ТРАГОВИ КУЛТА ЖЕНСКОГ АГРАРНОГ БОЖАНСТВА У БАЛКАНСКОЈ ТРАДИЦИОНАЛНОЈ КУЛТУРИ
TRACES OF A FEMALE AGRARIAN DEITY CULT IN BALKAN TRADITIONAL CULTURE

Summary/Abstract: This paper points out to traces of a former developed cult of a female agrarian deity in the area of the Balkan Peninsula, especially in its middle part. This is done by comparative analysis of folklore material (certain types of etiological stories and field labor and Christmas songs), traditional beliefs (about Saint Petka) and customs (elements of sowing, Christmas and slava customs, especially Christmas and slava ritual breads) as well as elements of some sacral architecture (cave churches). These traces are hidden behind following motifs: Petkana (a female mythological being whose name’s stem derives from Friday), Baba (mythological being), snake, underground (cave), Saint Petka, Mother of God, crops, harvest, a ritual bread – kolač. The last part of the paper indicates the similarities between this cult and cults of female agrarian deities in old Near East and European reli- 301 gions and traditional cultures, which brings us to a conclusion that it is about a cult that was a part of a wider Near East – European religious complex.

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