Many people associate the Zaporizhzhya Cossack with an oseledian forelock, which is also called a chupryna. Together with the long mustache, it is the "sedentary" who is a kind of visiting card, the determinant of the fact that this is a Cossack. The picture is complemented by a cradle, wide trousers, a saber and an earring in the ear. But this is already an addition to the general image. If everything is more or less clear with the rest of the identifier markers, then where did such an unusual haircut on the head come from, and why this "ponytail" is needed is not very clear.
As with many other questions, there is no clear answer to this question. There are versions and assumptions, but there is no clear definition of when, why and why - in none of the documents of those times, the provisions of the Zaporozhye network.
1. What the story says
According to the historical version, this hairstyle was a symbol of power. The sign was adopted, even in the family of the princes of Kiev. According to some reports, it is believed that the famous Svyatoslav, the warrior prince, outwardly was very similar to Zaporozhye Cossacks, despite the fact that between them there was a temporary gap of half the size millennium. Such a version appeared based on the description of the appearance of Svyatoslav made by Leo the Deacon during his meeting with Tzimiskes, the emperor.
From the description it follows that Svyatoslav sailed to the meeting on a Scythian boat. He was of medium height, blue eyes, bushy eyebrows, and a flat nose. On his face was a long beard and drooping mustache. The prince's head was completely hairless, but a strand of them hung on one side, which indicated that the man belonged to a noble family. In addition, in one of his ear was a gold earring with two pearls and a carbuncle.
That is, a real Zaporozhets appears before our eyes, a Cossack with all its external characteristics, and even an earring is present. On the basis of this, a theory emerged, the essence of which is the presence of a certain tradition in this particular region for certain segments of the population, which has been carried through the centuries.
The second version is different from the previous one. In the opinion of the Poles, the forelock is a Sarmatian hairstyle.
In the XVI-XVII centuries in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, this hairstyle was considered a kind of heritage transmitted by the ancient Sarmatians. It was with them that the gentry identified themselves. As for the Sarmatians themselves, in those days they were considered a people with Germanic roots. Representatives of the Polish-Lithuanian gentry preferred to regard the Sarmatians as the progenitors of their own family. So they set boundaries between themselves and the Slavic commoners.
It is worth noting that in Lithuania and Poland then there was a Sarmatian style - a fashion that was expressed not only in an oseledian forelock, but also in characteristic clothing, armor, fine arts, and so on. As for the true data about the Sarmatians, they knew practically nothing about them, in contrast to our contemporaries. Therefore, the "sarmatism" of the Poles is something conditional and somewhere far-fetched.
In general, the settler of the Polish gentry and Prince Svyatoslav have nothing in common with each other. Proceeding from the fact that there is no chronological sequence and connection between the two periods of wearing this hairstyle by the prince and the Poles (the time periods were different), the conclusion suggests itself. How correct it is is unknown, but it has a right to exist, as one of the hypotheses.
The Cossack forelock is a mirror image of the hairstyles of the Polish gentry who lived at that time. Well, by itself, the forelock of the Polish gentry is a symbol of their involvement in the Sarmatian family, the legendary rulers of the steppe.
And if you look at it, then in Zaporozhye the Cossack foreman really wanted to be put on the same level with the gentry in rights and given the go-ahead for the presence of serfs.
2. What do the Cossacks themselves think about this?
It is not known how the Cossacks of that time believed. But their heirs (in an ideological sense, of course) have a completely different opinion on this matter. From various sources it follows that not all representatives of the genus could wear a sealed forelock. Cossack, but only the most experienced of them, who at least once in their lives, but visited a real battle. As with previous versions, there is no clear historical evidence that this was really the case and nothing else.
If we consider the hypothesis from a theoretical point of view, then it is quite possible that the forelock really acted as a kind of distinction and was an indicator of the status of the Cossack. That is, the longer the settler, the more status the Cossack, but clerks and similar personalities had no right to such "decoration" of their wild little head. They had their own distinctive hairstyle, which we still call "under the pot".
Some are inclined to believe in a completely unreal, mystical version. According to her, the Cossacks were convinced that after death God pulled them out of the hellish cauldron precisely by the forelock. Well, of course, every Cossack went to hell for all his "good" deeds. And there were a lot of them. Suffice it to recall the hikes for zipuns ...
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This version is also associated with the way of wearing the donkey. Her adherents believe that the hair should hang down from the left side, so that it helps to brush the demon off the shoulder. Who knows, maybe this is something. And if you look closely at the painting by Repin, then the banker (the man without a shirt, responsible for the distribution of cards) has a forelock hanging down on the right.
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Well, the last hypothesis, which also came out of the people, says that the Cossacks shaved their heads for hygiene purposes, namely, so as not to get lice. The forelock was left so that their own could identify him. It remains for us to choose the version that we like the most. The real reason for wearing a donkey may never be known.
Continuing the theme of the Cossacks, read what kind of furry hats on the heads of the Russian Cossacks and why do they need them.
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/140820/55677/