This article makes an attempt to present counternyms as a linguistic paradox and analyze them in the Russian and English languages. Examples of counternyms and their use in languages are considered. Particular attention is paid to cases where the same word can have opposite meanings in different contexts, which creates difficulties in translation.
The article talks about the character of Malik-Jamshid in folk tales, inspired by the image of the legendary king Jamshid. Although this image in Persian and Tajik folk tales differs from the traditional Jamshid, some elements characteristic of the image have been preserved. In folklore, the hero of Jamshid appears as a minister, a magician, an ambitious and business-like hero.