Folk Beliefs Associated with the Symbol of Woman (A Case Study of the Uzbeks of the Fergana Valley)

Abstract

This article reflects archaic beliefs associated with the “female” cult, their religious and ritual analysis, as well as attitudes toward women in various religious traditions, their meanings, and functions. The author links the views of the Uzbeks of the Fergana Valley regarding the symbol of woman to similar concepts found among other nations of the world. The main focus is on the ethnographic interpretation of attitudes toward women within shamanistic beliefs and Islam.