Mother of god in bulgarian healing rituals
Mother of god in bulgarian healing rituals

Summary/Abstract: This paper deals with healing rituals in the Bulgarian traditional culture, in which theMother of God plays the central role. Her image is very different from the Christian canonical one. One of the differences is that in the healing incantations, Mother of God is presented together with God as a couple. Additionally, according to the folk beliefs, Mother of God is a patron of some healers and some of them also claim that she has taught and has been guiding them in conducting properly the healing rituals. The healing incantations speak of her as a mistress of the elements, ruler of the forest nymphs called samodivi. She appears on crossroads when she hears the cry of the sick. All these functions and other special features bring her closer to the ancient notion of the Great Mother Goddess than to the Mary of the Bible.

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