bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Arapot vo makedonskata narodna kniževnost i negovi paraleli na Mediteranot
The Black Arab in Macedonian Folk Literature and Parallels in the Mediterranean Folklore

Authors: Stojanović Lidija
Published: June 2019

The continuity/duration of the figure of the Arab (in Macedonian folk literature) is not maintained in the same manner and to the same extent in all areas. This implies the problem of substrata and the super-strata. If we approach the Arab only by listing the facts without taking into account the historical background (from the Arab-Byzantine conflict to the present day), then we may arrive at a paradoxical, ahistorical idea of continuity. Moreover, the continuity of a certain phenomenon (the formulaic character of the Arab, for example) is actually made possible by profound social changes. As the Arab-Byzantine conflict receded into the past, the formulaic character of the Arab assumed three basic characteristics (three-headed/black/sorcerer), most frequently as a bearer of the basic attributes of an enemy (in the epic) or a helper (in folktales). By sustaining the rules and requirements of genre, the Arab performs his function. This character is associated with the basic motif of abduction of a young woman. With the arrival of the Turks, he returns to the stage as a real historical opponent of the domestic, national hero. The emergence of his substitutes (the Turk, Arnaut or Gypsy) has the primary purpose of preserving his attributes and this indicates the subtlety of the issue of continuity.
Najstnikom ‘predpisana’ slovenska bajčna in mitološka bitja
‘Prescribed’ Slovene Mythical and Mythological Creatures for Teenagers

Authors: Novak Petra
Published: June 2019

The article presents the conclusions of analysis made on the representation of Slovene mythical and mythological contents offered to the pupils in higher grades of primary education by the curricula and different literacy learning school books. The main part of the discussion represents all the texts with fable elements included in the analyzed literacy learning books from the genre point of view and from the motif point of view. Each interpretation of the text includes didactic and literary instruments which represent mythical or mythological elements to the pupils.
Mitske predaje i legende južnovelebitskog Podgorja
Mythical Traditions and Legends from Podgorje in Southern Velebit

Authors: Trošelj Mirjana
Published: June 2019

During her extensive field research, which has been taking place since 1977, of mirila (unusual stone monuments) in the southern part of Velebit, Croatia, the author also made notes on the oral tradition and legends of the local population in south Podgorje (the Morlaki). This paper contains mythical, historic, and etiological lore and legends; two mythical songs; and a text on the belief in the magic symbolism of the circle. These previously unpublished texts are presented in the original dialect of south Podgorje.
Trhlovca = lokavska Triglavca
Trhlovca = Triglavca of Lokev

Authors: Čok Boris , Placer Ladislav
Published: June 2019

The three rocks above the entrance and the three rock columns some ten metres before the entrance explain why, up until the mid-20th century, the Trhlovca rock shelter was commonly referred to as Triglavca (Three-head).
Baba Babnega polja
The Baba of Babno polje

Authors: Pleterski Andrej , Šantek Goran Pavel
Published: June 2019

According to local tradition, a huge Baba (hag, woman) lies in the Bohinj valley in northwest Slovenia. The authors of this essay decided to ascertain to what degree, if so at all, the circumstances in Babno polje (field of Baba; south Slovenia on the border with Croatia) resemble the ones in Bohinj. While the prostrate body of Baba is clearly discernible in Bohinj this has yet not been established for Babno Polje. However, the childbearing part of the afore-mentioned Baba, the spring Trbuhovica, is quite unambiguous. Topographically three areas of mythic events are suggested in Babno polje region: birth from Trbuhovica, marriage (Vragofka and Vražji vrtec), death (Miklavževa lokvica).
Pohanský idol z Kouřimi, Česká republika
Poganski idol s Kouřima, Češka republika

Authors: Profantová Nad’a
Published: June 2019

The paper considers the findings about the archaeologically detectable pre-Christian manifestation in the hill-fort of Kouřim/Kurim in the 10th century written report in Middle Bohemia. The small non-complete stone »idol«(post), 17 cm in hight, is published in the article. It is decorated in two lines: The upper brings 5 faces (human masks), the lower one shows two smaller complete faces with headbands, originally it consisted of 6. The stone idol was found before the year 1998 near the third wall (fortification line) – not far from the cultic place near the spring »U Libuše« (fig. 1). It is probably a pagan idol from the 9th and 1st half of the 10th century with symbolic meaning. The upper faces could symbolise the world of Gods, the lower one the world of people or world of rules. This idol is unique evidence about the developed slavic paganism in Bohemia du ring the 9th–10th century.
Heľuška, Helička, Hela, Mariška, ľalia, kráľka, Ďunďa. Možné textové zdroje veľkopôstnych jarných dievčenských obradov a hier u západných Slovanov
Heľuška, Helička, Hela, Mariška, ľalia, kráľka, Ďunďa. Possible Text Sources of Lenten Season Girls’ Spring Rituals and Games of the West Slavs

Authors: Golema Martin
Published: June 2019

The study is looking for possible text sources of Lenten season girls’ spring rituals and games of the West Slavs in selected texts of Byzantine-Slavonic Lenten season liturgy. It also draws attention to some similarities of these rituals and games with the cult of the Indo-European triple river Goddesses (Saraswati, Anahita).
Fortune and Fertility Rites among the Pre-Christian Western Slavs
Fortuna e riti di fertilità presso gli slavi occidentali precristiani

