ABSTRACT
The central theme of the song “Dobrynya and Alyosha Popovich” concerns the return of a husband to his wife’s wedding, a subject that appears in The Odyssey and in the magic tales, epics, ballads, and legends as well as in the works of the written literature of many peoples (Sumtsov 1893). According to the features common to the story, the husband, for explained or unexplained reasons, leaves home for seven, nine, or twelve years and asks his wife to wait for him. A friend returns, falsely says that the husband has died, and plans to marry the wife. Far away from home, the husband miraculously hears about the impending wedding and just as miraculously returns home before the ceremony is completed. He may appear at the wedding feast disguised as a minstrel, beggar, pilgrim, or monk; he may perform as a musician; and he may be recognized by his wife through his ring in a glass of wine, a birth mark or scar, or through the music. The wife has usually been faithful and is happily reunited with her husband, but he may take retribution against the friend. This song is the most popular in the Russian epic tradition, having been recorded over 300 times.
