Առաջավորասիական պատմավիպական կերպարները Կարս-շիրակյան տարածաշրջանում

<jats:p>This study is devoted to historical-epic characters borrowed from the Middle Eastern folkloric tradition. Some genres of traditional folklore (realistic and fairy tales, legends, epic narratives, memorats, etc.) fundamentally preserve distant echoes of a people's history. Historical events and figures that left a deep imprint on the history of each nation served as the foundation for historical-epic narratives. Those historical figures who achieved universal recognition through their fame and activities, both good and bad, simultaneously had the prerequisites to become folkloric heroes; over time, they not only became historical-epic characters but were also transmitted from generation to generation. The research is based on stories surrounding the names of well-known historical-epic characters included in the collections "Kars. Armenian Folklore Tradition" and "Shirak. Armenian Folklore Tradition." Taking into account the life periods of actual historical figures and their national affiliation, comparative-historical and historical-geographical methods were employed for the research. In the epic folklore of the Kars-Shirak region, both borrowed and local plot developments stand out around the names of historical-epic characters borrowed from the Middle Eastern region. The scope of historical-epic characters chronologically represents an immense period, ranging from Assyro-Babylonian times to the last century. Among Middle Eastern historical-epic characters, stories about Ahiqar the Wise, Solomon the Wise, Alexander the Great, Danande Bakhlul, Luqman, Tamerlane, Shah Abbas, Sultan Murad, and Sultan Suleiman mainly circulated in the Kars-Shirak region. Literary monuments about the aforementioned historical figures were translated, while folk tales were transmitted orally from one people to another, which is a consequence of centuries-old economic, political, and cultural contacts. Folkloric tales about borrowed historical-epic characters have both thematic and educational-didactic content and significance. The research shows that historical-epic images borrowed from the Middle Eastern oral tradition found fertile ground in the Kars-Shirak region, merged with similar local plots, acquired national character, and satisfied the needs of the Armenian listener. The research also demonstrates that the motifs attributed to borrowed Middle Eastern historical-epic characters are stable, and each of them has its own characteristic plots and motifs.</jats:p>