A significant number of Armenian folk tales feature the motif of a man approaching God to voice his grievances. Many Armenian folk scholars have recorded these tales across various periods, and they have been recounted in a variety of dialects and sub-dialects. This study aims to explore the potential of typical folk tale narratives based on a comparative mythological model to reveal the perceptions of the hero's life philosophy, shaped during his life experiences, and the peculiarities of initialization and people's understanding of interactions with the divine. The symbolism of the path to God has been clarified from a new perspective, considering hierarchical scales of the Tree of Life. The oldest mythologem of the hero seeking guidance from God is highlighted through the transition from mythological narration to folk tales. It has been concluded that folkloric and literary versions of the folktale “The Stupid Man”, despite plot differences, share an identical narrative structure. That is, God or its functional analogues are key entities that guide the transformation of a protagonist's life experiences and the development of their spiritual world. Direct contact with divine beings is intended to reveal the crucial importance of understanding and interpreting divine thoughts and words.
Key words: God, wiseman, stupid man, travel, initiation, woman, return
DOI: 10.22250/20728662-2025-3-168-178
About the author
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Satenik H. Avetisyan – Ph.D (Philology), Associate Professor, Leading Research Fellow, Institute of Literature n.a. Manuk Abeghyan of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia; |