Żeńskie duchy przyrodnicze w folklorze polskim i w mitologii klasycznej
Female Spirits of Nature in Polish Folklore and Classical Methodology

Summary/Abstract: In this paper we try to compare the female spirits of nature in Polish folklore with those of classical mythology, that is, the nymphs and their different varieties, and also with a particular kind of ancient Greek female demons, the so called ἄωραι (áōrai, ancient Greek word for untimely dead young women). Thus, we follow a research line started by the Polish scholar Witold Klinger, who focused mainly on the Eastern Slavic rusalki; in order to extend our comparative study to Polish beliefs, we shall examine Polish folklore materials that were unpublished when Klinger pursued his studies; likewise, comparison with the ancient Greek áōrai has not been attempted yet, so far as we know. We shall come to the conclusion that neither nymphs nor áōrai are at the basis of Polish female spirits, since the different traits of all those creatures combined in different ways in each cultural context.

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