Lexical repetitions in ancient monuments

(On the epics “Beowulf”, “Song of the Nibelungs”, “Kitabi-Dede Gorgud”, “The Saga of Igor Polk”)

Abstract

The article talks about the specific features of lexical repetitions in ancient epics (“Beowulf”, “Song of the Nibelungs”, “Kitabi-Dede Gorgud” and “The Saga of Igor Polk”). During the comparative analysis, it is concluded that lexical repetitions in the ancient Germanic epics preserved the archetypal function to a certain extent, and in “The Book of Dede Gorgud” and “The Saga of Igor Polk” this sign shows itself with certain differences. There is also a difference between those epics due to the frequency and content of lexical repetitions. No matter how similar the lexical repetitions in ancient monuments are, they have certain differences in content. This difference is related to the existence of the lexical repetition model in the minds of the speakers at the time when the monuments were written. According to that model, lexical repetitions, like other types of repetitions in the ancient German epics, play the role of a poetic-technical tool up to the syllable and rhyme system.