E-mail: v.klyaus@mail.ru Tel.: + 7 (495) 690-50-30 25a, Povarskaya str., Moscow, 121069, Russian Federation Full Professor (Philology), head of folklore department, Institute of World Literature named after A. M. Gor’kiy, Russian Academy of Sciences
In this paper the author has analyzed mythological oral narratives and interviews, recorded at the basin of Argun’ the river from both the Russian (Eastern Trans-Baikal) and Chinese (Trekhrech’e — interfluve of three rivers) sides, which consider Veshchitsa the witch — a female demonic character widespread in the folklore of the Slavic peoples. The author compares his field material, with the Perm’ materials, obtained by researchers from Perm’ — V. A. Chernykh, I. I. Rusinova, and J. A. Shkuratok, who for the first time in domestic scholarship have examined in details mythological narratives about Veshchitsa the witches, appearing at the middle basin of Kama the river and the Urals. The material, obtained from Argun’ the river’s basin, analyzed in the paper, demonstrates significant similarities between the given regional manifestation of this character with all essential features, that have been highlighted by the Perm’ scholars. The author supposes, that it may indicate some migration processes, in particular, that a certain part of Eastern Trans-Baikal has been inhabited by natives from the middle basin of Kama the river and from the Urals. The most interesting mythological narratives about the witches called Veshchitsa, recorded from Argun’ the river’s basin, are published in the Appendix to the paper.
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