Ethnolinguistic Aspects of Games

Abstract

The game is one of the most important and ancient spheres of human activity. Modern cultural studies consider the game as a culture-forming factor. In this sense, the game is older than culture, precedes it and creates it. Culture is created in the form of a game. Among the many functions of the game, one of the most important is the representation of the mythical, sacred past. Our article is devoted to games with such a function. The main act of cosmogony in the imagination of people was the creation of the cosmos, that is, an ordered world, from formless chaos. Human has always had a desire to "return" to this mythical past, which he managed to do, including through play. Through play, Human periodically "revived" the sacred past and repeated the act of creating the world. Such games include the games of Tckvedobila//Gaglezhila//Nishkha, Nishkha, Barbaluka, Tsetsktobia, Almobia and others, preserved in the ethnographic life of Adjara. In mythology, chaos and disorder are represented by demons, dragons. Order is established in the world through the victory of good deities over dragons. It is this mythological motif that found its embodiment in the game Tckvedobila//Gaglezhila//Nishkha, Nishkha, Barbaluka, which depicts the confrontation and struggle between the Goddess-Barbaluka, personifying the Sun, and Nishkha, personified in the form of a dragon. The game embodies the motif of the dragon stealing the sun, which is widespread in the ethnographic life and folklore of the Georgian people. In other games (Fire, Almobia), the sun is replaced by its earthly symbols - fire and flag. Thus, these games repeat the mythical story of the victory of good and light over chaos and dark forces. At the same time, the games provide additional ethnographic material for the restoration of ancient forms of customs, explanation of their functional purpose and cult content. In this regard, the linguistic material preserved by these games is invaluable. This material helps us to explain their genesis and transformation. Just like, for example, the games of Mokuchalieba, Bugobia, Etsrobia, which preserved elements of the traditional holiday "Bosloba" and the name of the deity Bosla, phonetically transformed into "Bola". Thus, the games over time lost their original practical meaning, but retained their sacred content, the closest connection with the myth and remain the most important source for the study of human consciousness in archaic thinking.