The Character of the “Albasta” in the Folk Prose of Turkic Peoples: Genesis. Typology. Metamorphosis

Abstract

The purpose of this article is the consideration of the appearance of the character of the “Albasta”, methods of its of research/strengthening as a character in the folklore of Turkic peoples. The comparison of functions of the character, what is composing the basis of hikayas (folklore genre which means a fact or a true story) as well as their consonance with folk beliefs determine the basis task of the article. During the research it was revealed that the character of the “Albasta” is characterized by signs of metamorphosis, integration with other demonological characters as well as it has not only general, but also distinctive features in accordance with the traditions of ethnogenesis. Demonological perception of the character of the “Albasta” is important elements of animistic worldview of not only Turkic peoples, but also of other peoples of the world, which genesis goes back to the ancient times and has evolutionary development.