Page 61 - Hrobat Virloget, Katja, et al., eds. (2015). Stone narratives: heritage, mobility, performance. University of Primorska Press, Koper.
P. 61
mythical tradition in the stone ...
son who falls has kissed the snotty Baba, which could lead us to conclude that the snotty
Baba can be nothing but the earth itself (Hrobat, 2010, p. 220). The same type of saying was
known in north-eastern Italy. If a child fell, people would say »it went to kiss the buttocks
of the Old Woman (It. La vecchia)« (Hrobat Virloget, 2012, p. 154).
Although the traditions connected to Babas seem very archaic, it is very difficult to
demonstrate their antiquity. Nevertheless, a recent discovery by historian Aleksander Pan-
jek shows that the oldest written reference of Baba dates back to 1703 (according to a map
dated to the end of the 17th century; the Vienna Archives). Baba is drawn as a pillar / mon-
olith under the village of Tinjan near Pazin in the Croatian part of Istria (an analysis is still
to be published by Hrobat Virloget, Panjek in Studia Mythologica Slavica in 2016).
Although the aim of this paper is not to analyse the mythical dimension of Babas,
some essential information should nevertheless be mentioned. In Slavic folk tradition,
Baba refers to a female creature, a demon associated with atmospheric phenomena. She
is characterized by atmospheric precipitations (rain, hail), rain clouds, sudden frost, and
drought. Furthermore, she is associated with celestial objects like the moon or constel-
lations, the rainbow, as well as with certain days and periods (Baba Marta in Macedoni-
an, Bulgarian folklore as a personification of the month of March; in the majority of Slav-
ic languages the term Indian summer is called Baba’s summer; Baba’s winter). She is the
corn spirit, the last sheaf in harvest rituals, the name for a disease, a wicked old woman, a
water demon, ceremonial bread in Serbia and Slovenia, etc. (Golant, 2013; Ternovskaja &
Tolstoj, 1995, pp. 122–123; Tolstoj, 1995, pp. 38–39; Kuret, 1997a, p. 80; 1997b, p. 72; Petro-
vić, 2000, p. 150–178; Vražinovski, 2000, pp. 44–45; Šmitek, 2004, p. 238; Ravnik, Šega &
Ložar-Podlogar, 2007, p. 18). To sum up, it has been shown that in children’s folklore, rit-
uals, and other traditions about Baba and similar female figures, a certain archaic female
mythical figure with both vital, fertile and degraded, old-age traits can be discerned (Hro-
bat 2010, pp. 183–226; Hrobat Virloget, 2012; 2013).
In some parts in Slovenia, different rituals or customs were recorded in connection to
Babas as monoliths or places (hills, caves), especially in western Slovenia (Karst, Soča River)
– offerings, dances and bonfires next to a Baba or on it, different rituals around stone Ba-
bas on equinoxes or Midsummer Days, divination and fertility rituals etc. (see Hrobat Vir-
loget, 2012; 2013, pp. 143–145; Hrobat 2008a; 2008b; 2010, pp. 198–204; Medvešček, 2006,
p. 43–8, 136–137, 199; 2013; 2015; Kuret, 1997, p. 72; Möderndorfer, 1948, p. 221; Marković,
1980, pp. 126–127; Pleterski, 2009, pp. 41–43, Trošelj, 2011, pp. 353–354, 364). Some of the
locations of Baba were included in the tročan – the principle of triad, an age old-belief in
three fundamental forces of nature (heaven-sun-fire, water, earth) (for instance in Golac,
Police, Matajur etc.) (Pleterski, 2006; Medvešček & Pleterski, 2015; Hrobat, 2010, pp. 202,
204). It has been showed that Babas as folklore figures also live in the caves (in the Karst, in
the Soča Valley) which were traditionally perceived as places of fertility. Babas are connect-
ed to new life and death: they can help in childbirth or bring new-borns, but on the other
hand they also keep (dead) children in the caves or cook/bake them (Hrobat Virloget, 2015,
pp. 156–157; Mihelič, 2013, pp. 71–72).
