Свадьба Солнца отменена: балканский миф и его истоки
Marriage of the Sun cancelled: Roots of the Balkan myth

Summary/Abstract: According to Bulgarian and Serbian folklore texts, Hedgehog who came to take part in the marriage ceremony of the Sun, put stones to feed his donkey or horse and explained that he was training his animal. When new Suns were born to the present one, the earth would burn and no other food be available. The Sun cancelled his marriage. Such a story, slightly different in details (Frogs instead of Hedgehog, the Sun persecuting them with his heat since then) is also recorded among the Lithuanians. The motif of cosmic marriage that would have catastrophic consequences if realized reminds the story of Thetis married not to Zeus but to the mortal man, Peleus, after it became known that Thetis’ son would be more powerful than his father. Europe, the motif of cancelled cosmic marriage (this time of the Earth and the Sky that would end in destruction of gods) was known to the Dravidians (Gonds and Baigas) of Central India. Hedgehog as a wise man and prophet is a widespread character across Eurasian Steppes up to Siberian Buryats. The Balkan stories about the wise Hedgehog are here the westernmost ones. As about the motif of the Sun children who could destroy life on earth, all the parallels are in South and Southeast Asia and in sub-Saharan Africa. The ultimate origins of this theme seem to be in Africa from where it was brought to Asia by the first modern humans. Though it could get to Europe at the same time or, it is more probable that it spread to Europe from Asia much later.

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