Folk Legends Research Articles

The genre of ballad in cinematic discourse (the cinema ballad “Wild flowers“ (2000) by the Czech director F. A. Brabec)

The objective of the article is to analyze the specifics of cinematic interpretation of the ballads from the collection “A Bouquet of Czech Folk Legends” (1853), written by a famous Czech writer and folklorist K.J. Erben, in the film by F.A. Brabec “Wild Flowers” (2000) within the concept of genre continuity. Methods of research: comparative method, method of intermedial and receptive analysis. Novelty of research: the issue of intermedially oriented genre continuity is investigated for the first time within the discourse of Ukrainian Literary Criticism. Conclusions. The cinematic text of the director F. Brabec fully preserves and conveys all the basic codes of the genre of literary ballad: the preciseness of the narrative, the depth of disclosure of life, the severity of the situations described, the limited personosphere, the dramatic and unexpected denouement. Therefore, the above texts are perceived as short “concentrated tragedies”. In addition, the director broadens the main text of the ballads, supplementing each plot with a backstory; he actively applies montage and film trails, as well as reduces time parameters, fragments and dialogues, at the same time preserving the main content of the original. Particular emphasis in the research has been laid on the fact that each ballad, reproduced by means of cinematic language (“Bouquet”, “The Water-Goblin”, “The Wedding Shirts”, “Lady Midday”, “The Golden Spinning Wheel”, “Daughter’s Curse”, “Christmas Eve”), is presented as a completed independent text and is regarded as an indispensable part of the holistic author’s concept.

Linguocultural Analysis of Folklore Text

For centuries, the people living on earth have been trying to solve these mysteries and messages of nature, and that's when they form their culture. The diversity of national cultures enriches the typical human and world culture. A person who gets to know someone else's national culture and introduces it to universal material and spiritual values makes his inner world much more prosperous. The relevance of the chosen topic is determined by the understanding folklore genre, realised with the help of a complex of specific linguistic means that have not been sufficiently researched within the framework of cultural linguistics. As an integral part of the national culture, folklore plays a critical role. Depending on who makes the culture and its level, sociologists distinguish three forms of culture: popular, mass and elite. In folk culture, two levels are distinguished – high, which originates from folklore and includes fairy tales, epics, folk legends, ancient dances, etc., and low, manifested in the framework of the so-called pop culture.

ІНФЕРНАЛЬНИЙ ОБРАЗ ЛІТАВЦЯ (ПЕРЕЛЕСНИКА) В УКРАЇНСЬКІЙ РОМАНТИЧНІЙ ПРОЗІ

The aim of the article is to comprehend the specifics of the infernal image of the litavets (perelesnyk) in Ukrainian romantic prose. In order to achieve this goal, the following systemic unity of research methods was used: typological, biographical, comparative, genetic, method of analysis and synthesis, mythopoetic approach to the interpretation oftexts. The article on the material of folk poetry and literary texts, as well as folklore studies of V. Hnatiuk, O. Kononenko, E. Onatsky and other scientists characterizes the infernal image of the litavets. It is determined that the litavets (perelesnyk, fire snake, nalitnyk, litun, obaiasnyk, perelet) is an anthropomorphic infernal character. Its main function is to enter into intimate relations with women, which subsequently mostly turn into death. The image of the perelesnyk is quite popular in folk tales and legends. Thus, in fairy tales he often appears as an antagonistic hero who kidnaps girls, which is mentioned in such works as «Ivan the King, his sister and the snake», «Kotygoroshko», «How snakes kidnapped three sisters», «Snake winner and the dragon», «The Tale of Ivan Golyk and his brother», etc. In these works, along with the motif of kidnapping women, there is also the motif of snake-fighting. Note that the motif of victory over the insidious serpent is leading in folk legends, in particular in stories about the serpent shaft, the terrible serpent defeated by Boris and Gleb, in the story of Kozhumyak (mentions of these legends are also found in the early edition of the first historical novel in Ukrainian literature «Five Chapters from P. Kulesh's New Novel ”Black Council”», 1845). Interpretation of the mythical nature of the fire snake has become widespread in fiction, especially in the prose of the Romantic period. A striking example of this is the work of P. Kulish (the stories «About what in the town of Voronezh dried up Peshevtsov Pond», 1840; «Fire Snake», 1841) and I. Barshchevsky (the story «Nobleman Zavalnya»), where the image of a perelesnyk is available in the chapter «On the Warlock and the Serpent Hatched from the Egg of a Rooster», 1844). P. Kulish instory «About what in the town of Voronezh dried up Peshevtsov Pond» the image of an incubus who came to his beloved every night, and in the story of the fire snake the writer presented the image of a perelesnyk-seducer, who did not suck, but gave a beauty his chosen woman. In I. Barshchevsky's story about the nobleman Zavalnya, the serpent turned into a young man, but he could not seduce the belle, as sincere prayer and a saving cross stood in the way.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHINESE MYTHOLOGY

