Acritic Songs :

the songs of the frontier guards defending the

eastern borders of the Byzantine Empire

Presentation by Konstantia Koukouna & Kleopatra Stoumpou Year 11 Students of the Music School of Agrinio

What are the Acritic songs ? Acritic songs are a particular genre of folk songs

which talk about the exploits of the Akrites, the frontier guards defending the eastern border of the Byzantine Empire. They are the oldest Greek folk songs and the oldest surviving relative of the acritic romance of the 12th century, known as the Epic of Digenis Akritas. Akritas (in the language of the Greeks living by the Black Sea) or Akritis (in Byzantine history) is a term derived from the word "akra", which meant the state border.

Distinctive Features of the Acritic Folk Songs

• They are a hymn to personal bravery. What is consistently promoted is a heroic individual, as opposed to the masses who are rarely ever mentioned.

• Each of the songs stands in its own right. In each of them a separate deed or dramatic story of an Akritis is narrated.

In terms of technique they make use of: 1) A narrative (story with a beginning, middle and ending)

in epic form 2) Clear and fast action in a comparatively short verse 3) The supernatural element (participation of nature,

wrestling with Death) 4) A heroic character

Types of Acritic songs

These can be divided into two groups:

The first kind have as their subject matter the life and death of Digenis

The second have as their subject matter the life and actions of other Akrites, depicting their special relationship with their horse as they are in the battlefield together and together they achieve their victories against the enemy. Today approximately eighty border songs are preserved with dozens, however, variations.

Page from the Epic of Digenis Akritas, manuscript

from Athens - Andros

The Epic of Dighenis Akritas

The acritic romance of Dighenis Akritas is the oldest written monument of Greek literature written in the Greek medieval language (11th-12th century), and is regarded as the work which marks the beginning of modern Greek literature. It narrates Digenis’ descent, his childhood years, his heroic deeds and his death. Digenis earned this nickname because of his bi-ethnic background : his mother was the daughter of a Byzantine General and his father an Emir from Syria.

Digenis Akritas

The common elements found between the epic of Digenis and the other Acritic songs are:

common plot elements, such as the death scene

of Digenis in which the hero, before he dies, remembers his accomplishments and narrates them to his companions

verbal elements, which are found mostly in

Variation E, which is closer to the oral form of the song.

The most well-known characters in Acritic folk songs

The most prominent among the Akrites is Basil Digenis Akritas, who • had all the virtues of a fighter • was a legendary hero who was kind, yet with amazing stamina and

strength, • was distinguished among his peers for his bravery, his unique power

and fighting skills, • is apparently the descendent of Hercules (from ancient Greek

mythology) in the Christian tradition • stands for all those nameless defenders of the Byzantine Empire who

had to constantly struggle against various enemies and invaders.

Othersfigures praised in Acritic folk songs are: Nikephoros, Ioannes Tsimisces, Vardas Phocas Alexios Constantinos Theophylactos

Digenis Akritas fighting the dragon, Byzantine dish from the 12th century

Digenis features in two types of folk songs:

Those which talk about the kidnapping of the bride. In these, it is either Digenis who steals his bride-to-be (as in the famous Cypriot song Digenis and the daughter of King Levanter) or it is his wife who is kidnapped by Saracens or thieves. In the latter, Digenis is away from home and is informed, usually by a bird, that his wife has been kidnapped.

Those which talk about his death. In these songs, the hero, just before he dies, gathers around him his comrades and remembers his achievements. In some songs, Digenis does not die of a disease, as in the epic, but after a battle with Death. In some versions of these songs, Death defeats Digenis in an ambush. In most of these songs Digenis appears not only as a hero with superhuman powers, but as a being with supernatural dimensions.

The Death of Digenis Variation from Crete

Ο Θάνατος του Διγενή

(Κρητική παραλλαγή)

Ο Διγενής ψυχομαχεί* κι η γη* τονε τρομάσσει βροντά κι αστράφτει ο ουρανός και σειέτ' ο απάνω κόσμός* κι ο κάτω κόσμος* άνοιξε και τρίζουν τα θεμέλια, κι η πλάκα* τον ανατριχιά πώς θα τόνε σκεπάσει, πώς θα σκεπάσει τον αϊτό τση γης τον αντρειωμένο*.

