Family and family relations in Russian folk tales

The influence of the family on the formation of personality has long been one of the important issues. The family occupies a central place in a person's life. Family is in the focus of almost all folk tales. Russian folk tales serve as a source for studying the image of the family, its importance in people's lives. The purpose is to study the role of family members in Russian folk tales and identify the features of family relations. In the course of the work, the theoretical patterns of fairy tales as a genre of folklore were studied, the role and functions of family members were investigated, and the features of family relations in Russian folk tales were revealed. The object of the study was 30 Russian folk tales. The methods of situational analysis, classification and generalization were used in the work. The authors conclude that each image of a family member is filled with special qualities and functions important for the harmonious existence of the family; fairy tales serve as a mirror that reflects both the positive and negative sides of family life.