Antek Boryna

Yagna Borynova

Passionate and illicit lovers, driven by intense desire but also conflict and societal scandal.

Hanka Boryna

Husband and wife, but their marriage is strained by Antek's affair with Yagna and Hanka's resentment.

Matthew Golab

Fierce rivals and antagonists, competing for Yagna's affections and clashing violently.

Yuzka Boryna

Brother and sister, with a protective but strained bond due to family conflicts.

Dominikova

Antek is Dominikova's son, and their relationship is fraught with tension over his choices and her disapproval.

Hanka Boryna

Husband and wife, but their marriage is strained by Antek's affair with Yagna and Hanka's resentment.

Yagna Borynova

Passionate and illicit lovers, driven by intense desire but also conflict and societal scandal.

Yagna Borynova

Passionate and illicit lovers, driven by intense desire but also conflict and societal scandal.

Hanka Boryna

Husband and wife, but their marriage is strained by Antek's affair with Yagna and Hanka's resentment.

Yuzka Boryna

Brother and sister, with a protective but strained bond due to family conflicts.

Matthew Golab

Fierce rivals and antagonists, competing for Yagna's affections and clashing violently.

Matthew Golab

Fierce rivals and antagonists, competing for Yagna's affections and clashing violently.

The Peasants

Boryna's son, whose conflict with his father over inheritance and Yagna is a key plot driver.

Autumn

Antek is resentful of his father's control and his own diminished status, leading to conflict.

Autumn in Lipka

Implicitly referenced as Hanka's husband who is said to follow Yagna 'like a dog.'

Chapter III

Quarrels with his father Boryna over work and inheritance, refuses to obey orders.

V

Exchanges harsh words with his father Boryna, demanding money for drink and food.

The Betrothal of Boryna and Yagna

Absent from the village during the news; his potential reaction is feared.

Chapter IX: All Souls' Day

Sits apart, staring out the window, consumed by anguish over Yagna's engagement to his father.

The Bitter Quarrel

Engages in a violent fight with his father, is banished from the home, and struggles with jealousy and rage over Yagna's impending marriage.

XI

Mentioned as having spoken ill of Yagna and avoiding her, causing her distress and revolt.

Winter

Antek is resentful of his father's authority and marriage to Yagna, leading to simmering conflict.

Winter's Onset and Antek's Flight

Antek, driven by anger and a sense of injustice, decides to leave Lipka to seek work elsewhere, rejecting the life of a peasant laborer.

Chapter II

Absent seeking work; the miller reveals he is running after Yagna, causing Hanka great distress.

III

Working at the mill, struggling with inner turmoil and avoiding his father's home and Yagna.

Chapter IV

Appears gaunt and changed; secretly watches Yagna at church, kneeling close to her.

V

Appears in Yagna's memories and fantasies, his passionate whispers and burning eyes tormenting her.

VII

Leads the dance with Yagna, defies his father, and is confronted by Boryna.

Chapter IX

Antek is mentioned as Hanka's unfaithful husband who drinks away his earnings and is obsessed with Yagna.

Chapter X: The Fabulous World of Winter Tales

Enters the cabin during Roch's tale, noticed by few.

XI

Elopes with Yagna, fights off Boryna's attack, and flees after the haystack is set ablaze.

XII

Antek is not arrested for the fire, but his reckless behavior and continued pursuit of Yagna alienate him from the village. He forces Yagna to meet him under threat of violence.

Chapter XIII: The Spring of Despair and Defiance

Secretly obtains a gun from Yankel and heads to the forest alone, indicating his rebellious and isolated path.

Spring

Antek is involved in the village's spring activities, his conflicts with his father and others simmering.

Spring's Return to Lipka

Mentioned as having been arrested and bound in chains for arson and adultery with his stepmother.

The Return of the Men

Anticipated to return; Hanka's thoughts are consumed by his impending arrival.

Chapter XI

Expected to return from prison; his absence drives Hanka's emotional state throughout the chapter.

Summer

Antek's passionate and rebellious nature intensifies during the summer, as his affair with Yagna and his resentment toward his father Boryna come to a head.

III

Antek is absent, but his return is awaited for the property division; Hanka worries about his reaction to the deed.

IV

Returns to his father's land, feels a deep spiritual union with nature, and resolves to follow the path of his ancestors, though he is troubled by memories of Yagna.

Chapter V

Tormented by the threat of ten years' penal servitude, he seeks advice and wrestles with despair.

Chapter IX

Sees Yagna and Yanek together in the forest, becomes jealous and bitter, muttering insults.

The Search for Roch

Takes charge of hiding Roch, orchestrates the deception, and confronts the gendarmes with calm defiance.

Chapter XI

Works on a cart, overhears news about the smith's windmill and John's return, and warns Matthew about the situation with Teresa.