The historical story of A. Zagorny "The Legend of a Zealous Heart" is dedicated to the main characters of our epic epic, those who were the first to take the blows of the nomadic element at the outposts in the harsh years of the formation of Russian statehood. The events described in "Legend" take place during the reign of Grand Duke Vladimir the Red Sun (980-1015) bearing in mind the real existence of the people's defenders in the person of Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich, the author shows them not fantastic "supermen," and ordinary people, but only endowed with a mighty spirit, remarkable physical strength, people selflessly devoted to their native land Looking closely through the epic colorful connection into the world of Ancient Russia, the author draws folk scenes, the participants of which are slaves, smerds, artisans, boyars, warriors.