Archive
2013 year, issue 1 read »
«The Ethnology Notebooks» 2019 year, issue 4 read »
The Ethnology Notebooks. 2023. № 4 (172). P. 825-1150 DOI... read »
The Ethnology Notebooks. 2022. № 6 (168). С. 1245-1498 DOI... read »

« 2021. # 5 (161)

The Ethnology Notebooks. 2021. № 5 (161), 1273—

UDK 398.3(477.87):159.922.4

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/nz2021.05.1273

ETHNOPSYCHOLOGICAL SPECIFICS OF THE IMAGE OF POVITRULYA IN UKRAINIAN FAIRY TALES AND OLD STORIES

TYKHOVSKA Oksana

  • ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4663-5960
  • D. Sc. in Philology, SHEE «Uzhhorod National University»,
  • Professor of the Ukrainian Literature Department,
  • 3, Narodna Square, 88000,Uzhhorod, Ukraine,
  • Contacts: e-mail: oksana.tykhovska@uzhnu.edu.ua

Abstract. The purpose of the article is to analyze the semantics of the image of povitrulya in different genres of Ukrainian folklore. The object of the research is Ukrainian fairy tales, beliefs and old stories, the heroine of which is povitrulya, as well as folklore and ethnographic research of Fedir Potushnyak «Demons in folk beliefs» (1940). The subject of research is ethno-psychological specifics of the image of povitrulya. Methods of the research are psychoanalytic, structural-semantic, structural-typological, genetic.

Povitrulyas differ from other female mythological characters (mavkas, mermaids) because they can fly and have power over the winds. She is an ambivalent image. It is believed that povitrulyas treat boys with an unclean conscience with contempt and tear them to pieces. In some mythological stories of Transcarpathia, the image of friendly povitrulyas sometimes appears. They are projections of the light goddess, shepherds fall in love with them and stay with them in the mountains.

Legends, old stories, and fairy tales model different situations of meeting their main character with a povitrulya, which appears as a projection of the archetype of Anima. In fairy tales, a povitrulya can become a man’s wife if he steals her wings or clothes («Wife-povitrulya», «Sopilkar Marco and povitrulya», «Woman who has wings»). The wings (clothes) of the povitrulya symbolize its belonging to the celestial sphere, to the element of air, and they are also a magical shell that makes the povitrulya invisible. At the same time, the wings of the povitrulya are a metaphorical mask that determines the dominance of the divine nature in a woman’s soul, reveals her spiritual qualities. Wings dropping symbolizes the approaching of the povitrulya to the image of an ordinary woman and presupposes the possibility of her obedience to another’s will (husband’s wishes). The hero of fairy tales loses a wife-povitrulya for a short period of time, but later regains her back, and in old stories with a similar motif, the povitrulya disappears forever from the life of her husband. In the fairy tale «The Bridegroom-Snake and the Bride-Frog» the povitrulya appears as a minor character. She helps the main character to get what he wants. In the fairy tale «About Pharmudz-Ivan» the image of the povitrulya acquires distinctly demonic characteristic, she kidnaps the bride of the main character and thus forces him to go through a series of difficult trials. In the stories «Polonyna Kamin», «Bisytsia» the povitrulya tries to make the hero the object of her passion, and later the unrealized love scenario makes the young man extremely unhappy, he is no longer able to fall in love.

Keywords: mythology, old story, povitrulya, fairy tale, psychoanalysis, folklore of Transcarpathia.

