Original scientific paper

Our Sea And Folk Traditions

Dinka Alaupović Gjeldum orcid.org/0000-0002-9327-8962 ; Karamanova 3, Split

Abstract

The sea has been a big secret to a man. It is unpredictable, full of surprises, so the people who live by the sea and know all its tempers, good and evil, have showed fear and felt helpless to effectively fight horrible storms. Mysterious sea depths, hazardous storms, hurricanes, calm sea, brave sailors and their distant journeys, skilled fishermen and their rich catches were the inspiration for many folk traditions, stories, legends about sea serpents, monstrous octopuses, sea ‘‘ man and woman’’, mermaids, cursed ships, ‘‘boat Karonte’’ which transports the souls of the dead, miraculous saints’ help to sailors, one-eyed cannibals, shipwrecked sailors who because of hunger decide to eat their companion, devil who serves as a sailor on board, huge fish-island, sea witches, beings called macići and tintilini, Orcus and etc. Our ancestors explained many natural phenomena related to sea in their own way and according to them predicted the weather, so folk meteorology is a part of our cultural heritage like various sayings, proverbs, curses, prayers, ridicules and the like.

Key words:

Keywords

legends; sea; folk traditions; folk meteorology

Hrčak ID:

137860

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/137860

Publication date:

15.4.2015.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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