Essays on literature: “Who is Turgenev’s girl” (1)
Studying the psychology of the Russian person, his inner world, Russian national character very fascinated the writer Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev. “Beauty is scattered everywhere... But nowhere does it shine with such power as in human individuality", - | he once wrote to Pauline Viardot. In the 50s years XIX century, the writer was imbued with the artist’s restless desire to comprehend the secrets of existence, life and death, eternal nature, beautiful.
In his stories of those years, Turgenev captured the image of a Russian woman at the moment of her spiritual awakening, at the time when she began to realize herself as an individual: “... what is a Russian woman? What is her fate, her position in the world - in a word, what is her life? Turgenev's heroine is not satisfied with ordinary household chores, she “demands a lot from life, she reads, dreams... about love... but for her this word means a lot.” She is waiting for a hero who embodies everything for her: “happiness, love, and thought” - a hero who is able to change the course of life and resist “human vulgarity.” Having believed in the hero, Turgenev’s heroine “reveres him... studies, loves.” From Turgenev's hero Asya, in the story of the same name, awaits an answer to the most painful and pressing question of Russian life at that time: “What to do?”
Asya's fate (the story of her childhood) resembles the fate of Turgenev's own daughter, Polina, who was brought up in his mother's house. In this image, the features of the one who once interested young Turgenev a little girl, the illegitimate daughter of the writer’s uncle and a serf peasant woman. At the time of the creation of the story, the artist’s tenacious memory resurrected the features of this bright and beautiful little creature, in whom even then a bright, original character could be discerned.
Asya is a heroine endowed with a “noble soul and amazing strength of character.” Mr. N.N. meets her when she is languishing from an excess of vital and spiritual strength, she is burdened by idleness, she is completely at the mercy of high human impulses, dreams of “going somewhere far away, to prayer, to a difficult feat.” She is tormented by thoughts still unknown to the hero of the story: “The days are passing, life will pass, but what have we done?” Asya is already familiar with her active life, full of benefit and meaning.
The conflict between Turgenev’s heroine and her environment, family, and society deepens and intensifies. Asya says frankly: “It’s better to die than to live like this.” She dreams of a feat. Moral, spiritual change the heroine is contrasted with the impoverishment of the image of the protagonist of the story - and this aggravates dramatic conflict story, from the moral and ethical it gradually develops into the social. The unevenness and contradictory character of Asya is largely explained by her origin and ambiguous position in society. The daughter of a serf woman and a master, she early began to think about the injustice of life. Direct and open, she strove for the truth and could not understand “why you can never tell the whole truth.” Pride, courage, and the desire for independence beat in the heart of Turgenev’s girl; she believes that “flattery and cowardice are the worst vices.”
Asya is a national, typically Russian character, close to her spiritual world favorite Pushkin heroine: “And I would like to be Tatyana.” At first it seems that Mr. N. will turn out to be worthy of Asya. In him the girl saw the embodiment of her dreams; she expected an answer from him to the question: “How to live?” Along with the feeling of love, the heroine’s spiritual strength also grows stronger; her “wings have grown”; she knows no hesitation. Mr. N.N. could marry her completely freely, but “Asya herself, with her fiery head, with her past, with her upbringing” frightened him. Mr. N.N. deceived the heroine’s most sacred hopes.
Turgenev's “Asya” finally destroyed the belief that people like Mr. N.N. are capable of “changing the nature of our life with their nobility.”
The image of Turgenev's girl was not motionless. From story to story, the typical generalization that this image carried within itself became more and more profound and modern, absorbing features that each time illuminated a new side of Russian reality. Turgenev's girls are similar in the main thing - in relation to the ideal of life. These are girls full of rainbow, “winged hopes”, discovering for the first time new world bright feelings and thoughts. In “Ace” (and other stories, for example in “First Love”) Turgenev psychologically accurately described how in young heart When he falls in love for the first time, all his senses become heightened, and the hero sees and feels the flow of life, its imperceptible flow.
