Новая монография о калмыцкой волшебной сказке. Рецензия на кн.: Горяева Б. Б. Калмыцкая волшебная сказка: мотивы пути, помощника и превращения. Элиста: КалмНЦ РАН, 2026. 212 с.

Goals. The review examines the monograph by B. Goryaeva ‘Kalmyk Magic Tale: Motifs of Journey, Helper, and Transformation’ which addresses an understudied area in Kalmyk folklore studies — the motif basis of Kalmyk folktales and specifically plot-constituting motifs of Kalmyk magic tale. Results. Since Kalmyk folktales have not previously been studied at the level of individual motifs, B. Goryaeva’s work is both timely and innovative. Drawing on existing scholarship regarding the folktale genre, the author proposes her own conceptualization of plot-constituting motifs found in Kalmyk magic tales. The researcher analyzes these dynamic, plot-driving motifs through examining specific narrative types within the Kalmyk tradition and comparing them with motifs from folktales of other cultures, thereby identifying both universal similarities and some unique national characteristics of the genre. B. Goryaeva’s analysis of these motifs could serve as a foundation for the future systematization of folktales at the motif level — a significant and relevant endeavor for investigating the genesis and evolution of folktale plots within a single ethnic tradition, as well as for conducting comparative-typological research across a broader range of unrelated cultures.