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The Ethnology Notebooks. 2026. № 5 (191), 1496—1510

UDK 398.4(=161.2)(477.86)

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/

  • Received: 27.07.2026
  • Accepted: 27.08.2026
  • Published: ??.??.2026

DEMONOLOGICAL CONCЕPTS AND BELIEFS OF THE RESIDENTS OF BORTNYKY VILLAGE IN THE TLUMACH URBAN TERRITORIAL COMMUNITY, IVANO-FRANKIVSK REGION (BASED ON FIELD RESEARCH)

HEMBAROVSKY Stepan

  • ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4455-0820
  • Postgraduate,
  • Ivan Franko National University of Lviv,
  • Department of Ethnology,
  • 1, Universytetska Str., 79000, Lviv, Ukraine,
  • Contacts: e-mail: stepan.gembarovskyi@gmail.com

Abstract. The relevance of this study stems from the fact that folk demonology represents one of the most archaic components of the traditional Ukrainian worldview. Within this system, a pivotal role was played by demonological characters associated with the household, the natural environment, and the afterlife. Despite the gradual decline of traditional culture, a significant portion of these beliefs has persisted in the oral tradition well into the early 21st century. Nevertheless, notwithstanding the extensive body of ethnographic material from Pokuttya, the demonological tradition of specific localities within the region remains insufficiently explored.

The aim of this article is to introduce field ethnographic materials from the village of Bortnyky into academic circulation, as well as to examine the continuity and transformation of the local demonological tradition over more than a century. The object of this study is the traditional demonological repertoire of the inhabitants of Bortnyky, while and its subject omprises the notions and beliefs regarding specific demonological figures, including the household spirit, the devil, «blud» (the misleading spirit), the witch, «upyr» (the vampire), death, the soul, the deceased, among others.

The chronological framework of the study is dictated by the source material (predominantly spanning from the early 20th to the early 21st century). The geographical scope is restricted to the village of Bortnyky.

The source base for this study relies primarily on field ethnographic materials collected by the author in the village of Bortnyky (Tlumach urban community, Ivano-Frankivsk region) in 2023.

Keywords: Ukraine, Pokuttya, ethnology, spiritual culture, demonology, beliefs, household spirits, witch, vampire.

RЕFЕRЕNCЕS

  • Tronko, T. (Ed.). (1971). History of Cities and Villages of the Ukrainian SSR: Ivano-Frankivsk Rеgion. Kyiv [in Ukrainian].
  • Tymiv, I. (2006). A Village in Pokuttia in the 15th—16th Centuries: The History of Bortnyky from Ancient Times to the 19th Century (Vol. 1). Ivano-Frankivsk [in Ukrainian].
  • Kolberg, O. (1888). Pokuttya. An Ethnographic Portrait (Vol. III). Krakоv [in Polish].
  • Hnatyuk, V. (1912). Supplies for Ukrainian Demonology (Vol. II, issue 1). Ethnographic Collection (Vol. XXXIII, pp. 1—237). Lviv [in Ukrainian].
  • Hnatyuk, V. (1912). Supplies for Ukrainian Demonology (Vol. II, issue 2). Ethnographic Collection (Vol. XXXIV, pp. 1—280). Lviv [in Ukrainian].
  • Piotrovich, S. (1907). Witch doctor and fortune teller Jevdokia Boichuk. Folklore material from the village of Bortnyky in Pokuttia. Lud: Organ of the Ethnological Society (Vol. XIII, рp. 118—129; 216—232). Lviv [in Polish].
  • Kyrchiv, R. (2015). Historiography of Ethnographic Research on Pokuttia. Thе Еthnology notеbooks, 1 (121), 70—90 [in Ukrainian].
  • Halaichuk, V. (2017). Traditional Beliefs Regarding Household Spirits in Pokuttia (Based on Materials from the Horodenka District, Ivano-Frankivsk Region). Thе Еthnology notеbooks, 2 (134), 341—354 [in Ukrainian].
  • Halaichuk, V. (2024). Traditional Funeral and Commemorative Customs and Rites in Pokuttia. Bulletin of Lviv University. Historical Series (Issue 56, рp. 345—417). Lviv. DOI: https//dx.doi.org/10.30970/his.2024.56.12482 [in Ukrainian].
  • Siletskyi, R. (2015). Elderberry in Ukrainian Folk Demonological Beliefs. Scientific Papers of the Faculty of History, Lviv University (Issue 16, pp. 140—150). Lviv [in Ukrainian].
  • Halaichuk, V., & Siletskyi, R. (2017). Folk beliefs regarding the «unclean site» in Pokuttia. Scholarly Studies: Collection of Scientific Papers. Appropriation of Space: Dwelling, Settlement, Region (Issue 10, рp. 249—278). Historical and Local History Museum (Lviv Regional Council); Institute of Archaeology of the University of Zheshov. Vynnyky; Zheshоv; Lviv [in Ukrainian].
  • Hembarovskyi, S. (2023). Field ethnographic materials on the topic «Traditional Demonology of Pokuttia», recorded in the Tlumach District of the Ivano-Frankivsk Region. Archive of the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. Fond R-119. Inv. 17. File 835-E [in Ukrainian].
  • Budzhak, M. (2020). Seven Rosaries. A Book of Folk Parables. Ivano-Frankivsk [in Ukrainian].
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