The heroine of Turgenev's novels, you are arrogant, gentle and pure, There is so much of stormless autumn in you From the alley where the leaves are circling. N.S. Gumilev
Why exactly Turgenev was able to create such bright image, which has not faded for almost two centuries? The study of the psychology of the Russian person, his inner world, and the Russian national character greatly fascinated the writer Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev. “Beauty is scattered everywhere... But nowhere does it shine with such power as in human individuality,” he once wrote to Pauline Viardot. It was Turgenev who created a series of truly Russian female images, which absorbed subtle femininity, romance and dreaminess along with extraordinary strength of character and self-sacrifice. In his works, Turgenev captured the image of a Russian woman at the moment of her spiritual awakening, at the time when she began to realize herself as an individual: “... what is a Russian woman? What is her fate, her position in the world - in a word, what is her life ?" Turgenev's heroine is not satisfied with ordinary household chores, she "demands a lot from life, she reads, dreams... about love... but for her this word means a lot." She is waiting for a hero who embodies everything for her: Without him, we would not have known the suffering of women for a long time. loving soul, Her cherished thoughts, silent sadness; Only with him those songs that were hidden in silence sounded for us for the first time. He outraged standing water silence, The loud one gave an answer to secret requests, From the darkness he brought the woman into the light, In wide world aspirations and consciousness, On the path of living delights, battles and troubles. (K. Balmont) 
Turgenev's heroine grew up among forests and fields, she thinks and reads a lot, she has a rich inner world, into which she is in no hurry to let strangers in. She is not very attractive in appearance, but young man, accustomed to secular splendor, may seem completely ugly. Despite the fact that her circle of acquaintances is limited, she has a good understanding of people and can distinguish the real from the show. Among the young people around her, she will unmistakably choose someone who is ready to serve a noble idea, and she is ready to follow him to the ends of the earth. Outwardly, she seems weak and gentle, but if necessary, she shows a very strong character, determination, and determination. The male hero usually turns out to be weaker than her. Pushkin also emphasized in a woman the moral advantages of strength, integral and pure characters who placed her higher" extra people"of the noble intelligentsia. Turgenev deepens and develops this contradiction, opposition. "No matter how much you knock on nature’s door, it will not respond with an understandable word, because it is dumb... Alive soul- she will respond, and mostly female soul". These words of Shubin from the first chapter of "On the Eve" are justified by all Turgenev's novels. It was Natalya who "responded" to Rudin's call; it was Lisa who was most excited by Lavretsky's life drama, and she responded to his love; it was Elena, leaving her loved ones and homeland, who went together with Insarov to fight. Almost everywhere in Turgenev, the initiative in love belongs to the woman; her pain is stronger and her blood is hotter, her feelings are sincere, more devoted than those of educated young people. The Russian woman is always looking for heroes; she imperiously demands submission to the power of passion. She herself feels ready for a sacrifice and demands it from another; when her illusion about the hero disappears, she has no choice but to be a heroine, to suffer, to act. The novelist endows his heroines with traits of captivating femininity, which is reflected not only in her pretty appearance, but also in her spiritual softness and grace. Delicacy here does not mean spinelessness. Distinctive feature Turgenev’s female images consist precisely in the fact that, despite their outward softness, they retain complete irreconcilability in relation to the conservative environment that raised them. In all of them, the “fire” burns despite their relatives, their families, who are only thinking about how to put out this fire. They are all independent and live “their own lives.” 
