![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/havighurst\/files\/2021\/03\/klikushki.jpeg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nOne of the many\nfunctions of culture is to provide a framework for how to understand and\nnavigate the world in which people live. Folklore, which includes beliefs,\ncustoms, and stories of a given culture, is able to both influence and explain\ndaily life. One fascinating example is the phenomenon of klikushestvo<\/em>. As\ndescribed by the Russian writer Andrei Sinyavsky, this form of demon possession\ntypically struck young women, and manifested as unintelligible screaming,\nyelling obscenities, or physical writhing fits, especially in response to holy\nacts or places.[1]<\/a>\nHowever, despite the typically intolerable behavior of the klikusha<\/em>, she\nwas often treated with kindness and perceived as a sinless victim.[2]<\/a>\nThis treatment is likely an extension of the broader belief that fools or\nlunatics are special to God. The perception of fools is exemplified by Ivan the\nFool in the folktale \u201cSalt,\u201d wherein the character type illustrates a repeating\nSlavic folklore pattern that a fool can succeed despite defying traditional\nexpectations.[3]<\/a>\nFolklore comprises both tales and beliefs; these forms echo and reinforce each\nother, as seen with the special status of both klikushas<\/em> and male fools.\nThe status of a klikusha<\/em> is likely derived from the \u201cancient tradition\nof veneration for women soothsayers who\u2026 in a state of demoniac possession,\nreveal secrets and make prophecies inaccessible to others.\u201d[4]<\/a>\nThus, there is a widespread behavioral system reinforced by various aspects of\nfolklore in how to treat the odd and irrational behavior of some individuals.\nThe condition itself is also explained within folk belief, which provides a\nframework in which a community can identify and react to behavior that deviates\nfrom the norm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 From an external perspective, klikushestvo<\/em> likely arose as an explanation for a variety of conditions. Scientific approaches claim the behavior may be caused by epilepsy, a startle reflex, various psychological disorders, or even a type of fungal poisoning called ergotism, wherein the afflicted victim consumes tainted rye and experiences many of the symptoms described above.[5]<\/a> These various disorders do not, however, fully capture the klikushestvo <\/em>phenomenon. Some of these conditions are named and identified in local languages, distinct from the concept of klikushestvo<\/em>.[6]<\/a> Many scholars thus turn to anthropological interpretations. Sinyavsky argues the condition is a result of the \u201cgreat mysticalness of the feminine nature.\u201d[7]<\/a> This position is blatantly sexist, relying not only on false stereotypes of women as inherently irrational but also ignoring the fact that the condition did occasionally afflict men. Another scholarly position is that the condition was simply a reaction to the extremely difficult conditions young peasant women lived under, as it was likely their only outlet for their significant emotional burdens. I would argue the reality is likely a combination of explanations; klikushestvo <\/em>may have developed to explain a variety of unexplainable or undesirable conditions, from physiological and psychological disorders to emotional breakdowns, but it became a broadly used system of diagnosis and treatment that was able to offer some relief to these women. This interpretation blended well with established beliefs, such as the male holy fool, and thus the belief was reinforced and perpetuated for centuries. Although folklore may develop as an explanation for incomprehensible events in normal life, the eventual perception of that event is what becomes real for the people. Thus, klikushestvo <\/em>is not able to be neatly categorized as one disorder, as it has evolved to become a reality used to describe and navigate various aspects of normal life.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Avery Imes is a Microbiology major at Miami. This post was written for Dr. Benjamin Sutcliffe’s Russian Folklore class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Works Cited <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Afanas\u02b9ev, Aleksandr. Russian Fairy Tales<\/em>.\nTranslated by Norbert Guterman, illustrated by <\/p>\n\n\n\n Alexander\nAlexeieff, commentary by Roman Jakobson, Pantheon Books, 1976, pp. 40-44. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Khristoforova, Olga.\n“Spirit Possession In A Present-Day Russian Village”. Folklorica<\/em>,\nvol 15, <\/p>\n\n\n\n no. 0,\n2010, pp. 27-59. The University Of Kansas<\/em>,\ndoi:10.17161\/folklorica.v15i0.4024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sinyavsky, Andrei. Ivan The\nFool: Russian Folk Belief. A Cultural History<\/em>. Translated by <\/p>\n\n\n\n Joanne\nTurnbull and Nikolai Formozov, Glas, 2007, pp. 128-132. [1]<\/a>\nSinyavsky 128-9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [2]<\/a>\nIbid., 130.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [3]<\/a>\nSee Afanas\u2019ev 40-44.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [4]<\/a>\nSinyavsky 131.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [5]<\/a>\nSee Khristoforova 31-32.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [6]<\/a>\nIbid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [7]<\/a>\nSinyavsky 130.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Avery Imes One of the many functions of culture is to provide a framework for how to understand and navigate the world in which people live. Folklore, which includes beliefs, customs, and stories of a given culture, is able … Continue reading
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