Chinese mythology is rich in characters invented by the boundless fantasy of the human race, there are more than a thousand of them. Mythological works are directly related to literature, therefore legends and fairy tales, where these characters appear, influenced the literature of China, and sometimes even intersect with its history.At the beginning of our era, interest in China was focused on all the unusual and strange phenomena and things that could arise as a reaction to the "dry" practice of the followers of Confucianism. Remnants of myths, folk legends and beliefs began to appear on paper. Even the titles of books of that time testify to the authors' interest in a strange and incomprehensible phenomenon: "A beautiful and amazing description", "Beautiful fairy tales", "A unique and amazing story." Some of these books were created to imitate the ancient "Book of Mountains and Seas", which is the main source of information for researchers of ancient Chinese mythology. These remarkable collections of historical records have provided researchers with a wealth of material. They also greatly influenced the development of Chinese stories, which received plots and motives from these collections. Many centuries later, in the 16th century, Xu Zhong-Lin wrote the epic novel "Ascension of the Spirits" based on myths, in which he developed the ancient imaginations of the ancients. Zhou Yu, who lived in the 17th century, tried to combine myths into epics, calling them "Legends of the creation of the world".

ВОЗВРАЩЕНИЕ СВЯТЫНИ И ЕЕ ЛЕГИТИМАЦИЯ В ЛЕГЕНДАХ: СЛУЧАЙ КЫЛАСОВСКОЙ ИКОНЫ НИКОЛАЯ ЧУДОТВОРЦА

The article focuses on the case of revered icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker from Kylasovo village of Perm Region. The author introduces the importance of legends in creating the existence of an icon as a sacral object and the ways the “breaks” of tradition are symbolically overcome. The paper outlines etiological plots related to the icon and the forms of its veneration as well as the history of the loss and re-acquisition of the shrine in the 20th century and reconstruction of the local tradition at the present stage. The earliest legends about the Kylasovo icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (a phenomenon on the periphery of the cultural space, blinding of blasphemers) show that the plots have already become widely known and are updated in the south of the Perm region with the processes and events of the 17th–18th centuries. The realities of the Soviet era (the closure of a rural church, disappearance and discovery of a miraculous image hidden in a village house) contribute to a new round of the development of the oral tradition. The history of the salvation of the shrine was published on the official website of the church of Kylosovo village. It can be considered as the beginning of the inclusion of modern oral legends about this icon into the fields of official church culture. In the 2000s another problematic situation was the restoration (in fact, rewriting) of the revered icon. It should be noted about a link of a significant part of folk legends with “crisis points” in the life of the parish, caused by the “instability of being” of the local shrine (loss, transfer to another church, radical restoration). In such situations the legitimation of the current changes and confirmation of the miraculous nature of a religious relic as functions of religious become the important functions of religious narratives. Such functions are generally inherent in legends about shrines when modern material highlights their pragmatics more obvious

