blood brotherhood

Sŭrnica 1

40 (a) i sə zəpuznàhə s mòjə i sə pubrətìhə

[when] he got to know my [husband]. And they became sworn brothers –

41 (a) č’ìstu i pròstu kətu bràt’ə

purely and simply like brothers.

42 (MM) à tùka pobràtimi

Ah, here [you have the custom of] blood brothers!

45 (MM) jà jà da mi kàeš tovà tvà še bɤ̀e poslèdno

Come now and tell me about this last thing

46 (MM) da zəpišem da mi kàžeš kogà kàk

so we can record it. Tell me how and when

47 (MM) stàvate pobràtimi vìe ili posèstrim

you become blood brothers – or blood sisters.

49 (MM) kogò še go po

Who will –

50 (a) uvəž’àvəš sə ubìč’əš sə ìməš sə s nèjə mnògu

You get to respect someone, like someone, get on well with her

52 (a) nəlì ut prijàtelstvu

You know, [it grows] out of friendship ...

54 (a) blìsku prijàtelstvu i kàzvət pubrətèni sme

… close friendship, and they say “We’re sworn brothers”

55 (a) štòm sə mnògu ubìč’ət s nègu

since you love each other so much.

56 (MM) dobrè pobratèn ə pràite li nèšto

O.K., sworn brothers – But do you do something,

57 (MM) n’àkɤf običàj da ìmate da kàem ə

do you have some sort of custom, for instance –

58 (a) emi vìš’ s’à

Well, you see ...

59 (MM) od dnèska sme pobratèni

[to say] “From this day forth we are brothers” ?

60 (a) n’èmə ubič’ɛ̀j əmi tì kətu ž’èniš’ dərùvəš’ n’ègu

... there isn’t a [particular] custom. But it’s like a wedding, you give gifts to someone.

62 (a) vɤ̀preki.č’e ni tì e ròt

Even though you’re not related …

64 (a) dərùvəš’ n’ègu

… you [still] give him gifts.

66 (a) tòj kətu už’èni n’èguvìte dərùvə t’èp

When he marries off his [children] he gifts you,

67 (a) kətu ìjš’ nə gòst’e zənàs’əš’ sì mu pu nɛ̀štu pudàrək

and when you go visiting [him] you bring him some sort of gift,

68 (a) tòj kətu dòjde i tòj pràzen ni ìdvə

and when he comes over, he doesn’t come empty-handed either.

69 (a) edìn nə drùk si sә̥ uvəž’àvəme i si pudnàs’əme kəkvò ìməm

We respect one another, and we bring each other what we have [to give].

71 (a) ut sìčku i əku ìskəš dr’èxi ìskəš nɛ̀štu pudàrəci ku ìskəš i

Anything – clothing if you want, some sort of gifts.

72 (a) ut.kɤ̀šti mu slòžiš nɛ̀štu zə jɛ̀dene udnisèš’

When he leaves your house you send food with him, and take some ...

74 (a) kətu ìjš’ nə gòste

... when you go visiting.

76 (a) i nə təkà təvà vìkəme pubrət’àvəne

And that’s what we call sworn brotherhood,

78 (a) štòtu kətu ni tì e ròtᵊ fəf kətu ž’èniš’ dicà

because – if he’s not related to you in – well, when you marry off your children

79 (a) nəlì nə n’ègu dàr ni sɤ̀ pulàgə

you don’t gift someone [who’s not a blood relative], do you?

82 (a) ə pə ìnəč’e kət sə mnògu ubìč’ət i təkvònət

But otherwise, when you love each other a lot and such –

83 (b) prijàtele

[When you’re real] friends –

84 (a) kət sə pubrət’èni idìn nə drùk sə dərùvəš’

When you’re sworn bothers, you give gifts to one another,

85 (a) i gu ìməš’ kətu svòj blìsək

and you hold [this person] as [someone very] close to you.

86 (MM) a mòže li decàta im da se žèn’ɤt slet tovà

And after this, can the children of [two such people] marry?

87 (a) n’è

No.

89 (a) n’è nìkugàš’

No, never …

91 (a) n’èmə də mu rəzreš’ìš’ də sə ž’èn’et

… would they be allowed to marry.

93 (a) nàšie tòj ut smòl’en ìskəš’è mi mòjtu tr’ɤ̀tutu

One of ours from Smoljan wanted [to marry] my third [daughter],

94 (a) pràf s’əd’ɛ̀š’e

and wouldn’t [even] sit [in my presence].

96 (a) à nàš’ijə vìkə n’è nè tòlku blìski sme prijàteli

but our [family head] said “No, no, our friendship is too close” ...

97 (MM) štòm sɤ pobràtimi [unintelligible]

– since they’re blood brothers [unintelligible]

98 (a) vìkə tvà n’èmə də stàne vìkə

... he said. “That can’t happen", he said.

100 (a) nì č’ìstu i pròstu sme vìkə bràt’ə s t’èp

“Simply and plainly, we are,” he said, “brothers with you.”

101 (MM) vèče e rodnìna dà

[There] is already a blood relationship, yes.

102 (a) n’èmə si dàm dəšter’ɤ̀tə à mə š’ə mi jə dəd’èš

– “I won’t give my daughter!” – “Ah, [yes], you’ll give her to me!

103 (a) tә̥ š’ə mi jə dədèš’ e tvà e

You’ll give her to me, and that’s that.”

