Mark’s Mountain: Certain Features of Current Existence of Legends about Robbers

Abstract

The legends about the robber Mark is analysed, whose name refer to a small hill near the village Sadovoye of Novospassky district of the Ulyanovsk region. It is noted that holding the name of a real person in the name of the settlement or natural object is one of the ways of preserving national historical memory, as well as an important and meaningful component of the cultural landscape. It is shown that oral stories about the robber Mark develops some typical motifs: indication of the place of stay, “noble” robbery, help to farmers etc. It is noted that the motif of the secret love of Mark is unusual, having a detailed plot. It is indicated that the analysis of the current existence of legends demonstrates their widespread popularity. The author notes that, in addition to the traditional method of retranslation - orally in the family from older to younger, there are other ways: through the media, museum, school. The assimilation of legends can also occur non-traditionally, that is, not from older to younger, but, on the contrary, from junior to senior, if the latter settle in the area. It is shown that historians, cultural workers strive to give Mark’s mountain as a cultural landscape object the status of a local brand.