ІНФЕРНАЛЬНИЙ ОБРАЗ ЛІТАВЦЯ (ПЕРЕЛЕСНИКА) В УКРАЇНСЬКІЙ РОМАНТИЧНІЙ ПРОЗІ

Abstract

The aim of the article is to comprehend the specifics of the infernal image of the litavets (perelesnyk) in Ukrainian romantic prose. In order to achieve this goal, the following systemic unity of research methods was used: typological, biographical, comparative, genetic, method of analysis and synthesis, mythopoetic approach to the interpretation oftexts. The article on the material of folk poetry and literary texts, as well as folklore studies of V. Hnatiuk, O. Kononenko, E. Onatsky and other scientists characterizes the infernal image of the litavets. It is determined that the litavets (perelesnyk, fire snake, nalitnyk, litun, obaiasnyk, perelet) is an anthropomorphic infernal character. Its main function is to enter into intimate relations with women, which subsequently mostly turn into death. The image of the perelesnyk is quite popular in folk tales and legends. Thus, in fairy tales he often appears as an antagonistic hero who kidnaps girls, which is mentioned in such works as «Ivan the King, his sister and the snake», «Kotygoroshko», «How snakes kidnapped three sisters», «Snake winner and the dragon», «The Tale of Ivan Golyk and his brother», etc. In these works, along with the motif of kidnapping women, there is also the motif of snake-fighting. Note that the motif of victory over the insidious serpent is leading in folk legends, in particular in stories about the serpent shaft, the terrible serpent defeated by Boris and Gleb, in the story of Kozhumyak (mentions of these legends are also found in the early edition of the first historical novel in Ukrainian literature «Five Chapters from P. Kulesh's New Novel ”Black Council”», 1845). Interpretation of the mythical nature of the fire snake has become widespread in fiction, especially in the prose of the Romantic period. A striking example of this is the work of P. Kulish (the stories «About what in the town of Voronezh dried up Peshevtsov Pond», 1840; «Fire Snake», 1841) and I. Barshchevsky (the story «Nobleman Zavalnya»), where the image of a perelesnyk is available in the chapter «On the Warlock and the Serpent Hatched from the Egg of a Rooster», 1844). P. Kulish instory «About what in the town of Voronezh dried up Peshevtsov Pond» the image of an incubus who came to his beloved every night, and in the story of the fire snake the writer presented the image of a perelesnyk-seducer, who did not suck, but gave a beauty his chosen woman. In I. Barshchevsky's story about the nobleman Zavalnya, the serpent turned into a young man, but he could not seduce the belle, as sincere prayer and a saving cross stood in the way.