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Home Editorial board Publication ethics Information Current Archive Rules for authors Contacts	FROM EPIC TO CHILDREN’S BOOK: THE IMAGE OF SYRDON IN THE OSSETIAN LITERARY TRADITION Britaeva, Anzhela B. Kavkaz Forum. 2025. Issue 24. Abstract: The article is devoted to the study of the mechanisms of the transformation of the image of Syrdon in the context of children’s literary tradition. The purpose of this research is to determine the vector of the image’s development: whether it is the preservation of its traditional epic nature or its development in a new literary context. Based on the works of Ossetian authors («The Tricks of Syrdon» by T. Kokayev and «How Syrdon Won a Horse and a Donkey» by Z.N. Daurova (Daura)), a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of the image was conducted to determine the degree of its transformation relative to the original epic paradigm and the preservation of its archetypal characteristics. The author of the article shows that the mechanisms of transforming the image of the «evil genius of the Narts» are aimed at preserving cultural memory, forming moral guidelines, and developing aesthetic perception. The article pays special attention to the study of how the complex image of the trickster is transformed in children’s literature, while maintaining its archetypal essence. The relevance of the study is due to the fact that the modification of mythological images in children’s literature is a little-studied aspect of the interaction between traditional culture and the modern literary process. For the first time, the author examines the interaction between folklore tradition and children’s literature using the example of a specific mythological character, which contributes to the theory of intertextual connections and defines the scientific novelty of the work. The methodological significance of the study lies in the development of approaches to adapting complex mythological material for children’s audiences without losing its cultural and artistic value. The practical significance of this work lies in the fact that its results can be used in writing the history of Ossetian children’s literature and in teaching the course «Ossetian children’s literature» in university practice. Keywords: Ossetian children’s literature, Syrdon, image transformation, epic tradition, and intertextuality. Language: Russian Download the full text For citation: Britaeva, A.B. From Epic to Children’s Book: the Image of Syrdon in the Ossetian Literary Tradition. KAVKAZ-FORUM. 2025, iss. 24 (31), pp. 29-42 (In Russian). + References 1. Veselovskii, A.N. Izbrannoe: Istoricheskaya poehtika [Selected Works: Historical Poetics]. St. Petersburg, Universitetskaya kniga, 2011. 687 p. 2. Bakhtin, M.M. Voprosy literatury i ehstetiki. 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