Images of Ukrainian demonology in folk stage choreography

The purpose of the article is to find out the characteristic features of the use of the images of Ukrainian demonology in the folk-stage choreography of Ukraine. The methodology consists in the application of general scientific methods of theoretical and empirical levels: analysis and generalization of scientific and theoretical bases of research, comparative and logical methods, interview method; also art analysis of choreographic numbers of amateur and professional groups of Ukraine. These methods make it possible to characterize the most common images of Ukrainian demonology and to determine the peculiarities of their use and embodiment in folk-stage choreography. Scientific novelty. For the first time, the article, based on the analysis of choreographic works from the repertoires of amateur and professional groups, highlights the characteristic features of the use of images of Ukrainian demonology in folk-stage dance art. Conclusions. Demonological beliefs of Ukrainians are a kind of synthesis of mythological and religious ideas of the human about the universe and at the same time the embodiment of zest for life and democracy. Demon spirits are endowed with anthropomorphic features, i.e. they usually have a human likeness, and this presupposes the possibility of their use in folk-stage dance art. Choreographers create choreographic works based on their own plot, based on folk beliefs, rituals, and legends, as well as on the motives of literary works, the main characters of which are demonological characters. A stylized folk-stage dance with elements of acrobatics is often used to convey all the versatility and mysticism of mythological images. The use of images of Ukrainian demonology in folk-stage choreography contributes to the popularization of folk choreographic art, as well as increases the interest of modern society in national traditions. Keywords: folk-stage dance; Ukrainian demonology, folk choreographic art.

THEME TYPES OF UZBEK FOLK TALES AND THEIR REFLECTIONS IN TRANSLATION

Background. This article discusses the thematic types of Uzbek folk legends and myths and their reflection in translation. The names of the genres of myths and legends, their artistic compositional features, scientific and theoretical views on the development and evolution of the genre are described. Successes and shortcomings in the translation of myths and legends in Uzbek and English are substantiated by sufficient evidence. In myths, motifs and images interpreted on the basis of primitive religious-mythological views of ancient people, such as animistic, totemistic, shamanistic, fetishistic, magical, attract attention with their "planetary" migration. It is reported that some mythical motifs and images were later incorporated into fairy tales and epics. Marilyn Petersen's book "Treasury of Uzbek Legends and Lore" contains translations of more than 20 Uzbek folk tales. The article provides feedback on these. Research methods and materials. Among the legends translated from Uzbek to English so far, there are more translations of toponymical and historical legends. Because abroad, people are especially interested in the geographical location of our country, the nature of paradise, the bravery and courage of our brave and courageous ancestors. It should be noted that legends are created in a simple and concise form, such as myths, legends, narrations, in a short and concise volume. It is observed that not only their content, but also their simple and concise form made it convenient for translators and led to the translation of many samples. Because the shorter the text, the easier it is to understand and translate. Results and discussions. Legends, like legends, are one of the most ancient, traditional and widespread genres of Uzbek folklore. They also serve the purpose of informing the listener about any information. In that sense, they are like legends. Again, they stand close to the legends even with the simple and straightforward construction of the plot. Only they do not have an interpretation of unusual, supernatural events. Also, the events described in the legends take place within a historically specific time frame. Conclusion. So, like other phenomena, folklore samples have their own typological features, roots of historical origin. In particular, among them are works in the genre of myths and legends, formed on the basis of real events in the history of the nation, the events of life. After all, they are characterized by the encounter of real images, vitality and history. Therefore, the artistic-aesthetic and educational significance of such folklore samples is high.

N.P. Ostroumov as a Collector of Uzbek Folk Songs (Based on the Materials of the Central State Archives)

At the end of the 19th century, a certain amount of work was done to record, collect and popularize Uzbek folklore, including scholars studying oriental studies, local history, geography, archeology and other areas in Turkestan, as well as educational work. They translated folk legends, legends, fairy tales, proverbs and sayings, the songs they heard or wrote, often translated them into Russian and published them in periodicals, including them in their studies, literary and journalistic works, and travel notes. One of the specialists who contributed to the collection of folk art, in particular fairy tales, proverbs and songs, is the famous orientalist, ethnographer Nikolai Petrovich Ostroumov. The article analyzes the folkloristic activities of the orientalist N.P. Ostroumov based on the recordings of Uzbek folk ritual songs stored in the Central State Archives of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Queer Perspective on Sexuality and Normality in Folk Legends

