Kharkova, S. Yu. CHRISTIAN CHRONONYMS IN HEROIC EPICS: HOLIDAYS AND DAYS OF THE WEEK. Proceedings of Petrozavodsk State University. 2026;48(7):103–112. DOI: 10.15393/uchz.art.2026.1373


Folklore

CHRISTIAN CHRONONYMS IN HEROIC EPICS: HOLIDAYS AND DAYS OF THE WEEK

Kharkova
S. Yu. 		Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkinskij Dom), Russian Academy of Sciences
Keywords:
bylinas
Christian holidays
Easter
St. Peter’s Day
chrononyms		 Summary: This article examines the days of the Christian calendar (Christmas, Annunciation, Maundy Thursday, Holy Saturday, Easter, Easter Week, Day of Rejoicing, Trinity Sunday, St. Peter’s Day, St. John’s Day, St. Elijah’s Day, Dormition of the Mother of God, Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, St. Nicholas Day, Wednesday, Fri- day, Saturday, and Sunday) mentioned in Russian heroic epics or bylinas. The material for the analysis comprised bylinas from the Russian North, the Urals, and Siberia. The article outlines the plots, motifs, contexts, and bylina set expressions (formulas) in which these chrononyms can be used, as well as examines their variability. The findings suggest that no unified pan-Russian tradition of using such chrononyms in bylinas developed; accordingly, they were incorporated into bylinas at a late stage of their evolution. The only exception is the mention of hot weather on St. Peter’s Day in the bylina “Dobrynya and the Serpent”, which can be seen as evidence of its ancient origin. The analyzed chrononyms are primarily common in the northern Russian bylina tradition, where Easter and St. Peter’s Day acquired distinct semantic meanings. The rest of the analyzed chrononyms have a narrow regional distribution. The semantics of the studied Christian chrononyms is associated not so much with the spiritual sphere as with the practical one (the Grand Easter liturgy, the culinary code of the holiday, and weather lore). Overall, the active, albeit limited, use of Christian chrononyms in the northern Russian bylina tradition testifies to their organic, albeit late, entry into Russian heroic epics.



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