Linguistic and cultural features of nominating negative female images in epics

Abstract

The article considers negative epic female characters, largely stereotyped due to insufficient knowledge, as part of the system of ideas about a woman in the Russian language picture of the world. This work identifies the features of the negative epic heroines’ linguistic representation, reflecting the cultural and everyday realities of Ancient Rus'. The study is based on the texts with negative heroines as protagonists: the epics about elder heroes (“Dobrynya and the Serpent”, “Dobrynya and Marinka”), about epic competitions (“Gleb Volodyevich and Marinka Kaydalovna”) and about the epic of matchmaking (“Danube Ivanovich” and “Mikhailo Potyk”). These works allow us to identify the most significant elements characterizing a woman of the 9th-13th centuries: appearance, occupation, attitude towards the opposite sex, spiritual and moral qualities. Linguistic and cultural analysis of the female characters’ nominations shows that negative heroines are opposed to the common people and the norms accepted in ancient Russian society: they are representatives of the upper class and keep to themselves, they are characterized by cunning and deceit, as well as the ability to witchcraft. The emphasized immorality of the women, their deviation from the generally accepted norms is not only condemned, but it also serves as an example of unacceptable behavior. At the same time, a preferred model of a woman’s behavior in ancient Russian society is created based on the images of negative female characters.