Abstract:
The Amirani epic is of ancient origin. Ancient authors noted that
there was a legend about a chained Goliath in the Caucasus. Over
time he has undergone some changes. Presumably, Amirani’s story
was created as a myth that reflected a universal model of adversarial
struggle. A cycle of legends later formed, which eventually took the
form of an epic.
Archaic layers are mixed with relatively new motifs, which led to
the controversial character of the main hero. It is difficult to determine
what changes have taken place in the content and structure of
the text, as records of the narrative date back to the 19th century. It
is from this period that interference with the text of the folk epic begins.
Sometimes the authors of the publications arbitrarily changed
the record, and the edited text influenced the work and its motifs.
The rise of the national liberation movement in Georgia has
led to a new understanding of Amirani. It was at this time that the
chained hero began to be ostracized, and his release was linked to
the restoration of social equality. To present the national roots, it
became necessary to have the image of a common Kartvelian hero,
which would have a symbolic meaning. This was the reason why
Amirani became a general Georgian hero. The 20th century inherited
Amirani’s distinctive heroic pathos and became the bearer of the
idea of freedom of the homeland in Georgian literature.
