Farm animals in Polish folk culture

摘要

This thesis is aimed at presenting the image of farm animals in Polish folk culture based on beliefs, legends and myths. It touches many important issues starting from the presence of farm animals in Polish rites, annual ceremonies and family traditions to the use of animals in prophetic practices and the motif of animals in folk demonology. The thesis shows animals as objects of respect and fear, worship and belief in good and bad omen. It discusses the place of animals in magical practices, which play an incredibly important role in traditional folk communities. It also shows that animals, present in human consciousness in the form of diverse symbols (fertility, prosperity, eroticism, determinant of fortune and good harvest) have a great impact on Polish culture.