Agrafena Matveyevna Kryukova (russian: Аграфена Матвеевна Крюкова, , 1855, Chavanga,

Kolsky Uyezd Kolsky Uyezd (russian: Ко́льский уе́зд) was an administrative division (an uyezd) of the Tsardom of Russia and later of the Russian Empire. History 16th–17th centuries Russian expansion to the Kola Peninsula can be traced to th ...

Arkhangelsk Governorate Arkhangelsk Governorate (russian: link=no, Архангельская губерния, ''Arkhangelskaya guberniya'') was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and Russian SFSR, which existed from 1796 until 1929. ...

, currently

Murmansk Oblast Murmansk Oblast (russian: Му́рманская о́бласть, p=ˈmurmənskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, r=Murmanskaya oblast, ''Murmanskaya oblast''; Kildin Sami: Мурман е̄ммьне, ''Murman jemm'ne'') is a federal subject (an oblast) of ...

, Russia — April 27, 1921, Verkhnyaya Zolotitsa,

Arkhangelsky Uyezd Arkhangelsky Uyezd (''Архангельский уезд'') was one of the subdivisions of the Arkhangelsk Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the central part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Arkhangelsk. Demogr ...

, currently

Primorsky District Primorsky District is the name of several administrative and municipal districts in Russia. The name literally means "near the sea". Districts of the federal subjects *Primorsky District, Arkhangelsk Oblast, an administrative and municipal distr ...

, Arkhangelsk Governorate, Russia) was a Russian

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

performer and a storyteller. She was the mother of

Marfa Kryukova Marfa Semyonovna Kryukova (russian: Марфа Семёновна Крюкова, born 1876, Verkhnyaya Zolotitsa, Arkhangelsky Uyezd, Arkhangelsk Governorate (currently Primorsky District, Arkhangelsk Oblast), Russia — 7 January 1954, Verkhnyaya ...

. Agrafena Kryukova was born as Agrafena Kozhina in Chavanga, a

Pomor Pomors or Pomory ( rus, помо́ры, p=pɐˈmorɨ, ''seasiders'') are an ethnographic group descended from Russian settlers, primarily from Veliky Novgorod, living on the White Sea coasts and the territory whose southern border lies on a wa ...

village on the Tersky Coast, in the south of the

Kola Peninsula sjd, Куэлнэгк нёа̄ррк , image_name= Kola peninsula.png , image_caption= Kola Peninsula as a part of Murmansk Oblast , image_size= 300px , image_alt= , map_image= Murmansk in Russia.svg , map_caption = Location of Murmansk Oblas ...

. She learned

bylina A ( rus, были́на, p=bɨˈlʲinə; pl. ) is an Old Russian oral epic poem. Byliny narratives are loosely based on historical fact, but greatly embellished with fantasy or hyperbole. The word derives from the past tense of the verb '' ...

s from her mother and her uncle, and subsequently from her father-in-law, but she remained illiterate. Agrafena Kryukova was married to a fisherman at the age of 18 and moved to the village of Nizhnyaya Zolotitsa, on the other side of the White Sea, currently in Arkhangelsk Oblast. In 1899, at the peak of interest in Russia to the Northern folklore,

Alexey Markov Alexei Mikhailovich Markov (; born 26 May 1979 in Moscow) is a Russian former professional track and road bicycle racer. Major results Track ;1996 : 2nd Team pursuit, Summer Olympics ;1997 : UCI World Cup ::1st Individual pursuit, Cali ...

, then a student, visited Verkhnyaya Zolotitsa and recorded a number of bylinas from Agrafena and Marfa Kryukova, which he subsequently published. Markov visited the place once more in 1901. In total, Markov recorded from Agrafena Kryukova 64 bylinas and historic songs. Agrafena Kryukova died in 1921 in poverty, without achieving prominence. Only later efforts, mostly by

Anna Astakhova Anna Mikhaylovna Astakhova (russian: Анна Михайловна Астахова, – 30 April 1971) was a Soviet scholar notable for her studies of the folklore (primarily bylinas) of the Russian North. Astakhova was born in Kronstadt, close ...

in 1930s, and the interest to the poetry performed by her daughter

, restored her name as one of the most prominent Russian folklore performers.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kryukova, Agrafena 1855 births 1921 deaths People from Murmansk Oblast Russian storytellers Women storytellers