International Journal Of Literature And Languages
91
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ijll
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue07 2025
PAGE NO.
91-93
10.37547/ijll/Volume05Issue07-24
System of Images in Magical Fairy Tales
Jamilaxon Baxodirovna Asqarova
Doctor of Philological Sciences, Leading Research Fellow, Institute of Uzbek Language, Literature, and Folklore, Uzbekistan
Received:
31 May 2025;
Accepted:
29 June 2025;
Published:
31 July 2025
Abstract:
The article compares the study, classification, and types of magical fairy tale characters in world folklore.
The differences between the terms character, image and hero are analyzed and the place and role of the hero in
the system of images in Uzbek folk magic tales is researched.
Keywords:
Folklore, magical tale, character, image, hero, type.
Introduction:
Oral folk literature, which constitutes an
integral part of the spiritual values of a nation,
particularly fairy tales, vividly reflects the cognitive
processes, aesthetic perception of the world, social
structures, customs, and ethical principles of a people.
As noted in national discourse, "The priceless pearls of
human culture are primarily embodied in the folklore
of each nation... Folklore, one might say, is the cradle
song of
humanity" [1, №68]. From this standpoint, a
pressing scholarly challenge in the study of Uzbek fairy
tales is the systematic investigation of the unique traits
and functions of characters in magical tales. This
includes their classification based on defining
characteristics and their division into functional types.
The current study applies a structural-typological
approach to analyze characters according to their
narrative roles, and a structural-semantic method to
group them based on poetic attributes and symbolism.
In the realm of magical tales, the system of characters
has been extensively studied by folklorists around the
world. Russian scholar V.Y. Propp, in his 1928 work
Morphology of the Folktale, conducted structural
research on magical fairy tales by analyzing the
composition of one hundred Russian folktales.
According to him, Russian fairy tales typically include
seven types of dramatis personae [3, p. 73]:
1.
The Villain
2.
The Donor
3.
The Helper
4.
The Princess and her Father
5.
The Dispatcher
6.
The Hero
7.
The False Hero
R. Drory identifies five main roles in magical tales:
1.
Hero A
2.
Hero B
3.
Guide
4.
Giver of a magical gift
5.
Defeated character [14, p. 32]
B. Kerbelytė, while analyzing magical tales, divides
characters into five groups:
1.
Hero
2.
Hero’s close ones
3.
Antagonist
4.
Antagonist’s close ones
5.
Neutral characters [13, p. 50]
E. Novik classifies fairy tale characters according to
semantic features:
1.
By gender (male/female)
2.
By age (old/young/child)
3.
By individual traits (ordinary/extraordinary,
anthropomorphic/non-anthropomorphic)
4.
By family status (parent/child, older/younger,
biological/step-relative)
5.
By social status (king/peasant, rich/poor,
master/servant)
6.
By location (home/forest, own or foreign
kingdom, near/far).
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
92
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International Journal Of Literature And Languages (ISSN: 2771-2834)
Before systematizing the character system in Uzbek
magical tales, it is essential to clarify the conceptual
differences among key terms in the field.
Character,
Image,
and
Hero:
Terminological
Distinctions What distinguishes the terms hero,
character, and image in the context of magical fairy
tales? Although often used interchangeably in both
folklore and literary studies, each term carries distinct
semantic and theoretical implications.
In literary criticism, the term character denotes an
acting figure
—
an individual portrayed to a greater or
lesser extent within a work of art.
“Any person depicted in a literary work, regardless of
the extent, is referred to as a character. The term
personage (from French) signifies a person or figure…”
[5, p. 103].
A more
formal definition states: “A character (Lat.
persona) is a person represented by the author in art or
literature. Depending on their involvement and
significance in the narrative, characters are categorized
as major, supporting, or episodic. Those central to the
plot and conveying the work’s primary ideological and
aesthetic purpose are principal characters or
protagonists. Characters who support the main
narrative without being central are supporting
characters, while those appearing minimally are
consider
ed episodic” [11, p. 178].
The term image (Rus. obraz), meaning “reflection,”
refers to an artistic representation. In literary theory,
an image represents a creative reinterpretation of
reality, encompassing people, objects, and events: “An
artistic image is an aesthetic and imaginative
representation of reality, shaped by the author’s
perception and reworking of the world” [4, p. 43].
L.I. Timofeev defined the concept as: “An image is a
generalized yet concrete depiction of human life,
created through imaginative means and possessing
aesthetic value” [9, p. 62].
In pre-Soviet Uzbek literary tradition, synonyms such as
symbol, depiction, and copy were used in place of
image. The term obraz was introduced into Uzbek
critical terminology in the 1920s and 1930s [10, p. 41].
The term hero derives from the Greek heros, meaning
a demi-god or divine figure, and traditionally
represents an object of admiration and a moral
exemplar in literature [2, p. 23]. In Persian and Turkic
traditions, the word hero (e.g., bahodir, alp) refers to a
brave, noble warrior.
“A hero (Persian: bahodir) is someone renowned for
bravery and valor, who distinguishes themselves
through courage and noble deeds” [12, p. 273].
Mahmud Kashgari, in his Dīwān Lughāt al
-Turk, explains
that alp means hero or warrior [6, p. 77].
Thus, in fairy tales, the term hero refers to brave and
victorious
characters
—
typically
warriors
or
adventurers
—
whereas not all main figures qualify as
heroes.
For instance, in the tale Kenja Botir, the prince is the
hero, wh
ile in Ur, To‘qmoq, the old man is the central
figure but not a hero, as he does not display heroic
actions.
The term character (personage) implies a human figure
who participates actively in the narrative. By this logic,
animals, magical objects, and natural phenomena
cannot be classified as characters. However, within the
broader system of images, not only human characters
but also animals, objects, and natural elements
contribute meaningfully to the tale.
“All images in the system are interrelated—
they
complement, clarify, and expand upon one another.
Object and setting images are subordinate to character
images, and within the character system itself,
supporting and secondary characters are hierarchically
related to main characters” [4, p. 207].
While folklore criticism adopts many of the same terms
and frameworks as literary criticism, their application
differs due to the specific nature of oral tradition. Key
distinctions include: In literature, images are
individually crafted by a known author; in folklore, they
are collectively developed and refined by many voices
over time.
Literary images are typically original; folkloric images
often exist in multiple variants.
In literature, stylistic uniqueness is paramount; in
folklore, tradition and collective memory shape the
image.
Proposed typology of characters in Uzbek magical fairy
tales based on the structural roles and functions of
characters in Uzbek magical fairy tales, we propose the
following classification:
I. Main Hero
Male protagonists: prince, youngest son, brave youth
Female protagonists: fairy, princess, young girl,
youngest daughter
II. Supporting Characters
Mythological supporters: Khidr, old man, father, fairy,
magical old woman
Zoomorphic supporters: animals, birds
III. Antagonists
Open enemies (mythological): demons (dev), witches
(yalmoʻgʻiz), dragons (ajdar), evil old women,
stepmothers
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
93
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ijll
International Journal Of Literature And Languages (ISSN: 2771-2834)
Hidden rivals (antipodes): older brothers, older sisters
IV. Helpers
Mythological helpers: fairies, devs
Zoomorphic helpers: dogs, cats [15, p 23].
Each hero engages with the other character groups in
unique ways:
Supporters guide the hero or bestow magical items, but
are not subordinate.
Antagonists oppose the hero in action or intention.
Helpers act in support of the hero, often under their
command.
Importantly, each character type is programmatically
defined
—
not only by function but also by name,
appearance, and symbolic attributes.
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