Queer Perspective on Sexuality and Normality in Folk Legends

Daurian jew’s harp: a little-known musical instrument

This article examines the little-studied in the Russian scientific ethnographic and musicological literature Daurian traditional musical instrument mukulien (Chinese 木库莲), which is classified as jew’s harp. The goal of this article lies in determination of its role in modern spiritual culture of the Daurians, as well as characterization of the key stages of the history and evolution of mukulien, including the description of constructive peculiarities based on the material of folk legends and modern Chinese ethnographic research. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that in scientific ethnographic literature, the Daurian jew's harp (mukulien) has not previously become a separate subject of research. The article employs the historical, ethnographic, philosophical and musicological analysis. The previously unstudied Daurian legend about the invention of mukulien by the Daurian widow to console her heart from grieving is introduced into the scientific discourse. As a result, the author traces the main stages in the development of mukulien in Daurian culture, as well as determines the key aspects of further study of the phenomenon of jew’s harp.

The Evolution of the Mythological Image of the Bear in the Culture of the Eastern Slavs

The subject of this study is the evolution of the image of the bear among the Eastern Slavs between the tenth and seventeenth centuries. The authors maintain that totemic ideas about bears as creatures that escort the souls of the deceased to the kingdom of the dead began to spread in the East Slavic lands only from the mid-tenth century. Such ideas were influenced by the beliefs and cults of the neighbouring Finno-Ugric and Baltic tribes and were not characteristic of traditional East Slavic paganism. Based on ancient Russian writings and archaeological excavations into ancient pagan sanctuaries, the authors outline the origin and formation of the myth of the supernatural ancestor bear, the protector of the human race, in all East Slavic lands. With the help of archaeological and zoological materials from the excavations of Russian settlements from the pre-Mongol era, as well as several ancient Russian written documents, the authors determine the period of transformation in the folk mythological consciousness of the Eastern Slavs of the mythological image of the bear from the ruler of destinies and guide in the kingdom of the dead into a forest demon. This paper emphasises that the myth of the supernatural ancestor bear gave rise to the custom of taking trained bears around Russian cities to rid them of evil spirits, as well as folk divination. The authors conclude that in the minds of these ancestors, the image of the bear went through several stages – from the idea of the bear as a tribal totem to the image of a benevolent spirit, a protector of people from evil spirits. The ancient pagan ideas about the bear as a deity remained part of the worldview of the East Slavic peoples until the early twentieth century, finding their reflection in folk fairytales, legends, and traditions.

A Stigmatized Wedding Custom Versus A Positive Representation in Folk Legends: Chinese Naodongfang and Its Gender Troubles

A Stigmatized Wedding Custom Versus A Positive Representation in Folk Legends: Chinese Naodongfang and Its Gender Troubles

GENIES IN VIETNAMESE LEGEND FROM THE HISTORICAL-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE

The genie characters in Vietnamese legends are a topic that attracts many scientists, especially in studying genie characters from the historical-cultural perspective because Vietnamese folk legends are mostly associated with historical stories and national heroes. Moreover, the study of genie characters in the integration between the study of legend and history is the source of feelings of honor, praise and nationalpride. From this perspective, it shows that the genie characters are historicized, deified, worshiped, and the legends about genies become documents for national history. Folk festivals have become vivid symbols of genies’s beliefs. This signifies the particularly important position of the genies in the legend as well as in theprocess of national history and also in the minds of Vietnamese people for a long time.

Besutun bitiklari Alisher Navoiy talqinida

This article is devoted to the use of the term "Besutun" in the works of Alisher Navoi. Throughout his life, the poet collects historical events, monuments associated with Mazi, and folk legends. He remakes them and uses them effectively in his lyric poems and epics. Navoi used every word in his work. This is evident from the use of words and terms in his works. One of these words is Besutun. The term is used by the Turkish and Farsi poet Devoni Foniy, Hazoin ul-Maoniy, to describe vivid images. In short, the poet uses this term in his own and figurative sense to create beautiful metaphors that play an important role in expressing the feelings of the creator in the spirit world. This term is used to describe elegant and unique examples of the word art.

