IS THERE A WOOD-GOBLIN HOUSE? (ON THE MATERIAL OF RUSSIAN MYTHOLOGICAL TEXTS OF THE PERM KRAI)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the consideration of folk notions about the dwelling places of a wood-goblin fixated on the territory of the Perm Krai and of the comparison of these notions with the Slavic ones. As the materials describing the Perm tradition, the texts from the folklore and dialectological archives in the Perm State University and from the collections of non-fairy prose of the Perm Krai are taken. As the materials representing the Slavic tradition, the dictionary "Slavic antiquities" is used. The conducted research allowed to establish that the number of notions fixated in the Perm Krai is a reflection of the Slavic beliefs (for example, a Slavic (and Perm) wood-goblin lives in the forest, it may appears in the field, in the mowing, in the marshland, at the crossroads, and also it has the "favorite" forest paths; it often comes into the hunting cabin). The specific Perm motives are the notions that the wood-goblin have three-wall wooden house, and also that the wood-goblin comes to the house to the village experts (the hunters, the herdsmen) and staying with them (more typical for Slavic tradition motive is a camping of a village specialist in the forest and the magical conclusion of the contract with the spirit-"master" on its territory).