Ob arhaičeskih čertah narodnoj demonologii rusin Vostočnoj Slovakii<br>On the Archaic Features of Folk Demonology of the Ruthenians of Eastern Slovakia</br>

Abstract

The article discusses archaic elements in the demonological beliefs of Ruthenians of Eastern Slovakia, a group of old East Slavic population in the Carpathian region. Archaic elements were identified by the comparison and confrontation with other archaic traditions of the Slavs – Polessian, Serbian, Russian, Bielorussian. Ethnolinguistic research was carried out on the basis of published materials - articles, monographs and dictionaries, as well as author’s field records. The study shows the presence of numerous cultural and linguistic archaisms belonging to the proto-Slavic era and preserved despite active and various contacts with neighbouring ethnic groups of other Slavs and non-Slavic peoples.