The image of the “Turgenev young lady” has changed greatly over the course of a century and a half. Similar characters appeared in the books of other Russian writers - for example, by Chekhov or Bulgakov. They had quite a lot in common with Turgenev's heroines. Over time, this expression became commonplace. Its meaning has changed significantly. Now this is what they call romantic, overly sensitive young ladies, about whom one can say that they are not of this world. IN modern language there was a partial confusion of the image with the characteristics of the “muslin young lady” - nervous, unadapted to real life. Most likely for this reason, the expression “Turgenev girl” modern writers has a different meaning than that of the author. “Turgenev’s heroes are sketchy, and Turgenev’s famous women evoke any feelings other than the desire to get to know them,” wrote the ironic Sergei Dovlatov. For the vast majority of ordinary people, the image of Turgenev’s girl is associated with a certain infantile creature, always in a modest dress with a long girlish braid, waiting for Prince Charming on her porch. But this image bears little resemblance to the image of Asya, the very girl whom Turgenev described in the story of the same name, which gave its name to the definition of “Turgenev’s girl.” The modern Turgenev girl, rather, looks exactly like Asya. She is proud. Dreams about active life, active and sublime. Her chosen one, according to her plan, should help her in everything, just as she is ready to give him all of herself, worshiping and admiring. This moral and pure nature is capable of strong passions, she dreams of a feat so that life does not pass unnoticed and without a trace. She has quite high self-esteem, but she places the same high demands on her chosen one. And here she is not ready to waste money on trifles - she is ready to wait for him as long as she has enough strength, without thinking about the fact that the girl’s beautiful century not that long. 
The world does not stand still, and modern ideas about Turgenev’s girl are also undergoing changes. And here lies the misconception of many, for whom Turgenev’s girl is a wordless quiet person who accidentally wandered into the present from the noble nineteenth century. Yes, this girl is different from the rest both in her character and in her desire to find the one, to truly love and be loved. But in modern world these girls live quite comfortably, they are often quite successful at work, in addition to tightly buttoned Puritan dresses, they can afford trousers, jeans, and sneakers. Such girls are widely represented in books of the genre romantic prose both domestic and foreign authors. And in the famous Scarlett O'Hara you can find, if you look closely, many of the features of Turgenev's heroines. English writer Jojo Moyes images of sublime and purposeful girls can be found in almost every book. In the 8th issue of the magazine “Friendship of Peoples” for 2018, under the title “Turgenev girls in an information storm”, the opinions of Belgorod high school students were published. Yes, many boys and girls doubt that “Turgenev’s girls are dating now.” However, more than half of those who spoke out are sure that such girls, “a little strange, obscene and great romantics,” exist; moreover, in every girl there lives a special one, Turgenev’s. Ovcharova Maria, 9c: “At all times, people are the same by nature. Evil and kind. Stingy and generous, sad and cheerful. Of course, something changes in character, behavior, understanding of the world. But the essence remains the same. We live in age of information, technology and promiscuity. Many people do not even try to improve themselves, set goals. Digging into this endless information flow of information, we become weak-willed vegetables. But I have met many girls who have principles, values and. high goals. They read a lot and develop comprehensively. They dream and go towards their dreams. Existing in our century, when vulgarity and vulgarity are imposed, a girl who tries to achieve her ideals accomplishes a feat."
She is not as beautiful as Rostova - the Countess with the Russian spirit in Tolstoy. She does not have the charm of Tatyana Larina, whose virtue Pushkin zealously defends. Turgenev girl. Where does this miracle come from in Russian literature? “Her whole being strived for the truth.” Turgenev reflected his character, appearance, behavior, and disposition truthfully, and this diva is surprisingly pleasant. Her soul was waiting, “eager, languishing, Like a bird struggling alone in a cage.” The melancholy of her excited soul was calling for freedom from the empty wilderness. In her, overflowing with thirst for action, everyone could find complicity. Her face is charming, not sad, “And everything about it is subtle, smart, sweet.” With an exalted, pure soul, She does not seek peace for herself. In love, she is rather an adventurer, She rushes to her on the verge of risk. Turgenev girl. It’s unlikely you’ve never met such a girl in your life... (
F The photographs of these girls speak for themselves. This is a type, I would even say, a diagnosis. Clean and modest, without bright makeup and vulgarity, but feminine and with good manners. They are strict moral principles. They are ready to sacrifice themselves for the sake of business or love. Men often call them ideal wives. I wonder what they will say after looking at the photos?
