Folklore Motifs in One of Vazha-Pshavela’s Stories and Shio Aragvispireli’s Novelette “Long-Eared Owls” (“Ololebi”)

Abstract

The novelette by Shio Aragvispireli “Long-Eared Owls” at one glance reminds Vazha-Pshavela’s story “How the Owls Came into the World?” Characters of both works are the wicked stepmothers. They hate their stepchildren and therefore attempt to ruin them. Aragvispireli and Vazha-Pshavela, each, develop this folklore motif in his own way. In “Long-Eared Owls” the cause of transfer into the other world, i.e. transformation of children into the birds is the desire to find their favorite calf. In Vazha-s story the cause of children’s transformation into birds is the fear of their stepmother.

The report considers interrelations between Vazha-Pshavela’s above mentioned story and Shio Aragvispireli’s novelette.