Suaugusiųjų požiūris į "kitokius" kūdikius lietuvių mitologinėse sakmėse

Abstract

There are many Lithuanian belief legends where newborns which have strange appearance or behave in a strange way are described. The aim of this article is to analyze these narratives and to learn their meaning. The methodology of research consists of analytic descriptive method and comparative analysis. For the analysis data from the “Catalogue of Lithuanian Narrative Folklore” by Bronislava Kerbelytė (2002), vol. 3 was used. Texts cited in the article were taken from the Lithuanian Folklore Archive at the Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore and various publications of the Lithuanian narrative folklore. “Different” babies, as described in the legends, may have teeth and / or hair, may be too active or eat too much when they are just born. These characteristics for the newborns are not “normal” and, therefore, in the ancient worldview were usually attributed to the otherworld or devil. That is why such babies were not desired either by the family or by the community. All the legends demonstrate negative attitudes towards them. Many of the texts contain descriptions of infanticide. Legends that are analysed in the article have preserved details from the real life of the Lithuanian village from the period between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century or even older times as well. They most probably tell about the newborns’ illnesses. Unfortunately, these texts at the same time are also testimonies of intolerance towards the disabled, “different” people.