Tikroji Vilniaus Bazilisko istorija

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Mitinės būtybės; Mitai; Fantastical creatures; Myths.

ENResearch on the various transformations of the Vilnius basilisk story throughout history has allowed us to ascertain that the first mention of the basilisk was recorded in a book by Adam Ignacy Naramowski published in 1724. Naramowski's book tells the story of a mythical creature that first appeared in Vilnius during the reign of Sigismund II Augustus and was later killed by bales of rue. The story was usually recounted together with the tale of the Warsaw basilisk, which died after looking into a mirror. In a text published in 1865, historian Teodor Narbutt set the story in the distant past, on Bokšto (Tower) Hill in Vilnius, replacing the rue plant with a mirror and introducing the character of the courageous criminal - the basilisk's conqueror. In a guide book to Vilnius published that same year by Adam Honory Kirkor, the character's designation as a criminal was dropped, leaving him simply courageous. Władysław Zahorski later (in 1903 and 1925) embellished the details of Narbutt and Kirkor's rather scanty narrative, turning the basilisk - traditionally described as being the size of a rooster - into a giant dragon. Such a depiction of the basilisk as an enormous dragon was also found in later illustrations by Stanisław Matusiak (1925), Bronius Leonavičius (2005) and Andrius Seselskas (2013). The portrayal was also reinforced in plays and open-air processions performed by students of Stephen Batory University and during other events in Vilnius in 1926,1930 and 1931. The basilisk made a sudden and unexpected revival at the annual Physicists' Day marked by students of Vilnius University. The celebration's main parade through the city in 1978 featured a moving giant dragon model. Collections of fables, city guides and other books about Vilnius helped spread Zahorski's version of the story.The earliest version of the story and its mention of rue plants followed the convention of a true story narrative. This version was almost entirely overshadowed by the later telling of the story (complete with mirror), which was more akin to a fable or myth. Echoes of the first version can be found in Ričardas Gavelis' novel Vilnius Poker, first published in 1989. References to both versions of the story were incorporated into Kristina Sabaliauskaitė's Silva Rerum series of novels (2008-2016). Retellings of the tale by Dainius Juozėnas in 2007 and Albina Varnienė in 2009 reference a specific time period, but also revisit the earlier version. The more widespread later version sets the story in an undefined mythical past, but places the action at a specific location - a sacred hill, analogous to an axis mundi. The mirror that replaced the rue plants was imbued with symbolic meanings and opportunities for interpretative psychol-ogization and moralization. The emerging conqueror of the basilisk began to display the traits of a cultural hero, civic reformer, and young proponent of a new order. The tale of the basilisk came to resemble myths about the founding of Vilnius or the creation of the world, but the concise narrative told by Narbutt and Kirkor was not mythological in origin. The entire mythological potential of the story articulated by Narbutt and modified by Kirkor was revealed in Zahorski's fictionalized version, and further enriched by later illustrations, interpretations and Žukauskas' Lithuanian translation. [From the publication]