Merry magic in traditional Lithuanian culture

Straipsnyje gilinamasi į nepaprastų žmonių kategoriją – burtininkus, jų vaizdinį tradicinėje lietuvių kultūroje. Pasitelkiami pasakojimai apie burtininkus, paprastai priskiriami mitologinėms sakmėms, taip pat kalbinė ir etnografinė medžiaga. Autorės dėmesį patraukė specifinė burtininkų veikla – pokštavimas pasitelkus magiją. Aiškinamasi, kokius maginius veiksmus burtininkas atlieka, kodėl ir kaip veikia jo magija. Pastebima, kad sakmėse burtininkai neretai pavadinami monininkais. Senojoje lietuvių raštijoje (XVII–XVIII a.) monininku buvo vadinamas burtininkas, žynys, o XIX a. pabaigos–XX a. I pusės kalbinėje bei folkloro medžiagoje – burtininkas, gebantis sukelti optines iliuzijas, paveikti objektus per atstumą. Monininkais neretai buvo pavadinami ir savotiški keliaujantys aktoriai, už tam tikrą atlygį rodantys iliuzinius triukus. Jų pasirodymai artimi dabartiniams iliuzionistų pasirodymams ir veikiausiai yra jų pirmtakas.Tyrime naudojami analitinis aprašomasis bei interpretacinis metodai.At the centre of attention are Lithuanian mythological stories and the extraordinary people they tell of – wizards, who use their magical powers for entertainment. They were often called monininkas (illusionist). In old Lithuanian writings (17th–18th c.), such persons were called by the community magicians, wizards, wise men – they would perform certain rituals and knew how to use magic. Meanwhile, at the end of the 19th–first half of the 20th c., in oral and folkloric material these monininkai were understood as being magicians who could perform monai – optical illusions to trick their audience, move objects from a distance, convince people that they can see water, fire, that non-living things are moving or turning into living beings. At the end of the 19th–mid 20th c. and in the 21st c. the following individuals were described in mythological stories — peasants or musicians, beggars, craftsmen, millers, but they are usually anonymous, while there are famous wizards, who are remembered to this day, such as the wizard Kazragys of Samogitia, or Šimutis from the Gervėčiai region. It was believed that they had a connection with mythical, “otherworldly” powers, which is why they could perform magic. Travelling illusionists were also known as monininkai, demonstrating optical illusions for a fee. Their abilities are thought of as a certain “hocus-pocus” (Lit. akių dūmimas, literally translated as “blowing smoke into one’s eyes”), i.e. a visual disturbance using volatile substances (smoke, mist, fog, etc.). This is also reflected in the phraseology of the Lithuanian language