Abstract
This article explores the phenomenom of "trickster" as one of the ways which give expression to the theme of humor in religious and mythological texts. It is argued that the phenomenon under review is not limited to a certain spatial or temporal context.
To support this, the paper demonstrates that characters with trickster features also appear in contemporary culture. The articles seeks to show that humor personified by the trickster is a rather complex phenomenon, related to the ontological, ethical and sexual ambivalence as well as to trespassing of given norms and boundaries of various kinds.
However, it is also closely linked to the creation of cultural values and, at times, new forms of social reality.