Folk healing methods in V. Nurov's novel "The White-Bearded Elder"

The subject of the study is the tradition of folk healing methods in the novel by Vladimir Dordjievich Nurov "The White-bearded Elder" (Cahan sahlta kogsha). The study analyzes how empirical knowledge about human health and traditional folk healing methods are reflected in the plot, in the characters' images and in the context of historical and cultural significance. The object of the research is V. Nurov's novel "The White-Bearded Elder" as a work of fiction, which explores empirical knowledge, folk traditions related to healing. The various situations in which the main characters of the novel resort to folk healing methods are analyzed, how they apply them, in what circumstances they turn to these practices, as well as how this affects their internal state. The novel examines specific rituals and rituals associated with healing and how these folk methods are intertwined with spiritual practices and cultural traditions of the people. The research methods are cultural-historical, comparative-historical, structural, and narrative. The main conclusions of the study are the provisions that the novel clearly presents magical and empirical knowledge about human health, accumulated and transmitted from generation to generation. Various healing methods are described, such as minerals, healing properties of various animal products, rituals, and magic spells. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that for the first time in Kalmyk literary studies, namely on the material of V. Nurov's novel "The White-Bearded Elder", interesting information about traditional folk medicine has been studied. The author describes the treatment processes and the interaction of the characters with traditional medicine. This made it possible to identify semantic and cultural aspects that demonstrated the depth of the author's approach. In the novel, V. Nurov reflected various traditional methods of treatment for various diseases, methods of medical practice, knowledge about human health, about folk methods of healing from various ailments. The novel can serve as a valuable source of information about Kalmyk folk traditions and their approaches to treatment. Turning to traditional folk medicine through the prism of literature not only enriches the understanding of the specifics of Kalmyk culture, but also emphasizes the importance of folk knowledge in a universal human context.