Nikifor Robovski

Macedonian folkloristic themes

Mythological characters in Macedonian demonological folk songs

Mythological characters occurring in Macedonian demonological folk poetry can be found in songs about fairies, kind and evil dragons, wyverns, saurian and various other fabulous creatures. The folk authors of such songs were inspired not only by local oral tradition but also by the direct influence of ancient mythology and Christian demonology. These songs give evidence of human imagination in the old times when man did not make any distinction between people and things but recognized only the good and the bad supernatural powers determining all human fate.

Motifs of the Macedonian carols and folk ceremonial songs

Macedonian carols and folk ceremonial songs are sung on the occasion of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, New Year's Day, the Jordan Day, Lazarus Day, Easter-week, St. George Day, Jeremiah Day, and of other religions feasts in winter and spring seasons. These joyfully songs performed by children, young girls, adult men and women, and accompanied with ceremonies, folk customs and plays are a proof of the old national traditions and culture of the Macedonian people.

The motifs of such songs based on both religious and secular elements praise youth, beauty, love, health, happiness and express people's desire for a rich harvest and a better life.

Characteristic poetic features of the Macedonian folk ballad

The fundamental characteristic poetic features of the Macedonian folk ballad are, first of all, the motifs marked with a great number of elements of a gloomy depiction of the topic, a lyrical and epic expression, rapid gradations of the plot, dialogues and direct speech of the heroes, the fatal end of the heroes as a typical consequence of strong tensions and dramatic conflicts, the lack of epic breadth, emphasised impressive moments and condensed narration. On the basis of these features the Macedonian folk ballad is denoted as a tragedy narrated in the style of song containing lyrical, epic and dramatic components in one poetic unit. On one side it reflects historical events and the milieu in which the tragic fate of people took place, especially under the conditions of hundreds of years' social and national oppression, and, on the other side, it mirrors family and intimate relations of the individuals.

Christian motifs in the Macedonian religious folk poetry

Christian motifs in the Macedonian religious folk songs are represented by the motifs concerning Jesus Christ's life, the spread of his word, the obedience to the Ten Commandments, the Saints' powers exercised through accomplishing miracles and good deeds, the effects of curse pronounced by the Saints, Eden and Hell, the power of Christian symbols etc.

All these songs praise justice, respect, honesty and other general human qualities in the spirit of Christian belief.

Aesthetic and cognitive components of the Macedonian folk songs about the Ilinden uprising

The Macedonian folk songs of the time of the Ilinden Uprising of the Macedonian people against the Turkish oppression deal with the famous fighters: Gotse Delchev, Dame Gruev, Pitu Gouli, Mitre Vlashe, and others. Together with it there are depictions of the factual activities of the rebel armed forces, of the battle fields, of the exciting moments, and heroic deeds of the individual national fighters, of a fighting mood, of the violence of the Turkish oppressors, and of the participation of the people's masses in the struggle against the enemy.

These songs are characterized by the elaboration of real events described in poetic pictures full of revolutionary pathos, expressive heroism and tragicalness.

Comic contrasts and comparisons in Macedonian humorous folk songs

Individual motifs of the Macedonian humorous folk songs based on comic contrasts and comparisons reflect explicit characteristic features of the given environment, specific typical characters of the past and numerous other comic situations. In the humorous folk songs prejudices, social differentiation, avarice, laziness, boast, etc. are made fun of. All that can be found in the songs in which the humorous contents is accompanied with a number of comic, joking, satirical, mocking, ironic and anecdotic elements.

The most frequent symbols in lyrical Macedonian folk poetry

Symbols in folk lyrical poetry stand for concepts the outlines of which are not strictly determined and limited. It enables the folk creator to develop his ideas freely without any limitations and make symbolic pictures in which the main artistic intention is represented in lyrical folk songs. By means of symbols the folk creator expressed his observations of the real lives of people in certain surroundings and at a certain time. The symbols changed depending on the topic and thus they give evidence of the rich creative fantasy of the people as well as the poetic gift of individual folk creators.

The most frequent symbols in lyrical Macedonian folk poetry are some phenomena, flowers, trees, birds, torrents, water springs, fountains full of fresh and cold water, mists, winds, etc. taken from Nature. All these symbols have various meanings, e.g., such as of Youth, Old Age, Good Health, Love, Beauty, Good Luck, Happiness, Nostalgia, and of many other notions.

Poetic imagery of Marko Krale in the Macedonian folk epic

In the present paper individual poetic images of Marko Krale are analyzed and compared with the rare historical facts and date concerning him, i.e. his birth and family, his characteristic qualities, physical appearance and heroism, his attitude to people, and, especially, his deeds and acts.

Hyperboles, similes, contrasts, antitheses, metaphors, and other artistic devices of the folk poetics, in which King Marko's activities are reflected, are examined here. Similarly the folk poetry shows King Marko himself and the existence of his State during the years of 1371-1395; being the ruler almost a quarter of a Century nevertheless forced to respect the Turkish supreme power, to pay taxes and support the Sultan with military assistance.

Principal features of the Macedonian folk short story

The Macedonian folk short story is based on a wide range of topics and motifs taken from the actual reality. Besides the general international motifs it contains its own characteristic features that can be observed in the presence of various real toponyms and personal names. Thus the credibility of the environment, customs, view-points, and temper of people is reflected.