THE CONCEPT OF WOLF AND WERE WOLF IN ARCHAIC RITUALS OF THE SLAVONIC TRADITION Cover Image

"Волк" и "волколак" в славянской традиции в связи с архаическим ритуалом
THE CONCEPT OF WOLF AND WERE WOLF IN ARCHAIC RITUALS OF THE SLAVONIC TRADITION

Author(s): Vasilij Balušok
Subject(s): Anthropology, Language and Literature Studies, Applied Linguistics
Published by: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Sklodowskiej
Keywords: Indo-European peoples tradition; transition from adolescence to adulthood; wolf [volk]; werewolf [volkolak]

Summary/Abstract: The article is an attempt to reveal the correlation of the concepts of wolf and werewolf and the ritual of initiation in Indo-European peoples. Rich folklore-oriented, linguistic and ethnographic documentation has revealed that the transformation of a person into a wolf or a dog took place in critical moments of one’s life, such as the transition from adolescence to adulthood. On becoming adults, young men had to prove their valour, courage and unyielding attitude towards an enemy. The features constituted the basis of the future existence of an individual and the whole community.In various sources relating to Slavonic cultures, the motif of initiation, manifested by the transition of a person into a wolf, is present in the tradition of the wedding reception, in war campaigns, in the practice of looting or in admission to particular professional circles.

  • Issue Year: 13/2001
  • Issue No: 13
  • Page Range: 215-226
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: Russian