Preliminary communication

FRANJO MARČETIN, PERUN'S EPICLESIS

Đuro Franković ; Pečuh

Abstract

In the Slavic and Baltic people's mythology there is the lightning-wielder Perun (Perkunas) and his rival Veles or Volos (Velnias), the god of the herd – and this is the continuation of the ancient Indo-European tradition where the „promised land“ is thought of as a huge pasture field – or the „snake litter“, and they play the main roles in the Slavic and Baltic „pantheon“. They are in continuous conflict and for a reason too. Namely, when Veles leaves his living space (the bottom of trees or tree roots, lowlands), he becomes dangerous to his opponent, especially to human society. However, he is not dangerous while he is in his living area.
Perun's deadly weapon is lightning or the axe (in folk tradition it is believed that when lightning strikes the ground it returns to the surface in a while; in the same way stone axes from the stone age are considered as lightning).
However, the upper layer of Slavic pagan religion was dispelled in time, and Perun's role was taken over by St. Elias, St. Michael, to some extent by St. Peter and St. George, whereas Veles's role was taken over by St. Nicholas.
It is the intention of the paper to stress that another possible Perun's epiclesis was found in the Croatian historical and cultural fringe area, in the person of Franjo Marčetin at Podravina's Martinci (Felsőszentmárton), near Szigetvár.

Keywords

mythology; epiclesis; Perun – Veles; Franjo Marčetin; snake-women; the devil; arbor mundi – willow, oak-tree; axe, fragmentation; cyclicity; battle

Hrčak ID:

119572

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/119572

Publication date:

30.12.2013.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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