The Motif of Night Dances and Its Implementation in the Fairytale Plot ATU 306
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17072/2073-6681-2026-1-74-82Keywords:
fairy tale; night dances; dance; fertility ritual; motif; Fyodor Sologub.Abstract
The article analyzes the fairytale plot ATU 306, which is built around the central motif of night dancing, the archetypal roots of which can be non-obvious. The plot is attractive for research since, despite the wide variability of the characters and their actions depending on the cultural context, the motif itself demonstrates stability. The article aims to trace the diachronic transformation of the motif from archaic rituals to modern interpretations. The study employed the motif-imagery and comparative methods and was carried out based on the theoretical works of A. N. Veselovsky, V. I. Propp, E. M. Meletinsky. The material under research includes European and Russian versions of the fairytale plot ATU 306. Numerous variations and interpretations of this plot are found in European literature, cinema, and theater. It was rarely addressed in Russia, although its variations are known to Russian folklore and are present in the collection of A. N. Afanasyev. This article makes an attempt at analyzing the genetic sources of this motif, traces the gradual transformation of the ideas about the topos of the cursed kingdom, and explores the female images in their connection with other close plots. The author of the article draws conclusions about the origin of the motif of night dances from archaic rituals of fertility and ritual meetings of unmarried boys and girls, and also makes an assumption about a purely formal, rather than genetic, convergence of the ATU 306 and ATU 307 and 308. The final part of the article deals with the implementation of the studied plot in Russian literature through the example of Fyodor Sologub’s Night Dances and notes the shift of the pole of significance from the ritual or late religious dogmas to the individually author’s interpretation.References
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