Карпатские параллели к балканским мотивам воздушной битвы

Abstract

The report will focus on the Carpathian analogies to the ideas known among the Slavs in the Balkans that a storm, thunderstorm, hail, strong wind is caused by a dragon snakeflying in the clouds. Carpathian parallels to this plot are found both among Slavs (Slovaks, Ukrainians) and their neighbors (Romanians, Hungarians). The specifics of the Carpathian cultural area are linked with a number of features that, if found in the Balkans, then only in the northern parts of Slavic regions bordering Hungary and Romania and these are mostly beliefs about the leader who saddles the blind snake-dragon, carrying hail to people. On the contrary, in the Carpathian traditions, there is practically no theme of heroism of the positive defender of fields and lands that is so characteristic for the Eastern Serbian, Macedonian, Montenegrin and Eastern Hercegovinian beliefs. The vocabulary denoting snake-like characters (participants of the air battle) is also consistently considered when studying the topic.