About the story

Review to the story of the legend of Leo Tolstoy "How the Geese Saved Rome"

In the children's fairy tale of Leo Tolstoy, a historically authentic event is revealed. And now the great classic appears in a different status: he is a historian who is able to analyze what he calls his little readers to do. The name chosen by the writer for his fairy tale is interesting. The kids immediately, starting with the title of the work, plunged into the problem: how could domestic birds save the whole of Rome? They start looking for a solution to this problem, an answer to their question. Will they get it? Yes, because any fairy tale proposed by Lev Nikolaevich in his book is read by children with their older adult assistants: moms and dads, grandparents.

retelling

Even before the birth of Christ, two peoples lived, at enmity with each other: the Gauls and the Romans. The battle was hard when the Gauls went on the attack. Some Romans were forced to flee the city. Others decided to take refuge in the Kremlin (Capitol). In the city, the Gauls found only senators, who were ruthlessly killed, and then burned the city. The Gauls could not get to the Capitol, but they really wanted to profit from the riches that were hidden in the Kremlin. The capitol was reliably protected from enemies by walls, gates and a steep cliff. The insidious enemies took advantage of the cliff, supporting each other and passing their weapons upstairs. They managed to climb the cliff so quietly that not a single dog was alarmed. The Kremlin wall appeared in front of the Gauls, which they also decided to take by storm, but the geese, located not far from the high wall, rustled and loudly flapped their wings. The Romans began to wake up and throw the Gauls down. The enemies fell and dragged along with them several more who had already crept up to the very top of the wall. Logs and stones were used, military assistance came to the rescue and helped liberate Rome from the Gauls. The Romans now have a festival during which the geese are honored and the dog is shown contempt.

The main idea of ​​the tale

In the text of the work, the inhabitants hoped for a dog, which was supposed to protect the site entrusted to it by the owner from enemies. But people should not have relaxed at the time when hostilities began. It seemed to the Romans that the cliff was reliably protecting their Capitol. This forced them to calm down and weaken the guard. It's good that the geese sensed strangers and raised their voices. The content of the tale clearly demonstrates that one should not lose vigilance in dangerous situations, then it will be impossible to take anyone by surprise.

Read the story of the ancient Roman legend of the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy " How the geese saved Rome» online for free and without registration.

In 390 B.C., the savage peoples of the Gauls attacked the Romans. The Romans could not cope with them, and who fled completely out of the city, and who locked themselves in the Kremlin. This Kremlin was called the Capitol. Only the senators remained in the city. The Gauls entered the city, killed all the senators and burned Rome.

In the middle of Rome, only the Kremlin remained - the Capitol, where the Gauls could not reach. The Gauls wanted to sack the Capitol because they knew there was a lot of wealth there. But the Capitol stood on a steep mountain: on one side there were walls and gates, and on the other there was a steep cliff. At night, the Gauls stealthily climbed from under the cliff to the Capitol: they supported each other from below and passed spears and swords to each other.

So they slowly climbed the cliff, not a single dog heard them.
They had already climbed over the wall, when suddenly the geese sensed the people, cackled and flapped their wings. One Roman woke up, rushed to the wall and knocked one Gallus down the cliff. Gallus fell and knocked down the others behind him. Then the Romans came running and began to throw logs and stones under the cliff and killed many Gauls. Then help came to Rome, and the Gauls were driven out.

Since then, the Romans have started a holiday in memory of this day. The priests go dressed up through the city; one of them carries a goose, and a dog is dragged behind him on a rope. And the people come up to the goose and bow to him and the priest: gifts are given for the geese, and the dog is beaten with sticks until it dies.

The main characters of Leo Tolstoy's story "How the Geese Saved Rome" are ordinary domestic geese that lived in the city of Rome. In ancient times, the Gauls attacked the Romans and captured the city of Rome. Only the Capitol remained uncaptured, standing on a steep mountain and surrounded by walls.

