Demon Research Articles

Perceived causes and diagnosis of febrile convulsion in selected rural contexts in Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana

BackgroundFebrile convulsion (FC) is a common seizure disorder among children aged 9 months to 5 years. It is usually benign and self-limiting with favourable prognosis. However, in Ghana, FC is commonly perceived as “not for hospital” and widely diagnosed and managed at home based on several beliefs and practices which are limited in related literature.ObjectiveThis study explored the perceived causes and diagnosis of FC in selected rural communities in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana.MethodsA descriptive phenomenological study design underpinned the study at five selected communities located not more than 2 Kilometres from the University of Cape Coast Hospital. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to interview 42 participants made up of 27 parents, two grandmothers, seven registered traditional health practitioners, four herbalists, and two faith healers in the communities. The data was analysed using QSR NVivo 12.ResultsThree perceived causes of FC were identified – biological, social/behavioural, and spiritual. Biological causes include genetic abnormalities and other underlying health conditions. The behavioural factors include poor childcare practices and nutrition. Spiritual causes include harm caused by evil spirits. The diagnosis of FC were observed prior, during and after FC attack, and these includes high body temperature, extreme body jerking, and disability outcomes respectively.ConclusionThe perceived causes of FC are interplay of complex natural, social and spiritual factors that were deep-rooted in local socio-cultural beliefs and FC experiences. Unlike the attack stage, pre-attack diagnosis were usually missed, or misconstrued to mean other health conditions. These findings indicate the need to intensify maternal and child health (MCH) education programmes on FC in the study area through improved primary healthcare.

The Prevalence and Pattern of Traditional Herbal Medicine Use during Pregnancy, Labour, and Postpartum: Implications for Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV in South Africa

The use of traditional herbal medicines (THM) is widespread among pregnant women in many African societies. Cultural beliefs and social norms largely influence the use of THM. However, its use during pregnancy is not freely discussed during antenatal care and the extent of its use remains unknown. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and pattern of THM use during pregnancy, labour, and post-delivery. The study was a quantitative cross-sectional design using a researcher administered questionnaire. Postnatal women enrolled in the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) were recruited from healthcare facilities in a rural South African sub-district. Summary and inferential statistics were computed using STATA 14.0 statistical package. The sample consisted of 399 women with mean age of 28 years. A high proportion (158/42.5) were receiving antiretroviral treatment. The prevalence of THM use was 23% and 76/87.4% took THM in the second trimester of pregnancy, 50/57.5% used THM throughout pregnancy, and 27/60% ingested THM when labour started. The majority (50/58.1%) used one type of THM and 35/41.5% used up to four types. The prevalence of THM use on babies was 44%, 82/54.2% were introduced to THM before three months, and 22/14.2% within their first week of life. A third 52/32.3% of babies received more than one concoction of herbal medicines. The women took THM to protect mother and baby from evil spirits as well as to increase labour pains and shorten the duration of labour. The use of THM on the baby was despite the women being enrolled in the PMTCT program which advocates exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) in the first six months. Mixed feeding practices including the use of THM on the baby before the end of the period of EBF have a negative impact on the elimination of vertical transmission of HIV.

The Early Medieval relief from Malo Čajno nearby Visoko with great Nespina kaznac’s added inscription

The Early Medieval relief from Malo Čajno nearby Visoko with great Nespina kaznac’s added inscription

АЗЫРЕН, КИЯМАТ, ДУШИ УСОПШИХ: ПЕРСОНИФИКАЦИЯ СМЕРТИ В МАРИЙСКОЙ МИФОЛОГИИ

The article, based on the author’s field materials and the analysis of ethnographic literature, describes the features of several Mari folklore characters, who are associated with plots about death and the “wires” of the deceased. This character category includes the “angel of death” Azyren (Azreni), the deity of the “afterlife” Kiyamat and the spirits of deceased people. These characters have the function of “guides” to the “afterlife” and harbingers of death. One of the hypostases of Kiyamata – the god Kiyamat-tyura, appears in folklore as the patron saint of the deads. Another hypostasis is Kiyamat-savush. He performs the role of seeing off to “the next world”. Some of these mythological characters are presented in narratives abstractly, the others are visualized more detailed. Azyren and the “deads”, as a rule, are heroes of non-fabulous prose (legends, epics and fairy tales), they are not considered to be the objects of worship. The image of Kiyamat, on the contrary, is sacred, and some traditions of the memorial ritual are associated with him. Kiyamat (kiyamats) is revered during the ceremonies devoted to a deceased person. The image of Azyren has demonic essence. He is believed to be the “evil spirits” and he scares alive people. Despite the semantic association between the spirits of death and the chthonic world, they do not perform the function of intimidation as other demons do. Their role in the folklore is to take away the soul of the deceased without violating the natural boundaries between the worlds. The article includes historiographical descriptions of these characters, etymological and comparative data, fragments of interviews

