Brief summary of the tale
Alyosha is a smart and kind boy. He is being brought up in a boarding school. His parents, having paid for his education in advance, rarely visited their son. Out of loneliness, the boy plunges into the world of his fantasies. He became friends with a black chicken, even once saving her from death. Chernushka introduces the boy to the inhabitants of the underground kingdom, in which the chicken serves the king as a minister. The king gives Alyosha a wonderful seed for saving Chernushka. The boy is warned that he must not reveal the secret of the underground kingdom to anyone. The magical property of the seed helps the boy stand out among other students with his knowledge and answer well in class. However, he did not make any effort to prepare. At first Alyosha felt remorse. But he soon became arrogant. From everyone's favorite diligent boy, Alyosha turned into an arrogant and rude one. Everyone turned their backs on him. Frightened by the teacher's punishment, the boy betrayed the inhabitants of the underground kingdom. Now they must move to another place. But the good hen did not hold a grudge against the boy. Chernushka only asked Alyosha to correct himself. After being ill for several weeks, he changed and again became a diligent student and a favorite of teachers and friends. You can read the fairy tale online in full on our website.
Black chicken
The photo shows chickens of the Indonesian breed Ayam Cemani, which means “black chicken” in Indonesian. Russian readers are familiar with this phrase from Antony Pogorelsky’s fairy tale “The Black Hen, or the Underground Inhabitants.” In modern language there is also the expression “black swan theory”, which has become a metaphor for an unexpected and often unfavorable event that disrupts the usual course of things. In local beliefs, the black chicken is also considered an ominous symbol: it was sacrificed to get rid of bad luck.
However, chickens of this breed are also bred for utilitarian purposes: their meat is very tasty, and the chickens themselves - which is important in our time - are resistant to the bird flu virus. The broth made from their meat is believed in folk medicine to help with respiratory infections. There is no basis for this belief: as in the case of other exotic drugs, belief in miraculous power is generated by the unusual appearance of the animal. These birds, black from the top of their crest to the tip of their tail and resembling bronze statues, are indeed extremely striking, which is why they have now become popular for decorative keeping.
Rooster ayam cemani. Photo © Mark Hope from flickr.com
The Ayam Chemani coloration is an example of pronounced melanism, a common cause of color abnormalities in animals. Melanism is associated with the “overproduction” of melanin - a pigment that, depending on the variant of the chemical structure of the molecule, as well as the quantity and distribution in the integument, can give it a black, brown or red color. Black and brown melanins are varieties of eumelanin: its molecules neutralize free radicals that are formed in cells under the influence of ultraviolet radiation and can damage DNA. Accordingly, the dark pigment serves not only to create color, but also performs a protective function, while “red” pheomelanin does not have such properties. In addition, melanin in bird plumage enhances the feather's durability and resistance to degradation caused by bacteria. The light edges of dark feathers wear out faster: this, in particular, is associated with seasonal color changes in the common starling ( Sturnus vulgaris
). His black wedding outfit with a metallic tint is actually a “worn” autumn outfit, from which almost all the light streaks have been erased.
Unlike the starling, raven and other black birds, including domestic chickens (say, the black Moscow), Ayam Chemani chickens are black not only outside, but also inside. Melanin is found in their muscles, internal organs, and even bones and bone marrow. This distribution of pigment is associated with a hereditary anomaly - fibromelanosis. With fibromelanosis, cells - the precursors of melanocytes during embryonic development migrate not only where they are supposed to - into the integument, but also into the internal organs, in extreme cases creating a completely black color. On the Internet you can find many photographs of “black eggs” that allegedly belong to the Cemani ayam, and even statements that “black blood” flows in the veins of this breed. In fact, melanocytes have nothing to do with the color of the shell or blood, so their color is unremarkable: here you can see how black chickens hatch from ordinary light-colored eggs. By the way, the reddish tint of the shell, characteristic of many chicken breeds, creates a pigment of a completely different group - protoporphyrin IX. It also serves as a precursor to heme b, which is part of hemoglobin: it is the porphyrin core, and not the iron ions associated with it, that provides the scarlet color of the blood.
