A HUNDRED-HAND MOTHER (STORUČICA MAJKA) BY BRANKO V. RADIČEVIĆ

In this paper, we shed light on the motif of the mother in Branko V. Radičević’s poetic work. Mother is the bearer of emotions such as joy, love, sadness, fear, worry, and anxiety. Her multiple roles in the household and caring for family members are united in the poem “A Hundred-Hand Mother” (“Storučica majka”). Following the lexeme of “hundred-hand”, we distinguish the positions of the symbol of the hand and its functions in the poet’s work. We analyze representative examples using the textual, biographical, and semiotic methods and point to some of the possible interpretations of the mother motif in the following books: Poems about a mother (1971) (Pesme o majci), Return to the land (1978) (Povratak zemlji), Groundsled (1978) (Zemljosanke). We draw the conclusion that “A Hundred-Hand Mother” in the literary work of Branko V. Radičević is a symbol of love and sacrifice closest to the Mother of God (an icon of Odigitria / The Guide, the Three-Handed Mother of God that are related to the motifs of mother’s hands, farewell)