Vyriška kepurė lietuvių liaudies dainose : buitinė realija ar poetinis įvaizdis?

Abstract

The paper focussed on the representation of male hats in Lithuanian folk songs. According to the purpose of the hats, two main aspects are singled out: 1. Songs in which the hat is represented as male headgear. 2. Songs the poetic context of which turns the hat into a poetic image. Folk songs often mention woollen hats. Marten hats are especially impressive. This noble headdress helps create the image of a respectable young man in Lithuanian folk songs. However, songs that mention woollen hats are ritualistic and reflect the archaic social order. Thus, expensive woollen hats could be a mundane object dating back to the times before the rise of the commodity market. Hats were decorated with feathers and at weddings with rues. Lifting and putting the hat back on in folk songs is not only a polite gesture but also an illustration of the characters’ emotions and experiences. A young man on horseback lifts his hat in a knightly fashion for a girl wearing a wreath. The hat is a symbol of a young man in Lithuanian folk songs. In the same way as a wreath embodies a young girl’s states of mind and heart, the male hat reflects a corresponding male experience. The hat is indicative of a status of an unmarried, free-lancing man and is disposed of as soon as this status is lost.