THE ACCOUNTS AND IMPORTANCE OF JESUS' MIRACLES IN REVITALIZING CHRISTIANS’ FAITH IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

To validate his messianic mission and the coming of God's kingdom, Jesus performed "wonders and signs" that were directed at and closely related to the call to faith. This paper attempted to account for Jesus' miracles and their significance in raising Christians' faith today, as mentioned by various prophets in the Old Testament. The survey was carried out based on a critical analysis of some of the miracles performed by Jesus Christ while He was on earth. The study focused on two healing miracles, the first controlling nature, and the other one demonstrating power against demons or evil spirits from men by categorizing his miracles. Six miracles were chosen and analyzed to help people understand the meaning and significance of those miracles in Jesus' time and today. This survey focused on the miracles of Jesus Christ as recorded in the New Testament. All of Jesus' miracles revealed to the readers that nothing Jesus Christ did on this earth was done without a purpose or message for either the hearers or the listeners. People around Jesus changed spiritually as a result of his miraculous deeds, as this survey noted. Faith is also an effect of the miracle, because it engenders faith in the souls of those who were its recipients or witnesses. The accounts of Jesus' miracles in the New Testament appear to be historically reliable, though some historians and gentiles continue to interpret these miracles differently for whatever reason, and they do not appear to believe the New Testament's account of Jesus' supernatural works. These various miracles demonstrate that Jesus Christ is Lord of all because He has authority over incurable diseases, He can heal without being physically present, He has authority over sins, nature, the supernatural realm, life and death all at the same time, and His deeds were done publicly.

Apotropaic Figurines from Nimrud (Calah) in the Australian Institute of Archaeology Collection

There are two clay figurines in the Australian Institute of Archaeology’s collection, which were excavated by the British School of Archaeology in Iraq in the 1953 season at Nimrud (ancient Calah/Kalḫu). The figurines were discovered in the foundations of the Burnt Palace and date approximately to the reign of Adad-nīrārī III (810–783 BCE). Their function was a part of an apotropaic ritual to protect places of residence from evil spirits and enemies. This paper aims to bring to light these figurines in the Institute’s collection by offering a descriptive catalogue and an explanation of their use in Assyrian magic for the journal’s readership.

Apotropaic Bes: Egyptian terracotta figurines depicting the god Bes from the collection of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts

The article examines eight ancient Egyptian terracotta figurines of the Graeco-Roman Period, stored in the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts; three of them have not been published before. Five objects were acquired by V.S. Golenischev in Egypt, three come from other sources. The figurines are united by a common style – they were made in the form of the ancient Egyptian god Bes, standing in a tense pose with his hands on knees and, apparently, symbolizing a willingness to fight against malign forces. Most of the figurines belong to the Ptolemaic and Roman Periods, but one item should be dated earlier – to the 5th–4th centuries BC. God Bes was considered a protector in the most dangerous and critical life periods (childbirth, sleep, illness, death) and therefore gained wide popularity in Egypt. Probably, in relation to the family, Bes played the same role as the Lares in Ancient Rome, who protected the home, hearth and family. If the ancient Egyptian goddesses, for example, Isis and Taurt, contributed to female fertility and the birth of healthy offspring, then the function of Bes was broader – to guarantee effective protection of everything related to the female sphere (fertility, conception, pregnancy and childbirth). Bes is inextricably linked with the child god Horus / Harpocrates and guarded babies and children from numerous visible and invisible dangers – from evil spirits and diseases to snake and scorpion bites. Due to their apotropaic properties, Bes images become a popular symbol on various household items; in various forms, images of Bes adorned a special part of the house – the bedroom. Figurines of Bes prevail in the home context; however they are also found in burials, and associated with ability of Bes to guard the “sleep” of the deceased.

