Fântânile din dreapta și din stânga Prutului
The traditional wells from the right and the left bank of the river Prut

Functional and ritual correspondences

Summary/Abstract: In order to reveal Eugen Bâzgu’s contribution on the exegesis of functional and symbolical features displayed by traditional wells, the paper analyses the ways these ancestral mechanisms of acquiring water play in the social and cultural imaginary of traditional Romanian societies. The first section offers a historical view on the evolution of different types of wells built on Romanian territory, suggesting the connections of these particular types with the broader landscape of vernacular architecture and the oldest universal tools for water digging. In the second section, the ritual aspects of wells are explained within the context of symbolical and mythological significance of the main materials from which they were traditionally constructed in this area: wood and stone. The association of water, tree and Christian symbols provides a profound understanding of the well as a spiritual place and a centre of the village world.

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