At night, the Gauls climbed the cliff and began to climb over the wall. They did it so quietly that even the dogs couldn't hear them. But the Gauls were heard by the geese who lived in the Capitol. They began to cackle loudly and woke up the Romans. The Romans repulsed the attack of the Gauls on the Capitol, and soon help arrived in time, and the Gauls were driven out of Rome.

Since then, the Romans have been celebrating a special feast in honor of the geese that saved their city from enemies.

This is the summary of the story.

The main idea of ​​Tolstoy's story "How the Geese Saved Rome" is that in the conditions of hostilities one should never lose vigilance, even being sure that the enemy will not attack. The Romans, defending the Capitol, were sure that the Gauls would not attack them from the side of a steep cliff, but the Gauls did just that, almost capturing the Capitol. Only the sensitive hearing of the geese helped to avoid trouble.

Tolstoy's story teaches to be vigilant and careful, not to overestimate the level of one's security.

What proverbs are suitable for Tolstoy's story "How the Geese Saved Rome"?

A carefree dream is sweet.
A vigilant warrior cannot be taken by surprise.
Keep your ears open.

Geese saved Rome

Several millennia ago, Gallic tribes attacked Rome, took it by storm and surrounded the Capitol (the citadel, the center of a religious cult), in which the population of the city was hiding. And they failed to force the defenders of the Capitol to lay down their arms. Then they secretly made their way to the Capitol Hill at night and disarmed the guards. The Gauls did it so quietly that even the dogs could not hear. And the geese, whom they forgot to feed during the day, did not sleep. Having got ready, they woke up the Roman soldiers, and they repulsed the enemy attack in time. Phraseologism "geese saved Rome" is used when it characterizes an insignificant thing or situation, which can unexpectedly have serious consequences.

Far short to the hare

The word "short" is associated with a hare, it has a short tail. However, earlier this was the name of hunting dogs. The short one is slower than the hare, because he only runs, and the hare also jumps, so the short one always lagged behind in pursuit of prey. The meaning of the phraseological unit "far short to the hare" is no match.

Sword of Damocles

The origin of phraseology is associated with the name of Damocles, the court favorite of the Greek tyrant Dionysius. Once during dinner, Damocles praised the owner very much, spoke enviously about him, considering him the happiest person in the world. Dionysius decided to teach the envious man a lesson. During the feast, he ordered the servants to put Damocles on the throne. He was in seventh heaven with joy. And suddenly he saw how a sharp sword hung over his head on a horsehair, at any moment it could break off and kill. Dionysius explained that this is a symbol of danger, always hanging over those who have unlimited power.

Since then, the expression "Sword of Damocles" has been used when it comes to constant mortal danger,

Dante hell

The most famous work of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri is the Divine Comedy, which describes the realities of the other world, where a person ends up after death. The poet spoke in great detail about the nine circles of hell, in each of which the souls of the dead suffer torment for a certain sin.

Phraseologism "Dante hell" is used in two meanings: the vices of any society - selfishness, injustice, revenge, greed, licentiousness; difficult, tragic, mortally dangerous situations for a person in which she finds herself.

Two-faced Janus

The ancient Romans believed in the existence of Janus, the god of time. According to the myth, when he was the king of the country of the Latins of Latium, he received the gift from the all-powerful Saturn to see the past and the future. For this ability, Janus began to be portrayed as two-faced: his young face is turned to the future, and the old one looks to the past. Subsequently, this hero turned into a two-faced god of time, the beginning and the end, the guard of the entrance and exit. He was also the patron of military undertakings, had a temple, the doors of which were opened during the war, and were closed in peacetime.

Subsequently, the phrase "two-faced Janus" lost its original meaning. Now this phraseologism is used when talking about a person insincere, crafty, two-faced.

Nine Muses

The ancient Greeks called the Muses the nine daughters of Zeus and the goddess of memory Mnemosyne, who became the patrons of various arts and sciences. they were portrayed as beautiful women with inspired faces. Each of them held an attribute (object or tool) of their industry: Kaliopi (the muse of epic poetry) - a tablet and a writing stick; Clio (muse of history) - a large scroll of papyrus; Euterpe (patron of lyric poetry and music) - flute; Terpsichore (muse of dance and choral singing) - a large lyre; Erato (muse of love poetry) - a small lyre; Melpomene (muse of tragedy) - a tragic mask; Thalia (muse of comedy) - a comic mask; Polyhymnia (muse of religious poetry) had a veil on her head; Urania (the muse of astronomy and geometry) held a ball and a compass. The Muses were ruled by the god Apollo.

