Article

Name: Spatial picture of Even nimkan “Chibdevel”: structure, semantics, and symbolism

Authors: M. T. Satanar

North-Eastern Federal University named after M. K. Ammosov, Yakutsk, Russian Federation

In the section Эпосоведение

Abstract:

This paper addresses the function of spatial elements in the plot structure of the Even epic, nimkan, with a focus on its motif organization. The motivic analysis involves identifying plot-forming motifs, analyzing their semantic content, describing their sequential integration into the plot line, and determining their functional roles within the syntagmatic structure of the nimkan text. The aim of the study was to implement a structural-semantic analysis of the plot-significant motifs of the tale “Chibdevel” within the context of the epic space dynamics. Semiotic, functional, structural, and semantic methodologies were employed, which included review, descriptive, and generalizing approaches. The author clarifies the impact of the epic location semantics on the event-focused execution of subsequent plot progressions. The motif of the hero’s origin is found to function in a reduced form in the text, revealing its mythological basis. Attention is paid to the contaminations of the motif of the hero’s origin and the motif of a heroic campaign commencement. Mythological and historical elements are layered, exhibiting the interplay of archaic horizontal world models and shamanic cosmological perspectives. The image of the mythical river constitutes the structural core of the epic universe. The image of the sea in the Upper World as the source of the mythical river is considered being associated with the concept of birth and feminine fecundity.

Keywords: even nimkan, mythology, space, storyline, motif, epic locus, heroic matchmaking, semantics, symbolism

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