Σπίτι δεν τον εσκέπαζε*, σπήλιο δεν τον εχώρει, τα όρη εδιασκέλιζε*, βουνού κορφές* επήδα, χαράκι* αμαδολόγαγε* και ριζιμιά* ξεκούνιε*. στο βίτσιμα* ΄πιανε πουλιά, στο πέταμα γεράκια, στο γλάκιο* και στο πήδημα τα λάφια* και τ' αγρίμια*.

Ζηλεύγει* ο Χάρος με χωσιά* μακρά τόνε βιγλίζει*, κ' ελάβωσέ του την καρδιά και την ψυχή του πήρε. • Σημείωση: Το τραγούδι αυτό δημοσιεύτηκε πρώτη φορά το 1909 στο

περιοδικό "Κρητικός Λαός", από τον Π. Βλαστό, το οποίο και συμπεριέλαβε στη συνέχεια στην "εκλογή" του ο Ν. Πολίτης.

Poem Analysis

• In the poem what is prominent is the fact that Death

cannot defeat Digenis and that is why the former never confronts him in the battle field, but tries to kill him by setting up traps for him, instead.

• Digenis fights to death with as much courage, strength and bravery that he can muster in the few hours he has left.

• Digenis fights for the survival of his soul and with his remarkable strength he scares even the earth which is about to welcome him in. The artist wonders how the earth will endure such power and prowess.

Distinctive Features of Acritic Folk Songs

1. Hyperbole 2. Personification 3. Repetition 4. Vivid images 5. Epic form 6. Serious, grand, majestic tone 7. 15-syllable, not rhyming, iambic verse 8. Repetition and completion of line a in line b 9. 3rd person narration at the beginning and end, alternating with dialogue (for vividness and

drama)

Digenis fights Death

Digenis on his deathbed Variation from Crete

Ο Διγενής ψυχομαχεί. . .

Παραλλαγή Κρήτης

Έ, μ’ ο Διγενής, ο Διγενής ψυχομαχεί

κ' η γη - ε, κι η γης τονέ τρομάσσει, έ, κι η πλάκα το – κι η πλάκα τον

ανατριχιά.

Έ, κι η πλάκα το – κι η πλάκα τον ανατριχιά,

πως θα, ε, πώς θα τονέ σκεπάση, έ, γιατί κι όντε – γιατί κι όντες

ψυχομαχή.

Έ, γιατί κι όντε – γιατί κι όντες ψυχομαχή

Λόγια, έ, λόγια αντρειωμένου λέει : έ, «Νάχεν η γης, ναχεν η γης

πατήματα.

Έ, νάχεν η γης, νάχεν η γης πατήματα,

κι ο ου – έ, κι ο ουρανός κερκέλια, έ, να πάθιουν τα, να πάθιουν τα

πατήματα.

Έ, να πάθιουν τα, να πάθιουν τα πατήματα

νάπια – έ, νάπιανα τα κερκέλια, έ, ν’ανέβαινα, ν’ανέβαινα στον

ουρανό.

Έ, ν’ανέβαινα, ν’ανέβαινα στον ουρανό

να δι – έ, να διπλωθώ να κάτσω, έ, να δώσω σει – να δώσω σείσμα του

ουρανού».

The young Konstantinos Variation from Central Greece

An Acritic song about the life and

deeds of other Akrites

Ο Κωνσταντίνος ο μικρός (παραλλαγή Στερεά Ελλάδα)

Ωρέ, ν-ο Κωνσταντι- ν-ο Κωνσταντίνος ο μικρός ν-ο Κωνσταντίνος ο μικρός κι ο Αλέξης αντρειωμένος.

Ωρέ, και το μικρό, και το μικρό Βλαχόπουλο

Και το μικρό Βλαχόπουλο, αντάμα τρών και πίνουν.

Είχανε και τους μαύρους τους στον τάβουλα δεμένους. Σαν έκατσαν να φαν ψωμί, να διπλογιοματίσουν, Πουλάκι πήγε κι έκατσε δεξιά μεριά στην τάβλα. Δεν κελαηδούσε σαν πουλί μουιδέ σα χελιδόνι,

μον’ κελαηδούσε κι έλεγε μ’ ανθρώπινη λαλιούλα : «Εσείς τρώτε και πίνετε και πίσω σας κουρσεύουν.»

The story

Three Akrites are away from home and the moment they sit down to have a rest and a bite to eat, a little bird comes flying by informing them that the enemy is plundering their homeland and that their loved ones are in danger.

Listen to our school’s

Traditional Music Choir

and Ensemble perform

this variation from

Central Greece of

TheYoung Constantinos