Коледната песен „Слънце и юнак” – семантика и астрономическа основа
The Christmas Song “Sun and Hero” – Semantics and Astronomic Basis

Summary/Abstract: The song “Sun and Hero” is well known from more than 70 published versions. The “geographical” analysis of its plot shows that in its early times it was connected with the calendar variant of the myth about the Master of Universe. There used to be а New Year ritual with а protective circle march which was astronomically determined by the zenith of the constellation Pleiades. The important role of the constellation Pleiades has been found in numerous sources of Bulgarian folk astronomy, confirmed by data from archeoastronomy. Namely, the coincidence of St. Archangel Michael’s day in the Clerical calendar with the zenith of the Pleiades (during X–XI century it should have been around November, 8) was the reason to change in the process of Christianization of folklore culture the name of the hero (Good Hero, Danko) with Mikhail, met in some versions. In the reconstruction of the myth about the Master of Universe and in the circle march the traces of Bulgarian shaman practices and notions are obvious.

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