The mythology of invisible spirits and the Eternal Bride in the artistic world of Ch. Aitmatov

UDC 81`42:82-3
DOI 10.20339/PhS.2-26.081

Chinloda Madina S.,

Candidate of Philology,

Chief Researcher

Institute of World Civilizations and Languages 

B. Yeltsin Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University 

e-mail: mudeina@mail.ru

https://orcid.org/0009-0005-2855-5870; SPIN-код: 5357-0473

The article is devoted to the analysis of the origins and artistic function of the individually authored mythologeme of the Eternal Bride in Ch.T. Aitmatov’s novel “When the Mountains Fall (The Eternal Bride)”. Unlike the writer’s traditional mythologemes borrowed from Kyrgyz epic heritage — such as the images of the mankurt, the Horned Mother Doe, or the kaipy — the image of the Eternal Bride represents an original creation by the author himself. This mythologeme permeates all levels of the novel’s artistic world, fulfilling structural, ideological, and poetic functions. Its emergence is connected to the influence of epic tales told by manaschi about the kaipy — benevolent invisible spirits that assist people in difficult times. However, within the Kyrgyz mythological system, the image of the Eternal Bride is not recorded as a distinct entity. In translations of the novel’s title into Kyrgyz, various options are used — Kaipy koluктуу, Tүboluk koluкtуу, Kyzkaipy — indicating the absence of a clear equivalent. This supports the conclusion that the mythologeme was created by the author himself and embedded into the novel’s artistic space. Aitmatov not only continues the epic tradition but also expands it, endowing the image of the Eternal Bride with the qualities of a kaipy — an invisible benevolent spirit symbolizing divine providence. The study also considers interlingual and intercultural perspectives, highlighting the relationship between language, mythological thinking, and artistic consciousness.

Keywords: mythologem, category of the invisible, cultural and linguistic semantics, kaiyp, Eternal Bride, man, fate, predestination, large and small epics of the kyrgyz people

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