Ľudová interpretácia kresťanského kultu v prozaickom folklóre východného Slovenska

Abstract

We will focus on folk prose from eastern Slovakia, collected by linguist Samo Cambel. He published 122 dialect texts. In three of them, we will point out that in the elements of folk-spiritual culture we can observe a mixture of Christian doctrine and symbolism with pagan relics in folk religion (the cross, holy water and prayer as a means of protection against dark powers). We have the opportunity to see the continuity of archaic mythological ideas in folk faith and their gradual connection with the symbolism of Christian verbal means, which is a process in which the original pagan demonstration acquires a new Christian meaning and Christian reinterpretation.