Authors: Álvarez-Pedrosa Juan Antonio
Published: June 2019

The purpose of the present paper is to analyze the fertility rites attested in the Medieval sources about the Western Slavic Pre-Christian Religion in order to make an assessment of such texts. It allows us to elaborate a hierarchy: the more reliable text belongs to Saxo Grammaticus and narrates the festival made every autumn in the temple of Arkona; in second term we place the fragment of Thietmar of Merseburg relating to the obtaining of auguries about the harvest by the sacred lake of Glomuzi; finally we can read a text of Ebbo about a yearly feast at the beginning of summer in the city of Wollin, inspired by the biblical story of the Golden Calf.
There is no »Perun in the Caucasus«... But Maybe an Ancient Iranian Thunder Demon
Na Kavkaze »Peruna net« ... est' tam, vozmožno, staryj iranskij demon

Authors: Lajoye Patrice
Published: June 2019

Thirty years ago, the Russian historian L. S. Klejn proposed that the legendary Chechen and Ingush character Pira or Pirow was borrowed during the Middle Ages by the local population from the Russian mythology, through a contingent of Eastern Slavs deported there by the caliph Mervan II. Thus, Pira or Pirow would be the old Slavic god Perun. I will propose here an alternative source to this legendary figure, an Iranian source. A hero named Piran indeed appears in the Shahnameh, Ferdowsi’s epic dating from the tenth century. That hero, like Pira or Pirow, is able, through an intermediary, to make rain and lightning. In fact, the name Piran seems to have an etymology close to that of the god Perun.
Dannye k rekonstrukcii balto-slavjanskogo pohoronnogo obrjada: kašub. donota »moloko« (leksiko-semantičeskie paralleli balto-slavjanskogo areala)
The Data to Reconstruction of the Baltic-Slavic Funeral Ceremony: Kashubian donota »milk« (Baltic and Slavic Lexical Equivalents)

Authors: Kregždys Rolandas
Published: June 2019

The article deals with the authenticity of evaluation of ancient Slavic and Baltic religion archetypes. By means of internal reconstruction and typology methods, the work is supplemented by the new analysis of the Kashubian donota »milk« and its possible Baltic and Slavic lexical equivalents: Pruss. dadan »milk«, toponym West Slav. Dadowe. Recently some attempts were undertaken to reinstate the new mythological elements which require verifi cation in-depth, since such innovations are frequently founded only on the researcher’s guesses and erroneous elucidation of the linguistic data.
Sibirskaja tradicija počitanija svjatyh mest v kontekste narodnoj istoričeskoj pamjati
Siberian Folk Tradition of the Veneration of Sacred Places in the Context of People’s Historical Memory

Authors: Lyubimova Galina V.
Published: June 2019

The concept of holy places in the East Slavic tradition involves water springs, hills, trees, stones, wooden crosses and other landscape objects, of natural or artificial origin, endowed with a sacred status. As a rule, the “beginning” of the revered place is interpreted in the narratives as a result of activity of mythological characters, epic heroes or divine forces. Based on the author’s field materials, archival documents, publications of local periodicals and published works of the Siberian Old Believer writers, the article discusses the veneration of sacred places in tradition of the Russian population of Siberia. Special attention is paid to the history of one of the most revered places of the Altai Territory (the holy spring near the village of Sorochy Log). Its origin is referred to the historical events of the Civil War. Nevertheless, the analysis revealed that these events are comprehended in people’s historical memory according to the principles of mythological thinking.
Slavic Mitra. Benevolent and Legal Pole of the Function of Religious Sovereignty in the Slavic Mythology and Epic
Slovanský Mitra. Láskavý a právny pól funkcie náboženskej zvrchovanosti v slovanskom mýte a epose

Authors: Golema Martin
Published: June 2019

Dumézil’s discovery of two opposing and complementary faces of the highest power – on the one side legal and priestly, kind, benevolent, shining, near to world and people (“as Mitra”), and on the other side magic, violent, threatening, dark, invisible and distant (“as Varuna”) – gave rise to a lot of research in various Indo-European traditions. Despite the impressive results of such research, the functional place of “Slavic Mitra” is still open. On the following pages we would like to try to indicate whom, where and how to look for this place. Introduced will be several hypotheses with the aim to show that just this functional place probably created an important and irreplaceable part, maybe one of the key pillars of the ancient Slavic model of the world.
Simbolika obredov cirkumambulacije v tradicijskih skupnostih
The Symbolism of the Rituals of Circumambulation in Traditional Communities

Authors: Mencej Mirjam
Published: June 2019

The paper presents different forms of circumambulations in traditional societies, classifies them according to their functions and offers a possible interpretation of its symbolism.
Lik psa v zbirki Glasovi: Mitološki pes
The Dog in the Collection Glasovi: Mythological Dog

Authors: Kovačič Tanja
Published: June 2019

The dog is not merely an interesting subject in the Slovenian tradition, but is known to all civilizations. The mythical dog usually acts as a companion of the gods and a guardian of the dead. The author of this paper questions which of these ideas have been preserved up to the twentieth century and how they have affected the everyday life of people and their attitudes towards dogs in Slovenia. The mythological dog is investigated through Glasovi, a collection of Slovenian folk tales. The author concludes that the dog is usually associated with mythical, superstitious and negative connotations and people included its positive character only rarely.
The Cooperation of Grimm Brothers, Jernej Kopitar and Vuk Karadžić
Sodelovanje bratov Grimm, Jerneja Kopitarja in Vuka Karadžića

