ARCHETYPAL IMAGE OF MYTHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS IN KAZAKH FAIRY TALES

Abstract

This article examines the archetypal representation of mythological characters in Kazakh magic fairy tales through C. G. Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious and archetypes. The study focuses on the figures of Zhalmauyz kempir/Mystan kempir, Zheztyrnaq, Diiu (däu), and Er Töstik, systematizing their functions within the tale structure and their cultural-cognitive meanings. The methodology combines archetypal interpretation, typological comparison, and structural-functional analysis. Particular attention is paid to each character’s narrative role, patterns of confrontation, threshold testing, and the motifs of temptation, fear, and renewal/rebirth. The results show that Zhalmauyz/Mystan correlates with the archetypes of the “Terrible Mother” and the “Shadow”; Zheztyrnaq corresponds to a dangerous “Anima” and the figure of a tempting tester; and Diiu embodies an archetype of chaos and untamed power comparable to the “Dragon” type. Er Töstik exemplifies a coherent model of the Hero archetype, integrating the stages of miraculous birth, departure, descent into the underworld, victory over hostile forces, and return to the community. The article offers a table of archetypal typology and clarifies the linkage “archetype — function — plot outcome.” It also argues that, although Kazakh scholarship has developed rich typological and mythological descriptions of these figures, their psycho-archetypal dimension is rarely presented as a systematic matrix; therefore, the proposed approach has strong explanatory potential for interpreting fairy-tale texts. The findings highlight the universal symbolic nature of Kazakh fairy tales and explain how codes of fear, taboo, upbringing, and heroism become stabilized at the archetypal level in the national worldview. In the discussion, the identified types are compared with analogous characters across the Turkic world, and the historical-cultural causes of shared motifs are briefly outlined. The stability of archetypes is shown to strengthen the didactic function of the fairy tale by shaping a “good vs. evil” opposition, a model of caution toward danger, and the ideal of persistent goal-achievement. Practically, the proposed classification can be used in teaching folklore, conducting literary analysis, and describing cultural codes. Future research should expand the corpus and specifically examine archetypal variation in regional versions of plots