Slavic motives and their function in the works of K.J. Erben and B. Němcová (cultural studies)

There are numerous characters in the world of Czech fairytales: apart from the common ones, there is also a multitude of supernatural entities. Inspiration for some of them came from different sources, other characters are indigenous and refer to Slavonic ancient mythology. It is exactly the role of these daemons, ghosts and other beings, that depicts the way a mediaeval person was able to adapt to an unknown environment and deal with its threats. The aim of the thesis is to find Slavonic roots of these supernatural beings. First part of the thesis presents an analysis of the most important works of Karel Jaromír Erben and Božena Němcová. Regarding the contemporary understanding of their work, this part questiones the significance of writers' own preconceptions on one side, and the importance of the persisting remains of pagan tradition on the other, and discusses the resulting image and our contemporary understanding of the work. The beings inspired by ancient Slavonic daemonology will be further analysed according to the systematics of V. J. Propp and their role will be explained in the specific fairytales. Following chapters summarize our current knowledge of Slavonic paganism and describe its particular figures and deities. Due to the consequences of christianization, as well as its historical..