Valuable ancient remnants and superstitious foolishness: religiosity, nationalism, and enchantment in 19th century Slovenian folklore

english

2022

volume 30, issue 3

19th century   enchantment   folclore sloveno   incanto (ingl. enchantment)   nationalism   nazionalismo   Ottocento   religiosita   religiosity   Slovenian folklore

Univerza na Primorskem, Znanstveno-raziskovalno središče Koper
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

Based on Slovenian folklore from the second half of the 19th century, the paper addresses the unexplored topic of the intermixing of folklore with Catholicism and the role of this folklore in the process of Slovenian nation building. Based on an analysis of articles published in the newspaper Kmetijske in rokodelske novice, the author of the paper reveals an inconsistent discourse with regard to the vernacular Slovenian religiosity: everything associated with Christianity is praised, while nonChristian folklore elements are either praised (“Pagan remnants”) or condemned (“superstition”). In the search for enchantment, which is seemingly disappearing due to modernisation, Slovenian intellectuals projected the wonderous into the past and the lower levels of society. Vernacular religiosity in 19th century Slovenian lands is distinctly multilayered and eludes moral evaluations and any attempts to control it. The original contribution of the article is an analysis of the use and reinterpretation of folklore with religious elements in the process of Slovenian nation building and the role of the concept of „enchantment“ in the perception of folklore at that time.

09.11.2023