Mythonyms and Symbolic Representation in Children’s Fantasy
Maftunakhon Abduolimova1* , Abdulkhay Qosimov1
Abstract. This article examines the role of mythonyms – proper names derived from or modelled on mythological traditions – and their function as instruments of symbolic representation in children’s fantasy literature. Drawing on a corpus of canonical and contemporary works including those of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, Philip Pullman, and Ursula K. Le Guin, the study analyses how authors deploy mythonyms to encode cultural memory, construct fictional cosmologies, and scaffold young readers’ ethical and philosophical reflection. The research combines literary onomastics, intertextual analysis, and cognitive narratology to draw out the layered meanings embedded in character names, place names, and the names of mythical creatures. The findings indicate that mythonyms in children’s fantasy operate simultaneously on three registers: the aesthetic-phonological, the intertextual-cultural, and the ideological-didactic. The discussion considers how these three functions interact and what implications they carry for the development of children’s symbolic thinking and literary competence. The article concludes that mythonyms are not merely ornamental features of fantasy texts but constitute a core mechanism through which children’s literature transmits cultural values, fosters imaginative engagement, and initiates readers into broader mythological and philosophical traditions.
Keywords: mythonyms, children’s fantasy, symbolic representation, onomastics, intertextuality, literary names, cognitive narratology, cultural memory, fantasy literature, proper names