Az öngyilkos ördöge Székelyhodos község hiedelemvilágában
The Devil of Suicide in Popular Beliefs of Székelyhodos (Hodoşa, Romania)

Summary/Abstract: The study presents the beliefs associated with the devil in Székelyhodos, a village in the Upper Niraj region. The appearance and deeds of this supernatural being are almost always associated with suicide attempts or suicides. In the second half of the 20th century the number of suicides increased in Székelyhodos. The causes of this phenomenon are not explicable exclusively on the basis of changing lifestyle due to the collectivization of agriculture, as this never took place in Jobbágytelke (Sâmbriaş), the village having the highest suicide rate. Individual and family problems, mental and physical illnesses, economic decline and alcoholism very frequently contributed to the amplifi cation of this social phenomenon. Belief in the devil, discussing about the devil as mythical being is one of the possible explanations of this phenomenon.

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