Res Humanitariae

According to 15th to 18th-century written sources, priests-vaidiluciai, successors to the servants of the cult of the pre-Christian religion, performed various duties, including therapeutic activities. Descriptions in sources indicate that the nature of the therapeutic assistance they provided varied according to the magic activity they performed. The healing activities of vaidiluciai have not been systematically studied. This article extends the analysis of data on the therapeutic activities of different groups of vaidiluciai in 15th to 18th-century written folk sources, and identifies the reflection of these activities in 15th to 18th-century folk medicine based on archive records and healing faith records. The research helps to trace the meaning and origin of some therapeutic methods of folk medicine, and the possible development of traditions.

Field section for the delivery ceremonies village Veremiivka Chernobai District, Cherkasy Region of Ukraine allows to conclude that the individual local community ritual actions and folk beliefs associated with the birth of the child, with the all-Ukrainian tradition. At the same time, it is possible to ascertain the presence of a number of locally-territorial peculiarities that distinguish itself Veremiivka’s maternity rite among others. In addition, the opportunity to interview a significant number of inhabitants of the village for the study enabled the implementation of a quality slice of existence of traditional birthing rituals and its transformation that allows you to make a monographic study of certain areas.

The present article treats the manuscript sources as a sort of archive for researches into mentality. It offers an insight into the intellectual heritage of the culture Polish-Lithuanian nobility. Diaries, manuscript books – silva rerum collected news, own notes, excerpts of letters, newspapers etc. At present this kind of private sources can describe a Lost Word of average noblemen. They describe his mental horizons preserving and internalizing system of traditional values and beliefs. Author presented this kind of sources for mentality’s researches at the background of similar notes and manuscript sources in Europe, showing dynamic progress of the European culture of manuscripts.