The article analyzes the semantics of oral narratives of modern Ukrainians who perceive the Russian-Ukrainian war as an anomalous phenomenon that was ‘predicted’ through various signs and omens and had its premonitions in nature, social life, and dreams. The narratives reveal that contemporary interpretations of the war rely on metaphorical models deeply rooted in traditional folk culture. These models emphasize the sense of a disrupted natural and social order, expressed through astronomical, meteorological, and zoomorphic images. Special attention is given to unusual animal behavior, sudden changes in weather, celestial anomalies, and prophetic dreams, functioning as culturally encoded indicators of looming danger. The analysis shows that these representations have a long history, since similar motifs appear in the recordings of the folklorist Volodymyr Hnatiuk during World War I and later, in oral testimonies from World War II. In times of crisis, individuals return to traditional explanatory frameworks conceptualizing the world as an interconnected system, where any deviation from the norm is interpreted as a meaningful sign. At the same time, modern mass media, social networks, and digital communication platforms contribute to new folklore plots, demonstrate the adaptability of folk tradition and reveal how contemporary communicative environments reshape collective interpretations of traumatic events.
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