Authors: Kropej Monika
Published: June 2019

This article is focused on Kopitar’s work for oral tradition in the eras of the Enlightenment and Romanticism, and on his contribution to South Slavic publications of folk narrative and linguistics, especially from the perspective of his cooperation with Jacob Grimm and Vuk Stefanović Karadžić. Jernej Kopitar (1780–1844), Slovene linguist, censor, and scribe in Vienna, was one of the founders of Slavic studies and the author of the renowned first Slovene scientific grammar book, entitled Grammatik der slavischen Sprache in Krain, Kärnten und Steiermark (Grammar of Slavic languages in Carniola, Carinthia and Styria 1809). He was also translator of the Freising Manuscripts (Brižinski spomeniki). As an accomplished philologist, Kopitar maintained contacts and corresponded with numerous intellectuals of that period, notably with Josef Dobrovský and the great German philologists Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Some of their letters have been preserved to this day. As a mentor to Vuk Karadžić, whom he encouraged to publish literary folklore, dictionaries, and grammar, he introduced Karadžić to Jacob Grimm and made references of Karadžić in his letters to Grimm, who took Karadžić under his guidance.
Non-Iranian Origin of the Eastern-Slavonic God Xŭrsŭ/Xors
Neiranskoe proishoždenie vostočnoslavjanskogo boga Hrsa/Horsa

Authors: Borissoff Constantine L.
Published: June 2019

The paper examines the traditional explanation of the Eastern-Slavonic deity Xors as an Iranian loan from the Persian xwaršēδ/xoršid ‘sun’ and advances an alternative etymology via the Indo-Aryan root hṛṣ-, Indo-European *g̑hers- and its cognates in other Indo-European languages. Based on the linguistic and mythological comparative analysis Xors is interpreted not as an abstract ‘solar god’ but as a ‘sun fertility hero’ viewed as the development of the ancient archetype of the ‘dying and resurrecting god’ comparable in role to Dionysus. The paper closes with a brief outline of some new venues for research following out of the proposed reinterpretation of Xors.
Slavic Journeys to the Otherworld. Remarks on the Eschatology of Early Medieval Pomeranians
Słowiańskie wędrówki w zaświaty. Kilka uwag na temat eschatologii wczesnośredniowiecznych Pomorzan

Authors: Kajkowski Kamil
Published: June 2019

Many obstacles appear in attempts at explore and reconstruct the pagan rituals and beliefs of early medieval Pomeranians. This is not only due to the lack of written accounts referring to such practices, but also because of the various problems with unravelling the meaning and content of the archaeological evidence. Today, it is often difficult to determine how certain places or objects were perceived by past societies and with what symbolism they had been imbued. The burial finds are equally problematic since, while excavating cemeteries, we discover only the final result of the complex funerary process, i.e. the grave. Therefore, a question arises as to whether the material remains found at cemeteries could allow for revealing such abstract and subtle matters as eschatological beliefs. In an attempt to reconstruct the Slavic vision of the Otherworld, this paper will examine in detail the notions of the soul (spirit) and the meaning of grave-goods.
Izročilo o psoglavcih, volkodlakih, volčjem pastirju in Atili v mitski krajini Sodražice
The Lore about Dogheads, Werewolves, Wolf Herdsman and Attila in the Mythical Landscape of Sodražica

Authors: Češarek Domen
Published: June 2019

In this article are presented and analysed local legends and myths about the supernatural being the Psoglavec (dogheaded/ Cynocephalus), the Werewolf, the Wolf Herdsman and Attila which survived in Ribnica, Slovenia and its surroundings. The name Psoglavec (dog-headed) is used as an insult for the inhabitants of the Sodražica community even today. These traditions have their roots in local myths, which are reflected in the mythological landscape. Different layers of myth with similar notions point towards a belief concept about the Wolf Herdsman, which was contaminated with other supernatural beings and historical figure of Attila.
Making a Difference. A Comparative Philosophical Analysis of Difference, Death, Gaze and Enjoyment in Three Creation Myths from 19th-Century Slovenian Territory
Primerjalna filozofska analiza razlike, smrti, pogleda in veselja v treh slovenskih stvaritvenih mitih 19. stoletja

Authors: Lunaček Izar
Published: June 2019

The article takes as its starting point three creation tales recorded in the 19th century by pioneer ethnographer Janez Trdina in villages within what is today Slovenia to develop, through their comparison with myths from other parts of the globe (supported mainly by previous work done by comparative mythologist Zmago Šmitek), a philosophical basis enabling a deeper understanding of both their content and the standpoint of archaic thought in general. In dealing with the first story the article discusses the relationship between the sublime creator and his material creation along with the role of unconscious in forming the latter; the second tale is used as a basis of analysing the concept of relativism and the status of God’s gaze; while a discussion of the third enables it to delve into the concept of God’s absence in the world and the consequential human fate of death, toil and suffering as understood by the Bible on one and archaic mythology on the other side. The article hopes its exposition will contribute both to a deeper conceptual understanding of mythological material on the side of ethnology and trigger attention to the same material as a carrier of a noteworthy conceptual message on the side of philosophy.
Ostrovrhar – nov slovenski mit?
Ostrovrhar – a New Slovenian Myth?