An Attempt to Classify Kurdish Legends Using the Juha Pentikainen Method: Example of Adıyaman

Legends are one of the genres of folk narrative that occupy an important place in the daily life of the people. Legends, the creation and destruction of the world for thousands of years; historical events; supernatural beings and events; They are folk narratives that are believed to be "as if they are real" in many subjects, including religious leaders and heroes, and that are transmitted from generation to generation by developing and transforming. The classification of the legends is important in order to know and understand the social memory and beliefs of the people closely. It is urgent to compile, classify and analyze legends, especially in terms of preserving and maintaining Kurdish oral culture and literature. The aim of this article is to determine the Kurdish folk legends compiled from the region of Adıyaman province and to try to classify them with Juha Pentikainen method. In this study, the face-to-face interview technique was applied with 21 people who were knowledgeable about the subject and were identified with the snowball method. As a result of the interviews, 28 legends from the region were identified, compiled, and deciphered. The legends are classified as traveler and locale, according to the method of Juha Pentikainen, and are summarized. As a result, legends of both types were found in Adıyaman region, 7 travelers and 21 of them local. It has been observed that the legends have a universal character in terms of genre, form, and motif. Most of the legends are narrated by men, but it has been determined that the legends about the miracles about personalities important in terms of religious representation are mostly told and cared for by women. It has been determined that the legends play an important role in the establishment and execution of the social order as well as their literary and artistic characters.

The role of folklore within the worldview and creative individuality of the Crimean Tatar children's writers

The study of interrelation between folklore and literature is one of the most relevant trends in literary studies. Folk poetic symbols as the genetic memory of the nation infiltrate consciousness not only as artistic material, but also as a emotions that awaken the writer’s imagination, giving rise to various associations. The subject of this research is the creative activity of folklore is in the works of the Crimean Tatar children's writers. Examination of the folklore-mythological context, determination of the peculiarities of transformation of folklore motifs in a literary reveals the creative laboratory, allowing determining the specificities of personal reflection of the writer, as well as tracing the psychological patterns of the creative process, and the evolution of artistic thinking overall. The scientific novelty is defined by the absence within Russian literary studies of monographic and significant critical works on determination of the folklore-mythological context, transformation, functionality, and interpretation of folklore elements in works of the writers. The conclusion is made that folklore as part of the culture of a particular nation, is an organic element of the artistic world of the Crimean Tatar writers, such as E. Amit and T. Khalilov. The novel by E. Amit presents the new comprehension of myths, paroemias, and legends. An example of interaction of the mythological views and modern perspective in the novel “Last Chance” is the folk legend on the “happy and unhappy stars”. It also encompasses such ancient forms of folklore as cursing and benevolence, as well as the elements that take roots in the ancient taboos, the period of totemism. In the psychological prose by T. Khalilov, an important role is played by the symbolism of birds and plants. The ancient legend of the winged horse Duldul organically intertwines with the author's creative idea without losing its specificity.

Family and Family Values on the Basis of Lithuanian and Polish Tatar Manuscripts

Family always was among the most important human values. Family subject became essential part of the ethnolinguistic researches. Child birth, wedding, death and funeral is the cycle of life, particularly tightly related to traditional culture. Description of family rituals and traditions highlights family relationships which is the basis of this paper. Kinship subject constantly found in stories about ethnic religiosity, rites of folk medicine, myths and legends. In her article I. A. Sedakova has noted that “any discussion on the topic of kinship has sufficiently relevant data for complex linguistic research” (Sedakova, 2009, 226).The comprehension of family and its values are reflected in a completely different way in Lithuanian Tatar manuscripts written in Slavic languages and Arabic characters. Emigrants from Golden Horde and Crimean khanate were the one of the first muslims to settle in Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 14th century. Three most important events in human life: birth, wedding, death and accompanying rites used by Lithuanian Tatars are different from the ones used by local residents. In general Lithuanian Tatar rites have common Muslim roots, even though they have traces of shamanism and perceptible influence from Christianity. One can talk about religious syncretism when the various teachings of faith and cult rites are combined in the interplay of religions and their historical development. In this article we try to reveal the whole network of connections and relationships that contain the concepts of family and family values, based on texts written in Lithuanian Tatar manuscripts in Slavic languages (Ruthenian and Polish).

