This dissertation is dedicated to treasure-hunting as a culture phenomenon and concerned beliefs and folklore which still do not have a holistic scientific research in Ukrainian and Czech sciences, in particular, folklore studies, there is not a unified methodology for collecting the studied material. Folklore texts on treasures and treasure-hunters are mostly included in multi-genre folklore collections, editions of expeditionary materials. They belong to various genre and thematic groups: mythological and demonological legends, fairy tales, fables, tales, stories, anecdotes, calendar ceremonies texts, paroemias and historical songs. At the same time, such a genre variety of folk texts about treasures and treasure-hunting proves the livelihood of the studied material for a long time. Modern folk texts of the treasure-hunting subculture, in comparison with traditional ones, undergo modifications in their form and structure, retaining, meanwhile, a special meaning function.
In the thesis the scientific and methodological base of theoretical researches of modern Ukrainian and Czech folklore and subculture of treasure hunters has been worked out. It is determined the place of folklore on treasures and the treasure-hunters subculture folklore in traditional and modern society. A comparative analysis of the Ukrainian and Czech treasure-hunting environment, as well as reasons for its occurrence and its realization peculiarities have been carried out. According to a specific type of activity, the treasure hunters were outlined as a separate special group such as "professional subculture".
Analysis of the specifics and functioning features of contemporary folklore texts of Ukraine and the Czech Republic showed the studied subculture is sufficiently developed and produces own folkloric texts. At the same time, among the treasure hunters of both countries, the traditional folklore texts application is a common phenomenon. These two phenomena are not mutually exclusive, whereas text assimilation occurs only because they completely fit into the treasure hunters' world perception. This indicates a special type of worldview, which has many points of intersection with traditional folk culture.
In this work, the specificity of world-view constants reflected in the folklore texts of the Ukrainian and Czech treasure hunters' subculture was studied by analyzing, comparing, identifying common and distinctive features and ascertaining origin causes. Particular attention was paid to the specific peculiarities of treasure hunters' world perception structure and composition in both countries. As a result of the analysis it was clarified formation reasons and ways, embodiment in folklore texts and pragmatic function performed by the latter.
In this thesis, the Ukrainian and Czech treasure hunters' modern folklore texts corpus was first introduced into scientific circulation.