Authors: Grilc Viktor
Published: June 2019

The article deals with the historical, literary character of Ostrovrhar as a quasi-Slovenian medieval knight in the Slovenian people’s subconscious, with recognizable elements of mythical proportions. Ostrovrhar originates in the genealogical work of Schönleben from where he was taken over by Valvasor in his monumental work “Die Ehre...” Several romantic and post-romantic Slovenian writers and poets, Prešeren being the most significant among them, transformed Ostrovrhar into a symbolic heroic figure for national awakening and liberation from historic bonds. The frequency of the appearance of the heroic Ostrovrhar in Slovenian literature has crucially determined people’s recognition and reflection. HisHis H gradual transition into other forms and social phenomena justifies the hypothesis of the mythic dimension of the contemporary perception of this person.
Measurement of Time by the Ancient Slavs
Merjenje časa pri starih Slovanih

Authors: Zaroff Roman
Published: June 2019

The paper explores time measurements and perception of time by the ancient Slavs in the pre-Migration Period and Slavic settlement of Central and Southern Europe. It attempts to reconstruct a year, seasonal, month-like division and naming, as well as lunar and solar time measurement. Moreover, it explores and attempts to reconstruct what were the common Slavic month names that, is before 5th–7th centuries. It also, discusses the issue of adoption of Julian calendar across the Slavdom in the period between the 9th–11th centuries. The research is based on scarce limited written historical records as it explores the times before writing came to the Slavs. Hence to a large degree it relies on abundant ethnographic sources, as well as on linguistics. Therefore, in principle it employs a comparative methodology and often draws from Indo-European examples.
Slovanská hippomancie. Koňský divinační rituál jako mediátor v symbolické soustavě slovanského pohanství
Slavic Hippomancy. Horse Divinatory Ritual as a Mediator in the Symbolic System of Slavic Paganism

Authors: Dynda Jiří
Published: June 2019

The paper focuses on the meaning and function of the Western-Slavic horse divination and lot-drawing rituals. By means of analysis of written sources, contexts of the Indo-European comparative mythology and through the lenses of the anthropological perspective on the culture, it shows the way this ritual could work as an integrative and mediating force for disparate layers of cultural symbolic systems.
Bivališča »krivopet«: Lokacije in mikrotoponimi
Residences of the “Krivopete”: Locations and Microtoponyms

Authors: Ivančič Kutin Barbara
Published: June 2019

Krivopete are wild women whose feet are turned backwards. Folklore tradition about these mythical beings can be found in the extreme north-western part of the Slovenian ethnic territory: in Trenta, Breginj, Livško, and the Natissone Valleys in the Italian Slavia Veneta. Since folktales about the krivopete are typically installed in a concrete location these places have been identified through the toponyms and microtoponyms where the krivopete allegedly lived, manifested themselves, or acted. The number of locations and their position in space indicates in which (micro)locations this tradition was particularly strong. A common feature of such locations, which indicated where these women dwelled, was the hideous, inaccessible, and/or dangerous terrain: caves, rocky shelters, steep ravines, and streams.
Where Do the Rails Lead to? Rail Transport’s Mythology in Contemporary Russian and Ukrainian Fantastic Fiction (Preliminary Remarks)
Kuda vedut rel’sy? Mifologija rel’sovogo transporta v sovremennoj russkoj i ukrainskoj fantastike (predvaritel’nye zametki)

Authors: Fialkova Larisa
Published: June 2019

Among the recurrent railway and the metro motifs in Russian and Ukrainian fantastic fictions alike are journeys to the world of the dead, or beside the world of the dead, with the critical decision to leave the train or stay on it. The world of the dead may be situated inside the moving train, in the abandoned railway stations, on the other side of the track, or may be the final destination. Ukrainian railway myth is strongly European oriented. The metro literary mythology is closely linked to the folklore of caves and urban legends, although some influence of the fairytale is also felt. The way to the other world everywhere passes through almost invisible doors, ventilation shafts or via non-existent stations and lines, among them some frozen and renamed. The metro maps are generally deemed useless, and should be included in research on fantastic maps in general. Although Moscow metro’s image is always sinister, in the case of Kyiv it can be negative, ambivalent or positive. Decapitating tram in contemporary Russian fantastic fiction continues tradition, which was actualized by N. Gumilev and M. Bulgakov. However by now contemporary Ukrainian fantastic representations of the tram were not found.
Contemporary Forms of Slovenian Love Charms
Sodobne oblike slovenskih ljubezenskih čaranj

Authors: Babič Saša
Published: June 2019

Love was always one of the most desired emotions in history as it meant acceptance and tenderness. Therefore. people, mostly women (stereotypically (for Slovenian areas)), tried to gain love through magic, amulets and rituals, especially when marriages were mostly arranged by economic and social status. Therefore, it is surprising that there are almost no written sources for traditional love charms in Slovenian archives, though there are some descriptions of love magic rituals. In contrast, nowadays, we can find many internet sites with so-called love spells in the Slovenian language accompanied by some content explanations and also alleged historical descriptions. In this article Slovenian love spells which appear nowadays as a magic recipe for love on internet will be overviewed, their structure and content will be analysed, compared to traditional forms, and explanations within the cultural context will be given.
Enciklopedija slovenske kulturne zgodovine na Koroškem – nekaj misli znanstvenega urednika ob njenem izidu
Enzyklopädie der slowenischen Kulturgeschichte in Kärnten/Koroška, Von den Anfängen bis 1942 – Überlegungen des wissenschaftlichen Redakteurs anlässlich ihrer Publikation

