Original scientific paper
FAIRIES IN TRADITIONAL STORIES OF SIBENIK’S AND SPLIT’S HINTERLAND
Marko Dragić
orcid.org/0000-0001-5362-6814
Abstract
The paper cites and multidisciplinary interprets about twenty originally recorded tales about fairies in the Sibenik’s hinterland in the context of European mythology. These recordings were made from 2007 to 2016. Diverse motif fairy world is divided into 8 chapters in the paper. Byzantine writer Procopius in the 6th century wrote in his work “De bellis” how the Slavic people of his time specially celebrated fairies and rivers. There are numerous mythological tales about fairies which people tell even nowadays. People tell mythological tales about fairies in the form of memorates and fabulates. In the folk’s perception fairies are favorite mythological beings. Croatians describe them as beautiful women with long golden-yellow hair most commonly wearing white, less often blue, dresses, blue eyes with flower wreath on their head and melodious voice. They did good deeds and they would do evil only if someone would offend them by betraying the secret that they have a donkey, horse or a goat hoof. Oral literal forms about fairies have a social, aesthetic and pedagogical function. Originally cited and multidisciplinary interpreted examples in this paper represent a substantial philological, ethnological and anthropological treasure.
Keywords
mythological tales; historic tales; oral literal forms; contemporary recordings; European context
Hrčak ID:
248926
URI
Publication date:
31.12.2017.
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