Dyachenko, Y, Pravednikov, S. P., Kovalev, A. E. THE CONCEPT OF THE STEED/HORSE IN KURSK FOLK TALES. Proceedings of Petrozavodsk State University. 2025;47(3):5. DOI: 10.15393/uchz.art.2025.1156


Russian language. Languages of the peoples of Russia

THE CONCEPT OF THE STEED/HORSE IN KURSK FOLK TALES

Dyachenko
Yu. A. 		Kursk State University
Pravednikov
S. P. 		Kursk State University
Kovalev
A. E. 		Kursk State University
Keywords:
steed/horse
concept
symbol
text
fairy tale		 Summary: The purpose of this study is to analyze the semantic content of the concept of the steed/horse (in Russ. kon’/loshad’) using the materials of folklore texts. The empirical basis of the study comprises Russian folk tales col- lected on the territory of the Kursk region. Descriptive, taxonomic, and comparative methods were used for this study, as well as methods of quantitative, contextual, dominant, linguocultural analysis and concordance compression tech- niques. The relevance of the research stems from the ongoing exploration of the linguistic worldview of the Russian people presented in folklore (fairy-tale) texts and reflecting their worldview. Fairy tale is one of the favorite folk genres, which was the main reason for choosing the material for analysis. The horse has always been one of the most revered animals. It was considered a symbol of wisdom, fertility, courage, the passage of time, and power. The core and pe- riphery (near and far) of the concept of the steed/horse were established in the course of study. The analysis was carried out based on etymological and explanatory dictionaries. The findings suggest that the lexemes “steed” and “horse” are synonyms that allow one lexeme to be interpreted through another but have some semantic differences – the word “steed” means an animal that is an integral part of the image of a bogatyr hero, his assistant, savior, and friend, while the key seme of the word “horse” is “working animal”, an indispensable assistant of people who worked land for a living. Thus, it can be concluded that the concept of steed/horse is an integral part of the consciousness and worldview of the Russian people.



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