Authors: Schnabl Bojan Ilija
Published: June 2019

Encyclopedia of the Slovenian Cultural History in Carinthia, From Early Times to 1942 – Thoughts of its Scientific Editor on the Occasion of its Publishing.The Encyclopedia of the Slovenian Cultural History in Carinthia, published by Katja Sturm-Schnabl and Bojan-Ilija Schnabl, is a modern genuine interdisciplinary and intercultural scientific research work on regional Slovenian and intercultural processes in Carinthia (Austria) published in German language. It is consideret as a “magnum opus” which strives to be a contribution to the European scientific discourse. The Encyclopedia has over 1000 entries of more than 160 authors from different scientific backgrounds (from Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Germany, France, Russia and the USA). Specific perspectives and focuses provide new, relevant scientific findings. Its structured form gives on one hand an easy access to single research findings while at the same time reveals additional meta-levels and further dimensions of knowledge.
Dlaczego naukowe opisy prasłowiańskich wierzeń są tak różnorodne
Warum sind die wissenschaftlichen Beschreibungen des urslavischen Glaubens so verschiedenartig

Authors: Moszyński Leszek
Published: June 2019

The author endeavours to explain why the views of the scholars dealing with the proto-Slavonic beliefs are so diversified. He claims that there are two basic reasons for this: divergent views as to the time and place of the proto-Slavonic habitat (the variation of the views may be directly connected with the discipline, e. g. history, archaeology, ethnology, linguistics, represented by a given scholar) and the relative scarcity and equivocality of the sources on the basis of which the conclusions are reached.
Pogansko bogovje slovanskega vzhoda in zahoda v luči slovenskih ljudskih pesmi
Pagan Deities of the Slavic East and West in Slovene Folk Songs

Authors: Nartnik Vlado
Published: June 2019

Pagan gods of the Slavic East and West were outwardly extremely diverse. As a contrast to the double number of gods tied to different localities of the Slavic West, the six pagan gods of Slavic East mentioned in the treatise formed a rather harmonized system. Since Slovenes had been Christianized before any mention of either group of Slavic gods was recorded, the presence of their former pagan gods is reflected only in Slovene folk songs. The Slovene song heritage thus functions as a connecting link between the Slavic East and West.
Magičeskie sposoby raspoznavanija ved’my
Magische Arten, um eine Hexe zu erkennen

Authors: Tolstaja Svetlana M.
Published: June 2019

The article analyses some magical techniques used by Slavs in order to establish if a woman is a witch or not.
The Horse as a Cosmological Creature in the Slovene Mythopoetic Heritage
Konj kot kozmološko bitje v slovenskem mitopoetičnem izročilu

Authors: Kropej Monika
Published: June 2019

The author states that Slovene rituals and the song and narrative heritage which include the horse are frequent in the time of transition, at midwinter and midsummer solstices and at spring and autumnal equinoxes. All these turning points are marked by Perun, the god of thunder, the ruler of the cosmic driving forces.
From the Tauriscan Gold Mine to the Goldenhorn and the Unusual Alpine Animal
Od zlata pri Tavriskih do Zlatoroga in nenavadne alpske živali

Authors: Šašel Kos Marjeta
Published: June 2019

Three themes are analysed in the article, which are related under certain aspects to each other. These are the discovery of a rich gold deposit in the land of the Taurisci, mentioned by the Greek historian, Polybius, and the geographer and historian, Strabo; the folk-tale of the Goldenhorn/Zlatorog, in which the search for gold and treasure is reflected; and the third, the peculiar Alpine animal mentioned by the same Greek writers. It could be interpreted as a mythic animal, although in view of the accurate description, the animal was probably an elk.
Mifologija derev’ev v tradicionnoj kul’ture slavjan: leščina (Corylus avellana)
Die Mythologie der Bäume in der traditionellen Kultur der Slawen: Corylus avellana

Authors: Agapkina Tatjana
Published: June 2019

The author analyses the mythology of the nut tree (Corylus avallana) in the context of other Slavic ethnodendrological systems.
Vorstellung vom Wasser als Grenze zum Jenseits in der slowenischen Volksliteratur
Predstava o vodi kot meji z onstranstvom v slovenskem ljudskem slovstvu

Authors: Mencej Mirjam
Published: June 2019

The mythical representation of water, as the dividing-line between this world and the other-world, is widely known throughout the world. Nevertheless, the question remains as to whether or not this concept was familiar to the Slavs before they adopted Christianity, or whether they adopted it later from other peoples, as several researchers have suggested. In this paper, the author follows through the representations of Water in Slovene folk-literature.
Kres. Die Sonnwendbräuche der Slowenen
Slovenske kresne šege

Authors: Ložar-Podlogar Helena
Published: June 2019

The paper analyses the traditional way of celebrating Midsummers’ Day in Slovenia, which combines the pagan cult of Sun-worship with folk beliefs and customs connected with fire, processions, singing, gift-giving, beliefs in the magical power of plants, and Christian blessing.
Mitskite pretstavi za svetot na mrtvite vo tradicionalnata kultura na Makedoncite
Mythical Presentations of the World of the Dead in the Traditional Culture in Macedonia

Authors: Risteski Ljupčo S.
Published: June 2019

The author discusses the mythical presentations about the existence of two autonomous, different and opposing realities - this world and that world - the first of which is always marked as “ours” and human, and the second one as a strange and a distant world of demoniac creatures.
Fair Vida. The Everlasting Importance of the Psychological Aspect of the Slovene Ballad. Interdisciplinarian Ethnological Interpretation
Lepa Vida. Večno živi psihološki vidik slovenske balade. Interdisciplinarna etnološka interpretacija