B Belgian photographer Philipp Erbe collected them for his project throughout Russia. With the help of his friend Irina, he looked for them all over Russia: those who do not swear are loved classical music and classical literature, wear formal clothes. That is why there is no information about whether they are virgins - who would ask a lady such a thing - but, probably, yes. Or only by Great love. They are not necessarily beautiful, but, as they say, they have enormous moral strength. IN modern Russia They live, misunderstood by no one, and wear skirts no shorter than knee-length. Let's look at the portraits:
“...was not absent-minded: on the contrary, she studied diligently, read and worked willingly. She felt deeply and strongly, but secretly; Even as a child, she rarely cried, and now she rarely even sighed, and only turned slightly pale when something upset her” (Natalya Lasunskaya from the novel “Rudin”)
“Weakness outraged her, stupidity angered her, she did not forgive lies “forever and ever”; Her demands did not yield to anything, her very prayers were more than once mixed with reproach. As soon as a person lost her respect—and she pronounced judgment quickly, often too quickly—and he ceased to exist for her.” (Elena Stakhova from “On the Eve”)
“All imbued with a sense of duty, the fear of offending anyone, with a kind and meek heart, she loved everyone and no one in particular” (Liza Kalitina from “The Noble Nest”)
“She was very pretty, with a lively and gentle disposition. Her gray light eyes they looked good-naturedly and directly from under childishly raised eyebrows; she smiled almost constantly and laughed quite often too. Her fresh voice sounded very pleasant; she moved freely, quickly, and blushed cheerfully. (Lisa Ozhogina from “The Diary of an Extra Man”)
So I want to ask - would you fall in love with such a woman?
Would you feel good with her? What do you think about them? Anachronism, or?
all photos from the site
Ministry of Education and Science of the Udmurt Republic
AOU SPO UR "Economic and Technological College"
Topic of the speech:
(clothing collection)
Author: Konovalova Alisa Nikolaevna
Student 14 years old by specialty 261019
"Design, modeling and technology
manufacturing of garments"
Head: Batinova Anastasia Igorevna
Izhevsk
2014
Introduction
“What can be said about the works of Turgenev? Is it that after reading them it’s easy to breathe, easy to believe, and feels warm? What do you feel clearly like moral level does it arise in you that you mentally bless and love the author? It is precisely this impression that these transparent images, as if woven from air, leave behind, this beginning of love and light, flowing in every line with a living spring,” this is how the great Russian satirist writer M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin spoke about Turgenev’s work.
Not only his contemporaries, but also many subsequent generations of Russian and foreign readers perceived Turgenev’s works in a similar way. In his stories, novels, imbued with humane, noble feelings, exciting pictures of the past, pictures of Russian nature come to life for us.
“Turgenev Girl” is a girl who has a strong, independent character, capable of accomplishing any feat in the name of love and her happiness. Sincerity and honesty are the qualities that distinguish the “Turgenev girl” from other women.
Turgenev was a master of his craft - he was able to discern in the girl those sublime qualities that no one had seen before him. "Turgenev's Girl" is collective image, one might say ideal. It is impossible to accurately answer the question: “Do “Turgenev girls” exist now? Surely they live among us and do not succumb to outside provocations modern image life. They study or work, strive for their ideal of life, where there is a husband who is preparing to make some discovery or revolution in science, politics or society. Today, however, she no longer dreams of social and political activity or improving her own personality, but of simple female happiness - perfect family and children.
The purpose of the work is to determine, using examples from Turgenev’s works, who the “Turgenev girl” is, to create a collection of clothes that reflects the image of the “Turgenev girl” in the 21st century.
Job objectives:
use the example of the heroines of Turgenev’s works to determine the image of the “Turgenev girl” as a historical and literary concept;
give a definition of the concept of “Turgenev girl”;
determine what the “Turgenev girls” have become now;
create a collection of clothing reflecting the image of the “Turgenev girl” in the 21st century.
"Turgenev's girl" as a historical and literary concept
In memory of I. S. Turgenev (fragment)
And there in the distance, where the grove is so foggy,
Where the beam barely flutters over the path, -
Elena, Masha, Lisa, Marianna,
And Asya and unfortunate Susanna -
They gathered in an airy crowd.
