Several Mythological Aspects of Gabriel Jabushanuri’s Poetry:

(Following the Traces of Vazha-Pshavela’s Poetry and the Mythology of Pshav-Khevsureti)

Abstract

The article examines the mythological aspects of the work of Gabriel Jabushanuri (1914–1968), an outstanding representative of Pshav-Khevsurian poetry. The poet’s verses are interpreted both as literary texts and as an organic continuation of Pshav-Khevsurian culture and pre-Christian belief. Attention is focused on those symbolic structures that actively reveal, within his poetry, the archetypes of collective consciousness: the khatoba (icon festival), the mamisakhli („house-father“), Mzekali („Sun-woman“), Lurja (the mythic horse), and the word as a supernatural force.

The study employs methods of comparative, descriptive, and critical analysis, on the basis of which the relationship between mythological and real time-space is analyzed. Particular significance is attached to the parallels existing with Vazha-Pshavela’s poetry, which connect Jabushanuri’s work to the tradition he inherited. At the same time, it is shown that the poet creates a new mythos, one that carries the living beliefs of Pshav-Khevsurian culture over into a contemporary literary context.

The paper confirms that Gabriel Jabushanuri’s poetry represents the fruit of an artistic-philosophical understanding of the mythic phenomena present in Georgian mythology. His verses, together with the traditional folkloric world, evoke         existential experiences and offer the reader a fresh interpretation of Pshav-Khevsurian mythos.