Authors: Ovsec Damjan J.
Published: June 2019

This essay is composed of two parts. In the first part the author is describing the so-called general ideas, which are necessary for an understanding of the ballad of Fair Vida. In the second part, the author deals with the so-called psychological reading which bears a relation to the interpretations that are typical of the psychology of C. G. Jung and his associates, i. e. psychologists of a later date who graduated from the C. G. Jung Institute in Zürich. The interpretation is based on psychological assumptions about the development of the human psyche, and on the psychological and anthropological aspects of the myth research.
Indo-Iranian Parallels of the Slavic Water Rites of the Oath and Guilt Confirmation Attested in Medieval Latin Accounts and Slavic Law Codices
Indo-iranskie paralleli slavjanskih vodnyh ritualov kljatvoprinošenija i priznanija viny, opisannyh v srednevekovyh latinskih istočnikah i predstavlennyh v slavjanskih juridičeskih kodeksah

Authors: Sielicki Stanislaw
Published: June 2019

In this article are presented Slavic rituals of the contract, and confirmation of oaths through water, mentioned in the historic accounts and law codices. Connections between the deities given in the historic accounts and descriptions of the rituals are proposed. Parallels between the Slavic and Indo-Iranian water oath rites, as well as their semantics and related deities, are offered. An attempt to justify the validity of the reconstruction of the missing elements of one mytho-religious space with the use of another, a better-known space, is presented, given that the elements of the interest satisfy the homomorphic mapping between the spaces. It is suggested that the mapping of the water oath rites and their associated deities in the Slavic and Indo-Iranian mytho-religious spaces satisfy the homomorphic mapping criteria.
Rusalki: Anthropology of Time, Death, and Sexuality in Slavic Folklore
Rusalky: antropologie času, smrti a sexuality ve slovanském folkloru

Authors: Dynda Jiří
Published: June 2019

The Eastern Slavic rusalki are feminine mythological beings commonly associated with water, death, and sexuality. They have been thoroughly ethnographically described, classified and compared. This paper presents a re-evaluation of D. K. Zelenin’s classic interpretation of these beings as the souls of women deceased by untimely or unjust death. By means of analysis of their function and embedding in the entire social-cultural environment, it is shown how rusalki make sense in the symbolic system of East Slavic folklore. One of the main goals is to understand how intricately are rusalki and stories about them connected with the Orthodox liturgical year, specifically with the week following Pentecost. The paper concludes that these feminine revenants are symbolic representation of an eternal unripenness, which needed to be annually revived temporarily in order to help the symbolic system to cross the liminal phase of the agricultural and liturgical year cycle.
Rezijanska Linčica Turkinčica kot splošno slovenski motiv drugosti
L’alterità come motivo comune sloveno nel canto resiano Linčica Turkinčica

Authors: Dapit Roberto
Published: June 2019

The article focuses on the relationship with alterity and the distant worlds that arises from the folksong cycle of the typ Kralj Matjaž rešen iz ječe ‘King Matthias rescued form the jale’, which is documented in the Slovenian folk tradition with reach materials from the Resia valley (Italy). Resia is a very peripheral western Slovenian linguistic minority area. Through the analysis of the texts from a linguistic and symbolic perspective the author trys to understand if the image of the Other, in this case of the Turk, is corresponding to the stereotyped representations which developped in folklore of Western Europe and in the South Slavic cultural space towards Ottoman/muslim world. An interesting parallel represents the cycle Zvijačna ugrabitev mlade matere (Lepa Vida) ‘Cunning kidnapping of a young mother (Fair Vida)’, where the Other is represented by a sailor/boatman (Saracen).
Simbolika pogrebnih običaja i vjerovanja brodskog Posavlja – pretkršćansko u kršćanskom
Symbolism in Funeral Rites and Beliefs of Brod Posavlje Area – Prechristian in Christian

Authors: Lukač Karolina , Artuković Župan Ivana
Published: June 2019

Burial customs and beliefs are imbued with numerous magical and religious procedures and rules of behavior of living from the moment of dying to the last farewell but also afterwards. The first task that the surviving members had to fulfill, after death, was breaking all the connections with the deceased. The deceased had to be separated from the family and the object that he used during life, and then from the house and the whole community. Although the ritual of separation had begun during lifetime, for example in last farewell with the dying individual, the actual separation could be seen in numerous ceremonies that followed after death. Order and the symbolic meaning of the ritual and the objects that were used had an important role.
Podobe krvi v slovenski folklori in poeziji med svetim in profanim
Images of Blood in Slovenian Folklore and Poetry Between Sacred and Profane

Authors: Golež Kaučič Marjetka
Published: June 2019

In this article, folk songs, some important traditional practices and mythological sources relating to blood as well as selected poems of Slovenian poets from Gregorčič to Makarovič and Detela are researched. Presented are the meaning, roles, symbolic and metaphoric dimensions of blood. The focus of the article is based on two philosophical concepts that are thematised in folklore and poetry: the sacred and the profane. It seems that discussing blood is a taboo and therefore we can say that a genuine artistic creation can relevantly depict both perceptions and conceptualisations of blood. The article takes ecocentric and unspeciesistic perspectives to this discussion and criticises the still existing unacceptable ritual practices of perpetuating killing of non-humans and spilling innocent blood.
K 215-letiju so dnja roždenija Ju.I. Venelina – istorika, filologa i fol’klorista
215th Anniversary of the Birth of Y. I. Venelin – Historian, Philologist and Folklorist

