The History of Folklore in Europe PDF Download

Author: Giuseppe Cocchiara
Publisher: Philadelphia : Institute for the Study of Human Issues
ISBN:
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 748

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Author: Timothy Baycroft
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004211586
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 440

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Using an interdiciplinary approach, this book brings together work in the fields of history, literary studies, music, and architecture to examine the place of folklore and representations of 'the people' in the development of nations across Europe during the 19th century.

Author: Ronald James
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781521423264
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 152

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Folklore! The very word captures the imagination and sends the mind on flights of fancy. Dragons, ogres, witches, elves, and heroes and heroines, all featured in legends and folktales, known to anyone who had a story read to them as a child or who saw a film adapted from these tales. And yet, oral traditions and the beliefs they reflect, as well as the customs and magical practices of pre-industrial Europe, are poorly understood by many because this is the realm of the folk, removed from the written record. "Introduction to Folklore" is an overview of oral traditions and beliefs as they manifested in pre-industrial Europe, presented in an approachable way, made available, for the casual reader as well as the specialist. This book is intended to offer readers with an opportunity to learn about how the discipline of folklore, which began with the Brothers Grimm, deals with everything from folktales and legends to calendar customs and magic. By placing material extending from fairytales to myth in perspective, the text ends with discussions of urban legends, UFOs, and Internet folklore.The author draws on the work of his mentor, Sven Liljeblad (1899-2000), himself the student of the great Swedish theoretician Carl Wilhelm von Sydow, who studied under a student of Jacob Grimm. "Introduction to Folklore" opens the door to appreciating the origins of aspects of tradition, many of which remain ingrained in everyday life and yet are poorly understood. And it draws on method and scholarship that has progressed for two centuries, offering insights into popular culture, which need not remain a mystery.Originally published as an e-book in 2014; issued as a softbound book in 2017 with minor revisions. 15 illustrations; bibliography; index.

Author: Thomas M. Bohn
Publisher: Berghahn Books
ISBN: 1789202930
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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Even before Bram Stoker immortalized Transylvania as the homeland of his fictional Count Dracula, the figure of the vampire was inextricably tied to Eastern Europe in the popular imagination. Drawing on a wealth of previously neglected sources, this book offers a fascinating account of how vampires—whose various incarnations originally emerged from folk traditions from all over the world—became so strongly identified with Eastern Europe. It demonstrates that the modern conception of the vampire was born in the crucible of the Enlightenment, embodying a mysterious, Eastern otherness that stood opposed to Western rationality. From the Prologue: From Original Sin to Eternal Life For a broad contemporary public, the vampire has become a star, a media sensation from Hollywood. Bestselling authors such as Bram Stoker, Anne Rice and Stephenie Meyer continue to fire the imaginations of young and old alike, and bloodsuckers have achieved immortality through films like Dracula, Interview with a Vampireand Twilight. It is no wonder that, in the teenage bedrooms of our globalized world, vampires even steal the show from Harry Potter. They have long since been assigned individual personalities and treated with sympathy. They may possess superhuman powers, but they are also burdened by their immortality and have to learn to come to terms with their craving for blood. Whereas the Southeast European vampire, discovered in the 1730s, underwent an Americanization and domestication in the media landscape of the twentieth century, the creole zombies that first became known through the cheap novels and horror films of the 1920s still continue to serve as brainless horror figures. Do bloodsuckers really exist and should we really be afraid of the dead? These are the questions that I seek to tackle, following the wishes of my daughter, who was ten when I started this project.

Author: Hilda Roderick Ellis Davidson
Publisher: Manchester University Press
ISBN: 9780719025792
Category : Celts
Languages : fr
Pages : 296

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Author:
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9401203946
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 295

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Myths of Europe focuses on the identity of Europe, seeking to re-assess its cultural, literary and political traditions in the context of the 21st century. Over 20 authors – historians, political scientists, literary scholars, art and cultural historians – from five countries here enter into a debate. How far are the myths by which Europe has defined itself for centuries relevant to its role in global politics after 9/11? Can ‘Old Europe’ maintain its traditional identity now that the European Union includes countries previously supposed to be on its periphery? How has Europe handled relations with the non-European Other in the past and how is it reacting now to an influx of immigrants and asylum seekers? It becomes clear that founding myths such as Hamlet and St Nicholas have helped construct the European consciousness but also that these and other European myths have disturbing Eurocentric implications. Are these myths still viable today and, if so, to what extent and for what purpose? This volume sits on the interface between culture and politics and is important reading for all those interested in the transmission of myth and in both the past and the future of Europe.

Author: Prudence Jones
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136141723
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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The first comprehensive study of its kind, this fully illustrated book establishes Paganism as a persistent force in European history with a profound influence on modern thinking. From the serpent goddesses of ancient Crete to modern nature-worship and the restoration of the indigenous religions of eastern Europe, this wide-ranging book offers a rewarding new perspective of European history. In this definitive study, Prudence Jones and Nigel Pennick draw together the fragmented sources of Europe's native religions and establish the coherence and continuity of the Pagan world vision. Exploring Paganism as it developed from the ancient world through the Celtic and Germanic periods, the authors finally appraise modern Paganism and its apparent causes as well as addressing feminist spirituality, the heritage movement, nature-worship and `deep' ecology This innovative and comprehensive history of European Paganism will provide a stimulating, reliable guide to this popular dimension of religious culture for the academic and the general reader alike.

Author: Helen Morales
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0192804766
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 167

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Book Description
From Zeus to Europa, to Pan and Prometheus, the myths of ancient Greece and Rome continue to pervade the numerous facets of our existence. The author explores the rich history and varying interpretations of classical myth in both high art and popular culture as well as its ongoing influence in modern society.

Author: Elizabeth Wayland Barber
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393089215
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 590

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A fascinating exploration of an ancient system of beliefs and its links to the evolution of dance. From Southern Greece to northern Russia, people living in agrarian communities have long believed in “dancing goddesses,” mystical female spirits who spend their nights and days dancing in the fields and forests. In The Dancing Goddesses, archaeologist, linguist, and lifelong folkdancer Elizabeth Wayland Barber follows the trail of these spirit maidens—long associated with fertility, marriage customs, and domestic pursuits—from their early appearance in traditional folktales and harvest rituals to their more recent incarnations in fairytales and present-day dance. Illustrated with photographs, maps, and line drawings, the result is a brilliantly original work that stands at the intersection of archaeology and folk traditions—at once a rich portrait of our rich agrarian ancestry and an enchanting reminder of the human need to dance.

Author: Carolyn Emerick
Publisher: Carolyn Emerick
ISBN:
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 126

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European Fairy Tales Series Vol 6 The Three Golden Hairs" is a fairy tale recorded from Czech storytellers in the 19th century. This book discusses several topics to help shed the historical and mythical insight into this tale. The early history of the Slavic people as well as their conversion to Christianity is explored. The phenomenon called "Dvoeverie," or the Slavic dual faith, is explained. We look at what is known about Slavic myth and how it lingered on in the folk consciousness. Further, the relationship between the ethnic-Germans and the Czechs is mentioned. Elements of Germanic myth found within this tale are overviewed, and differences between the Czech and German variations of the story are highlighted to discuss the evolution of myth and folklore. We will look at the figure of Baba Yaga, and how she makes an appearance in this tale - even though she appears very different here than in other fairy tales. Baba Yaga's origins as an ancient mother goddess is discussed. Other Slavic mythical elements that present in this text are also discussed. Finally, the book ends with the author's retelling of "The Three Golden Hairs." This volume is illustrated throughout.