With fibromelanosis, the spread of melanocytes is not limited to the plumage and skin - even internal organs can become dark. Photo from finedininglovers.com
Not long ago, geneticists managed to uncover the molecular mechanism of fibromelanosis. During embryonic development, melanocyte precursors—melanoblasts—are formed in the neural crest. From there they migrate to the tissues where they will perform their function. With fibromelanosis, the number of melanoblasts increases, and they can migrate into tissues where they are not normally supposed to be. The increase in the number of melanoblasts is associated with duplication of the endothelin 3 (EDN3) gene, which activates the process of their division. Surprisingly, this does not prevent them from “fixing” themselves in a new place and even performing their role - accumulating melanin, although this has no functional meaning in the internal organs.
Ayam Chemani are not the only chickens in which this mutation has become established; there are now about 25 such breeds. The most famous among them is the Chinese snare (see Silkie) with unusual silky, fur-like feathers. Interestingly, its color may be white, but its skin, muscles and internal organs are as dark as those of the Ayam Chemani and the Indian Kadaknas (see Kadaknath). Another breed, the Svarthöna, descended from one of the South Asian varieties of black chickens brought by sailors to Sweden in the 17th century: it adapted to life in a cold climate.
Color variations of the Silki breed. In addition to fibromelanosis, she is also characterized by other unusual features, such as polydactyly (increased number of fingers) and blue decorations on the sides of her head. Photo from silkie.org
Most domestic chicken breeds are descended from the bank junglefowl ( Gallus gallus
), living in the forests of Indochina, Indonesia, Vietnam and southeast China.
In Indonesia, its hybrids with a closely related species, the green junglefowl ( Gallus varius
), which received its name for the greenish tint of its predominantly black plumage, have long been bred. Its hybrids with domestic chicken in Indonesia are called “ayam bekisar” (see Bekisar): they are distinguished by a contrasting black-and-red or black-and-white color. In the past, sailors in Indonesia and Oceania used them as living sirens: males were kept in cages attached to masts, and their drawn-out “song”, combining the repertoires of both ancestral species, was carried more than two miles out to sea. The females of the hybrids are sterile, but the males can interbreed with domestic breeds, and due to this, many local breeds have acquired green junglefowl genes. However, the fibromelanosis mutation is not one of them: genetic studies show that it arose in the banker chicken population before their domestication, no later than 6600–9100 years ago.
Ayam bekisar is not an independent breed, but a first-generation hybrid between domestic chickens and a related species - the green junglefowl. Photo from steemit.com
Ayam Cemani roosters cannot boast of the same loud voice as ayam bekisar - in this they do not stand out among other domestic chickens (you can listen here). But in terms of their cost, they are superior to any other breed - prices reach 2500–5000 dollars per bird. This is primarily due to the fact that black chickens remain very rare. They are bred almost exclusively in Indonesia (see video of how they are carefully cared for), although in recent years a small number of birds have been kept as ornamental birds in Europe and the USA. Female ayam cemani lay only about 80 eggs per year, and they also tend to take periodic “breaks” from breeding, so the reproduction rate is much lower than that of ordinary domestic chickens. Chickens also grow slowly; Thanks to this, their meat, like that of other slow-growing breeds, contains a lot of protein and little fat. It is considered a delicacy, and, as experts note, it looks as if it had been marinated in cuttlefish ink. For a resident of the middle zone, all this sounds like exotic, but in the Mediterranean, cuttlefish ink is widely used in cooking (including for preparing chicken as part of a complex Spanish dish - paella). By the way, this ink is almost pure melanin, so the comparison is quite justified.
Photo from hellabrunn.de, Hellabrunn Zoo in Munich, Germany.
Anton Morkovin
Analysis of the tale The Black Hen, or Underground Inhabitants
The author introduces elements of a fairy tale into a realistic, touching story about a boy forgotten by his parents. First, the author evokes sympathy in the reader for the kind, dreamy Alyosha, who is oppressed by his loneliness. Then he shows how the child changes for the worse, having received a wonderful gift. He could not dispose of it worthily, and the burden of fame broke him. One bad deed is followed by others. But the author gives his hero the opportunity to improve. What does the fairy tale The Black Hen, or the Underground Inhabitants, teach? The author warns readers against dishonest actions. He wants readers to understand that one small lie leads to other bad deeds, which sooner or later will have to repent. Pogorelsky makes two more important emphasis in the fairy tale - success and respect of others must be earned; It's never too late to correct mistakes.