Authors: Matveenko Veroniсa Eduardovna
Published: June 2019

Yuri Ivanovich Venelin (1802–1839) was outstanding historian, philologist, folklorist and ethnographer. He was also the founder of the Slavic studies, and wrote the first program of teaching Slavic studies for the universities in Europe. He collected the anthology of ancient Slavic manuscripts (Walachian and Bulgarian), and published the first Grammar book of Bulgarian language as well as the first book about the history of Bulgarians.
Ivasik Telesik. Nekaj misli ob knjigi Nazarija Nazarova »Obredni izvor pravljičnega besedila«
Ivasik Telesik. Reflections on the Book “The Ritual Origin of a Fairy Taletext” by Nazarij Nazarov

Authors: Nartnik Vlado
Published: June 2019

Ukrainian philologist Nazarij Nazarov has researched a popular fairy tale of the East Slavs that is known among the Ukrainians under the name “Ivasik Telesik”, among the Belarusians as “Sinek Pilipka”, and among the Russians as “Terešečka”. Of particular interest are several rhymed verses inserted in the text. Nazarov believes that these inserts primarily dissect the text, thereby creating a ceremonial form. A comparison of this Eastern Slavic tale with four Slovenian poems indicates that the purpose of these inserts may also be to soothe and lull to sleep.
Ètimologija karpatskoukrainskogo mifonima Čugajster
Etymology of the Carpathian Ukrainian Mythonym Čugajster

Authors: Yuyukin Maxim Anatol’evich
Published: June 2019

The author suggests a new etymology for the mythonym Čugaĭster known in the folklore of the Carpathian Ukrainians.
Swearing: Dissolution into Nothingness
Preklinjanje: izničenje v praznino

Authors: Babič Saša , Voolaid Piret
Published: June 2019

In this study we will comparatively analyse swearing material form Slovenian and Estonian language in order to show the lexical and structural similarities/differences between swearing and incantations present in the material as to argue that swearing is not only a manner to give voice to taboos, but is similar with incantations. The basic premise underlying the analysis is the existence of the “go to X” formula found both in the material and in the two genres analysed. Place X is the place of origin, non-existence or chaos, where the unwanted is sent to. There are more than 50 different variants of “go to X” we can detect in both Estonian and Slovenian language; besides we consider the phrases which carry the idea to negate someone to somewhere but they are in different formulation.
The Lipizzaner Horse: Cultural and Natural Heritage or Free Non-Human Subjectivity
Lipicanec kot kulturna in naravna dediščina ali svobodna ne-človeška subjektiviteta

Authors: Golež Kaučič Marjetka
Published: June 2019

This article discusses the Lipizzaner horses, now a part of the natural and cultural heritage of the Slovenian nation, claimed also by the Austrians, and in the past an imperial heritage of the Habsburg Empire. Lipizzaner horses are typically perceived as a national cultural monument (trained stallions) owned by the human community, and not as non-human animals that were, only by way of domestication and (even worse) the way they were raised genetically, destined to serve people, first at a feudal imperial court. Based on the interactions of zoofolkloristics, anthropology and philosophical and legal discourses, this article reflects the role and importance of Lipizzaner horses through folklore and literature, and reconsiders the human/animal relationship by establishing non-hierarchy between the animal and the human on the basis of ecocritical analysis. The focus of the analysis is on folkloristic materials (texts), customs and traditions associated with the horse/human community, as well as the literary works that discuss the Lipizzaner horses.
O todorcah, rusalkah i pročih navjah (mertvecy-demony i “nečistye” pokojniki v vesennem kalendare slavjanskih narodov)
O todorcih, rusalkah in drugih prikaznih (Mrliči-demoni in “nečisti” pokojniki v pomladnem koledarju slovanskih narodov)

Authors: Agapkina Tatjana A.
Published: June 2019

The authoress researched the so-called impure deceased - spirits of the dead, fairies, and the churchyard - within the spring ritual calendar of Slavic nations.
Kul’tavyja kamjani Belarusi
The Cult Stones in Belarus

Authors: Ljavkov Ernst , Karabanav Aljaksandr , Dučyc Ljudmila , Zajkovski Edvard , Vinakurav Valeryj
Published: June 2019

The article analyses cult stones on the territory of Belarus, among them such types as stones with footprints, stones for protection, officinal- and treasure-stones, petrified people and animals. The stones are known under the following names: the God’s footprint, the Holy stone, Volas, Dazhdzboh (Rain-God), Kapavishcha (Sanctuary), Forefather, and others. Even today people make sacrifice (money, flowers, apples) to many of these stones.
Etnografia umanistica ne L'epistola sulla religione ed i sacrifici degli antichi prussiani di Jan Sandecki Malecki (Meletius)
Humanistična etnografija v Pismu o verovanjih in žrtvovanjih starih Prusov Jana Sandeckega Maleckega (Meletius)

