BIBLICAL MOTIFS IN THE LEGENDS ABOUT THE DOOM OF GAVAN’S CASTLES NIKOLA SUNARA HELENA Dragić Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Splitu UDK: 398.5(497.5) Poljička cesta 35, HR – 21000 Split 2-264(497.5):(497.6)
[email protected] Izvorni znanstveni članak Primljen: 25. 7. 2019. Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Mostaru Prihvaćen za tisak: 10. 12. 2019. Matice hrvatske bb, BiH – 88000 Mostar
[email protected] The paper cites and analyses legends about Gavan and the KEYWORDS: doom of his castle. The focus is on the analysis of the written Croatian intangible cultural her- records of the legends published in scientific monographs, itage, legends, Gavan, the Bible papers, journals. The analysis has shown that all of these legends contain motifs of destruction of Sodom and Gomor- rah from the Old Testaments and explain the origin of nu- merous lakes in the territory of both the Republic of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. This oral tradition is the most prominent in the area of Imotski borderland and Herzegovina where these legends are still recounted. The legends are an integral and an immensely significant part of the Croatian intangible cultural heritage, therefore we should consistently record them in order to preserve them for the future gener- ations. 1. Introduction A legend is a type of oral religious narrative whose form resembles a folk-tale. The main characters usually include Jesus Christ, Virgin Mary, holy men and wom- en, martyrs and similar figures. It is distinguished from a folk-tale and hagiography, which recounts the life of saints, by an element of miracle whose purpose is to reward proper behaviour and punish evil behaviour.