13th Congress of the International Society for Folk Narrative Research

Presentation Abstracts

SEDAKOVA, Irina

The Customs and Beliefs Behind the Choice of Name in Slavic Narratives

Narrative about people’s names is a frequent folklore genre, which in the field is told in several situations: (a) When the narrator introduces him/herself; (b) When s/he is asked about childbirth and child rearing customs; (c) When the person is speculating on the life chances, or just peculiarities, of a person. The narration, as well as the customs and beliefs behind them, connect in a magical way the name of the child and his/her fate. The striking similarities between the baby and his/her predecessor after whom s/he was christened is another frequently interpreted belief.

These stories are mostly fascinating among the Balkan Slavs who used to have, and in some areas still have, strict rules and a wide range of beliefs concerning the choice of a name. Violation of the laws and the consequences (illness, misfortune, death) is one of the motifs of the narratives. An attempt to ‘correct’ the initial ritual error by changing the name is a widely known practice and, correspondingly, a type of a story.

The data collected during the last two decades show that in spite of the modernized cultural and ritual situation, the archaic tradition remains. The basic facts of the Weltanshauung (bans or prescriptions for selecting a name) are described in terms of ‘a feeling’ or ‘a presentiment’.