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სტატიიდან აღებული ავტორის ინგლისურენოვანი რეზიუმე:

The figure of the goddess Dali (often addressed as “Dali of the Crags”) is regarded as the personification of kindness and beauty in the Svan folklore and beliefs. In her nature and behavior we can trace how the ways and stages of the development are shaped. To see Dali from a distance (imaginational vision) was perceived by lucky hunters as a sign that the hunting would be always successful. However, the hunter was strictly forbidden to tell anybody about this secret, otherwise the hunter’s death would be inevitable. There are also such renderings where Dali teaches hunting to her chosen one, instructs and gives advice as how to behave, where to go for hunting.

It is obvious that the sexual relation is excluded at this stage, and on the hunter’s side too only reverence and veneration are manifested in relation to Dali. However, the goddess is close to the earthly way of life. Though it was pure relation but still she has love affair with a hunter. And at the next stage, Dali becomes the sweetheart of her chosen hunter. It is just from here that for the hunter a new stage of development, a communion with divinity starts. Dali constantly shows mercy upon him, fulfills all his wishes, and his family is doing well, he is successful in every sphere, the beginning and the end of the prosperity is seen but any breach of these conditions (Dali warns the hunter in advance not to tell anybody about their relationship and other things) results in his death.

In such case Dali is very severe, she can’t be merciful. It is a fact that Dali always returns a kindness. She has the power of perceiving in things but in some texts sensuality prevails; naturally, this version is an addition of the following period. It is from this viewpoint that presented for the analysis the perkhuli (round-dance) song, “Dali gives birth in the crags” is interesting. A baby was dropped down from the high cliff, and a wolf snatched up the baby but the hunter Mepisa shot the wolf. The newborn child that was gifted with speech ability from the very birth, shouted from the foothill and let his mother know that his savior was the hunter Mepisa.

The goddess offered the hunter to make a choice. She might grant him a flock every day, or jackals and turs (mountain goats) in September, or her sexual favors. The hunter timidly responded that he won’t dare to sleep with her and he set his choice on ten wild goats. Dali sent him the goats among which there was one with golden horn. The hunter targeted to the one with the golden horn but the bullet recoiled from the beast and hit the hunter’s forehead. After thorough analysis of such finale, the folklorist, E.Virsaladze put the question, as to why Dali got furious with the hunter. It turned out that the hunter had shot a bullet to a tur with a golden horn that was the animal form of the goddess.

So, the hunter misused Dali’s gift and the bullet was put through his head. If we recall the hunter Betkil’s mourning, we will realize that the episode of Betkil’s tragic death is broadly unfolded. Like the song of Dali giving birth, it represents a fragment of one mystery (Virsaladze 1964: 62-67). This view is to be revised. A question is arisen, why the hunter must have misused Dali’s gift. The question can be also put in the following way: Why did the goddess decide to mix a tur with golden horn, i.e. her own self, with in the flop? What is the reason of such trial? To what extent was it necessary to test the hunter who had rescued her child?

It is known that to perform an oath is the sacred thing both for the gods and mortals. According to Dali’s promise the hunter would have got nine turs without any trials as it is in other versions of the legend. After all, he did help the woman who was in such desperate situation that even the “rocks mourn”. Dali was well aware that the hunter Mepisa was extremely sincere, honest soul, completely devoted to the goddess. Naturally, Dali knew perfectly well that such trial could end badly for the hunter. Proceeding from this, an opinion expressed in the scientific literature that the hunter misused the gift offered by the hunting-goddess seems disputable.

From the relationship between Dali and the hunter it is well known that along with the mystery of gift and intimacy, the goddess counseled the hunter not to talk to anybody about it. There are many texts to prove this. Another point concerns the gift granted by Dali and the choice. She offered the hunter nine turs without any warrants. Obviously, if the hunter had known that the tur with golden horn was the animal form of Dali, he would not have shot it because that meant death for him. Therefore, we can suppose that it was a mistake and not a planned action, moreover the misuse of the gift. In our view, the main point is in Dali’s action. There is no doubt that she left on the mercy of fate the hunter, a savior of her baby.

At this stage, the sensuality and the human feelings have already deeply penetrated into the goddess. Naturally, Dali feels insulted when the hunter refuses to have sexual relations with her preferring ten turs as it is in other versions. It is just in this case that it could be considered as a real gift. Obviously, the trial causing death is neither gift nor mercy for the hunter who had rescued the baby. rolan barti pozicia rolan barti sagnis semantika msurs, ramdenime mosazreba warmogidginoT Cveni civilizaciis sag- nebze, rasac, sazogadod, teqnikur civilizacias vuwodebT. Cems mosazre- noben semiologiis an niSanTa mecnierebis saxeliT. semiologia, inglisu-

გამოქვეყნებულია ჟურნალში „სჯანი“, ტ. 10 (2009), გვ. 73–83. ნაშრომის გახსნა