Simboliai verpsčių puošyboje

LTLietuvių ir kitų baltų kultūros tyrinėjimuose daug dėmesio skiriama ikikrikščioniškos pasaulėžiūros bei mitologijos rekonstrukcijai. Nesant pakankamai istorinių rašytinių šaltinių, naudojamasi papildoma medžiaga - tautosaka, etnografija, liaudies menu. M. Gimbutienės, P. Dundulienės, N. Vėliaus tyrinėjimuose remiamasi ir verpsčių puošyba, jos motyvų prasmės analize bei interpretacija. Apskritimo formos ornamentai, kaip, pvz., kryžius apskritime, keturkampės, šešiakampės, aštuonkampės segmentinės žvaigždės, išpjautos giliapjūve arba kontūrine linija, traktuojamos kaip soliariniai ženklai, kaip šviesos, Saulės simboliai. Geometrinė, augalinė bei zoomorfinė puošyba siejama su dirbamos žemės, lino dievybės, moters simbolika. Šių ornamentų kompozicijoje įžiūrima pasaulio modelio, tautosakoje ir mitologijoje išreikšto Gyvybės, arba Visatos medžiu, idėja. Šiuo metodu tyrinėjant ornamentą, pirmumas formos atžvilgiu teikiamas turiniui arba, kitaip tariant, ornamentas ideologizuojamas. Tačiau tarp simbolio ir ornamento, tarp prasmės ir formos puošyboje nėra tapatumo. [p. 214].

ENThe decoration of distaffs, the analyses of the meaning of its motives is a sourse for the scientific argumentation in the research works of the Lithuanian culture by M. Gimbutienė, P. Dundulienė and N. Vėlius. The elements of the ornamentation and its composition are interpreted as the symbols of the Lithuanian mythology in their works. The aim of this article is different: having in view the decoration of distaffs as the object of aesthetics, to make an attempt to analyse its symbolism taking into consideration the functioning of distaffs in the social environment. The article is based on the exhibits (158 units) of the Lithuanian museums, Russian State Ethnographic Museum in St. Petersburg ant the catalogue (157 units) of State M. K. Čiurlionis Art Museum. A distaff is an implement used for fixing the fibre spinning flax by hand-spindle. It is made of wood and has two constructive parts: a head, used for fastening a fibre, and a flat horizontal board, used for fixing the handle of the head. In the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century the distaffs were mainly used in eastern and southern Lithuania. The heads of these implements have a spade form and a willow-leaf form with a cut or pointed top.The external side of the distaff-head and sometimes the lower part of the internal side, as well as the handle are decorated with the ornaments. The four, six and eight-pointed compass-drawn stars prevail in the geometric ornamentation. Next to these ornaments one can find the floral ones — that of a tree, a branch, a plant. Zoomorphic ornaments are also met quite often. The most popular are those of the birds. The composition of the motives is in tune with the decorated space. The spade-form distaff-heads are decorated with the stars, linear ornaments situated in horizontal or vertical lines. Thus the massive quadrangular space is divided into smaller planes. The composition scheme of the willow-leaf form distaffs is different — two or three decreasing in size circles with the stars are arranged in one vertical row. Such structure is organically related to the form of distaff’s head. It is difficult to say whether the ornament is applied to the form or vice versa. Therefore the mythological content in the ornaments can hardly be revealed.