Werewolf Women: from Fairy Tale Image to a Plot Motif in Literature

The article deals with the phenomenon of female werewolfism in Russian folklore and Russian-language literature. The image of a female werewolf in Russian folklore is divided into three categories: 1. Wonderful wives; 2. Bewitched lovers; 3. Substituted wife or bride. The image of a female werewolf in fairy tales is analyzed, functional diversity is revealed. The mythological origin of the image, connected with the idea of "otherworldliness" and anthropomorphic perception of the world, is studied. In Russian folklore, the female werewolf appears either in the image of a victim, who by nature is a human being, or she is asserted to have the function of salvation and improvement of the surrounding world. The transformation into various animals is not only an expression of totemism of Old Russian ancestors, but also a hidden manifestation of otherworldliness. At the same time, the female werewolf is the companion of the male protagonist, the key to the other world and a test for his marriage. The dual nature of woman in Russian fairy tales is eventually overcome, and the woman finally enters the hero's world. Further written literature transforms the worldview aspect into a metaphor describing the complexity and ambiguity of female behavior. N.V. Gogol again actualizes ideas about werewolves-witches, in Soviet literature the phenomenon of werewolfism will appear in the works of P.P. Bazhov, and in modern literature — in the novels of Victor Pelevin. Female werewolves in modern literature are often portrayed as characters with complex emotions and inner conflicts, as unusual creatures, but with human essence and emotions, or acquire them in the process of communication. The connection between werewolfism and the otherworld has always been maintained.

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