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« 2019. #3 (147)

The Ethnology Notebooks. 2019, № 3 (147), 670—683

UDK 398.41(477.82)

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/nz2019.03.670

«GO AWAY, UNCLEAN POWER! STAY, THE HOLY SPIRIT!»: THE APOTROPAIC MOTIVES IN THE STRUCTURE OF THE DEMONOLOGICAL TRADITION OF THE VOLYNIANS

KRYVENKO Anastasiia

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9353-2919

Candidate of Sciences in History, Researcher

of the Institute of Ethnology of the National Academy

of Sciences of Ukraine,

in the department of Modern Ethnology

15, Svobody Avenue, 79000, Lviv, Ukraine

Contacts: е-mail: n.d.kryvenko@gmail.com

Abstract. Folk demonology is one of the most important components of the traditional calendar ritual of Ukrainians. The demonic motives of the folk calendar are an ethnological theme that has been studied only partly in the Ukrainian ethnographic science. Therefore, the study of individual components of folk demonology in the calendar context is a scientifically important task. The magic neutralizing the devils represented in the calendar tradition of the residents of the ethnographic Volyn are the actual task in modern ethnological science. It is especially advisable to carry out regional studies in the territory of the ethnographic Volhynia — an area with good preservation and the existence of ancient beliefs and rituals, which, however, require a wider coverage in the scientific literature. The goal of the article is historical and ethnographic reconstruction of traditional methods of protection and neutralization from the devil, presented in calendar beliefs, customs and ordinances (protective rituals, magical practices using apotropaions, observance of ritual prohibitions and warnings). The object of the research is the calendar rituals of the Volyn, and the subject is the calendar warnings, prohibitions, customs and rituals aimed at preventing, neutralizing and destroying the devil. The use of various methods (field observation, typological analysis, structural-functional, comparative-historical, reconstructive, structural-semantic) allowed to reveal the arsenal of apotropaic means and magic-ritual actions used by Volynians to protect and disperse evil spirits. The article is based on the analysis of published sources and field materials.

The origin, distribution, semantics of customs and rituals, modifications, and inter-religious parallels are found out. In the article defines a circle of characters of the Volyn calendar demonarium, and separately examines calendar beliefs about the most popular images in the Volyn demonology — devils and other demons embodying the evil spirit.The article reveals demonologically marked dates and periods (Christmas, New Year, Easter, Whitsuntide and Midsummer holidays, George’s and Annunciation days) in which, according to folk beliefs, demonic beings appear among people or exhibit special activity. The research determines that the beliefs most widely represented in the Volyn folk calendar are those about the devils. Most of them are the remains of archaic worldview and have survived to this day, but these phenomena have lost their significance over time, and today, for the most part, they came out of living habits. Many of the investigated phenomena have national and other ethnic parallels, while the local specificity of certain security practices is revealed.

Key words: demonology, devil, Volhynia, folk calendar, festival, ritualism, beliefs, visions.

Received 20.03.2019

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