Page 59 - Hrobat Virloget, Katja, et al., eds. (2015). Stone narratives: heritage, mobility, performance. University of Primorska Press, Koper.
P. 59
hical tradition in the stone ...
Figure 2: Baba in the shape of a woman carved in the stone under the well on the entrance
of Grobnik by Rijeka (Photo: Baptiste Virloget).
According to this custom, a peace of stone that was cut from the wall had »to calm down«,
because it had been torn off the »mother wall« and was perceived as still alive for a certain
time (Čok, 2015, p. 106).
Numerous stone monoliths called Babas have been found in Slovenia and other parts
of the Slavic world (Hrobat, 2010, pp. 183–196; 2012; 2013; Pleterski, 2006; 2015; Vince-Pal-
lua, 1995–1996) and new Babas have been discovered in the Karst and Brkini. In Brkini, in-
formation about stone Babas is still to be verified on the field, e.g., the Baba on Barka and
one in Slope. While in the Karst a few recent discoveries of Babas have been confirmed, for
instance the stone Mati (Mother) in Gropada (Figure 3), the stone Baba and Dedec (Grand-
father, Man) from Prelože near Lokev (Čok, 2015, p. 128) and Brajtnikova Baba (named af-
ter the owner) in Lokev1. The stones from Gropada and Lokev are clearly connected to the
water and rain prediction: When Mati from Gropada became wet, people used to say the
stone has urinated thus predicting rainy weather (Hrobat Virloget & Kavrečič, 2015, pp.
79‒80); the Brajtnikova Baba was called uscanka – »the one who pisses or has pissed«.
Forecasting rain or stormy weather is known also in connection to other hills and moun-
tains with the name Baba. In Slovenia, for instance, bad weather was forecast if black
clouds appeared above the Matajur Mountain or Vedrna Baba (from where the stone Baba
would control the weather, or above the hill named Železna Babica (»Iron granny/mid-
1 Information by Boris Čok from Lokev.
57
Figure 2: Baba in the shape of a woman carved in the stone under the well on the entrance
of Grobnik by Rijeka (Photo: Baptiste Virloget).
According to this custom, a peace of stone that was cut from the wall had »to calm down«,
because it had been torn off the »mother wall« and was perceived as still alive for a certain
time (Čok, 2015, p. 106).
Numerous stone monoliths called Babas have been found in Slovenia and other parts
of the Slavic world (Hrobat, 2010, pp. 183–196; 2012; 2013; Pleterski, 2006; 2015; Vince-Pal-
lua, 1995–1996) and new Babas have been discovered in the Karst and Brkini. In Brkini, in-
formation about stone Babas is still to be verified on the field, e.g., the Baba on Barka and
one in Slope. While in the Karst a few recent discoveries of Babas have been confirmed, for
instance the stone Mati (Mother) in Gropada (Figure 3), the stone Baba and Dedec (Grand-
father, Man) from Prelože near Lokev (Čok, 2015, p. 128) and Brajtnikova Baba (named af-
ter the owner) in Lokev1. The stones from Gropada and Lokev are clearly connected to the
water and rain prediction: When Mati from Gropada became wet, people used to say the
stone has urinated thus predicting rainy weather (Hrobat Virloget & Kavrečič, 2015, pp.
79‒80); the Brajtnikova Baba was called uscanka – »the one who pisses or has pissed«.
Forecasting rain or stormy weather is known also in connection to other hills and moun-
tains with the name Baba. In Slovenia, for instance, bad weather was forecast if black
clouds appeared above the Matajur Mountain or Vedrna Baba (from where the stone Baba
would control the weather, or above the hill named Železna Babica (»Iron granny/mid-
1 Information by Boris Čok from Lokev.
57
