The Symbolism of Time in the Flying Carpet and the Wind Horse: Chaos-Cosmos Transitions in Nakhchivan Folklore

Abstract

This article examines how two recurring motifs—the flying carpet and the wind horse—encode distinct temporal logics in Nakhchivan/Azerbaijani folklore. Through close readings of tales and beliefs (e.g., “Prince Bendali,” the Solomon carpet legend, Koroghlu cycles, Yel Baba verses, “The Forty-Bud Lady”), it shows that the flying carpet suspends profane duration by enabling instantaneous ascent into sacred, cosmic space, whereas the wind horse accelerates and safeguards passage through a liminal interval toward order. This chaos-to-cosmos movement structures plot, regulates the hero’s trials, and marks the hosting texts as sacral. The carpet functions primarily as a cosmological device activated by magical word or talisman; the horse acts as a sentient companion whose vigilance, color symbolism, and ritual associations (horseshoe luck, winged-birth lore) guide and protect. Juxtaposing these “cosmic vehicles” clarifies how folklore models time not only as measure but as power that can be collapsed, stretched, or ethically mediated—offering a compact framework for regional analysis and teaching.