The Place Name Gördchoy (‘Red Mount’) in the Folklore Topography of the Vishera River Basin

Seeing folklore topography as an ensemble of all topographic knowledge reflected in local folklore, the author considers the place name Gördchoy that is very revealing of the Vishera river basin folklore tradition. Genetically, the Vishera area is related to Vymskaya culture of the Permians of Vychegda. During the formation of the Vishera local ethnographic group, all its traditional infrastructures (economic, cultural, historical, religious, etc.) were focused on the upper reaches of the Vychegda basin. For a long time, there was no settled population in Upper and Middle Vychegda. In the 16th century, when first settlers came to the Upper Vychegda, the life of the Vishera people gradually refocused there. At that time, the main “entry point” to the territory of the Vishera basin was the mouth of this river and this is exactly where the toponym Gördchoy ‘Red Mountain’ was localized. Due to the emphasis on spatial and color characteristics, this toponym became a marker of the “Vishera” land border and acquired a significant folklore repertoire. Apart from that, the author considers numerous versions explaining the so-called Vishera phenomenon — the absence of rats in the Vishera basin. In this regard, he tackles both mythological plots (about the local sorcerer Tuve who cursed rats and legends about Stefan of Perm) and “anti-mythological,” scientifically grounded versions. The author shows that Gördchoy, regarded as a sacred border, also appears in local folklore as a “haunted” place. Due to the repeated overlapping of narratives that are somehow related to this object, the folklore topography of Vishera developed another layer in which Gördchoy is a local center possessed by evil spirits. After the construction of a new highway, the Gördchoy tract lost its border function for the Vishera territory and began to be perceived as a folklore image with blurred topographic coordinates.

Ethics and Law.

Ethics and Law.

The Terrible in the Works of Adamist Poets S. Gorodetsky, V. Narbut, and M. Zenkevich

This article analyses the terrible in the works of Adamist poets to identify common features and patterns in their creative work. Adamism is both a synonym for Acmeism and the designation of its left wing, represented by S. Gorodetsky, V. Narbut, and M. Zenkevich. Accepting the basic postulates of Gumilyov’s Acmeism (supported by A. Akhmatova and O. Mandelstam) about the primordial attitude to reality, the priority of objectivity in the composition of the artistic world which sought to acquire earthly contours and outlines, Adamists were much more resolute about the possibility of considering a wide range of everyday phenomena and everyday things worthy of artistic comprehension. Physiologism, the animal nature in humans, and primitive savage impulses also became a favorite basis for Adamists for their naturalistic pictorial solutions. This vitalist approach was combined with an interest in the spontaneous, pagan, and folklore and ethnographic. The bearers of the terrible in V. Narbut are disgusting and ugly things, people, animals, representatives of folk demonology, mystical creatures, and zombies. Their appearance and existence are associated with a violation of the norm, deformity or disfiguring disease, the appearance of evil spirits, and the domination of death and decay. All this, for the characters and the lyrical subject himself, was a manifestation of the Otherworldly and the intrusion of a frightening Other into everyday life. The material and biological basis presented through the prism of coarse physiology, animal struggle for existence, and aggressive struggle of the sexes determines the interpretation of the terrible in M. Zenkevich’s poetry. The article examines how any layers of culture collapse and terrible crimes and murders are committed when primitive animal and wild subconscious instincts are released. The evolution of the terrible in Zenkevich is related to the movement from the eschatology of the natural-cosmic catastrophism of the Earth to the eschatology of personality, the comprehension of the tragedy of the individual’s existence. Gorodetsky’s poetry is associated with the folk poetic element, ethnographic excursions, interest in social issues, and anti-urbanism. Many thematic sections of the terrible combine Gorodetsky’s work with the work of literary brothers in Adamism: interest in the primary and primordial, folk demonology, nightmares, and death. The peculiarity of Gorodetsky’s approach to the problem of the terrible manifests itself in the artistic embodiment of the motif of the mask, hiding the conflict between the deceptive phenomenon and the essence of things: for the poet, the loss of individuality, facelessness, and alienation are terrible.

COVID-19 Pandemic: The Local Community Perceptions and Associated Risks in Guji Society, Southern Ethiopia.

ObjectiveTo investigate local perceptions of the causes and prevention of the COVID-19 pandemic in Guji Society, West Guji Zone, Bule Hora district.MethodsThe researcher conducted a qualitative study using in-depth interviews and key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and case study with 46 informants, of which 22 were women and 24 were men. The informants were recruited using purposive sampling. The data was analyzed by qualitative description.ResultsThe findings indicate the wrath of Waaqaa (God), evil spirit attacks, Gadaa party's omen, the virus, and unknown forces are thought to be the causes of the virus. The local amelioration and prevention mechanisms reported by the informants were rituals of praying for God's mercy and social distancing, along with using face-masks, keeping hygiene, and getting vaccines.ConclusionThe local community's perceptions about the COVID-19 pandemic's causes and prevention methods are based on myths, assumptions, and belief systems that contradict medical science concepts and prevention methods. As a result, this scenario would result in potential risk factors like susceptibility to the virus, severe health complications, and psychological and socio-economic adverse impacts.

