Guardians of Hearth in the Russian and Chinese mythological traditions

One of the most frequently encountered characters in the mythology of various cultures are household spirits, deities-guardians of the hearth, who have lived side by side with humans since ancient times. In this article, on the basis of Russian and Chinese sources, the authors conduct a comparative analysis of the images of the patrons of the household in such aspects as the names given to them by the bearers of culture, versions of origin, appearance, marital status, functions that these deities performed, rituals of worship. The subject of the research is the images of the Domovoy and God of the hearth of Zao-wang in Russian and Chinese cultures. The aim of the work is to find similarities and differences about Domovoy and Zao-wang, to comprehend the interaction of a person with the domestic spirit in Russia and China, which is relevant in the light of the strengthening of relationship between the two countries and contributes to a better understanding of both Chinese and Russian culture. The novelty lies in the absence of such a comparative study in Russian science. As a result of the work, it was revealed that the characters of the keeper of the hearth in the Russian and Chinese traditions have both similarities and differences. Similar features of home spirits are due to global cultural processes, while their differences are determined by worldview and other features of the regions.

Chinese mythology, Russian mythology, Domovoy, Zao Wang, Zao Shen, Kitchen God, Tutelary deity, patron of the household, house spirit, Chinese folk culture