Vilnius Alma Mater – Cultural and Scientific Link of Polish-Lithuanian History

The discussed monograph is an attempt to present Vilnius Alma Mater as a cultural and scientific link of Polish-Lithuanian history. The texts that make up the volume concern thematically Polish-Lithuanian relations from the 16th century to the present day, perceived in several aspects: historical and cultural, literary, linguistic and educational. The articles collected in the volume are arranged into specific five themes. These are: the heritage of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the works of 19th-century artists, The History of Stefan Batory University (1919–1939), The interpretation of the space of Vilnius and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from the perspective of the 20th and 21st centuries, the study of phenomena belonging to the cultural and cultural borderland linguistic.

Lucidarius in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, and Czechia: Types of Reception in the mid-16th to the First Quarter of the 20th Century

The article is focused on the problems of historical typology of the Slavic reception of the translated Lucidarius (Lucidář) in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, and Czechia throughout its existence. For the first time, a general overview of Slavic evidences is presented in a generalized way, reflecting various types of perception (positive, negative, and neutral) of the specific literary text and indicating the chronology of each of them. Based on these evidences, their historical interpretation is presented, which consists in identifying two qualitatively different stages in the reception of the text under consideration: emotionally engaged (it can equally manifest itself in a positive or negative attitude) and neutral. The change of these historical stages took place in different Slavic countries within half a century (from the 1850s/60s to the 1920s). This process did not depend on the national characteristics of the functioning of Lucidaria, for example, the number of translations performed or their manuscript copies made, as well as the presence or the absence of a local Slavic printed tradition of this particular text, which significantly influenced the degree of its dissemination and, consequently, the level of acquaintance with it in the reading public.

“Die deutsche Grammatica … von Charmyntes” (Berlin, 1713): Creation, Author and Readers

The first printed German language grammar, created for Russians, “Die deutsche Grammatica <…> von Charmyntes” was published in Berlin, in 1713. The authors investigate its extant copies, paying particular attention to the variants, held in the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Russian National Library. They verify the assumption, stated by K. Koch (2002), that J. L. Frisch was the compiler of the manual, and discuss, why he might hide under the odd alias “Charmyntes”. The scholar’s biography and scientific legacy are succinctly outlined. Frisch’s role in the establishment of the first Russian-German coterie is considered. He taught several noble students from Russia (first — the Golovkins, especially Alexander, his long-time friend and collaborator; and then — “Moscowitische Prinzen oder Knaesen” — the Dolgorukies and Repnins). Frisch’s works were purchased for Russian private and public libraries. Some of them could be presented to the scholars (G. F. Müller) or aristocrats (tsarevna Maria Alekseyevna), visiting him. The authors suggest hypotheses, why Charmyntes did not want to reveal his real name and his possible encouragers: Muscovite acquaintances or German patrons. “Die deutsche Grammatica” was published in the year momentous for Prussian foreign affairs. The new king was establishing allied relations with Peter I. The country gradually waded into the Great Northern War.

Contemporary Belarusian Dialects in Lithuania (Vilnius Region)

The aim of the article is to present contemporary Belarusian dialects in south-eastern Lithuania (in the Vilnius region), which have been the subject of linguistic research but not comprehensive. The basis of the analysis is mainly the author’s own materials, materials taped by other dialectologists and dictionary entitled Слоўнік беларускіх гаворак паўночна-заходняй Беларусі і яе пагранічча. The structure of these Belarusian dialects (selected features in phonetics, morphology, syntax, vocabulary and phraseology) as well as the sociolinguistic aspect of their use in a multilingual environment are demonstrated in this article. The analysis of the collected material shows that the structure of Belarusian dialects in the study area is well-preserved. Belarusian dialectologists regard the Belarusian dialect in Vilnius Region as a south-western dialect, which should be described in detail. In the statement of interlocutors, one can note the phonetic, morphological and syntactic features typical for: the south-western dialect, the Central Belarusian subdialects, the Grodno-Baranavichy group of the south-western dialect and the two so-called dialectal zones: western and north-western. Local Belarusian dialects have been influenced by Baltic and Polish for hundreds of years and we can notice numerous borrowings from these and their dialects.

On the History of Old Believer in Lithuania in 19th Century: Rimkai Old Believer Church Assembly in 1856 and its Resolutions

The history of Old Believers in Lithuania in the 19th century is insufficiently studied. Well, we know the main centers, events and names of the most important figures, the key moments in the history of the Old Believer society are identified. But there are any generalizing monographs in this field and now the main task is to accumulate empirical material and try to put them in a future common historical narrative. The Old Believer community of Rimkai is one of the oldest in the central part of present-day Lithuania. In 1856 an Old Believers’ church assembly was held in the village of Rimkai. This assembly has so far been unknown in historiography, so this is the first time information about the meeting is being introduced into scientific circulation. The resolutions of the assembly are preserved in the only manuscript, which i s now held at the Russian State Library as part of E. V. Barsov’s collection no. 1025. The resolutions consist of 33 articles discussing the Old Believers’ iconolatry as well as regulation of ritual and everyday norms of behaviour applicable to both church leaders and ordinary parishioners. The documents were signed by 13 Old Believers’ spiritual fathers and monks from Lithuania and East Prussia. This study contains a diplomatic edition of Rimkai resolutions too. The text of the document is supplemented by historical commentary and source analysis.

