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DOI: 10.46698/VNC.2024.25.18.010 THE IMAGE OF A WOMAN WARRIOR IN THE WORLD AND NORTH CAUCASIAN HISTORICAL HEROIC EPIC
Berberov, Burhan A.
Kavkaz Forum. 2024. Issue 18.
Abstract:
The object of our research was «female plots» in the world and North Caucasian historical and heroic epic. A comparative analysis of motives of different origins made it possible to classify gender-marked narratives according to the degree and nature of the involvement of female protagonists in the process of resistance to foreign invaders. As a result of continuous sampling and anthropocentric analysis, the following behavioural patterns were identified: «victim position», «active position», «verbal interaction», generally characteristic of both the world and the Karachay-Balkarian historical-heroic epic. All three behavioural types are most clearly realized in the songs of the «Timur cycle» – «Crying of the mother of twins», «Black Storm», «Crying for Aznaur», «Crying for a husband who died in battle», «Dugerbiy», «Princess Zurum», «Princess Akbilek». The method of folklore comparative studies made it possible to discover a typologically similar picture in Dagestan, Kabardian, Ossetian, and Chechen epic texts, where socially and culturally determined models of women’s reaction to the aggression of a foreign enemy are also updated. A special place among all the studied folklore works is occupied by the polyconflict song «Princess Zurum», which includes several behavioural constructs at once – victimization, resistance, and also oriented towards cultural, peacemaking dialogue. The commonality of human thinking and behaviour is shown in the article by referring to a broad historical and cultural context, including relevant works from the Altai, Greek, Iranian, Italian, Chinese, Mongolian and Russian legends. All theoretical positions in the article are supported by relevant illustrative material, as well as the necessary scientific comments.
Keywords: world and North Caucasian historical and heroic epic, female warrior, Caucasian woman, self-sacrifice.
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For citation: Berberov, B.A. The Image of a Woman Warrior in the World
and North Caucasian Historical Heroic Epic. KAVKAZ-FORUM. 2024, iss. 18(25),
pp. 5-20. (In Russian). DOI 10.46698/VNC.2024.25.18.010 ← Contents of issue |
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