REFLECTION OF THE CHARACTER'S INNER WORLD AND THE PRONOUNCED TENDENCIES OF THE HERO'S CHARACTER

(Some Samples of Love and Religious Poetry in the Oral Tradition of the Liakhvi Gorge)

Abstract

The paper, based on oral material from the Liakhvi Gorge, presents the issue of poetic modelling of the character's inner world and typological tendencies of the hero's image in Georgian romantic and religious folk poetry. The analysis shows that in both genres, the character's inner world is expressed through metaphorical and symbolic means, although with different emphases. Emotional individualisation dominates in romantic poetry, while in religious poetry – spiritual and moral-eschatological aspects prevail.

Georgian folk poetry – as a form of oral culture, not only conveys plot events but also creates a poetic model of the character's inner feelings, psychological state, and value system.

Romantic and religious poems are two different genre spaces, where:

A love poem  is an expressive form of love, longing, and inner pain; in a romantic folk poem, the character's inner world is built on the dialectic of longing, separation, love pain, hope, and despair. The lyrical "I" is often individualised. He speaks of his own heart, tears, and thoughts. Inner feelings are expressed through the symbolism of nature. The hero of a romantic poem is emotionally open, openly expresses his feelings, and perceives himself in parallel with nature. The face of a woman is often idealised, and the son is a bearer of pain and devotion. However, in both cases, the hero's image is formed not by heroic action, but by inner feelings.

Religious poetry - is a collective expression of spiritual experience and faith. In religious folk poetry, the inner world of the character is less individual and more collective. The main themes here are sin and repentance, trust in God, the spiritual meaning of suffering, and the perspective of eternity. The texts often contain appeals to the Virgin Mary and Christ. The hero of a religious poem is obedient and prayerful, perceives his suffering as a spiritual trial, resolves internal conflicts by trusting in God, and is often a representative of a collective community.

If the romantic hero compares his feelings to nature, the religious hero connects his soul with the heavenly order.

The materials of the Liakhvi Gorge, with their historical and cultural specificity, clearly demonstrate the different psychological structures of these two genres.

Key words: Liakhvi Gorge, folklore, oral texts, folk poem, inner world of the character, love poem, religious poem.