Verlioka

Verlioka (Russian: верлиока) or wyrlook (Ukrainian: вирлоок)^[1] is an East Slavic fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki (1855–63). It is classified in the Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index as tale type ATU 210*, "Verlioka".^[2]

Synopsis

Once there was an elderly couple who had two grandchildren, whom they loved. One day, the grandpa ordered his granddaughter to shoo away the sparrows to protect the crops. Verlioka finds her there and kills her. The grandpa wonders why his granddaughter hasn't come back and sends his youngest grandchild to find her. Verlioka kills her too. Grandpa then sends the grandmother to bring the girls back but Verlioka kills her. After a while, the grandfather goes out to find his family, learns they are dead, and sets out to kill the monster. Along the way, he is joined by talking animals and objects, who attack the monster in his home.^[3]

Etymology

The Ukrainian language has an adjective "вирлоокий" ('vyrlooky'), meaning "with bulging eyes"; noun "вирло", plural "вирла" ('bulging eyes'). The name has cognates with other Slavic languages: Belarusian: вірлавокi, romanized: virlavoki ('with bulging eyes'), Serbian: врљоока, romanized: vrljooka ('with a damaged eye'), dialectal Smolensk Russian: верлиокий, romanized: verlioki ('strabismic, crossy-eyed; turning their eyes in all directions').^[4] This may reflect Proto-Slavic *vьrl- ('to turn, to spin') + *oko ('eye').^[5]

Analysis

According to Alexander Afanasyev's note, the tale was collected by Nikolay Tikhorski in "Southern Russia". According to the East Slavic Folktale Classification (Russian: СУС, romanized: SUS), there are 3 Russian, 7 Ukrainian, and 1 Belarusian variant.^[6] Notemakers Lev Barag [ru] and N. V. Novikov theorize that the typical Ukrainian ending «Вот вам сказка, а мне бубликов вязка» (Ukrainian: Ось вам казка, а мені бубликів в'язка, "Here's a tale for you, and a bunch of donuts for me"; in Bain's translation "So there's a skazha for you－and I deserve a cake or two also."), as well as usage of the vocative case («А вы, добродею, знаете Верлиоку?») possibly suggest that the tale was written in or near Ukraine.^[7]

American professor Jack Haney suggested that the tale is "primarily" East Slavic,^[8] while German folklorist Hans-Jörg Uther argues that the tale type appears to be "mainly documented in Russia".^[9]

Variants

Alexander Afanasyev's fairy tale collection has a variant.^[10]

Robert Nisbet Bain included a retelling of the story in Russian Fairy Tales, a translation of Nikolai Polevoy's work.^[11]^[12]

Russian folklorist D.K. Zelenin listed a variant as the ninety-sixth story in his collection.^[13]

Two Russian versions were collected from one informant in Belozerye.^[14]

“Довгомудыкъ," ("Dovgomudyik") is a Ukrainian variant.^[15]

Another Ukrainian variant appears as the twenty-sixth story in a collection.^[16]

A Belarusian variant was published by V.N. Dobrovolsky.^[17]

References

^ Капица Ф. С. Тайны славянских богов. - М.: РИПОЛ классик, 2007. - 416 с.
^ Uther, Hans-Jörg (2004). The Types of International Folktales: Animal tales, tales of magic, religious tales, and realistic tales, with an introduction. Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, Academia Scientiarum Fennica. p. 133. ISBN 978-951-41-0956-0.
^ Haney, Jack (2015). The Complete Folktales of A. N. Afanas'ev. University Press of Mississippi. pp. 469–473. ISBN 978-1-62846-093-3.
^ Словарь русских народных говоров. Т.4. — С. 147
^ Етимологічний словник украïнськоï мови/А-Г. — Киïв: Наукова думка, 1982. — С. 380, 634
^ Barag, Lev. "Сравнительный указатель сюжетов. Восточнославянская сказка". Leningrad: НАУКА, 1979. p. 86.
^ Народные русские сказки А.Н. Афанасьева в трех томах. Том II. Москва: Издательство «Наука», 1985. С. 451.
^ Haney, Jack V. (2015). The Complete Folktales of A. N. Afanas'ev, Volume II: Black Art and the Neo-Ancestral Impulse. University Press of Mississippi. pp. 552–553. ISBN 978-1-4968-0278-1. Project MUSE book 42506.
^ Uther, Hans-Jörg (2004). The Types of International Folktales: A Classification and Bibliography, Based on the System of Antti Aarne and Stith Thompson. Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, Academia Scientiarum Fennica. p. 133. ISBN 978-951-41-0963-8.
^ Haney, Jack (2015). The Complete Folktales of A. N. Afanas'ev. University Press of Mississippi. pp. 469–473. ISBN 978-1-62846-093-3.
^ "Russian Fairytales". The Public Domain Review. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
^ Полевой, Пётр Николаевич (1874). Народные русские сказки в изложении П. Полевого. Санкт-Петербург: Типография и литография А. Траншеля. pp. 91–95.
^ Zelenin, D.K. Great Russian Fairy Tales of the Vyatka Province. Administrative Department of the President of the Russian Federation. Retrieved 17 February 2024. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
^ Ilyina, E. N. (2023). "Tale of Verlioka in Speech Culture of Belozerye and in Repertoire of Language Personality". Научный диалог. 12 (2): 220–236. doi:10.24224/2227-1295-2023-12-2-220-236. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
^ Manzhura, Ivan (1890). Fairy Tales, Proverbs, etc., Recorded in the Yekaterinoslav and Kharkov Provinces. Kharkov: Tip. K.Schasni. p. 1. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
^ Chubinsky, P.P. Proceedings of the Ethnographic and Statistical Expedition in the West-Russian Territory. Administrative Department of the President of the Russian Federation. Retrieved 17 February 2024. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
^ Dobrovolsky, V.N. (1891). Smolensk Ethnographic Collection. Part I. (PDF). St. Petersburg: Russian Geographical Society. pp. 152–153. Retrieved 17 February 2024.