Familiar quaint shadows
Creatures of love and beauty,
Both virgin and feminine dreams,
They were brought to life by pure gentle genius,
He gave them shape, colors, and features.
If it weren't for him, we wouldn't know for a long time
The suffering of a woman's loving soul,
Her cherished thoughts, silent sadness,
Only with him did we hear for the first time
Those songs that lurked in silence.
He disturbed the silence of the stagnant waters,
The loud one answered secret requests,
From the darkness he brought a woman into the light,
Into the wide world of aspirations and consciousness,
On the path of living delights, battles and troubles.
Konstantin Balmont
In Turgenev's works, love most often has a sad, tragic connotation, but the hero brings both grief and joy, making them more sublime. This is no coincidence, since the writer sincerely and disinterestedly loved the married singer and remained faithful to his love until the end of his days. The heroines of his stories and novels are always unusual.
“Turgenev girl” - that’s what they call it special type a heroine distinguished by her unique and deep inner world. Basically, she is an introverted girl, but sensitive, who, as a rule, grew up on an estate, untouched by the light (city). Very clean, modest and educated. This image is a clear introvert, does not get along well with people, but has a very deep inner life. Such a girl is not distinguished by her bright appearance, she is characterized by simplicity, and is often mistaken for an ugly girl. "Turgenev's girl" is considered to be the owner of strong character, which may not be noticeable at first. She is the one who sets a goal and goes towards it. To achieve a goal, such a girl can sacrifice herself. Reasonability is combined with impulses true feeling and stubbornness. She also loves stubbornly and relentlessly.
Peculiarities literary type"Turgenev girl":
a soul that is impossible not to love;
tenderness, sincere feelings, lack of artificiality and coquetry;
a strong character;
activity and independence;
isolation;
education;
determination, thirst to serve and sacrifice oneself for the sake of some high idea.
In Turgenev’s books you can see the following examples of representatives of the image of the “Turgenev girl”.
Natalya Lasunskaya from the novel “Rudin”: a girl of seventeen years old. The author notes in her such features as modesty, restraint, accuracy, as well as a certain dreaminess and thoughtfulness into which the heroine constantly immerses herself. Her main activities are walking, embroidering on canvas, reading not only historical books and edifying works, but also, secretly from her mother and governess, Pushkin. She was also interested in horses. Describing Natalya’s appearance, the author focuses on the expression on her face, which almost always reflected “ internal work thoughts”: “she felt deeply and strongly, but secretly; As a child, she rarely cried, and now she rarely even sighed, and only turned slightly pale when something upset her.” Nevertheless, Turgenev himself notes that this girl is not young at all. This idea is confirmed after the meeting between Natalya and Rudin. She saw in Rudin a man with a rich soul and intellect, capable of bright, significant actions that bring undoubted benefit. But he treats the girl strangely main character, Rudin, and she remarks: “he treats me like a girl.” But the author speaks in Lezhnev’s voice in his conversation with Alexandra Pavlovna: “Natalya is not a child; Believe me, she thinks more often and more deeply than you and I. And it is necessary that such an honest, passionate and ardent nature would stumble upon such an actor, such a coquette!”, the last phrase refers to Rudin. Even in an upset state, Natalya finds the strength to say wonderful words to Rudin: “... I still believed you, I believed every word you said... Go ahead, please weigh your words, don’t say them to the wind. When I told you that I love you, I knew what this word meant; I was ready for anything... Now all I have to do is thank you for the lesson and say goodbye.” In this remark we hear the pain in the soul of the Russian girl, her sadness and disappointment.
Elena Stakhova from the novel “On the Eve”: In this heroine one can definitely feel the desire for “active goodness”, sympathy for all the suffering and oppressed. She perfectly combines courage and determination. To achieve her goal, she breaks with her previous life without any exceptions. For the sake of her love for Insarov, the girl rejects everyone. She has become a symbol of the people that Russia needs. Despite the death of her husband, she becomes a sister of mercy in order to practically participate in the struggle of the Bulgarian people, in memory of her beloved.
