The Haydutstvo in Short Genre Forms of Domestic Sources

Authors:

Pages: 134-155
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54664/PCOO3479

Abstract:

The article aims to present the Bulgarian haydutstvo in short genre forms of some types of domestic sources: folklore, marginalia and chronicles. It analyzes the extent to which this phenomenon is reflected in the sources. On this basis, some hypotheses were made about its expansion and influence in the Bulgarian lands between the 15th and the 17th centuries. By tracking the haydutstvo in these genre forms, the author formulates suggestions about its influence on the Bulgarian people and about the attitude of Bulgarians towards hayduts. The main thesis of the study is that in the 15th – 17th centuries, the hayduts in the Bulgarian lands were not entirely positive characters (protectors and avengers). They were typical representatives and continuers of medieval robbery from the time of the Second Bulgarian Empire. The study is an attempt to explain why the haydutstvo is widely presented in long poetic and narrative forms of folklore, such as folk songs and legends, and almost absent in short folklore forms like proverbs, sayings, riddles, oaths, etc.

Keywords:

Ottoman rule, hayduts, haramis, voyvoda, Bulgarian folklore, marginalia, proverbs, riddles, oaths related to hayduts

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