Kazakh Compound Anthroponyms with a Verbal Element: Propositional Structure

The article deals with the semantics of Kazakh compound anthroponyms with the Subst + Verb structure. Such names retain syntactic relations of the original motivating sentence. Thus, the full name inherits propositional features of the verb component and the syntactic meaning of the actant: subject or object. Dmitry Yermolovich suggests that each personal name implies an introductory proposition of the situation ‘a child was born’. The paper distinguishes several groups of Kazakh names with a verbal component, based on the specificity of propositional structure and the cultural background of name’s motivation: (1) male names with a temporal meaning, (2) male names with a verbal component beru ‘give,’ (3) wish-names, and (4) male amulet names. In the first group of names, two “event-related” propositions are linked by temporal logical relations. In the second group, the subject is represented by names of the sacred forces which, according to the pagan beliefs of the Kazakhs, bestow the parents with the birth of a male baby — the continuer of the lineage, the protector of the family and clan. The wishnames with the verb bolu ‘be, become’ also convey the idea of the preference and blessing of the birth of boys. Moreover, the same idea often lies behind naming girls, in which case the wish can be laden with the idea of prohibition. The protective function of names is particularly important for male anthroponyms, since it is traditionally believed that boys are more susceptible to the influence of evil forces. Therefore, the amulet-names tend to carry a negative sense intended to avert evil spirits. An implicit introductory proposition varies depending on the gender: the birth of a boy is approved by socio-cultural norms; the birth of a girl is less welcomed. The study of the semantics of Kazakh two-part names with a verbal component reveals its propositional character reflected in internal syntactic relations of the verbal predicate and nominal actants and explicates the cultural traditions of Kazakh naming.

Тувинская рукопись «Сутры о восьми хулилах»

The article aims to introduce a manuscript of the “Sūtra of Eight Khulils” in Mongolian, part of the collection in Aldan-Maadyr National Museum of the Tuva Republic. The idea of eight khulils, or eight trigrams, which symbolize eight great elements (fire, earth, metal, sky, water, mountain, wood, and air / wind) and form the basis of the Tibetan-Mongolian astrological system may be traced back to ancient Chinese divinatory practices which one can find in Yi jing, or Book of Changes. Despite the title, the Sūtra has nothing in common with canonical Mahāyāna sūtras either in content or composition. No parallel work of the Tibetan canon identified as an original for the sutra in question, assumingly, it is either a translation from Chinese or of purely Mongolian origin. The body of the text is preceded by schematic pictures of eight khulils, supplied with indications of eight directions (life, health, luck, happiness, evil, illness, evil spirit and five demons), each direction having eight combinations that are differently positioned (south, north, east, west and four intermediary directions), depending on khulil. Then, there is a short instruction on what one should or should not do in these eight directions, as well as an explanation of negative consequences of abiding in each of the eight khulils and methods of their neutralization. This passage contains a list of places and situations that should be avoided, including demons (albin, aišiginar (Skt. piśāca), bug demons, demons of curses, etc.) that can do harm to humans, diseases, unfavorable objects, beings, types of food, as well as unfavorable directions and time periods. Also, Buddhist texts and various offerings needed for the ritual are mentioned, such as “Vajravidāraņa-dharaṇī”, “Sitātapatrā-dharaṇī”, “Sutra of Eight Luminous of Heaven and Earth”, and “Paňcarakṣā”. Of great interest are the respective lists of Buddhist ritual texts, dungli and kereg ritual offerings, classifications of Bon and Buddhist priests to perform such rituals, and lamas who can take donations; their further investigation may shed additional light on the Buddhist practices of the Mongolian peoples. The fact that the manuscript repository of the National Museum of the Republic of Tuva includes about sixteen texts devoted to eight khulils may indicate that khulil divination was quite widespread and popular in the local tradition of Tuvan Buddhism.

