The concept of the "mother" in the worldview and folklore of the Northern Mansi
Introduction. The article discusses the features of the concept of the «mother» in the traditional worldview of the local (Upper Sosva) group of the Northern Mansi (basin of the Lyapin River and the Northern Sosva River). In Mansi culture, the personality of the mother is distinguished not so much by the variety of functions only (because it is limited by the main purpose of a woman as a giver of life), but by the conceptual diversity of parental, socialand social aspects. Representations about the mother belong to the intimate sphere of relations, that’s why many topics relating to the theme of the «mother and motherhood» still remain taboo. This circumstance had an impact on the formation of the source base of the research.Different aspects of the concept of the «mother», analyzed in language material, reveal the original (biological, reproductive), as well as social status of the woman-mother in Mansi society.Objective: to reveal the multi-aspect of the concept of the «mother» in traditional culture of the Mansi from the perspective of cognitive anthropology and linguistics.Research materials: the article uses materials on history, ethnography, folklore and linguistics of the Mansi, as well field materials of the author.Results and novelty of the research. The study of the concept of the «mother» in traditional culture of the Mansi revealed a variety of properties and images related to the female reproductive sphere (motherhood); divine patrons (mythology, religious beliefs). The author noted interrelation of forms of social life with its cognitive and normative components. Examples of sacred prescriptions for women in childbirth, rooted in traditional customs, are given. The research is oriented from the position of traditional Mansi specificity in its cultural and linguistic representation. For the first time, attention is focused on motherhood as a special socio-cultural institution of traditional society.The results of the research can be used by students of universities, researchers, graduate students and undergraduates studying the culture of the Ob-Ugric peoples.