A fairy tale is a magical reality through which every person learns about the world from childhood, absorbs folk wisdom, shapes their worldview, and learns to distinguish between good and evil. However, this is only a fraction of the encoded information that the fairy tale tradition of different peoples of the world contains.
At the Museum of War, together with the researcher Larysa Gumanenko, we learned more about the history of the Crimean peoples, their mentality, similarities and differences with the Ukrainians through the prism of folk tales.
Larysa Gumanenko recalled how in 1992 she studied the Crimean Tatar folklore heritage: “It was the period when Crimean Tatars began to actively return to Crimea after being expelled by the Soviet regime. Then, thanks to Lidiia Dunaievska, I started researching this topic. The professor emphasized that we had to show the once-expelled peoples that Ukraine was their home, and their cultural heritage was extremely important.”
Many years of research on fairy tales have been embodied in many scientific works and several publications: the collection “Fairy Tales of the Crimean Tatars” and the monograph “The Golden Cradle. The Fairy Tale Tradition of Crimea” (2024).
Yaryna Zakalska, a museum worker and moderator of the event, directed the conversation to a detailed analysis and comparison of the plots of Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar fairy tales. As it turned out, the oral traditions of the two peoples have a lot of common feautures. It indicates some mental similarities and unity in the vision of the future.
At the same time, the difficult historical fate of the Crimean Tatar people affected folklore, which underwent modifications under the influence of other cultures but did not lose its national identity. That is why justice always reigns in the tales of the Crimean peoples, and the offended will definitely prevail over the offender.
At the end of the meeting, Larysa Gumanenko read out a fragment of a special fairy tale – “The Golden Cradle”. It says that even in the darkest times, one should not lose faith and every nation will find its “golden cradle”, drive all enemies from the Motherland and have peace in their homes.
The War Museum would like to thank Larysa Gumanenko for a meaningful, informative and, most importantly, warm conversation that brought the participants back to childhood and inspired faith in our Victory and the reunification of Ukraine.