The muses were supposed to fill the artists with inspiration, therefore, when there is no inspiration, the artists say: the muse has left me.

The chronicles of ancient Roman historians largely form the basis of our knowledge of that distant period when the great one grew and flourished. And it is generally accepted that Roman legends (as well as Greek ones) do not lie. But is it worth blindly trusting such sources? Indeed, at all times there have been cases when ridiculous stories sought to cover up their own negligence. And the chroniclers, like all other people, relied heavily on eyewitness accounts, and not on verified facts. A vivid example of this is the legend of how geese saved Rome.

This miraculous salvation has been spoken of since the very time, as in 390 BC. due to the sensitivity of the goose tribe, the warlike Gauls could not secretly seize the Capitol, where the besieged defenders of the Eternal City were locked up.

As the great Roman historian Titus Livy later wrote, the Gauls found a secret path along which they climbed to the top of the Capitol and were able to climb the walls of the fortified Kremlin. Exhausted by hunger and fatigue, the Roman soldiers slept soundly. They didn’t even hear how the enemies crept up in the dark.

But the Romans were lucky. Very close to the place where the attackers approached, right next to the fortress wall, there was a temple in which its sacred birds - geese lived. Despite the famine that raged among the besieged, the temple geese remained untouchable. They sensed trouble. They screamed and flapped their wings. The guards, awakened by the noise, and the resting warriors who came to her aid, managed to repulse the attack. Since then, they say that the geese saved Rome.

More than 1000 years have passed since then. But how the geese saved Rome, its inhabitants remember. In honor of this event, a holiday is held in Rome to this day, during which all the people honor the goose savior and kill the dog, guilty only of its belonging to the dog family. A catchphrase about how geese saved Rome has entered into all languages ​​of the world. They say this when they want to talk about a happy accident that saved them from a huge misfortune.

But zoologists have serious doubts about this historical fact. After all, no matter how exhausted the dog is, no matter how soundly she sleeps, her hearing and instinct work. A trained guard dog (namely, such were kept in the service of the Romans) could not miss the approach of the enemy. The dog should have sensed and heard the Gauls sneaking in the dark at a distance of about 80 m. Even if the maximum values ​​​​are allowed, the four-legged watchman should have raised the alarm when the enemy approached at a distance of 20-25 m. If in doubt, try to quietly approach an unfamiliar sleeping dog. And see for yourself.

And now - about the abilities of geese. Geese have never been used as watchmen. And this is not surprising. Because the main "watchdog" organ in them, like in other birds, is sharp eyesight. Geese cannot hear or smell the approach of a stranger at a considerable distance. Only at a distance of 3-4 m, geese, even being behind a solid wall, somehow feel the approach of a person and show signs of anxiety. But this is not noisy behavior that can wake up soundly sleeping soldiers, but only displeased quiet chuckles. Unless the threat is approaching directly.

So how did the geese save Rome? After all, it turns out that this legend frankly contradicts the laws of zoology. But this story made so much noise in its time that it is difficult to admit a lie on the part of a respected Roman chronicler. We can only guess how events unfolded in reality. Perhaps the geese woke up not from the approach of enemies, but from the fact that the hungry guards decided to secretly feast on the sacred bird from everyone. Well, the gods wanted this sin to become a salvation for the city. Another option: there were simply no dogs left in the city at that time. After all, they were not considered, and the inhabitants were so hungry that the skin of sandals and shields was already used as food. And finally, version three. Perhaps the most contrived. Nevertheless, it is possible to assume that Titus Livius and after him all of humanity allegorically called “dogs” the bribed traitor guards, and “geese” - one of the Gauls (Celts) warriors who warned the consul Marcus Manlius about the attack and betrayal . After all, it was with them that the goose from time immemorial was a sacred bird. But neither pride nor tactical considerations allowed the Romans to openly admit this fact.