Asya from the story “Asya”: one of Turgenev’s most poetic female images. She is an open, passionate and proud girl. He amazes the reader with his unusual appearance and nobility. She is also characterized by shyness and inability to behave in society. IN early age Thoughts about the contradictions of life come into this young lady's head. She is related to other incarnations of the image of the “Turgenev girl” moral purity, sincerity, the ability to have strong passions, a dream of achievement.
In the novel “Fathers and Sons” Turgenev showed three main female images.
Anna Odintsova Katya FenechkaAppearance
Beautiful, slim, with decent posture. “...the hands lay along the slender figure; the bright eyes looked calmly and intelligently, precisely calmly; some kind of gentle and soft power wafted from her face.” It cannot be said that she was a beauty, but she smiled a lot and looked somehow sternly, from bottom to top; dark brunette with large features and thoughtful eyes. A young woman, all white and soft, with dark hair; neat
Character
A proud, even arrogant, lady from high society.
Her mind was “inquisitive and indifferent at the same time.”
“If she weren’t independent, she could have rushed into battle.”
Married out of conviction.
Cold mind and some spiritual coldness.
The heroine is bright and strong personality. Timid, silent.
He likes to read and think more.
Close to nature, natural.
Kind, gentle and simple.
Loves music and flowers.
Patient, undemanding, but stubborn.
Individuality is revealed gradually, in alliance with Arkady it will be the main one.
A peasant woman, her position in the novel is ambiguous.
The author sympathizes with her more than anyone, tries to protect and show that in her motherhood she is above all prejudices.
Fenechka is natural, she is a strong person with self-esteem.
The image of the “Turgenev girl” in the 21st century
What could a “Turgenev girl” be like now? This question is actually quite difficult, since time changes everything. It will change everyone, but I think its main features would remain the same. Decisiveness and modesty would be very characteristic of her, this is what distinguishes her from others. It seems to me that such a girl will always be characterized as dreamy, educated and very modest, even a little aloof. It is difficult for her to get along with people, because often they simply do not understand her, since her inner world is very complex. Many will never be able to understand her sacrifice to her cause, her goal. With such aspiration she can rise to incredible heights, but at every new level she will be hindered by her own isolation. Now we live in a time when you must be open to the world, you must keep up with the times, but to achieve your goal you will have to swim against the tide and not crash into an iceberg, like the Titanic, which was shipwrecked during such a meeting and went down. Yes, she would have a hard time in our time, although, like everyone else.
In my mind, she has shoulder-length mahogany hair that falls in light waves over her fair shoulders. Complicated hairstyles are not for her, so she is content with a braid or a loose bun at the back of her head. The color of her skin shows that she is not affected by the southern sun, and she is not a sunbather. She is also a small girl with a plain figure, good, but nothing more. The face is slightly rounded, expresses education and modesty, and even a little coldness. Her high forehead is covered only by a couple of stray strands of hair, and her not very thick eyebrows perfectly complement her eyes. They are brown with splashes of green and radiate determination. An unremarkable nose and thin lips complemented her image. She was not particularly extreme in her makeup. As natural as possible, except that she had to add a little blush so as not to appear too pale. She was the one who dreams of wearing light, flowing, floor-length dresses with crinoline. It wouldn't hurt her to do it public opinion, but practicality got in the way. Her wardrobe consists mainly of skirts, blouses and dresses made of flowing and delicate materials (for example, silk, chiffon and guipure). Such a girl likes beige and lilac, pink shades, or noble dark red and dark green.
Conclusion
Thus, as a result of the work done, we came to the conclusion that the “Turgenev girl” is a typical heroine of the works of Ivan Turgenev, a literary stereotype formed in Russian culture on the basis generalized image several of him female characters from works from the 1850s to the 1880s.
"Turgenev girls" - strong girls. They are much stronger in spirit the men around them. Turgenev's ideal lies in the ability to love and sacrifice oneself for the sake of a loved one. All these heroines, of course, are very different, each of them has their own life, their own experiences, but they are all united by love and the desire to be happy. All this is still relevant today. And “Turgenev girls” undoubtedly exist in our modern world. You just need to take a closer look.