EVERYDAY FEARS OF THE ORTHODOX POPULATION ON UKRAINIAN LANDS AS A REFLECTION OF DAILY ROUTINE IN EARLY MODERN TIMES

The article highlights a little-studied problem of role of fears in the everyday life of Orthodox believers in the Ukrainian lands of the second half of the 16th – 17th centuries. It is noted that in the early modern period, the society suffered from an outbreak of violence, and this influenced the formation of the atmosphere of fear among the population. The types of fears from which the society suffered the most are analyzed on an example of most typical cases: fear of war and violence, illness, mutilation, premature death, fear of armed people, foreign invaders and representatives of other denominations. In addition to these objective fears, Orthodox society felt irrational ones, the greatest of which was to sin. To a large extent, everyday life of the Orthodox was characterized by fear of the Last Judgment and Hell, Evil Spirits. Fears inherent in a modern man, manifested in everyday life of an orthodox man of the 16th - 17th centuries much stronger due to much more dangerous living conditions. Fear was a characteristic feature of everyday life in the early modern Orthodox society.

The Hopping Dead. Zombies in the Chinese Culture

The article examines the image of zombies in Chinese culture, the traditional perception of their appearance and internal characteristics. A wide scope of written sources served as the basis of the study: inscriptions on oracle bones, ancient fortune-telling calendars, historical treatises, chronicles and commentaries on chronicles, essays on geography and medicine, fiction of old and modern China, as well as entries and comments from the Chinese blogosphere.
 The authors examine how the idea of evil spirits (with a body or bodiless ones) first appeared in the religious worldview of the ancient Chinese, and trace its origin to the doctrine of existence of multiple souls in one person. The article also details the formation of the pictorial image of Chinese zombies: animated corpses covered with hair or dressed as government officials, with their arms extended forward, hopping on straight legs unable to bend their knees. As for the functional characteristics of zombies, the authors discuss not only their well-known features (e.g., cannibalism), but also their deep inner connection with water and drought. In conclusion, the authors explore the evolution of zombies in modern urban legends and demonstrate the continuity of traditional demonology that develops into modern narrative.
 Apart from that, the article contains a number of analogies and comparisons of the Chinese image of zombies with other nations’ mythological tradition.

CREATIVITY OF SPIRIDON MIKHAILOV (YANDUSH) AND THE WORLDVIEW OF THE CHUVASH ETHNOS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE XIX CENTURY

The worldview of the Chuvash ethnos is a person’s idea of the world formed on the basis of ethnic constants and cultural-value dominants. Being specific to each culture, it created the illusion of objectivity in its bearers. The Chuvash worldview is different in different periods of the ethnos’ life, but thanks to ethnic constants, their structure remains the same at its base. In the Chuvash mythological pantheon of the XVIII century, the main images of the patronizing forces were the God who dwells in heaven and the king who dwells on earth, and the images of the opposing forces were earthly evil spirits and churchmen who moved to the Chuvash villages. In the XIX century, this image changes: a mythological character Pulekhse approached the God, who transformed into the image that has the ability to harm a person, and not bring God-appointed good to him. Such transformations in the mythological pantheon occurred due to a change in the image of the enemy in the socio-cultural space of the Chuvash world. All these processes are well reflected in the scientific works and works of Spiridon Mikhailov (Yandush).

Sociocultural Factors Influencing the Management of Meningitis Among Older Adults in Kwara State, Nigeria

During epidemic and non-epidemic seasons, the Kwara North, Nigeria, has consistently reported high incidence rates for meningitis, a disease which mostly affects older members of the community. Limited studies have investigated the nexus between climate change-meningitis and socio-cultural factors influencing the management and control of meningitis among the older adults. This study explored the lived experiences of older individuals with meningitis and relationships with their caregivers in Kaiama Local Government area of Kwara state, Nigeria. 15 participants, 6 men and 9 women, aged 65+ years were purposively selected, and in-depth interviews were conducted. Results indicated that most of the older adults believed that the disease is caused by spiritual or supernatural forces (such as witchcrafts, demons, evil spirits among others), and the treatment and management, using orthodox medicine of it has been hampered by certain socio-cultural beliefs. Due to beliefs about contagion, older adults are mostly left on their own, with adult children occasionally visiting their parents to provide care only to return to their own homes. Also, children visit with traditional healers who perform rites of purification and give older adults concoctions to use. The study concluded that meningitis is one of the leading causes of untimely death of some older adults in the study communities and it has been worsened by some socio-cultural practices. Based on this conclusion, the study recommended massive enlightenment of the general public about best practices in the treatment and management of the disease among the older members of the study communities.

