Riddles have long been recognized as one of the favorite genres of folklore. They are presented in the form of bizarre allegorical questions.
The expression of the moral and ethical category of good
The essence of many puzzles is to understand what concept is hidden behind the allegorical form. The riddle becomes a kind of test that a person with developed imaginative thinking can pass, able to see the answer in an absurd form. The solution often does not even lie on the surface, but rather confuses and prevents one from understanding what is being said.
The sacred meaning of the mystery ritual
The riddle has deep sacred roots. During the ceremony of initiation into adulthood, they passed the test with the help of puzzles. There was a whole system of prohibitions associated with a time when it was impossible to make them. The answers to riddles are similar to the act of birth from the disparate parts of a whole concept. The questions and concepts enclosed in them are always associated with the main life values, and the solution is the comprehension of being.
Riddle and guessing riddles was also a popular entertainment for people, an indispensable element of various gatherings, parties. With the help of puzzles, one could show one’s quick wits and show oneself without being condemned by others. Although, of course, its main purpose is to make people understand and subjugate the phenomena of life and nature.
A riddle as a tool of didactics
Previously, the riddle was an instrument of public education, with the help of which children learned the names and signs of things, studied the world around them. In such an unobtrusive way, the guys comprehended reality, developed the ability to think, their own language and associative thinking.
Mysteries of Good
In Russian folklore there are puzzles about all the phenomena of life. Including there are riddles about good. Solving them, children not only learn to think and correctly state their thoughts, but also learn knowledge about such a moral and ethical category.
What are the mysteries of good and what do they teach?
- The dynamics of the riddle are built on the dialogue: "Which head will feed a hundred hands?" (Answer: good).
- Sometimes the basis for constructing a riddle is denial: "They did not boast with silver, but boast ..." (Answer: good).
- It always contains a description of the characteristics of an object that must be guessed: "Who wants to be polite, doesn’t offend the kids?" (Answer: good man).
- "Well, who will always help, who will be able to rescue a friend?" (Answer: good friend).
Thus, making puzzles, the child not only learns to understand the allegorical language, but also to distinguish between the categories of good and evil.