Healing Songs and Lullabies

Batonebi songs are Georgian ritual healing songs addressed to the batonebi ("lords"), folk spirits traditionally believed to cause childhood illnesses such as smallpox and measles. They are typically intimate, lullaby-like incantations sung by mothers or close kin to appease the batonebi and secure the child’s recovery. The songs often feature the refrain "iavnana" or "nana," use modal melodies, and move in a free, speech-like rhythm. In the 20th century they were also arranged for stage performance by folk ensembles, sometimes expanding into multipart polyphony over a sustained drone.