Recently Andrej Pleterski published a deep analysis of a (pre-)Slavic mythical tradi-
tion showing that the primary mythical female figure appears in two aspects, a young fer-
tile (frequently called Deva) and an old non-fertile (usually under the name Baba, Stara
59
son who falls has kissed the snotty Baba, which could lead us to conclude that the snotty
Baba can be nothing but the earth itself (Hrobat, 2010, p. 220). The same type of saying was
known in north-eastern Italy. If a child fell, people would say »it went to kiss the buttocks
of the Old Woman (It. La vecchia)« (Hrobat Virloget, 2012, p. 154).
Although the traditions connected to Babas seem very archaic, it is very difficult to
demonstrate their antiquity. Nevertheless, a recent discovery by historian Aleksander Pan-
jek shows that the oldest written reference of Baba dates back to 1703 (according to a map
dated to the end of the 17th century; the Vienna Archives). Baba is drawn as a pillar / mon-
olith under the village of Tinjan near Pazin in the Croatian part of Istria (an analysis is still
to be published by Hrobat Virloget, Panjek in Studia Mythologica Slavica in 2016).
Although the aim of this paper is not to analyse the mythical dimension of Babas,
some essential information should nevertheless be mentioned. In Slavic folk tradition,
Baba refers to a female creature, a demon associated with atmospheric phenomena. She
is characterized by atmospheric precipitations (rain, hail), rain clouds, sudden frost, and
drought. Furthermore, she is associated with celestial objects like the moon or constel-
lations, the rainbow, as well as with certain days and periods (Baba Marta in Macedoni-
an, Bulgarian folklore as a personification of the month of March; in the majority of Slav-
ic languages the term Indian summer is called Baba’s summer; Baba’s winter). She is the
corn spirit, the last sheaf in harvest rituals, the name for a disease, a wicked old woman, a
water demon, ceremonial bread in Serbia and Slovenia, etc. (Golant, 2013; Ternovskaja &
Tolstoj, 1995, pp. 122–123; Tolstoj, 1995, pp. 38–39; Kuret, 1997a, p. 80; 1997b, p. 72; Petro-
vić, 2000, p. 150–178; Vražinovski, 2000, pp. 44–45; Šmitek, 2004, p. 238; Ravnik, Šega &
Ložar-Podlogar, 2007, p. 18). To sum up, it has been shown that in children’s folklore, rit-
uals, and other traditions about Baba and similar female figures, a certain archaic female
mythical figure with both vital, fertile and degraded, old-age traits can be discerned (Hro-
bat 2010, pp. 183–226; Hrobat Virloget, 2012; 2013).
In some parts in Slovenia, different rituals or customs were recorded in connection to
Babas as monoliths or places (hills, caves), especially in western Slovenia (Karst, Soča River)
– offerings, dances and bonfires next to a Baba or on it, different rituals around stone Ba-
bas on equinoxes or Midsummer Days, divination and fertility rituals etc. (see Hrobat Vir-
loget, 2012; 2013, pp. 143–145; Hrobat 2008a; 2008b; 2010, pp. 198–204; Medvešček, 2006,
p. 43–8, 136–137, 199; 2013; 2015; Kuret, 1997, p. 72; Möderndorfer, 1948, p. 221; Marković,
1980, pp. 126–127; Pleterski, 2009, pp. 41–43, Trošelj, 2011, pp. 353–354, 364). Some of the
locations of Baba were included in the tročan – the principle of triad, an age old-belief in
three fundamental forces of nature (heaven-sun-fire, water, earth) (for instance in Golac,
Police, Matajur etc.) (Pleterski, 2006; Medvešček & Pleterski, 2015; Hrobat, 2010, pp. 202,
204). It has been showed that Babas as folklore figures also live in the caves (in the Karst, in
the Soča Valley) which were traditionally perceived as places of fertility. Babas are connect-
ed to new life and death: they can help in childbirth or bring new-borns, but on the other
hand they also keep (dead) children in the caves or cook/bake them (Hrobat Virloget, 2015,
pp. 156–157; Mihelič, 2013, pp. 71–72).
Recently Andrej Pleterski published a deep analysis of a (pre-)Slavic mythical tradi-
tion showing that the primary mythical female figure appears in two aspects, a young fer-
tile (frequently called Deva) and an old non-fertile (usually under the name Baba, Stara
59
