The proposed article analyzes the genesis of beliefs about St. Nicholas in the Ukrainian folklore tradition. In particular, the idea of the saint’s coronation and his possession of a bow and arrows to destroy the forces of evil. An Indo-European tradition has been established about the birth (in August-September) of the progenitor-king-archer, the winner in the fight against demonic forces, and Haik Agheghnavor, Wac Nikkola Хorz, Nicholas with the bow and arrow, Nakula the Archer, Orion the “Hunter” are his invariants. With the adoption of Christianity, its Lycian-Anatolian invariant (Nikolaos, Mykolay) was significantly historicized (the image of the ancient hero was supplanted by later bearers of his name).
Гуцуляк О. Б. Святий Миколай як «карпатський бог» і витоки його міфологічного образу // Станіслав Росовецький : In memoriam. Колективна монографія / наук. ред. О. В. Боронь, відп. ред. Ю. Б. Дядищева-Росовецька. – Київ : Інститут літератури НАН України; ФОП Саломатін Сергій Миколайович, 2023. – С. 321-334. – https://rosovetskyi.com/stanislav-rosovetskyi_in-memoriam/
