Shamanic function of an old woman in primitive beliefs

Abstract

Azerbaijani epic folklore has a rich imaginative world. One of these images is the image of an old woman. Speaking about the image of the old woman, it is important to raise the question of a shamanic woman. Because in primitive beliefs, the old woman also appears as a female shaman. The reason is that shamanism in the nature of the image of an old woman is directly rela- ted to the feminine principle - the Great Mother. According to the conclusions of scientists, the source of the first shamanic spirit is associated with the feminine principle. Research has proven that the old woman was transformed from the Great Mother. Based on these ideas, the article explores the shamanicfunction of the image of an old woman. In that research are involved the samples of Azerbaijani epic folklore, as well as samples of the folklore of the Turkic peoples, and the features and functions of an old woman-shaman in archaic genres were compared with the image of an old woman in fairy tales and epics.