The archetype of the trickster and its embodiment in the artistic images of Goat and Malanka (on the example of the oratorio of Hanna Havrylets «Barbivska Kolyada»)

Abstract

The article analyzes the archetype of the trickster and its embodiment in the artistic images of Goat and Malanka in the oratorio «Barbivska Kolyada» by the modern Ukrainian composer H. Havrylets. The etymology of the concept of «trickster» and its meaning in both archaic mythological thinking and modern culture are considered. The archetype of the trickster has been found to be reflected in human consciousness and folklore through archetypal images of the trickster and the cultural hero, which can exist both syncretically and separately. The history of the oratorio of Hanna Havrylets «Barbivska Kolyada» is taken into consideration. The commonality of the features of Christmas carols and carnival from the standpoint of tricksterism is emphasized. It was found that Goat and Malanka embody both the traits of a trickster and a cultural hero, which testifies to the archaic, syncretic nature of these images. The characteristic trickster features inherent in the images of Goat and Malanka are analyzed: ambivalence, mediation, carnival, liminality, clownish behavior, playful and funny nature. The trickster functions - destructive, interpretive, creative — in the images of Goat and Malanka from oratorio of Hanna Havrylets «Barbivska Kolyada» are singled out.