The Features of the Images of Deceased Parents in Wonder and Legendary Tales

This article examines the functions and semantics of the images of deceased parents in wonder tales and legendary tales. Using texts from the collections of A.N. Afanasyev, N.E. Onuchkov, D.N. Sadovnikov, and other folklorists, the study explores the transformation of the archetypal parent-donor role in the transition from the classical wonder tale to narratives shaped by Christian consciousness. In the analyzed wonder tales (“Sivko-Burko”, “Cinderella”, “The Miraculous Cow”), the deceased parent retains an active function as a tester and donor, rooted in the ancestor cult and initiation rites. In legendary tales, however, (“Christ’s Brother”, “Go I Know Not Whither”, “The Wretched Drunkard”), this image is reinterpreted and transforms into a suffering sinner, an object of salvation, or a supplicant. The identified differences can be explained by analyzing pre-Christian and Christian concepts of the afterlife and funerary cults.