Iavnana

Iavnana

Iavnana ( _ka. იავნანა) is a genre of Georgian folk song, traditionally intended as a lullaby, but historically sung also as healing songs for the sick children. Some of the Iavnana lyrics are, however, of didactical or heroic character.

The name of the genre comes from its refrain "iavnana" (or "iavnaninao", "nana naninao", etc.), which contains the vocable "nana" (ნანა), purportedly derived from the name of a pagan mother goddess. Some of its variants, e.g., "iavnana vardo nana", combine the names of the two flowers violet ("ia") and rose ("vardi") which frequently feature in Georgian folklore and classical literature, and are commonly associated with feminine and masculine symbols, respectively. [Tuite, Kevin (November 16, 2005), [http://www.mapageweb.umontreal.ca/tuitekj/publications/IavnanaTUITE.pdf "The Violet and the Rose. A Georgian Lullaby as Song of Healing and Socio-Political Commentary."] (PDF), p. 2. Université de Montréal. Retrieved on April 21, 2007.]

Over sixty versions of "Iavnanas" have been recorded. [Ibid, p. 3.] Most of these lullabies are sung directly to the child, and are largely preserved in modern-day Georgia. Many of the Iavnana variants, however, were "healing songs" performed specifically in the presence of the sick child, but addressed to the "lords" ("batonebi") or "angels" ("angelozebi"), the spirits who were popularly believed to have taken possession of the patient suffering from smallpox, measles, scarlet fever or other infectious diseases. [Ibid, pp. 3, 8.]

The Iavnana motifs have been exploited in their poetry by several Georgian poets such as Ilia Chavchavadze, Akaki Tsereteli, and Galaktion Tabidze. [გ. ჩხიკვაძე (G. Chkhikvadze), "იავნანა" ("Iavnana"). ქართული საბჭოთა ენციკლოპედია ("Georgian Soviet Encyclopaedia"), p. 37. Tbilisi: 1980.]

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Колыбельная (фильм, 1994) — Колыбельная Iavnana Жанр Притча Режиссёр Нана Джанелидзе Автор сценария Нана Джанелидзе Нино Натрошвили В главных ролях   …   Википедия

  • Music of Georgia — Folk music Georgian folk music possesses what is the oldest tradition of polyphonic music in the world, predating the introduction of Christianity. TuningScales used in traditional Georgian music have, like most European scales, octaves divided… …   Wikipedia

  • Musique géorgienne — La musique géorgienne se situe entre deux mondes : l européen et l asiatique. Selon l angle sous lequel on l aborde, elle pourra sembler en outre très archaïque, ayant un passé très riche remontant au temps pré chrétien. Malgré la… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Music of Georgia (country) — This article is about the music of the country Georgia (in Georgian Sakartvelo ). For music in the US state, see Music of Georgia (U.S. state). File:Children singing and dancing in Tbilisi in national costumes.jpg Children singing and dancing in… …   Wikipedia

  • Nanē (goddess) — For other uses, see Nana (goddess) and Nanaia. Nanē, Nana (Georgian: ნანა) or Nanaia was a pagan mother goddess worshipped in Armenia and close to Georgia. The Georgian song Iavnana is purportedly derived from the word Nana. Reference Pagan Cults …   Wikipedia

  • New Georgian Ballet — theatre of modern dance. Scene from show New Georgian Ballet non repertory theatre of modern dance, founded by georgian choreographer Tamaz Vashakidze in Tbilisi, Georga, in 1993. The Ballets Russes of Sergei Diaghilev was an aesthetic guideline… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”