The Belief in the Magical Power And Influence of the Word in the Works of Egnate Ninoshvili

Abstract

The paper examines examples of folklore collected from the short stories of Egnate Ninoshvili (1859–1894) that reflect the belief in the magical power of the word. It analyzes the motives behind their creation and the character types built upon these motives. Ninoshvili integrates authentic expressions – emergent from the collective oral discourse of the people – which have become embedded in the socio-cultural fabric of everyday life; one such example is Georgian folk incantations.

The writer masterfully employed examples of an archaic genre – folk incantations – based on the belief in the magical power of the word and its practical applications (such as folk healing). These incantations vividly express the emotions and aspirations of many and were used by the author to characterize both the portraits of the individual characters and the broader community.

The objectives of the study are to determine the influence of the belief in the magical power of words and actions on the characters, to reveal their psychological portraits, and to highlight the function of such beliefs (various forms of so-called “trials,” curses, blessings, and others) in the process of analyzing the central ideas of the stories.