Lakes in toponymic prose of Belarusians: plots, motifs and cultural landscape

  • Tatsiana V. Valodzina Center for the Belarusian Culture, Language and Literature Research, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 1 Surganava Street, 2 building, Minsk 220072, Belarus

Abstract

The author of the article examines the toponymic prose associated with lakes as culturally marked elements of sacred topography, in its correlation with the actual ritual practice and worldview of Belarusians. Toponymic lore and legends are shown as informative texts that reflect the relationship between traditional communities, wildlife, and the supernatural dimension of cultural landscapes. Special attention is paid to the church sinks underground motif. The etiological motif of the appearance of the lake after the beggar’s visit fits into many legends about the travelling God, the test of which initiates several social attitudes in a person, thus bringing the corpus of such texts closer to folk-biblical legends.

Author Biography

Tatsiana V. Valodzina, Center for the Belarusian Culture, Language and Literature Research, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 1 Surganava Street, 2 building, Minsk 220072, Belarus

doctor of science (philology), full professor; head of the department of folkloristics and culture of Slavic peoples

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Published
2025-02-19
Keywords: Belarusian folklore, toponymic prose, legends and lores, the motif of the sunken temple, sacred geography, cultural landscape
Supporting Agencies The research was conducted as a part of the project of Belarusian Republican Foundation for Fundamental Research «Toponymic folk prose in the system of ethnocultural heritage of Belarusians: historical memory, genre composition, plots and images» (No. G23IP-031).
How to Cite
Valodzina T. V. Lakes in toponymic prose of Belarusians: plots, motifs and cultural landscape // Journal of the Belarusian State University. Philology. 2025. 1. PP. 103-115.
Issue
No 1 (2025): Journal of the Belarusian State University. Philology
Section
Folklore Studies

Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of the Belarusian State University. Philology

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