Emancipatory female figures in Macedonian folklore or a feminist re-reading of the-shift-of-sex motif and the-woman-warrior motif

Апстракт:

This paper examines the identification and analysis of severalsubversive female (and transgender) figures in Macedonian folklore, whosenarratives, choices, trials and resolutions, along with the pedagogical messages theyconvey and the subversive potential they have carried across centuries, challengethe traditionalist and patriarchal values typically reproduced through folklore.Although statistically marginal when compared to the numerous characters thatreinforce conventional gender norms and the socially prescribed role of women,these selected female figures embody the emancipatory potential of negativity. Theyconstruct an imagologically and symbolically rich counter-narrative which, on bothpedagogical and ideological levels, serves as a remarkably potent counterbalance.The analysis focuses on female characters who undergo gendertransformation (motif AT 514), as well as examples involving episodes oftransvestism and androgyny, as seen in figures such as the maiden-soldier, themaiden-warrior, and similar variants (motif AT 884B).