Paper Short Abstract:

The presentation is dedicated to an Armenian folk children's game called "One-Legged Black Devil." The mythological figure of the one-legged devil, the character, and its functions in the game draw parallels to the mythical figure of the Lame Demon in Armenian mythology, which possesses characteristics associated with the god of death, and whose beliefs remained alive until the 19th century.

Paper Abstract:

The game" One-Legged Black Devil." is one of the most beloved games among Armenian children today. It is played both in courtyards and schools. During our fieldwork in recent years, we have recorded various versions of the game from different regions of Armenia.

The game proceeds as follows: one child is chosen as the devil, and another as the mother. The mother and the other children form a circle, assigning each child a color. The devil comes and demands a color. If the color requested matches one of the children's colors, that child runs away, and the devil, hopping on one foot, chases after him. If the child succeeds in returning and sitting back in his place, the devil demands another color.

The figure of the one-legged devil draws fascinating parallels to the image of the Lame Demon mentioned in Armenian mythological stories, whose functions correspond to those of the god of death. The study shows that in this children's game, ancient ritual-mythological representations of the god of death and the accompanying figure of the afterlife have been preserved. The analysis of the character becomes more complete when viewed in the broader context of Armenian folk ethnographic and folkloric materials.