Концептът за греха в славянската народна традиция
The Concept of Sin in Slavic Folk Tradition

Summary/Abstract: The popular understanding of sin combines Christian and mythological ideas, elements of written and oral culture, traditional law and traditional value system. Sin refers to the right member of the semantic oppositions sacred – profane, pure – impure, heaven – earth, male – female, soul – body, etc., and receives a general negative evaluation. The subject of sin is treated in different folklore genres. The most serious sins are considered to be the ones against nature and “the law of kin” (Fedotov), such as incest, murder, disrespect for the parents, insult or desecration or earth, fire, water, bread, etc. The most distinctive feature of the folk conception of sin is the interpretation of its consequences and the very correlation sin – punishment. Every transgression, even the most insignificant one, may cause serious consequences and a punishing reaction of nature (cosmos) – hail, earthquake, flood, drought, death, etc. The role of a mechanism, regulating the relations between man and the outside world and avoiding such catastrophes, is played by the traditional system of rules and prohibitions, the violation of which is considered to be a sin.

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