Devils, goats, brimstones and witches. Reading the Novel Salamander by Stefan Grabiński in the Context of Kupala Night Cover Image

Czarty, kozły, zołzy i czarownice. Odczytanie powieści Salamandra Stefana Grabińskiego w kontekście Nocy Kupały
Devils, goats, brimstones and witches. Reading the Novel Salamander by Stefan Grabiński in the Context of Kupala Night

Author(s): Anna Wdowczyk
Subject(s): Sociology of Literature
Published by: Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu
Keywords: witch; summer solstice; pagan beliefs and rituals; Salamander; motif of the Kupala Night

Summary/Abstract: The paper focuses on the motifs of Kupala Night and the character of the witch present in the novel Salamandra by Stefan Grabiński. For this reason, it undertakes an analysis of the beliefs, legends and superstitions used by the author concerning both the cult of the given holiday and the accompanying witches' sabbaths. The aim of this paper is to present the image of St. John's Night preserved in cultural memory as a time of increased activity of supernatural beings and to discuss the literary evidence of the motifs of Kupala Night and the witch in the novel by one of the most valued fantasy authors of the interwar period.

  • Issue Year: 2025
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 245-255
  • Page Count: 11
  • Language: Polish
Toggle Accessibility Mode