"Šis arklys būtų manas, bet laukas" : raitelio ir arklio įvaizdžių reikšmė drugio ligos kontekste

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Arklys; Drugio liga; Drugys; Liaudies medicina; Senieji tikėjimai; Velnias; Butterfly disease; Devil; Fever; Folk medicine; Horse; Old faiths.

ENThis article, based on 19th−mid 20th c. Lithuanian mythological tales, beliefs and folk medicine, discusses the anthropomorphic and zoomorphic forms of the drugis sickness (lat. Febris intermittens – fever); the aim is to reveal the mythical being behind it. It has been noticed that in folk medicine texts, as well as tales, there are two types of fever – krečiamasis and šlapdrugis. The first, krečiamasis, had the image of an anthropomorphic rider, riding the patient. Meanwhile, šlapdrugis is an internal fever, that needs to be drawn out of the patient. Attempts to deal with fever with include trickery (changing one’s appearance, imitating the actions of the fever, pretending to be dead, etc.), scare tactics and charms. The fever could be depicted as a horse, the so-called arklinis drugys; therefore, the image of the horse, as a chthonic-origin animal, in Lithuanian folklore is discussed. Nevertheless, there isn’t much data that could help us identify what mythic being is associated with the drugis. Whether fever can be associated with the devil, kokliku, slogučiu, laume, or if it is an independent mythological being – this is an open question. [From the publication]