Level of awareness, knowledge, and attitudes toward epilepsy among students at king Khalid university, Saudi Arabia

purpose: Epilepsy is a major public health problem worldwide. The aim of this study was to explore the level of awareness, knowledge regarding epilepsy and attitudes prevalent toward epilepsy among king Khalid university students. Methods: The descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with the voluntary participation of 227 participants from students at King Khalid University. The mean age of participating was (20.10 ± 1.3). Theoretical and practical colleges used questionnaires to assess students' knowledge about epilepsy and their attitudes towards it. Results: A total of 227 respondents completed the survey; the results showed almost all had heard about epilepsy. Only 83.7% have never had any information on how to treat a patient with epilepsy. 80.6% think non-medical treatment is beneficial for epilepsy %13.2% do not know how to do first aid to deal with epileptic seizures. Almost 32.6% did not know the cause of epilepsy, 59% believed that it was a hereditary disorder 44.1% believed epilepsy is a form of mental illness, 57.3% believed that epilepsy patients die because of epileptic seizures. 59% believed that it was a hereditary disorder 44.1% believed epilepsy is a form of mental illness, 11% of participants thought that epilepsy is caused by evil spirits, 57.3% believed that epilepsy patients die because of epileptic seizures. There were also many students who held negative attitudes towards patients with epilepsy in regard to major life milestones such as marriage and having children. 16.7% indicated that it presents an impediment in participation in sports, approximately 6.2% objected to marrying someone with epilepsy, Moreover 11.5% thought they should not have children and, the study showed 46,3% would not allow their child to play with a child with epilepsy. Moreover 14.5 afraid to live with someone with epilepsy. the study showed 6,6 % objected accept working with a patient with epilepsy. Conclusions: The level of awareness, knowledge, and attitudes of students at King Khalid toward epilepsy were acceptable regarding this study. However, the negative attitudes and misconceptions still exist. Further studies are needed to determine methods of overcoming these negative attitudes and misconceptions toward epilepsy.

Satanological Myth in the Coptic literature and its development

The article deals with the satanic myth, its Biblical genesis and further development in Judaism and early Christianity as well as its variants in Coptic literature. The myth is based on the story about the fall of the Supreme Angel and his subsequent transformation into an evil spirit. Two versions of the myth are known conventionally called “The proud man” and the “Envious man”. The first is the “legend of Lucifer” when Satan wished to become higher than God or equal to Him and was cast down. This legend goes back to the Biblical prophets as well as the pre-Christian exegesis. The second version describes how Satan was cast down for refusing to worship Adam. This legend is partly rooted in the book of Job and could have developed as a result of two coexisting, however, separate motives were found in the Jewish and early Christian exegesis. Both variants occur in great detail in various Coptic texts, including magical ones. The Biblical basis of the myth enlarged by various additions. Besides, there is also a version, which comprises details from both legends. The Satanological myth, like other apocryphal legends about angels and demons based upon the Biblical narrative in Coptic literature is developed in two ways: 1) personification of abstract concepts and properties, 2) allegorical interpretation of stories regarding Biblical characters as legends about angels or demons.

Magpie in Lithuanian and Slavic Ethnic Culture

The article, based on a variety of ethnolinguistic material, especially folklore texts, aims to reveal the main similarities and differences in the interpretation of the image of the magpie in the ethnic culture of Lithuanians and Slavs. This bird in two traditions, in Lithuanian and in Slavonic, is treated ambivalently, more often negatively. This is due to the peculiarities of the bird’s appearance, and in particular the variegation of its plumage. This characteristic feature in the ethnic culture of many peoples is traditionally associated with evil spirits. Too talkative people, most often women, are compared with this bird. Common is the motive of the thief magpie. The name of the bird in all the languages is feminine, therefore, in both Lithuanian and Slavic mythopoetic texts, the social roles of a peasant woman are attributed to it: a daughter-in-law, a mother, a hostess, a cook, a nanny. Another common feature is the image of a magpie as a sorceress, herald of good or evil news and future events. These functions are associated with the tendency to depict witches and other mythical characters in the form of a magpie. The most striking differences in the interpretation of the magpie are the following ones: it is unusual for Lithuanians to associate the idea of procreation with it, and some Slavs (for example, the Czechs) believe that magpies bring children into the house. Lithuanians are also unaware of some features of the “working” behavior of a magpie, for example, the threshing motive. In their turn, Lithuanians attribute such crafts as shoemaking, brewing, and agriculture to magpies.