THE WISDOM POETRY OF THE SPERANS

Tina Shioshvili; Tamari Matchutadze

Tina Shioshvili Doctor of Philological Scienses, Professor of Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Batumi, Rustaveli/Ninoshvili st., #32/35, 6010, Georgia, http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4745-9260
Tamari Matchutadze Doctor of Philology, Invited Teacher of Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Batumi, Rustaveli/Ninoshvili st., #32/35, 6010, Georgia, http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5709-9764

Abstract

In the ancient historical region of Georgia—Speri, which is now part of the Republic of Turkey—Georgian speech has not been heard for almost five centuries. Despite this, a comprehensive expedition organized by the Scientific Center of Kartvelology at the Faculty of Humanities of Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University in the summer of 2024, within the framework of the scientific fund of the Shota Rustaveli National Center, confirmed that the historical memory of the Sperans has nevertheless preserved samples of traditional folklore, including proverbs. These are variations of general Georgian proverbs and, in most cases, identical samples.

Despite the hardships of the centuries and misleading propaganda that led the Sperans to forget the native language of the Bagrationis, the genetic inclination toward the wisdom of their ancestors has not faded. Even today, Speran oral speech is nourished and enriched by folk proverbs—created through direct observation of life within the Georgian nation and passed down from generation to generation—serving as a wise legacy of the once united Kartvelian culture.

Keywords: Proverb, Speri, Bible, Folklore, Shavsheti, Klarjeti, Tao, Wisdom, Historical Memory, Chronicler.