invisible, with its help a person can get wealth (PETRUKHIN et al., 1995). Elijah’s Day is July
20. In Siberia, by this time, haymaking was over, and the harvest began: “Elijah the Prophet is
a deadline for mowing”, “Elijah is conceiving harvest” (proverbs). From that day on, it was
impossible to swim in open reservoirs, because a deer or a horse of Elijah the Prophet dipped
the antlers into the water, and Elijah himself threw a piece of ice into the water. Day of the Holy
Apostles Peter and Paul is 12 of July. In the folk tradition, it is called Peter’s day. The main
tools used in the new season were prepared for it: rakes, pitchforks, devices for pulling hay, and
straw on a cart. This day lifted the ban on eating fruits, which was strictly observed during the
spring period. For example, in Siberia, it was from this time that it was customary to pick
strawberries (PETRUKHIN et al., 1995).
A fern flower is not given to a person, it is difficult to find and see it, but it is even more
difficult to pick and keep it – evil forces oppose it. However, it was possible to get a fern flower
by chance, without knowing about it. But, even in this case, the person will not get the flower:
there will always be forces (in this specific case, the “forest owner” in the form of an old man)
that will prevent the man in the street from acquiring magical knowledge.
The pobyvalshchina differs from other epic genres not only in its content but also in its
purpose. If the purpose of a fairy tale is mainly to entertain the listener, bylina – to convey the
pathos of the sublime and tell about something very significant or heroic, then the purpose of
the pobyvalshchina is to teach the listener and convey a certain guide to action in everyday life.
Obviously, to a certain extent, the didactic element is inherent in any genre of oral folk art, but
in the pobyvalshchina it plays a predominant role. This peculiarity of the genre is perfectly
illustrated by the moral quintessence of the pobyvalshchina “Decided to joke”. Everything has
a place in life: hard work and good rest, philosophizing and verbiage – the main thing is that all
this should organically merge with the everyday and communicative situation and be in time
and place. Despite the mentoring and edifying tone of the pobyvalshchina, its teaching is
permeated with the bright optimism inherent in popular contemplation in general.
The form and methods of narration of the pobyvalshchina are monotonous. Its most
vivid reflection is an indication of the time, place, or – less often – the subject of the action. If,
for example, in a fairy tale, bylichka, these categories are always designated extremely vaguely
(“in a certain kingdom, in a certain state”; “beyond the distant lands”; “once upon a time”; “a
long time ago, so no one remembers”, “once”, “not far from here...”), then in a pobyvalshchina
they are outlined specifically, giving the plot the authenticity of a life fact (“On the Shaitanka
river, not far from the Shaitanovskie yurts, there was a small mill”; “There was Vansha