"Turgenev's Girl" is romantic and sublime, fragile and touching, feminine and sophisticated. For for long years this image inspires artists and designers and remains relevant in the modern world.
The key components of the modern image of the “Turgenev girl” are:
Makeup that is barely noticeable;
The hairstyle is very simple, a braid or a loose bun;
The clothes are very feminine, which makes them even more delicate;
The character of a strong determined girl with a sensitive soul.
Bibliography
Tankova N. S. “Turgenev’s Girl” (Literature at school. – 1996.-No. 5).
Yuferova N. E. The future of the “Turgenev girl” / Turgenev archive.
Turgenev's young lady. Experiment //fashion.ru
Turgenev girl //ru.wikipedia.org
There is a strong idea that female warriors are a derivative of the cultures of exclusively Iranian-speaking nomads, primarily the Sarmatians. Surprisingly, the massive presence of Amazons among others nomadic peoples- Turks, Mongols are almost always ignored.
Just as the continuity of the cultures of later Turkic and Mongolian nomads from the ancient Iranian-speaking ones is ignored. Earlier, I once wrote about the funeral rites of the Mongols, which have much in common with Iranian Zoroastrianism.In this post I have collected several excerpts from the texts historical chronicles And epic tales, which tell about the massive presence of fighting women among the Turks and Mongols. As is known, in almost all nomadic cultures a woman had a higher social status than among agricultural peoples. This was due to the way of life of nomads, which contributed to a certain equality between men and women.
Plano Carpini, "History of the Mongols"
“Girls and women ride and skilfully gallop on horses like men. We also saw them carrying quivers and bows. And both men and women can ride long and hard.”
Annals of the Burton Monastery (Annales Burtonenses) about the Mongol army:
“Women, like men, ride horses, fight and shoot with bows. Their armor is made of multi-layered leather, and it is almost impenetrable.”
Seyfi Chelebi (XVI century) "Tavarikh" (Chronicle)
“After the battle, when they rob the Kalmyks who died in the battle and remove their armor and armor, they discover that they are girls. These people have such courage that even girls go to war dressed in military armor."
Tatar women, like all warriors of the Middle Ages, were incredibly cruel; Thomas of Split (1200 - 1268) wrote about how they abused prisoners.
Thomas of Split "History of the Archbishops of Salona and Split"
“Tatar women, armed in a masculine manner, like men, bravely rushed into battle, and with particular cruelty they mocked captive women. If they noticed women with more attractive faces, who at least to some extent could arouse a feeling of jealousy in them, they immediately killed them with a blow of a sword, but if they saw those suitable for slave labor, then they cut off their noses and, with disfigured faces, sent them to perform their duties slaves."
Johann Schiltberger, Travels through Europe, Asia and Africa from 1394 to 1427.
“When I was at Chakra, one Tatar lady named Sadur-melik, with a retinue consisting of 4 thousand girls, appeared before him and Edigei. This noble lady, wanting to take revenge on one Tatar king for killing her husband, asked Edigei to help her expel that king. You need to know that this lady, as well as the women accompanying her, rode horseback and did not practice archery worse than a man and that she, in preparation for battle, tied a sword and a bow to each side (horse or saddle).
When cousin the king who killed her husband, having been captured in a battle with Chakra, was taken to her, she ordered him to kneel, drew her sword and cut off his head with one blow, saying: “Now I have taken revenge!” This happened in my presence, and I am talking about it here as an eyewitness.”
Many militant female characters are present in the main Oghuz epic “The Book of My Grandfather Korkut”; these are wives, mothers, brides of khans and heroes. This epic dates back to the 11th century - the time of the conquest of the Turks throughout Western Asia.
Stories about Burla-Khatun, the wife of Kazan-Bek:
“She put forty slender maidens on horses, ordered to bring a black stallion, she sat on horseback, girded herself with a sword and went [in search of her son] ...
