The Role of "Apple" in the Indo-European Mythological Tradition and in Neighboring Traditions

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Authors

BLAŽEK Václav

Year of publication 2016
Type Chapter of a book
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Arts

Citation
Description In the present contribution the role of "apple" in the daughter Indo-European mythological traditions, particularly Iranian (Ossetic), Greek, Celtic, Germanic, is studied from the point of view of both comparative mythology and comparative linguistics. The data from Hittite, Armenian, German, Latvian and Slavic, mediated by other types of texts, including folklore songs and folktales, are also taken in account. Finally, the results are evaluated in a wider perspective of non-Indo-European mythological traditions, namely with the Semitic traditions. The most universal is the motif of "golden apples", particularly of "three golden apples" (Greek, Latin, Irish, German, Russian). The apple-tree bearing the golden apples usually grows in the orchard or garden of some ruler who is the father of sons guarding the apples (Nart epic; German, Latvian, Russian, Serbo-Croatian folktales) or in the garden situated in the periphery of the known world (Garden of Hesperides in both Greek and Irish traditions).
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