The Image of the Black Book Sorcerer in Lithuanian Folklore

This article examines the image of the black book sorcerer in Lithuanian folklore. In Lithuanian folk legends, the black book sorcerer is a male magician who possesses magical abilities and derives his power from a magic book. This folkloric character is prevalent in numerous European countries, with analogous folk legends observed in Slavic, Baltic and Scandinavian countries. In the course of this research, 95 folk legends from the Lithuanian Folklore Archives (Lietuvių tautosakos rankraštynas) were analysed, with a focus on the main features of the black book sorcerer as a folkloric character, the relationship between him and the devil, and the manner in which this legend type is connected with the folk tale “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”. The analysis of these aspects, including the sorcerer’s nationality, occupation, education, methods of controlling the devil, and his relationship with other people, provides an insight into the image of this figure in Lithuanian folklore.