‘You Have a Man’s Spirit in a Woman’s Heart’: Women Who Break Hegemonic Ideas about Femininity in Icelandic Legends

This article examines the ways in which women who take on a ‘traditionally’ male role or have qualities more commonly attributed to men are presented in Icelandic folk legend collections from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Among other things, attention is paid to how women who break hegemonic ideas about femininity temporarily seem to be praised for their courage, while those who do so more permanently tend to be portrayed in a more negative light. The article thus considers the messages about and for women contained in the legends, bearing in mind that while legends tend to reflect the societies to which they belong, they can also potentially affect and shape their environments.

The values of traditional Kazakh culture

Eastern (including Kazakh-Turkic) philosophy differs from classical Western philosophy in that it does not make a major distinction between the universals of culture and philosophy. For Kazakh traditional society, philosophizing is characteristic of a non-abstract, extremely generalized, figuratively complete form of reflection. For the most part, philosophical categories and concepts are reflected and enshrined in artistic and religious texts. Therefore, the study of Kazakh philosophers should be conducted in a broader socio-cultural context. A holistic conceptual understanding of the worldview universals of a nomadic civilization is one of the most urgent tasks of modern Kazakh philosophy. To accomplish this task, we have at our disposal a huge amount of material from the monuments of the Orkhon-Yenisei runic writings, to priceless samples of oral folk art in the form of folk legends, heroic epics, proverbs, and sayings, the poetical and musical heritage of the zhyrau-akyns, etc. Traditional Kazakh culture is the quintessence and reflection of a special nomadic type of economy. Nomadic civilization is an example of a favorable coexistence between nature and man. An eco-friendly lifestyle was a reflection of the internal attitude towards maintaining harmony between man and nature. At the same time, the Kazakhs managed to create a special socionormative culture based on deep spiritual traditions that widely regulated social relations. The genus origin was the fundamental principle of the individual's self-identification and linked him by inseparable blood ties with the community and the territory of residence as a continuation of his social and natural existence. A nomadic collective was a hierarchically designed social organism, where human life was strictly regulated. Every action in everyday life had not only practical, but also spiritual meaning, value. Sacralization of actions took place through the ritual. Almost every single thing in everyday life was endowed with symbolic meaning. Having mastered the methods, principles and categorical apparatus of Western philosophy, modern Kazakh philosophy has become capable of deeply analyzing and actualizing the past examples of the spiritual culture of the Kazakh people. At the same time, it opens itself up to other cultures and thus new opportunities for intercivilizational dialogue appear.

Folk Legend Malai Mahadheshwara – A Cultural Study

Malai Mahadeshwara is south Karnataka’s most loved folk legend. It was during the Veerashaiva revolution of 12th century-which sought to establish ‘truth’ ‘dharma’ ‘equality’ in the society, created the circumstances to make a legend like Mahadeshwara who took his rightful place as the people’s leader. He rose to the mantle through his own will and hard work. The critical events of his life have been documented as the folk epic “Malai Mahadeshwara’ passed on as folklore to every generation. This article is also derived from this folk epic. My aim is to educate the modern public about how casteism has propagated and affected our society throughout time and how this has led to revolutions creating many heroes whom to this day are worshiped. People still tell their stories, songs and follow customs, ideals of that era of heroes who broke the shackles of oppression and paved a way for liberation. This enabled people to live a life of dignity, equality in our society, equal opportunities to everyone. Because of the work of these legends, we are able to live today in peace, where everyone has an opportunity to rise up, where people have their own individual identity and are treated with respect. Today any person regardless of caste/religion/gender can rise to the highest rank in society or in organization, can set their own standards for life and make independent decisions. Through this article I want to highlight the contribution of one- Mahadeshwara who became a messiah of common people.