Bat in the Hungarian Folklore and Folk Medicine.

Abstract

Author gives a wide overview on the role of the bat in Hungarian folklore and folk medicine. His detailed and thoroughly noted treatise begins with the analysis of the various names of the bat in Hungarian dialects emphasising also the special phonological and phonosemanti- cal characteristics of the variations of its name. The strange appearance and the problematic zoological classification of the bat in the European lore and early scientific literature probably explains the doubtful and mostly negative role, this animal played in European literary heritage and lore. Bat proved to be a common tool of apotropaic or love magic and its body or blood was widely used to treatments of folk medicine as well. After grouping, listing and citing the various Hungarian lores connected with the bat, author cites some recent literary and poetrical allusions to the animal. This comprehensive collection of the Hungarian linguistic and ethnological heritage regarding bat, will certainly prove to be a useful source for further ethnozoological resarch.