Paper short abstract:

The current paper focuses on children as active hero(ine) in Ukrainian wonder tales. Related to children Ukrainian beliefs and customs give premises to distinguish the third, androgynous gender as the one which exists out of commonplace social order and binary gender system.

Paper long abstract:

Gender distinction, patterns and performance are supposed to be clear in folk wonder tales.Thus, gender studies on wonder tales discuss the opposition of sexes that is based on a binary gender system and leads to marriage as a marker for gender performativity. The binary gender system works based on gender stereotypes that are imposed on the hero(ine) socially and historically, and following which the hero(ine) should accomplish gender performance and related reaffirming tasks. Following the binary sex-gender system, one would overlook the specifics of unsexed heroes and heroines – children.

The current paper focuses on Ukrainian wonder tales with an active hero or heroine who considers as children and who does not gain marriage as a reward. Even though the sex of hero(ine) is defined in the tales, one’s gender is unclear or to be precise – of another meaning. The assumption of the third gender – androgynous one – is based on Ukrainian beliefs and rites related to children. Besides the belief system, the social involvement and social order are going to be examined. If one considers that gender is a social construct, it fulfils a social order. But what is the social order for children? If there is a distinction between coming of age hero(ine) and children as hero(ine), will it be reflected in language? Disclosing of the meaning of the androgynous gender out of the binary system, this paper is based on customary and social premises for gender assignment.