A new interpretation of the famous work of Mikhail Prishvin “The chain of Kashchey” is proposed. The main ideas of the author’s concept of ontogenesis are outlined: the distinction between childhood and the formation of personality, the idea of cultures of life. Then, relying on the work “The chain of Kashchey” as an empirical material, the childhood of Kurymushka-Alpatov is analyzed: the situation of “prama”, the understanding of the adult world with the help of schemes, fairy tales and metaphors, the expansion of the child’s independence within the framework of prama, the attitude towards the hero’s mother and governess Masha. The next section of the study is outlined — a characteristic of the formation of the personality of KurymushkiAlpatov. Here are considered: the disintegration of prama, a deep crisis of development, switching of relations to the children’s community, the formation of thinking, the first independent actions, fluctuations in terms of self-determination of the individual.

The article attempts to clarify the role of fairy tales in the development of ethnic and cultural identity not only at the stage of childhood, but also at the subsequent stages of personality development. In childhood, fairy tales create an optimistic basis for such an identity, and in more adult periods, fairy-tale and fantasy plots give a person the opportunity to strengthen his optimism and confidence in himself and in his people, against the backdrop of an increasingly complex life. A model of imaginary plots is proposed, based on the readiness or unwillingness of a person to understand and accept a fairy tale in order to identify with its hero, as well as on taking into account how far the fairy tale is detached from reality or close to it, so that identification with the hero is more or less embodied in life.

The article clarifies the meaning of concept of “mentoring”, which in literature intersects with the concepts of teacher, educator, mentor, tutor, leader, etc. The author sees in mentoring not a fashion, but an important trend, consisting in the reorientation of education to the individuality of the student, his independence and self-education, individual educational programs, collaborative activities with a teacher. To these characteristics, he adds an approach that involves solving a dual educational task — creating conditions (environment) for the formation of intelligence and the formation of a new image of a person (both sides of this task are concretized based on the analysis of educational cases). The stages of formation, development and completion of childhood and the associated features of mentoring are outlined.