Mįslių pradžios ir pabaigos formulės: nuo archajiškų papročių liudininkių iki "universalių" mįslių

LTStraipsnis skirtas kai kada pasitaikančioms sudedamosioms mįslių dalims – pradžios ir pabaigos formulėms, kurios yra labai mažai tirtos. Tyrimo tikslas – pristatyti šias formules ir jų atliekamas funkcijas mįslės struktūroje, apsvarstyti, ar jos, kaip reiškinys, yra senos, ar gana naujos. Pasitelkiant šio reiškinio analogus kitų tautų mįslėse, kitus tautosakos žanrus, pirmuosius mįslių paminėjimus, kai kuriuos papročius, linkstama prie nuomonės, kad šios formulės gali būti išlaikytos iki mūsų dienų nuo mįslių ištakų, kai jų vaidmuo visuomenėje ir socializacijos procesuose buvo labai reikšmingas. [Iš leidinio]Reikšminiai žodžiai: Iniciacija; Mįslės; Pabaigos formulės; Pradžios formulės; Pradžios ir pabaigos formulės; Tautosaka; Vedybos; Beginning and ending formulas; Beginning of the formula; Folklore; Initiation; Marriage; Riddles; The end of the formula.

ENIn this article, the beginning and ending formulas of the riddles are introduced and analyzed. These formulas consist of stable phrases sometimes used to start or finish the riddle question, although not indispensably related semantically either to the question or to the riddled object; these formulas are characteristic exclusively to the so-called "object", or true riddles. The database of the Lithuanian riddles currently incorporates about 500 texts, undoubtedly possessing the beginning or / ending formulas. Some of these formulas function as frameworks, while others have become an organic part of the riddle question prompting the possible answer. Among the most frequent beginning formulas, diverse variations of phrases "I am about to riddle something / Answer the riddle" are encountered, sometimes supplemented additionally with a phrase "vein across the belly". As often as not, the question part of the riddle starts simply by "Riddle little riddle" or "Riddle of two / four / nine / one hundred veins". According to the distinction of the riddle components introduced by Robert Petsch, some other beginning formulas, organically merged into the riddle text can also be discerned in Lithuanian riddles, including: "My father has, At the end of the field, In the middle of", various grammatical forms of the verbs "to go" or "to run", and even the definitions like "full", "topfull".The ending formulas of the riddles seem all to start similarly, i. e. by discussing the fate of the riddling person, either when / if he / she successfully answers the riddle or if he / she does not: "whoever answers / does not answer the riddle". Among the most frequently mentioned threats, the negative transformations in the lower part of the person’s body are named: "the belly / the bottom will get worm-eaten / swollen". In case of the successful riddling, various promises are given in the ending formulas, e. g.: "whoever answers the riddle, will live for a hundred years or will marry me". Curiously enough, some riddles keep threatening with the same kind of negative outcome, including sickness or even death also in case of successful answering them. Such threatening may reflect distant echoes of the ancient initiation rituals, for which the performance of the riddle itself used to be more important than the riddling result. [...]. [From the publication]