SOURCES OF MYTHOLOGICAL BELIEFS IN ENGLISH FOLK TALE DISCOURSE


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Abstract

The present paper studies fundamental sources of mythological beliefs accumulated in the English folk tale discourse. Besides European mythological and Christian traditions, an important part in the making of English demonary is performed by the variable folklore tradition, intra-genre, and inter-genre interaction processes as well as English writers’ works.

The folklore tradition variability serves a means of the identification of a mythological personage and its status in the demonary. It defines the personage’s field of distribution and variation range of its characteristics. It contributes to systematization and structuring of folk ideas of the miraculous in the English folk tale discourse. Work with local records also allows to state the dynamics of some mythological concepts and to determine common features in folk tales with universal mythological beliefs.

Under the influence of intra-genre (European fairy tale traditions) and inter-genre (legends, ballads) interaction processes as well as English writers’ works the system of mythological beliefs underwent certain changes in the English folk tale discourse. Original images and plots were organically interwoven with those of European fairy tales which had become part of the English folk tale fund. For instance, the fairy royal couple acquired individualizing denominations Oberon and Titania, fairies turned into miniature, beautiful and harmless beings, while Robin Good Fellow became a merry prankster having lost his ability to do harm. New personages were adopted; properties and names of traditional folk tale characters were modified according to Greco-Roman or Medieval traditions. Heroes of Christian and folk legends (including the literary adapted ones) turned into folk tale characters, while their names were used as precedent names and chronotopical markers.

About the authors

Olga Aleksandrovna Plakhova

Togliatti State University, Togliatti

Author for correspondence.
Email: plahova_oa@mail.ru

Doctor of Sciences (Philology), Associate Professor, professor of Chair “Theory and methods of teaching of foreign languages and cultures”

Russian Federation

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