Masculine, Feminine, and Androgynous Characteristics of Heroes and Mountain Images in Tuvan Folklore
Маскулинные, фемининные и андрогинные характеристики героев и образов гор в тувинском фольклоре
Musabekova U.E. Shaimerdenova N.Z. Khudaiberdina D.A.
2 March 2026Ch. K. Lamazhaa
New Research of Tuva
2026Issue 183 - 104 pp.
The article analyzes aspects of masculinity, femininity, and androgyny in the characteristics of heroes and images of mountains in Tuvan folklore. The study is based on an analysis of texts of Tuvan myths, legends, heroic tales (“Khunan-Kara” and “Boktug-Kirish and Bora-Sheley”), and draws on a wide range of ethnographic, mythological, and folkloric sources. By systematizing the principal common images and functions of mountains in Tuvan folklore, the authors identify and structure those semantic complexes that reflect traditional models of male and female behavior, as well as manifestations of androgyny in the plots, archetypes, and ritual practices of the Tuvans. The authors examine how masculine features (strength, dominance, protection) and feminine aspects (ordering, care, fertility) are expressed both in anthropomorphic heroes and in the symbolic narrative functions of the mountains themselves. Attention is paid to the ways in which androgynous qualities of characters are formed in epic poetry, oral narratives, and ritual verse—namely, the overcoming of the dichotomy of the masculine and the feminine, the syncretism of qualities, and the presence of mediating figures. The article also addresses the dynamics of gender representations in the context of the interaction between archaic and shamanic layers and contemporary transformations, revealing the role of mountains as spaces for the formation and reproduction of gender identity in the Tuvan cultural sphere. Thus, the study makes it possible not only to reconsider established views on the role of the mountain in ethnic consciousness, but also to propose an original perspective for the study of folkloric gender stereotypes and their artistic and symbolic transformation.
androgynous , feminine , heroic tale , legend , masculine , mountain , mountain cult , Tuvan folklore , Tuvans
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Doctor of Philology, Department of Language and General Education Training of Foreigners, al-Farabi Kazakh National University, 71 аl-Farabi Ave., Almaty, 050000, Kazakhstan
Doctor of Philology, Director of the Research Institute of Turkology and Altaic Studies, al-Farabi, Kazakh National University, 71 аl-Farabi Ave., Almaty, 050000, Kazakhstan
Department of Russian Philology and World Literature, Faculty of Philology, al-Farabi Kazakh National University, 71 al-Farabi Ave., Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan
Doctor of Philology
Doctor of Philology
Department of Russian Philology and World Literature
10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель
Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026