Neonila Artyomovna Krinichnaya: touches to the scholar’s biography

The paper examines the reports of Neonila Artyomovna Krinichnaya at the Ryabinin Readings conference from 1991 to 2011. It describes her main scholarly interests and presents her research methodology. In addition to the traditional problems of mythology, the structure of images and motifs, and the history of genres, the attention of N. A. Krinichnaya was also attracted to the problem of individuality of the bearers of folklore traditions. The paper presents and analyzes the main ideas from the articles prepared and published by the scholar. The issues studied by N. A. Krinichnaya are presented in their dynamics: the article traces the path from the characteristics of an epic singer T. G. Ryabinin through identifying the sources of his skills to general conclusions about the factors that shape the figure of a storyteller as such. N. A. Krinichnaya paid significant attention to the influence of a storyteller’s personality on the folklore texts he created. This process is bidirectional: on the one hand, the circumstances of the performer’s life affect the choice and interpretation of traditional images and plots, while, on the other hand, their personality and personal creative intentions are limited by the framework of imagery and plot stereotypes, regulations, requirements, and etiquette formulas of folk culture.