“A Healer and a Wandering Poet”: The Spells, Incantations and Prayers of Varvara Malakhieva-Mirovich

This article examines the poetic legacy of Varvara Malachieva-Mirovich (1869– 1954) and in particular the poetic texts that she intends as fully identical in terms of functionality with actual Eastern Slavic spells and incantations. At the same time, the study establishes that Malakhieva-Mirovich positioned herself not only as a lyric poet who remained faithful to the artistic canons of the Silver Age but also as direct heir to the “Pskov magicians” who once practiced various types of magic rituals and were said to possess definite supernatural abilities. A similar antinomy serves as the regulatory principle of Malachieva-Mirovich’s entire oeuvre, which nullifies traditional oppositions such as low and sublime, spoken and written, folkloric and bookish, intuitive and discursive. Malachieva-Mirovich’s poetic spells tend to a single plot (the protagonist’s movement to a state of healing sleep); operate with stable formulas of magic folk poetry; reveal an affinity to the genre of lullaby; and actively use the figurative system of Russian Symbolism. At the same time, in the poet’s artistic consciousness poetic spells are clearly distinguished from such related genre forms as prayers and incantations. Malachieva-Mirovich’s incantations have minimal contact with folklore and come as close as possible to Symbolist literary efforts. However, even in cases where the poet’s verbal magic experiments do not resemble authentic spells, they fully retain their suggestiveness and ability to exert a fascinating (enchanting) effect.