The article presents a comprehensive analysis of the linguocultural symbol 'winter'in A. Rubanov's novel "Finist - the Bright Falcon".

The relevance of the study is determined by the need to investigate the artistic transformation of the concept into a full-fledged symbol endowed with high axiological significance and shaping behavioral models of characters within the fantasticarchaic world created by the author. The research focuses on identifying and describing the means of representing the concept 'winter' through its imagistic and value-based features. The analysis relies on numerous excerpts from the novel containing descriptions of winter, which allowed for identifying key semantic oppositions structuring the concept: life/death, danger/safety, cold/warmth, journey/hibernation. As a result of the study, it was concluded that within the artistic space of the novel, winter transcends its status as a mere season and becomes a key existential circumstance. The axiological core of the linguocultural symbol 'winter' is formed around the fundamental opposition of life and death. On the one hand, winter embodies a blind destructive force bringing cold, hunger, and death. On the other hand, it is precisely this lethal nature that creates an imperative for survival, dictating the necessity of thorough preparation, determining economic cycles, and shaping specific social practices and rituals. Thus, in the novel, winter is realized as a complex linguocultural symbol that organizes time, space, and the entire way of life of the characters.