As it was in reality, we will never know. But the glory of the saviors of the great on the seven hills was forever attached to the geese.

First, as usual, a quote from the classics:
“In the year 390 BC. X. wild peoples of the Gauls attacked the Romans. The Romans could not cope with them, and who fled completely out of the city, and who locked themselves in the Kremlin. This Kremlin was called the Capitol. Only the senators remained in the city. The Gauls entered the city, killed all the senators and burned Rome. In the middle of Rome, only the Kremlin remained - the Capitol, where the Gauls could not reach. The Gauls wanted to sack the Capitol because they knew there was a lot of wealth there. But the Capitol stood on a steep mountain: on one side there were walls and gates, and on the other there was a steep cliff. At night, the Gauls stealthily climbed from under the cliff to the Capitol: they supported each other from below and passed spears and swords to each other.
So they slowly climbed the cliff, not a single dog heard them.
They had already climbed over the wall, when suddenly the geese sensed the people, cackled and flapped their wings. One Roman woke up, rushed to the wall and knocked one Gallus down the cliff. Gallus fell and knocked down the others behind him. Then the Romans came running and began to throw logs and stones under the cliff and killed many Gauls. Then help came to Rome, and the Gauls were driven out.
Since then, the Romans have started a holiday in memory of this day. The priests go dressed up through the city; one of them carries a goose, and a dog is dragged behind him on a rope. And the people come up to the goose and bow to him and the priest: gifts are given for the geese, and the dog is beaten with sticks until it dies.”
L.N. Tolstoy. Sobr. op. in 22 volumes. V.10.

Since childhood, I did not believe in this historical tale, but then I decided to check why both the guard and the watchdogs were so disgraced. Well, the guard fell asleep. What about dogs?
And here's what turned out:

“After numerous tests, it turned out that the most sensitive dog is able, in calm weather, to detect game or a person at a distance of about EIGHTY paces. The instinct of a wolf is not inferior to that of a dog.
http://zoosite.ru/v2/1045

Different things are written about dog hearing, but the spread is somewhere from 24 to 250 m - apparently, depending on the breed, weather conditions, etc.
At the same time, I do not think that the most deaf dogs were left in the Capitol as watchdogs.
I know from my own experience that a watchdog, a chain dog, starts to worry when you approach the protected area (neighbor's plot) at 20 meters. This is provided that your smell is familiar to her, and she does not see you as an enemy. You just need to signal to the owners. If you walk past, along the fence, about 10 meters from the booth, such a concert begins that you can hear it at the other end of the village through the roar of the tractor, even if this Thunder slept soundly in the booth.
Are geese so sensitive?
Here is L.P. Sabaneev:
“Of course, the flying geese, who have been in alterations once or twice, will no longer be allowed to enter either in the cart or on the top (i.e., riding), nevertheless, despite the fact that they rarely spend more than a week on the lakes, they is killed incomparably more than indigenous geese. The latter in an open place will rarely let a hunter with a gun and 150 steps.
That's all, it seems. Question removed. But…
Geese have good eyesight. They see the hunter, but do not hear him - after all, in a flock resting in the fields there are always experienced duty officers, a kind of VNOS service (air surveillance, warning and communications). Plus, they're wild geese.
I have never seen (let alone heard of) domestic geese disturbing more than 5 m from me, even on a village street. Two meters - yes, they begin to cackle with displeasure, stomping away just in case.
And if in a barn (well, I don’t have a temple of Juno with geese nearby)? Haven't tried. But I found such an amateur on the Internet, Igor Prokhorov:
“When I served in the army and at night I went AWOL to the village, that's where I came across this phenomenon with geese. I walked through the backyards past one barn, and there were geese sitting there. And when I crossed some invisible line, they began to slowly clamor. I immediately stopped and stood motionless, I even stopped breathing. I thought they would calm down and I would move on. But nothing like that. They cackled (quietly, really) the whole time I was standing there. And I was interested in this and I began to investigate this phenomenon. And that's what happened. The loudness of their cackle is directly proportional to the degree of approach to them, starting from a certain boundary distance. According to my estimates, this border passes at a distance of 3-4m. If you make some sounds at a greater distance, they do not react. But when you cross this border, they immediately begin to react. And they do not react to sounds, but to the very presence of a person. I do not know what they feel there - a smell, an electromagnetic field or something else - but not a sound. I did not get too close to the barn, because. I was afraid that they would be so ruined that they would raise the whole village to their feet. And I was on my own.

