Die Byline von Il'ja Muromec und Solovej-razbojnik

Abstract

The song of Ilya and Solovej is the most popular of all russian bylinas. In the paper 18 texts are investigated, both in prose and verse, from the 18 t h century up to 1928. The structure of the song is Ilya's departure from home, his various adventures and his arrival at the court of Vladimir in Kiev. The oral tradition, more than the written, shows a great variability of motifs, actions, and names. As a kind of 'oral poetry', each bylina exists as an autonomous version. This is the reason, why it is not possible to give a general interpretation of this song, based on the traditional historical-comparative philology.