Abstract
The purpose of this article is to consider the perception of the images of the Mari heroes (Lugovomar. “patyr-vlak”) by the contemporaries and the models of interpretation of historical legends and beliefs about them. The category of bogatyrs, often referred in modern culture as the concept of the “Mari national heroes” (Lugovomar. “Mari taleshke-vlak”) includes both legendary warriors (Chotkar, Chumbulat) and princes (Akpars, Mamich-Berdei, Poltysh). Narratives about the Mari heroes represent ideas about idealized past, the “golden age” of history and the struggle against foreign invaders. The thematic space of historical legends reflects the attitude of local residents to the war between the Meadow Mari with the Russian kingdom, opposition to the Kazan Khanate, etc. The cultural memory of the mythologized past is relayed by the actors of ethnocultural activism in commemorative practices, folklore holidays and educational institutions. These characters symbolize the local culture and ethno-territorial identity of various groups of the Mari population, in some regions there is a tendency towards their sacralization. The paper is based on the author’s field materials recorded in the places of compact residence of the Mari population mostly in 2015–2021 (the Mari El Republic, Kirov oblast).
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