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Price: 2005.00 RUB
L.N. Vinogradova – Comparative Mythology of the Eastern Slavs: Demonological Essays
This academic work by L.N. Vinogradova offers a detailed comparative analysis of Eastern Slavic folk demonology. The study focuses on five key mythological figures: the souls of unbaptized children, wealth-bringing spirits, rusalki (water nymphs), werewolves, and forest spirits. Beliefs about these entities are drawn from documented sources across Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine.
By comparing numerous regional versions, the author identifies both archaic and later elements within each demonological image. The analysis reveals deep connections between Slavic and non-Slavic myths. For example, the werewolf figure exhibits traits from ancient Balkan beliefs about shapeshifting humans, revenants rising from graves, and lunar eclipse myths.
The work combines folkloric, ethnographic, and ethnolinguistic methods. It demonstrates how Eastern Slavic mythological consciousness reflected ideas about the permeability of boundaries between pure and impure, living and dead, human and otherworldly. Appendices include several maps showing the distribution of certain mythological motifs among Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian populations.
This book is intended for folklorists, ethnolinguists, cultural scholars, and anyone interested in Slavic mythology and traditional beliefs about unclean forces.
Price: 2005.00 RUR