Folklore and Ethnographic Roots of Franko’s Story “On Yura Shykmaniuk Wading the Cheremosh”

In the cycle of Ivan Franko’s works on Hutsul themes, the story “On Yura Shykmaniuk Wading the Cheremosh” is particularly colorful. This piece of prose arose out of the author’s stunning experiences he enjoyed while staying in the village Kryvorivnia, a blessed corner of the Hutsul region. Even though the writer focused on elaborating the eternal theme of “the fight between the evil and the good in a human,” he also included numerous details from the local tradition, revealing a unique atmosphere of the Hutsul land. The regional folklore and ethnographic elements play a significant role in the arduous life story of the elderly Hutsul Yura Shykmaniuk. The moment of emotional climax when Yura Shykmaniuk desperately struggles in his heart trying to decide whether “to take the path of crime or not” is skillfully intensified by the writer citing the chronicle songs about the tragic life of an “opryshok” (brigand) Yura Drahariuk. The reference to the popular folklore text essentially explicates the emotional and psychological state of the protagonist, while also presenting a grim prospect of living one’s life as a murderer. Apart from direct quotes from the song, the author also pays close attention to unique ethnographic details. He highlighted the most outstanding features of the Hutsul family rituals. In particular, he depicted the local peculiarities of a funeral custom, with the trembita being the core of the ritual, tirelessly “bewailing the eternal memory” of the dead. The story also mentions some spirits from the Hutsul demonology. While writing “On Yura Shykmaniuk Wading the Cheremosh,” Franko was still accomplishing his work on the first volume of the series “Galician Ruthenian Folk Proverbs and Sayings.” Consequently, it’s no surprise that the text of the story abounds in samples of folk wisdom: the story is enriched with more than fifty aphoristic sayings. Numerous folklore and ethnographic elements incorporated into the story not only shape a relevant Hutsul context but also help in delineating its core ideas.