Authors: Pompeo Lorenzo
Published: June 2019

The author publishes a selection of excerpts from the work of Ionannes Meletius from the third decade of the sixteenth century. These excerpts address pagan customs concerning the harvest in the region comprising present-day Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus and the Ukraine. They are followed by a description of a goat sacrifice that may be related to the spring fertility cult. Customs carried out on the day of St. George (23 April), when gifts were offered to Pergrubius, the god of plants and seeds, are also depicted. The funeral rituals are described in greatest detail, rituals that are considered to have been experienced first-hand by Meletius. They are recorded in the dialect spoken in the region between Poland and the Ukraine, Meletius' native land. These rituals prove that the Slavs believed in existence after death. There is a surprising accordance between the accounts recorded by Meletius and the reports of later ethnographic sources analyzing the same region.
Svett na demonite v slovo i obraz
The World of Demons in Stories and Images

Authors: Todorova-Pirgova Iveta
Published: June 2019

The author analyzes the historical changes of human notions and perceptions about demonic creatures from ancient times till the present days. The world of demons has always been “densly populated”, although one sort of its “inhabitants” could be replaced with another or could be described in another way by different generations in different historical periods. It is stressed that people believe in demons even today, although “modern” demons can have a quite different appearance and different kinds of activities, especially in big cities.
Posmrtno oro vo tradiciite na balkanskite Sloveni
Posthumous Ritual Dance - Oro - in the Traditions of Balkan Slavs

Authors: Risteski Ljupčo S.
Published: June 2019

The author researches the act of ritual dancing - oro - and singing in the posthumous ritual complex, which presents one of the most important ritual and magic activities in order to destroy or neutralize the effects of death, and at the same time, to protect the living members of the social community, as a whole.
Il motivo del Salvatore nella culla in un racconto popolare resiano
Motiv rešitelja v zibelki v rezijanski pripovedi

Authors: Dapit Roberto
Published: June 2019

This paper focuses on a Resian tale; its principal motif is a soul conjured into a snake, coiled around a tree. The snake is forced to wait for her deliverer who will rise from the cradle. Along with some minor believes about the afterworld life the wide-spread mythological motif under investigation is the central element of this folk tale which is compared with other Slovenian folk traditions and with the Legend of the Cross, as painted by the italian artist Piero della Francesca.
Otraženie nekotoryh osobennostej postroenija zagovornoj kartiny mira v strukturnoj organizacii teksta (na materiale litovskih zagovorov)
Reflections on the Distinctive Structure of Oral World Images in the Structural Organization of Discourse (Based on Lithuanian Invocations)

Authors: Zavjalova Marija
Published: June 2019

By employing discourse analysis, the author investigates world images as they are expressed in invocations with Lithuanians, and concludes that these invocations have much in common with primeval magic thinking.
Der ostseeslawische Kultstrand bei Ralswiek auf Rügen (8. - 10. Jh.). Bemerkungen zu einem neuen archäologischen Dokumentationsband
Slovanska kultna obala ob Baltiku pri Ralswieku na Rügnu/Rujani (8. – 10. st.). Pripombe k novemu zvezku arheološke dokumentacije

Authors: Kahl Hans-Dietrich
Published: June 2019

The author discusses the discovery of two Slavic cult sanctuaries from the eighth to tenth centuries. Both were found close to the Slavic-Scandinavian settlement and port Ralswiek along the Baltic Sea on the island of Rügen. The older sanctuary had been abandoned because of the rising sea level and had been replaced by a more recent one, which was destroyed by fire. As both were built close to the water, the author argues that the sanctuaries were consecrated to a female water goddess, probably Mokoš. The article continues with a discussion of the Slavic settlement of Rügen and of the possibility of contact with the German natives. Evidence of this includes analysis of pollen samples, while the pottery remnants argue otherwise. The author sees a methological-interpretative problem in this inconsistency.
Belin
Belin

Authors: Šašel Kos Marjeta
Published: June 2019

As late as the end of the 19th century a tradition concerning Belin was still alive in the area of Tolmin, among the Slovenes there, who regarded Belin as a great healer and believed that with his »key« it was possible to cure blindness. It may be hypothesized that there was a continuity of worship of the Aquileian Belinus/Belenus, through the late Roman period and late antiquity up to the early Slavic period. The Slavs that settled in this region would have taken over from the indigenous folk the cult of the god and modified it consistent with their own beliefs. Perhaps they brought with them the cult of Belibog, Belin(ec), whereupon a mingling of the two divinities came about.
Tierische und menschliche Bauopfer bei den Nordwestslawen
Živalske in človeške stavbne žrtve pri severozahodnih Slovanih

Authors: Schmidt Volker
Published: June 2019

The author writes about archaeological finds of animal and human skeletons from the territory of Northwestern Slavs. Judging by their position, these skeletons had been buried on the spot in which a building has been erected afterwards. The author therefore uses the name building sacrifices, buried there to appease gods whose world had been disturbed. The region around Meckleburg abounds in rich folklore tradition pertaining to these building sacrifices.
Perception of Christianity by the Pagan Polabian Slavs
Dojemanje krščanstva pri poganskih Polabskih Slovanih

Authors: Zaroff Roman
Published: June 2019

The article explores the question of how the pagan Polabian Slavs could perceive Christianity at the time of its expansion to the East. An attempt is made here to distance ourselves from our Christian background, and to analyse how other people can see beliefs that we often have no doubts about ourselves - a difficult task indeed. The article looks at how the ordinary people saw this new religion and concludes that their general perception of Christianity was negative. It shows that such an attitude was due to the association of Christianity with imperial subjugation, economic exploitation and destruction of the old ways of life. What the new religion sometimes offered was hardly acceptable and understood by the Polabian society. Also, the article explains why Christian conversion gained ground much quicker with the members of the Polabian Upper class and the rulers.