The image of an orphan in the folk world picture of the Khanty people
A folklore text is of obvious interest to researchers from many different points of view. Along with consideration of plots, forms and language we should pay attention to its cultural component. A folklore text is a very special phenomenon. Along with the aesthetic function it can function as a center of historical memory of the people. In our work we’ll try to consider the fairy plots in which the heroes according to their status are the orphans. In folklore the image of the orphan reveals the archaic nature of the most epic monuments of the Khanty people. The image of a lone hero - the first man on the earth, is a plot-forming factor and it lies at the heart of the conflict: the son-hero takes revenge for his killed parents and after certain ordeals he becomes the guardian spirit of an area or a kin. The motive of the bogatyr as an ancestor of the human race is of fundamental importance: the represented events assume the character of historical memories, the struggle of the hero with the monsters of the lower world is perceived as a kind of activity of “a cultural hero”, protecting the human race from enemies and paved the way for his peaceful and happy existence.