Opryshky

The term "opryshok"/"opryshky" itself started to be used in the 16th century and has an unclear origin: some researchers consider it to be derived from the adverb oprich () - "separately", compare to oprichnina; alternatively it could be connected to dialectal words oprysok (оприсок) - "piece of rock", oprysklyvyi (оприскливий) - "bothering", "uneasy", or even to the Latin noun opressor, which used to mean "destroyer" or "violator". The word could also have a Romanian origin. During that period the word had an official connotation, and in Ukrainian folk tradition members of opryshky bands were instead called with the euphemistical term "black boys" (). ==History==

First information about brigand groups in the Carpathian region comes from the mid-15th century. Based in the border region between the Kingdom of Poland, Hungary and Moldavia, opryshky used the mountainous terrain as an advantage for their activities. During episodes of major upheaval, such as the Cossack–Polish War, opryshky would be joined by numerous peasants, forming insurgent bands. The peak of their activity took place in 1738–1759, when their raids expanded into the regions of Hutsulshchyna, Boykivshchyna, Bukovina and Transcarpathia. During that period legendary outlaw leader Oleksa Dovbush, as well as Vasyl Bayurak and Ivan Boychuk were active in those areas. In the late 18th and early 19th century, increasing taxes and forced conscription led to a new spike in the movement. A notable leader of opryshky in the Hutsul region during that time was Myron Shtoliuk. In September 1935 a squad of Czechoslovak gendarmerie dispersed a gang of brigands headed Ilko Lypey and Yuriy Klevets, in the valley of Repynka river in Carpathian Ruthenia. Lypey, a fugitive who had been imprisoned for robbing travellers in 1926, was killed in the gunfight or committed suicide, meanwhile his comrade Klevets, a fellow fugitive, disappeared, possibly fleeing to Poland. The defeat of the "last opryshoks" caused a media sensation in Czechoslovak press of the time. ==Activities==

Contrary to their popular fame, opryshky's attacks were not exclusively aimed at lords, and rich peasants would also become their victims. Despite this, they enjoyed general sympathy of the peasant population, and contemporary sources present evidence, that many of the brigands would be sheltered, fed and cared for by ordinary villagers and townsfolk. The centre of opryshky activities was located in the region of Pokutia. Their bands would usually gather in spring, when trees became green and provided a hideout from persecution. To join the opryshky, a young man had to undergo a special initiation ritual, accompanied with swearing of an oath on a shepherd's axe, a traditional Hutsul battle weapon. This and other elements of archaic pagan culture were strongly present in the culture of opryshky, and the origin of some of their practices, such as finishing off members of own band who were wounded or fell sick while on march, remain unclear to this day. ==In folklore and literature==

, 1916 Although opryshky in general had no religious or ideological motivation, their actions became a subject of praise in local folklore and literature. Folkloric materials dedicated to Opryshky were gathered and published by several ethnographers, including Volodymyr Hnatiuk, Yakiv Holovatsky and Volodymyr Shukhevych. Their image is also present in works of Ukrainian authors such as Yuriy Fedkovych, Ivan Franko, Hnat Khotkevych, Mykhailo Pavlyk, Markiian Shashkevych, Ivan Vahylevych etc. The topic of zbójnicy, the Polish equivalent of opryshky, attracted the attention of Polish authors and Stanisław Vincenz, as well as Austrian Leopold von Sacher-Masoch and Czech Ivan Olbracht. In the Ukrainian Carpathians many geographic features bear the names of famous Opryshky, most prominently Oleksa Dovbush. ==See also==