Now let's move on to the Romans. Geese in Rome lived in some kind of temple and were sacred animals of some Roman god. They were never used as watchmen, I think, because of a pattern I have identified: they begin to cackle only when a stranger approaches them at a distance of less than 3-4 m. And the watchman must respond at a much greater distance. This temple, where the geese lived, stood right next to (?) the city wall. And when the Gauls had already climbed over the walls, they were too close to the geese. Here they raised a cackle. If the Gauls had climbed over the walls even at a distance of 10m from the temple, the geese would have remained silent. So here the Romans were just lucky and no more.”

And here Igor is wrong. Even if the temple stood on the very edge of a cliff, one had to wake up, take a weapon, go up to the wall - and the Gauls must already be on the wall for the geese to react to them. It doesn’t fit, the consul Mark Manlius, whose feat Titus Livius painted, does not have time to the wall.
So it's a dead end?

But the answer is as simple as a Nezhin cucumber.
Let us turn once again to the primary sources, and we will find out that the award to Mark from the grateful defenders of the fortress was not gold, of which there were hundreds of kilograms in the Capitol, but an additional ration of bread and wine.
The besieged Romans were STARVING for a long time, leather sandals and shields made of tanned bull skin have already gone into food.
They did not touch only the geese, fearing the wrath of Juno.
So they broke out when one of the Romans decided to eat at least one goose while the rest of the soldiers were sleeping. But they slept together. The stirring and the long absence of a comrade could raise questions.
Who automatically had a perfect alibi? And the guards, because she "stood on the walls."
Imagine the picture now:
1. Hungry guards, led by the chief, go to catch and fry the goose.
2. Geese, sensing imminent death, yell so that Mark Manlius wakes up.
3. He finds the head of the guard with a goose in his hands, like Ostap Panikovsky,
4. Shouts "Don't touch the bird!" and rushes to the unguarded wall, to the most dangerous place - the secret path upward.
5. The consul arrives on time, and the Romans, who jumped up from this commotion, successfully repulse the attack of the Gauls, which, incidentally and inopportunely, fell on the goose showdown.

But then what? The Romans - the mind, honor and conscience of their era, the standard of a warrior - and suddenly such an ugly case! And what will Titus Livy write then? In addition, the head of the guard committed sacrilege by encroaching on the temple goose, and the sacrifice to Juno was simply necessary. And so the head of the guard was thrown into the abyss with a streamlined wording “for improper performance of official duties,” which was recorded by historians.
And the honor was saved, and the criminal was punished, and the goddess was gratified.

Interesting people are historians. Livy is an authority for them, but it seems that they did not like zoology from school, so that they could double-check all sorts of trifles there with a canine and goose hearing.

Reviews

Volodya, very informative and convincing. It's a pity only a beautiful legend. But, after reading your work, I remembered the neighbor's geese - they lived two yards from me. Exactly, they did not cackle every now and then when someone came to the neighbors. They cackled only in the morning and in the evening, when it was time for feeding. Or when one of them was allowed to eat meat. And so that would carry out guard service - there was no such thing. And on the street it happened to encounter a flock of geese - everything as you described. True, there was one bad goose - he threw himself at passers-by. They ran away from him, and then he proudly walked to the geese - just a hero! But one should have seen this hero when one of the passers-by did not run away, but grabbed him by the long neck, lifted him above the ground and shook him in the air. The gander returned to his harem dejectedly, with his head down almost to the ground. It was a pity to watch.

I didn't know what you wrote about dogs. But your personal observations are all correct - for how many years I have been keeping a guard in the yard.