Cultural and historical features of Russian phraseological units originating from divination practice

The relevance of the study is defined by the anthropocentric paradigm of modern linguistics considering phraseological units as means for accumulating and transmitting ethnic culture, which reflect collective experience and mental attitudes of a certain linguistic and cultural community. Phraseological units originating from the archaic spiritual culture, including divination, are of particular interest. The study aims at identifying and classifying Russian phraseological units associated with divination and defining their semantic features in view of their historical and cultural background. The research material includes data from specialized phraseological and ethnolinguistic dictionaries, folklore and ethnographic collections, monographs and scientific articles on the history of fortune-telling rituals. Research methods include continuous sampling, descriptive analysis, etymological analysis, semantic analysis, and method of cultural commenting. The authors examine the etymological features of these phraseological units, describe their meanings, identify their internal form and figurative components, and highlight their national and cultural features based on their idiomatic imagery. The cultural specificity of the phraseological units is determined through linguistic-cultural analysis, considering the semantic periphery of the unit, which is not included in the conventional dictionary definition and is linked to extralinguistic reality. The study shows that Russian phraseological units originating from divination function as specific culturally significant onomasiological signs, which retain key elements of national cultural code. The analysis demonstrates that the semantics of these phraseological units is determined by specific historical period, while their internal form reflect magical and ritual practices. The authors conclude that the origin and functioning of these phraseological units highlights their role as a linguisticcultural phenomenon, which accumulates archaic conscience, ethnocultural stereotypes, and historical memory of native speakers. The systematization of the phraseological units according to various types of fortune-telling practice shows their typological diversity.