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• THE DONKEY DIED, THE SNAKE (ALMOST) SURVIVED KUWAITI FOLKTALES, WHAT HAPPENED TO HEMARAT AL GHAYLA AND NESÓP?

  159-172

  Kinga Németh

  Views:

  242

  The current paper is based on the conception that Kuwaiti people are forgetting their stories and it is largely down to the fact that the new generation of Kuwait hardly remember the fictional figures of the Tantal, Al Seolu, Sehaila Um Al­Khalajeen, Um Al­Sa’af Wa­Alleef, Al­Duaidea, Bu Darya, which is mainly due to historical and social background. The article intends to dwell on these types of stories and their meaning, focusing on the moral context, as well.

• “KILL THE MAN WHO KILLED THE DOG - STORIES BURIED UNDER THE SKYSCRAPERS”: FOLKTALES OF KUWAIT

  77-90

  Kinga Németh

  Views:

  298

  The current paper intends to draw a kind of picture of numerous compelling viewpoints of the Kuwaiti community relying on folk tales. The research is in line with the theoretical and epistemological questions that are cornerstones of researching folk narratives.

• INEXPLICABLE BEINGS, PHENOMENA, AND EVENTS, CATEGORIZED AS MYTHOLOGICAL, AMONG THE PEOPLES OF THE SOUTH SLAVS: COLLECTIONS OF FOLK TALES, INTERVIEWS WITH STORYTELLERS AND MYTHOLOGICAL BEINGS IN MODERN NOVELS

  135-148

  Milena Medojevic

  Views:

  457

  This article contains the basic structural features of a same-named Ph.D. research thesis. The main tasks of the research are to identify three focal fields with mythological elements, whether they are phenomena, objects, people, or creatures that some believe and others doubt exist. These focal fields are found in various collections of folk stories, and contemporary literary texts as well as in interviews with storytellers. However, the focus of this article is primarily on the introductory story and on providing the background of the general idea. The goal is to acquaint the readers with the background that explains the origin of the mentioned stories among the people. It talks about death, man’s natural fear of it, and the world of the paranormal, religious, and mythological, which combined create inexplicable phenomena that contradict the rational reasoning of man. One of the hypotheses of the research itself is to understand why this phenomenon is still present in the human community and what benefits it brings. Furthermore, the methodology used in the research includes a comparison and contrast of information between folk stories and contemporary literary works. In addition, the most important research method used is the interview technique with the aforementioned storytellers with strategically selected persons who are assumed to possess quality information.  

• Witchcraft in Modern Society: An Ongoing Tradition or a Folkloric Relic? An Investigation into the Persistence of Witchcraft, from Folklore Stories to 21st Century Practices

  191-202

  Milena Medojevic

  Views:

  357

  This article explores witchcraft’s ongoing relevance and function in contemporary society based on a qualitative analysis of folklore, historical, and modern practices. Despite the rise of secularism and scientific scepticism, the practice of witchcraft continues, albeit under different names and with different purposes. Through the examination of stories collected by Vuk Stefanović Karadžić and partly by Milovan Glišić, as well as contemporary testimonies as a side of comparison, this study reveals that witchcraft serves as a form of spiritual but also practical support in times of personal and social crisis. Rituals like ‘The Melting of Fear’ and ‘Coal Quenching’ demonstrate the continuity of magical practices, even as their cultural and religious contexts evolve. This study argues that, while secular individuals may publicly reject the supernatural, many still seek the services of witchcraft practitioners when conventional solutions fail. The methodology of this work includes a literary analysis of the stories of the mentioned authors and qualitative interviews with four individuals. Emphasising the complex interweaving of witchcraft, folklore, and religious and pagan beliefs, this study shows that despite the changing times, magical practices remain dominant and well-known even to today’s modern man.