“The tall Burla-Khatun cut the black banner of the infidels with her sword and threw (it) to the ground.”
Stills from the Turkish TV series "Ertogrul". 
It is interesting that in the 17th century, Adam Olearius, a participant in the German embassy to Persia, left a description of the graves of Kazan-bek and his wife Burla-Khatun in Azerbaijan; he even noted the unusual length of her tomb, because it was not for nothing that Burla-Khatun had permanent epithet"tall")
Adam Olearius "Description of the journey of the Holstein embassy to Muscovy and Persia"
“King Kassan, who later died a natural death, was buried near Tabriz near the Adzhi River. This tomb can still be seen there. The burial place of his wife, Queen Burle, is shown near the Urmia fortress. The grave is said to be 40 feet long. The inhabitants claim that this former nation was distinguished by people much taller and stronger than the present ones.”
The 17th century Khiva historian Abu-l-Ghazi notes that the wife of Kazan-bek from the Salor tribe (Salor-Kazan-alp) had high growth and was one of the seven women who seized power in Turkic state(il), apparently we are talking about Burla Khatun again.
Abu-l-Ghazi (1603-1664) “Genealogy of the Turkmens”
“Noble people and bakhshis from the Turkmens, knowledgeable in history, say: seven girls, having subjugated the entire Oguz region, were beks for many years. The first of them is Altun-Goseki, the daughter of Sundun-bai and the wife of Salor-Kazan-alp, she was tall.”
"Shot", artist Bulat Gilvanov. 
"The Book of My Grandfather Korkut" (Kitab-i Dede Korkud)
The story about the bride of the Turkic hero Kan-Turaly Seljan-Khatun:
“Kan-Turaly opened his eyes, raised his eyelashes, and his bride saw him on a horse, and the horse herself was in armor, with a spear in her hand, not a princess, but a maiden king!”
About the hostilities of Seljan-Khatun:
“When Seljan Khatun saw this, a fire lit up inside her; like a falcon flies into a flock of geese, she launched her horse at the infidels; Having crushed the infidels at one end, she came out to the other end.”
“Then Seljan Khatun launched her horse and defeated (the enemies); She did not pursue those who fled, and did not kill those who asked for mercy. She thought that the enemy was defeated; she came to the tent with the blade of her sword in her blood.”
It is more than likely that the basis of the women's headdress among the Turkmen tribes - the gupba, which has the shape of the top of a combat helmet, is indeed a decorative copy of it, designed to leave a memory that Turkic women once wore protective weapons.
This Tatar women's jewelry became the basis for the Russian Monomakh Cap, I made a special post about it.
Excerpts from the Karakalpak poetic legend “Forty Girls” (“Kyrk Kyz”) The poem tells about the struggle of the hero Gulaim and her female squad with the Dzungars and the Persian Nadir Shah in the 18th century. The very idea of women warriors is undoubtedly more ancient and dates back to the 9-10 centuries. - the time of the formation of Turkic ethnic groups in Central Asia. One of the versions of the epic “Kyrk Kyz” can be
****
Took my friends along
To a wide green meadow,
Started a funny fight.
The horses are fast and hot,
And in the girls' hands there are swords.
To your dear friends
Gulaim looks, cheerful,
Encourages and teaches them
Knock the enemy out of the saddle,
In a man's combat outfit
Fight the enemy like a man,
Tightening his thin waist with a sash,
wield the blade without error;
Teaches them the art of how
A true brave hero
In a terrible hour, the world surprises.
Paintings by Bulat Gilvanov from the cycle “Altynchech and Forty Girls” 
****
"Kyrk Kyz"
Our strength, like bows, is tense,
Our horses are fat and strong,
The shafts of valiant spears are in our hands
Equipped with gold-plated steel.
You took up the matter like a straight hero.
You prepare for battle, even though you love peace.
So that the blades do not rust, you are sheathed
You patiently rub in the resin and fat.
You handed swords to your friends, teaching
To attack and chop from the shoulder like a man,
So that the enemy may buy our blood dearly,
Didn't escape the maiden's sword.