Markučiai ― Markucie ― Маркутье: The History of the Names of One Vilnius Area

The article deals with the historical Russian toponyms corresponding to the aboriginal Lithuanian Markučiai. In the past, this area has changed a number of names, the historical Russian forms of Маркутье and Маркуци have survived to this day. Based on the data of texts of various genre and stylistic attribution, the functioning of both toponyms can be traced during the 2nd half of the 19th – early 20th centuries. The article is an attempt to identify the factors that determined the duality of the historical Russian name. The study showed that the fate of competing toponyms was influenced not only by the real linguistic situation in the Vilna region, but also by the purposeful russification activity of the authorities after the suppression of the Polish uprising of 1863–1864. The forms of the same type of Belarusian oikonyms, Baltic in origin and ascending to Lithuanian personal names, confirm the non-systemic nature of the Vilna toponym Маркутье.

Which Piotr Skarga’s Edition of Żywoty Świętych Was Used for Translation into Old Church Slavonic: The Life of St. Procopius of Scythopolis

The article deals with a small private episode of the general topic of research into Cyrillic translations of an extensive Polish book Żywoty Świętych by Piotr Skarga, a Jesuit and the first rector of the Vilnius University. Using as an example the Old Church Slavonic life of St. Procopius of Scythopolis, translated from Skarga’s book and contained in two manuscripts originating from the territories of the Kingdom of Poland, the author shows that a comparison of the Church Slavonic translation with its Polish original, taking into account all textual changes made in the lifetime editions of Żywoty Świętych makes it possible to determine the exact edition used as a source for the Old Church Slavonic the translation. At the same time, this will serve as a chronological marker indicating the time before which the translation could not have appeared

The Textology of the Synaxarian Life of Menas, Hermogenes, and Eugraphus, Martyrs of Alexandria

The abridged life of Menas, Hermogenes, and Eugraphus, martyrs of Alexandria, was translated from Greek as part of the Church Slavonic Synaxarion no later than in the early 12th century. Notably, the main version of this life does not contain any data on St Eugraphus. One of the earliest copies of the Synaxarion has lost the headline of the life of martyr Gemellus, whose memory is mentioned on the same day, while the corresponding text was added to the life of the saints of Alexandria. The scribe’s error has led to the emergence of a classifying feature that allows dividing the versions of the oldest translation of the Synaxarion into two groups. The first group consists of the main version ofthe life (Sof. 1324 and most other copies of the Ordinary Synaxarion). The second group encompassesthe extended by the life of Gemellus edition (copies of the Bulgarian version of the Synaxarion andseveral copies of the abridged version). In the Serbian version of the Synaxarion the main version ofthe life was supplemented with fictitious data about martyr Eugraphus. Apart from the versions of theOrdinary Synaxarion, two independent translations of the Versed Synaxarion were made from Greek toChurch Slavonic in the 14th century. One of them relates to the Bulgarian book tradition and the otherone follows the Serbian one. Each of the two translations includes the new life of Alexandria’s martyrssupplemented with verses. Between the 1630s and 1640s, Ukrainian scribes of the Commonwealth ofthe Two Nations created yet another version of the life, where the main version was supplemented withdata of martyr Eugraphus from the Bulgarian translation of the Versed Synaxarion. Thus, the abridgedlife of the martyrs of Alexandria is known in three translations, with the oldest one of them availablein four versions.

The 1563 Ruthenian Translation of the Czech Lucidář in a Manuscript Copy of the First Half of the 17th Century: Publication

The younger manuscript copy of the 1563 Ruthenian translation of the Czech Lucidář is published in full (Moscow, State Public Historical Library of Russia, Department of Rare Books, Ms. 11, fol. 67v–89), which has preserved the afterword with the translation date and fills in a significant gap (twenty questions and answers) of the earlier manuscript copy.

Magpie in Lithuanian and Slavic Ethnic Culture

The article, based on a variety of ethnolinguistic material, especially folklore texts, aims to reveal the main similarities and differences in the interpretation of the image of the magpie in the ethnic culture of Lithuanians and Slavs. This bird in two traditions, in Lithuanian and in Slavonic, is treated ambivalently, more often negatively. This is due to the peculiarities of the bird’s appearance, and in particular the variegation of its plumage. This characteristic feature in the ethnic culture of many peoples is traditionally associated with evil spirits. Too talkative people, most often women, are compared with this bird. Common is the motive of the thief magpie. The name of the bird in all the languages is feminine, therefore, in both Lithuanian and Slavic mythopoetic texts, the social roles of a peasant woman are attributed to it: a daughter-in-law, a mother, a hostess, a cook, a nanny. Another common feature is the image of a magpie as a sorceress, herald of good or evil news and future events. These functions are associated with the tendency to depict witches and other mythical characters in the form of a magpie. The most striking differences in the interpretation of the magpie are the following ones: it is unusual for Lithuanians to associate the idea of procreation with it, and some Slavs (for example, the Czechs) believe that magpies bring children into the house. Lithuanians are also unaware of some features of the “working” behavior of a magpie, for example, the threshing motive. In their turn, Lithuanians attribute such crafts as shoemaking, brewing, and agriculture to magpies.