Prymovka (Ritual Rhyme)

The prymovka (ritual rhyme) is a minor genre of oral folk creativity — a short, mostly rhymed and rhythmicized formula that accompanies a certain action, game, or address. One distinguishes children's prymovkas (accompanying amusements, games, counting rhymes) and ritual-magical addresses to the forces of nature, animals, and insects: to the rain ('Come, come, little rain, I'll cook you some borsch'), to the sun, to the ladybug, to the stork. The prymovka is genetically linked to the incantation and preserves an echo of the ancient magic of the word, the belief in the efficacy of a request addressed to nature; yet in children's folklore this function has evaporated, yielding to play and amusement. In brevity and formulaicity, the prymovka is akin to the saying, the tongue-twister, and the spring-call. Ukrainian children's prymovkas and amusements were collected by Marko Hrushevsky, Hnat Tantsiura, and Oleksa Voropai.