104 (a) mnògu ìməš’e želànie əmə

People wanted [it to happen] a lot, but –

105 (MM) po n’àkoi kràišta znàeš kàk stàvat pobràtimi

You know how they become blood brothers in some areas?

106 (MM) às še si ubodɤ̀ tùka

I’ll prick my – here …

107 (b) dà

Yes.

108 (a) a təkà

Yes, right!

109 (MM) na prɤ̀stɤ

… my finger

110 (a) i nàšte pràət

Our people do that too.

111 (b) nəlìzvət

They lick –

112 (a) mòjə sv’èkɤr təkà pràvil səs

My father-in-law did it with …

113 (MM) i òn’a še go še

And the other one will – he’ll –

114 (b) nəlìzvət si krɤ̀f

They lick each other’s blood.

115 (a) nə mùtetu

… with Muteto.

116 (MM) nalìzvat si krɤ̀f

They lick each other’s blood.

117 (b) mi dà

Well, yes.

118 (a) à təkà

That’s right.

119 (b) stàvə i tùkə ə təkà

It happens that way here too.

120 (MM) ìma li go tovà tùka

Is there [that custom] here?

121 (b) ìmə ìmə gu

There is, there is.

122 (a) i mòjə svèkər təkà ə nəpràvil səs edìn tùkənə

My father-in-law did it that way with someone here …

123 (b) ìmə gu

There is.

124 (a) kət sə bilì vujnìci

… when they were in the military.

126 (a) svekərɤ̀ mi tò təkà kàzvəš’e səs edìn ɤ̀ tùk

My father-in-law told me [that he’d done] that with someone here,

127 (a) nə mùt’etu tràmpuski z bubàjku mu

with the dad of Muteto Trampuski …

129 (a) i na mal’èn e tòs z bùbəl’a mu i nàš’ijə svèkər

… the grandfather of Malyen. And our father-in-law

130 (a) sɤ̀deš’e vìnəgi vìkə vàšte decà rəstɤ̀t

always laid down the law. He said: “Your children are growing up,

131 (a) i nə nə nə ònijə mòə vìkə pubràtim rəstɤ̀t d’əcà

and those –", he said, "My blood-brother’s children are growing up too.

132 (a) də ni sɤ̀ sə z’ɤ̀li vìkə

But they mustn’t marry,” he said.

133 (a) às iz gròbə š’ə və kɤ̀lnɤ əku sə z’ɤ̀mət

“I’ll curse you from my grave if they marry.

134 (a) nìj sme vìkə krɤ̀vni bràt’ə s krɤ̀f sə smɤ pubrətìli

We are,” he said, “blood brothers. We have sworn brotherhood by blood.”

137 (a) i tè izràstuvət čuv’ɛ̀čni i mòjtə təjfɤ̀

And they grew up properly, that bunch of mine.

138 (b) takà e

That’s how [it was].

139 (a) i sì sə rəzbrà:me i s t’àh təkà sə dərùvəhme

And we came to an understanding, and exchanged gifts with them,

140 (a) kət puč’ìnə svekɤrɤ̀ mi ìdvəhà də gu vìd’et

and when my father-in-law died they came to see him,

142 (a) nìj òdihme də vìdim n’ègu nə pugrib’ènietu si òdihme

and we went to see [the blood brother], and we went to the funeral [together].

143 (a) tvà ti unuvà ti uvəž’ɛ̀vət sə

[Blood brothers do] this and that [together]. They respect one another.

144 (MM) rodnìni rodnìni

[They’re] relatives, relatives.

145 (a) à təkà

That’s it.

146 (b) sè.ednò rudnìni tòčno təkà

Just as if relatives, exactly that.

147 (a) uvəž’àvət sə

They respect one another.

148 (MM) a a às sɤm po drùgi kràišta sɤm slùšal a dvàma

I’ve – I’ve heard in other areas that if two

149 (MM) zastàvat i sɤs edìn pòjas gi u

come together [like this], they take a single belt and …

150 (a) à təkà

That’s right …

151 (MM) opàšad i

… put it around [them both] and –

152 (a) ìmə gu i tvà kòj kàk ìskə

… there’s that [custom] too, whoever wants to [do it] and however [he wants to].

153 (MM) i gi opàšat i tè vèče tovà e

They put the belt around them and it’s a done thing –

155 (MM) sa pobràtimi stànali

They’ve become blood brothers.

156 (a) təkà e

That’s right.

158 (a) ìmə ìmə uvəž’àvət sə

There is [that custom]. They respect one another.

160 (a) kòjtu sə nàč’i təkòvə tè sə pubrət’àvət n’è

So whoever does this, they are blood brothers. No, …

162 (a) ne mòdži də sə zìmət ne mògət də sə ž’èn’et pòveč’e

… they can’t get married any more [to anyone from the other’s family].

163 (MM) da a ìmaše li takɤ̀f običàj ako ə ednà ženà

Yes. Well, and was there such a custom that if one woman

164 (MM) ə kɤ̀rmi də ili zadòjva i drùgo detè

nursed, or gave first suck to another’s child –

167 (b) tòčno i təkà stàvə

It goes just like that.

168 (MM) a tè tèzi dvè decà kakvì sa

So what relationship are these two children [to one another]?

169 (b) s’əstrì sə s’əs t’è sə kət s’əstrì

They’re sisters – They’re like sisters.

Main menu

blood brotherhood

Sŭrnica 1

Pages

Main menu

You are here

blood brotherhood

Sŭrnica 1

Pages