “O, what a large number! Effectively, get again to the range, begin dancing once more!”
- Зарубить на носу—To hack on the nostril
This one sounds extra violent than it really is. It means to recollect one thing endlessly. The picture that involves thoughts is a poor schoolboy that’s standing in entrance of an indignant trainer who threatens him with a finger repeatedly. The poor boy imagines it’s an axe hacking away at his nostril. However that’s not it in any respect. Truly, a “nostril” is a small wood board notched by illiterate peasants as a approach of remembering necessary duties.
- Семь пятниц на неделе—Seven Fridays per week
This describes an individual who consistently adjustments his thoughts. Somebody you’ll be able to’t belief. In outdated instances, Friday was market day. Everybody shopped on a Friday. Friday was the day that the products arrived, and fee was organized for the adopted market day (Friday). Whoever didn’t come by with the fee was branded with this expression: “For that man, it’s seven Fridays per week!”
However there’s a distinct rationalization too. Employees had been often allowed to go away early on a Friday, so a lazy bum was additionally given this expression. For him, on daily basis was a day without work, so to talk.
- Вилами на воде написано—Written on water with a pitchfork
Actually: “a really uncertain occasion.” There are literally two explanations for this expression. “Vila” (the Russian phrase for pitchfork) can be one other title for Russian mermaids, harmful spirits who had been stated to drown younger males (additionally they present up in chapter 3 of my new novel). When you noticed them writing on the water, you could possibly make certain that what they wrote would come true.
The second that means refers to pitchforks as ritual objects utilized by druids. The three factors of the fork had been stated to represent the essence of the god Triglav (actually, three-headed one). Druids would use them to “draw” runes on water as a part of their magic rites. In fact, when nothing occurred, individuals began to present the motion its reverse that means.
- Отрезанный ломоть—A cut-off piece of bread
This refers to somebody who has change into unbiased—a daughter given to a husband who lives very distant, or a son whose began his circle of relatives and by no means comes to go to his dad and mom.
Apparently, in outdated instances bread was by no means reduce, as a result of it symbolized life. You need to solely ever break items off. So the expression “cut-off piece of bread” is an actual historic oxymoron.
Keep tuned subsequent week for extra linguistic insanity from the Russians! The unique Russian article may be discovered right here.
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