Received 7.10.2021

REFERENCES

  • Krymskiy, S. (2006). Archetypes of Ukrainian mentality. Problems of the theory of mentality (Pp. 273—299). Kyiv: Naukova dumka [in Ukrainian].
  • Yatchenko, V. (2009). Transformation of ideas about death in Carpathian folklore as an indicator of human existential aspirations. Scientific bulletin of National University of life and environmental science of Ukraine, 137, 195—201 [in Ukrainian].
  • Potushnyak, F. (1940, 30 august). Demons in folk beliefs. Ruskaya Pravda, 181, 3 [in Ukrainian].
  • (1955). Transcarpathian tales of Andriy Kalyna. Uzhhotod: Transcarpathian regional publish house [in Ukrainian].
  • (1972). Legends of our land. Uzhhorod: Carpathians [in Ukrainian].
  • (2007). Franz fon, M.-L. Archetypical patterns in fairy tales. Moscow: Klass [in Russian].
  • (1972). Twelve brothers. Transcarpathian tales of Andriy Kalyna. Uzhhorod: Carpathians [in Ukrainian].
  • (1973). Fairy tales of Bukovyna. Uzhhorod: Carpathians [in Ukrainian].
  • (2003). How it was a long time ago: Legends, retellings, stories, tales and parables of Transcarpathia in the records of Ivan Senko. Uzhhorod: Transcarpathia [in Ukrainian].
  • (1988). Magic bag. Ukrainian folk tales, parables, legends, retellings, songs and proverbs recorded by M.I. Shoplyak. Uzhhorod: Carpathians [in Ukrainian].
  • Maksumovych, M. (2002). Days and months of the Ukrainian peasant. Kyiv: Oberegy [in Ukrainian].
  • (1965). Tales of green mountains: Transcarpathian tales of Mykhailo Halytsia. Uzhhorod: Carpathians [in Ukrainian].

Read»

Our authors
Yaroslav Taras. Head of Department, Professor, Doctor... read »
Ulana Movna. Senior Research Fellow, Ph.D. in History. read »
Oksana Kis. Senior scientific employee, candidate of... read »
Kuzmenko Oksana Senior Researcher, Candidate of... read »
Daily bread baking of ukrainians in the south-western ethnographical region at the late XIX to early XXI cc.
The paper has dealt with analytic study in prescriptions, signs, customs, methods, ways of selection, procurement and some peculiarities in usage of subsidiary means — water, firewood and leaves in bread baking. The final aim of the mentioned actions had been (and still is) selection of the means and ingredients fit, by their characteristics, for the backing of bread. The paper has demonstrated dependence of bread backing subsi­diary means criteria from the folk nutritional standards and world outlook stereotypes as well as from regional social and economic, natural and geographical factors and peculiarities of material culture.
Read »

Wax candle as ukrainian Christmas and epiphany ritualistic text
For the first time in native ethnology the article has brought some results of special study in sign functionality of a wax candle under the context of Ukrainian Christmas and Epiphany ritualistic text (ritualism of Christmas Eve, New Year, Epiphany Eve and Feast of Epiphany). The study has stated extremely high semiotic position of a wax candle as projection of Sun, mediator between the spheres of sacral and prophane elements, symbolic analogue of human existence, apotropy, cultural symbol re-establishing borders of acculturated space.
Read »

Traditional folk clothes of velikobychkovsky hutsuly of XIX — the first half of XX century
In the study based upon numerous field materials, literature sources as well as ethnographic, historio-cultural and regional museum collections has been performed complex analysis in traditional folk clothes by Hutzul population of Velyky Bychkiv village in Transcarpathian region. Detailed descriptions of femi­nine and masculine clothing complexes of the mentioned area have been presented. In characterizing of those main attention has been paid to the detail of cut in separate components of dress; cut of feminine shirt has been added as an illustration.
Read »

On field exploration of russian and belarusian ethnologists and etnolinguists in Ukrainian Polisia 1945—1980s
In the study based on a wide range of literary materials have been comprehensively characterised field research in Polisia of Ukraine, performed by Russian and Belarusian ethnologists during 1945—1980s as well as Moscow ethnolinguists and other researchers from ethnologic centres of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus in the course of realization of Ethnolinguistic Atlas of Polisia program. Particular attention has been paid to geography, methods, themes and research results of scientific projects.
Read »