The Connection Between Folk Christianity and Paganistic Beliefs in Traditional Bulgarian Fairytales and Legends

Authors:

Pages: 149-156
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54664/DELL8686

Abstract:

The spread of Christianity in the Balkan Peninsula acted as one of the catalysts for the formation of the cultural structures of each nation. Alongside the beliefs and rituals of Christianity, it can be observed that the beliefs and rituals of paganism were not totally erased but coexisted under a new cover. That was the moment for the birth of folk Christianity. Under the prism of folk Christianity, paganistic rituals, old beliefs, and customs were reshaped to some degree so they could follow the principles and beliefs of Christianity. A part of the cultural structures reshaped by folk Christianity were the traditional fairytales and legends. This paper will give a brief example of the transformation by presenting a few narratives, giving their synaptic structure and underlining their original paganistic elements and how they were transformed into Christian elements.

Keywords:

Folk Christianity; paganism; fairytales; legends; elements

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