Motivski svijet usmenih predaja u brotnjanskom kraju
The Motif World of Oral Traditions in the Brotnjo Region

Summary/Abstract: The paper cites about forty contemporary original field recordings from the Brotnjo region. The traditions are classified into historical, etiological, mythological, eschatological, demonological ones, and tales from life. The traditions are interpreted in historical, ethnological and anthropological context. The historical and etiological traditions mostly talk about sufferings, prosecutions and tribulations of the Croatian people during the Ottoman occupation. The most common mythological beings in the Croatian mythology are fairies. Among the Brotnjo mythological traditions there is a tale about Divljan which contains the motifs from the ancient Greek mythology about Polyphemus. The most common motifs in the eschatological traditions are plakavci (crying babies) – murdered unbaptized children that appear during the night. The demonological traditions mostly speak about witches, (night)mares (incubuses), werewolves. The cited and interpreted traditions have an aesthetic and social function, as well as a didactic goal.

• Details
• Contents