Традиция и манипуляция в практических изданиях по русскому народному знахарству

This article presents various ways of adapting Russian texts of folk magic and non-Russian magical traditions in contemporary Russian manuals of folk magic. The analyzed books belong to the genre of applied literature.

Due to the extensive nature of the topic, ten books by six authors were selected for analysis (1998-2012). The main criterion for the selection of publications for analysis was the declaration by the authors of close relations with the Russian folk tradition – in particular, their belonging to families of healers who have passed on their knowledge and power from generation to generation.

Behind the slogan of the “Russian folk healing tradition”, other ethnic traditions and occult practices taken from Western literature are often present. Ways of obfuscating this information include quoting spells from ethnographic publications and esoteric literature without indicating the source, or giving spells allegedly in another language that are in fact zaum'-like nonsense. Such literary mystification allows authors to manipulate the minds of readers, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, to respond to their needs. Deliberate misleading of readers – like in the literary and folklore tradition – arises from the specific needs of the audience and serves the specific goals of the authors.