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[1] Капица Ф. С. Тайны славянских богов. - М.: РИПОЛ классик, 2007. - 416 с.

[2] Uther, Hans-Jörg (2004). The Types of International Folktales: Animal tales, tales of magic, religious tales, and realistic tales, with an introduction. Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, Academia Scientiarum Fennica. p. 133. ISBN 978-951-41-0956-0.

[3] Haney, Jack (2015). The Complete Folktales of A. N. Afanas'ev. University Press of Mississippi. pp. 469–473. ISBN 978-1-62846-093-3.

[4] Словарь русских народных говоров. Т.4. — С. 147

[5] Етимологічний словник украïнськоï мови/А-Г. — Киïв: Наукова думка, 1982. — С. 380, 634

[6] Barag, Lev. "Сравнительный указатель сюжетов. Восточнославянская сказка". Leningrad: НАУКА, 1979. p. 86.

[7] Народные русские сказки А.Н. Афанасьева в трех томах. Том II. Москва: Издательство «Наука», 1985. С. 451.

[8] Haney, Jack V. (2015). The Complete Folktales of A. N. Afanas'ev, Volume II: Black Art and the Neo-Ancestral Impulse. University Press of Mississippi. pp. 552–553. ISBN 978-1-4968-0278-1. Project MUSE book 42506.

[9] Uther, Hans-Jörg (2004). The Types of International Folktales: A Classification and Bibliography, Based on the System of Antti Aarne and Stith Thompson. Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, Academia Scientiarum Fennica. p. 133. ISBN 978-951-41-0963-8.

[10] Haney, Jack (2015). The Complete Folktales of A. N. Afanas'ev. University Press of Mississippi. pp. 469–473. ISBN 978-1-62846-093-3.

[11] "Russian Fairytales". The Public Domain Review. Retrieved 19 January 2022.

[12] Полевой, Пётр Николаевич (1874). Народные русские сказки в изложении П. Полевого. Санкт-Петербург: Типография и литография А. Траншеля. pp. 91–95.

[13] Zelenin, D.K. Great Russian Fairy Tales of the Vyatka Province. Administrative Department of the President of the Russian Federation. Retrieved 17 February 2024. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)

[14] Ilyina, E. N. (2023). "Tale of Verlioka in Speech Culture of Belozerye and in Repertoire of Language Personality". Научный диалог. 12 (2): 220–236. doi:10.24224/2227-1295-2023-12-2-220-236. Retrieved 17 February 2024.

[15] Manzhura, Ivan (1890). Fairy Tales, Proverbs, etc., Recorded in the Yekaterinoslav and Kharkov Provinces. Kharkov: Tip. K.Schasni. p. 1. Retrieved 17 February 2024.

[16] Chubinsky, P.P. Proceedings of the Ethnographic and Statistical Expedition in the West-Russian Territory. Administrative Department of the President of the Russian Federation. Retrieved 17 February 2024. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)

[17] Dobrovolsky, V.N. (1891). Smolensk Ethnographic Collection. Part I. (PDF). St. Petersburg: Russian Geographical Society. pp. 152–153. Retrieved 17 February 2024.

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v t e Russian fairy tales
Key articles	Skazka Bylina Folklore of Russia Alexander Afanasyev Alexander Pushkin
Tales in Narodnye russkie skazki collected by Afanasyev	"Koschei the Immortal" "Vasilisa the Beautiful" "Vasilisa the Priest's Daughter" "Father Frost" "Sister Alenushka and Brother Ivanushka" "The Frog Princess" "Vasilii the Unlucky" "The White Duck" "The Princess Who Never Smiled" "The Wicked Sisters" "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" "The Magic Swan Geese" "The Feather of Finist the Falcon" "Tsarevitch Ivan, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf" "The Bold Knight, the Apples of Youth, and the Water of Life" "Go I Know Not Whither and Fetch I Know Not What" "The Golden Slipper" "The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa" "The Wise Little Girl" "The Armless Maiden" "The Gigantic Turnip" "Storm-Bogatyr, Ivan the Cow's Son" "Emelya the Simpleton/At the Pike's Behest" "The Fiend" "The Lute Player" "The Language of the Birds" "The Maiden Tsar" "The Sea Tsar and Vasilisa the Wise" "The Norka" "Dawn, Midnight and Twilight" "Verlioka" "Sivko-Burko" "Donotknow"
Tales by Pushkin	"Ruslan and Ludmila" "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" "The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish" "The Tale of the Golden Cockerel"
Other	"The Little Humpbacked Horse" "The Scarlet Flower" "The Snow Maiden" "The Hairy Man" "King Kojata" "The Tale About Baba-Yaga" "The Wonderful Birch" "The Girl as Soldier" "Green-Vanka"