ПРЕЖИЦИ КУЛТА СТОКЕ У СРПСКИМ ОБРЕДНИМ ПЕСМАМА
THE REMAINS OF THE CATTLE CULT IN A SERBIAN RITUAL SONGS

Summary/Abstract: Cattle represent the most prized possessions in Serbian folk tradition, and they are referred to by one of the synonyms – tre­a­su­re. That is why, in moments of crisis during the annual cycle, people resorted to certain rituals in order to protect them and to increase the number of heads). In the attributes and functions of new born Christ (i.e. a later hypostasis of the pagan Young God), and some Christian saints too (St. Sava, St. George), one can often recognize some older elements, belonging primarily to the old Slavic god of livestock (and underworld) – Veles. Consequently, cattle are the constant part of the repertoire of Christmas carols (ko­le­da), sung when „good guests ko­le­đa­ni“ (a ritual substitute for the spirits of nature) announce a fruitful year, and the first Christmas guest (called po­lo­žaj­nik) magically anticipates the birth of cattle by poking the fire. They are also part of Easter, St Lazarus’ and St George’s Day songs, when those whishes are represented as granted in images of the overall abundance, and later magic actions are directed primarily to the improvement of the milk yield of livestock (through the symbolic efficacy of herbs) and their protection. They are a part of spring songs (sung by la­za­ri­ce and kra­lji­ce) dedicated to certain domestic animals (mostly to an ox, sheep, goat or bees). In them, the number is hyperbolized in order to invoke abundance and well-being in the next cycle. All this confirms that cattle in Serbian ritual songs represent an important element of the agrarian economy and a factor that determines the status and wealth of the traditional Serbian family as this semiotic analysis intends to show.

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