The Epithet as an Inseparable Part of the Figurative System of Spanish Fantasy Fairy Tales

Abstract

The article discusses the epithet as an inseparable part of the artistic-figurative system of Spanish fantasy fairy tales, by means of which certain features of the linguistic thinking of the people are expressed. The analysis categorizes epithets and epithetical phrases into groups, such as epithets describing the place of actions of fairy tale characters, epithets describing characters’ appearances and states of mind, epithets describing natural scenery, etc. In Spanish fantasy fairy tales, epithets are filled with vivid imagery, deep emotionality, and expressiveness, and they hold great cognitive and aesthetic value. The study found that the descriptive fixed epithets are characteristic of the pictorial structure of these tales. They reveal the character of the heroes with their emotional tones and the narrator's subjective assessments of the fairy tale world.