Bogdan Damian e Sila Samodiva – prospettive mitologiche e rituali
Bogdan Dimian and Sila Samodiva – Ritual and Mythological Perspectives

Summary/Abstract: The article is devoted to the “Bogdan Dimian and Sila Samodiva” ballad. Sila Samodiva, a giant female monster, challenges Bogdan to a running race and wins, so that the hero is left to face the consequences and awaits beheading. However, in the end he manages to trick Sila and to blind her. The ballad, traditionally performed as a marriage proposal song, is considered type number 2 in Amzulescu’s index of Romanian traditional epic songs, where it is placed in the “fantastic tales” section. In this paper, the structure of the ballad will be investigated by classifying its international motifs according to Thompson’s Motif-Index. Then, its ritual and initiatory background will be examined by applying Propp’s theories about the relationship between fairy tale and ritual (“inversion of the ritual”). Finally, the study will focus specifically on the motif of untimely death in connection with the well-known Miorița ballad and its core part, the shepherd’s testament. The comparative approach used aims to draw a historical and symbolic comparison between Romanian and non-Romanian texts. By highlighting the mythological and archetypal elements, the author will extend the methodological perspective beyond the national and ethnographical dimension. A translation of two versions of the ballad will conclude the study.

• Details
• Contents