Fairy tales and fantastic stories by Antony Pogorelsky
Alexey Reipolsky. Illustration for the fairy tale by Antony Pogorelsky “The Black Hen, or the Underground Inhabitants” (fragment). Publishing house "Artist of the RSFSR", 1989
Alexey Reipolsky. Illustration for the fairy tale by Antony Pogorelsky “The Black Hen, or the Underground Inhabitants” (fragment). Publishing house "Artist of the RSFSR", 1989
Alexey Reipolsky. Illustration for the fairy tale by Antony Pogorelsky “The Black Hen, or the Underground Inhabitants” (fragment). Publishing house "Artist of the RSFSR", 1989
Antony Pogorelsky returned to Russia in 1816. He settled in St. Petersburg and again began to study literature. Pogorelsky translated into Russian one of the odes of the ancient Roman poet Horace, which was then published in the magazine “Son of the Fatherland.”
Pogorelsky communicated with members of the literary society "Arzamas", and was friends with the Decembrists Kondraty Ryleev and Alexander Bestuzhev. He even met Alexander Pushkin. And in 1820, Pogorelsky published two articles in which he praised the poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila.” He criticized the authors of the magazine “Son of the Fatherland,” who called Pushkin’s work “rude and common.” Pogorelsky wrote: “Most of the analysis consists of translating Pushkin’s beautiful poems into boring prose. From time to time, reasoning and maxims appear that either mean nothing or are completely false.” Pushkin read these articles and considered them “witty and funny.”
In the 1820s, Pogorelsky worked on four science fiction stories. In 1825, a separate edition was published of the short story “Lafert’s Poppy Plant” about a poppy cake trader who was in fact a powerful witch. And her black cat could turn into the titular adviser Aristarkh Murlykin.
“Lafertov’s Poppy Tree” became the first Russian work in the style of fantastic romanticism. Pogorelsky created it under the impression of Ernst Hoffmann's short stories. Philologist Anna Botnikova wrote: “The most prominent fantastic figure is the black cat of the grandmother - the witch. In Hoffmann, grotesque images are often associated with the idea of the penetration of animal instincts into the human world. The most striking of these images is the famous cat Murr. Pogorelsky may not have known Hoffmann’s novel, but he created an image typologically close to it.”
Pushkin really liked the story. He wrote to his brother: “My soul, what a charm grandma’s cat is! I read the whole story twice and in one breath, now I’m just raving about Murlykin. I perform smoothly, closing my eyes, turning my head and arching my back.”
Antony Pogorelsky included “Lafertov’s Poppy Tree” in his collection “The Double, or My Evenings in Little Russia,” which was published in 1828. It also included the fantasy short stories “Isidore and Anyuta”, “The Harmful Consequences of Unbridled Imagination” and “Journey in a Stagecoach”. The collection received positive reviews from critics. The Northern Bee magazine wrote: “The author skillfully took advantage of various beliefs, dark rumors and superstitious stories about unrealistic incidents and conveyed them to us even more skillfully, able to arouse curiosity and maintain it until the very end.”
A year later, Pogorelsky created the fairy tale “The Black Hen, or the Underground Inhabitants.” It is considered the first author's work for children in Russian. Before that, all fairy tales were folk tales.
Pogorelsky wrote “The Black Hen” specifically for his nephew, the future writer Alexei Tolstoy. He also became the prototype of the main character Alyosha, who, according to the plot, went to a magical underground kingdom.
Together with his nephew and sister, Antony Pogorelsky visited Germany. There he personally met the German writer Johann Goethe.
At the end of the 1820s, Pogorelsky returned to public service. The writer worked on the Commission for the Organization of Educational Institutions and was a trustee of the Kharkov educational district. He even received one of the highest ranks from the Table of Ranks - actual state councilor, which gave the right to hereditary nobility.
