THE MYTHICAL PROJECTIONS OF ROMANIAN IDENTITY AND HUMOR IN IVAN TURBINCĂ, PĂCALĂ AND HARAP-ALB
THE MYTHICAL PROJECTIONS OF ROMANIAN IDENTITY AND HUMOR IN IVAN TURBINCĂ, PĂCALĂ AND HARAP-ALB

Summary/Abstract: This essay explores Romanian identity and humor through a comparative reading of Ivan Turbincă, Harap-Alb, and the folk character Păcală. Using a mythological and anthropological framework, it argues that humor is a core structural element of Romanian myth, shaping cultural identity and resilience. Ivan Turbincă reflects existential demystification through comic negotiation with death and authority; Harap-Alb illustrates an initiatory model of identity formation moderated by humor and solidarity; Păcală embodies the trickster figure, using laughter to subvert social hierarchies. Together, these narratives form a symbolic triad that anticipates enduring patterns of Romanian cultural adaptation, irony, and creative survival.

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