| dc.description.abstract | The report examines the silver bullet as a common ground between Bulgarian
folk songs with the motif “A Virgin rescues Malta” and those from the
cycle about Stoyan Indzhe voivode, and traces its appearance and usage in our
folklore. Furthermore, the report investigates the silver bullet theme analysed in
the studies of Bulgarian traditional culture. The research presented here is based
on the analysis of two groups of folk songs with 61 published variants from one
group and 368 records from the other. The conclusion of this report is that for
the first time in Bulgarian folklore the silver bullet was used as a special instrument
in the songs about Indzhe voivode, from where it accidentally passed into
the already existing songs about Malta and about Delyo voivode spreading in the
same geographical area and circulating between the same singers and audience.
Later, the silver bullet was included in the circle of beliefs and practices among
Bulgarians related to the killing of vampires looks more like a late phenomenon
from the end of the 20th century – the result of an influence external to the folk
culture. | en_US |
