Papers by Henna Lindström
Mouras Encantadas are supernatural beings in Portuguese folklore. They live in megalith tombs and... more Mouras Encantadas are supernatural beings in Portuguese folklore. They live in megalith tombs and guard the entrance to the world beyond.
This study compares the archaeological data of the tombs to the folklore - stories, traditions, perceptions and beliefs concerning the tombs.
The aim of the study is to determine whether it is possible that some fragmentary material from the ancient religious worldview might have been carried to the present day in the symbolic level.
Theoretical background for the study is the idea of symbols as the core of myths - the oldest and most permanent strata of mythologies, which could remain unchangeable or chance very slowly, while the myths around would change faster, following the changes of the society.
Changes in burial habits indicate changes in society and in its ideology. The study is following the changes of burial practices, trying to find out what the changes are possibly telling about the ideologies prevailing in the society in different times, and what they tell about the significance given to the megalith tombs.
The conclusion of the study is that folklore of Portuguese megalith tombs has absorbed material from many different eras, throughout the long existence of the tombs, and that in consideration of the symbolic similarities between the archaeological material and the folklore, it is possible that some fragmentary material of the Neolithic worldview has really been carried to the present day, hidden inside the symbols of folklore.
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Papers by Henna Lindström
This study compares the archaeological data of the tombs to the folklore - stories, traditions, perceptions and beliefs concerning the tombs.
The aim of the study is to determine whether it is possible that some fragmentary material from the ancient religious worldview might have been carried to the present day in the symbolic level.
Theoretical background for the study is the idea of symbols as the core of myths - the oldest and most permanent strata of mythologies, which could remain unchangeable or chance very slowly, while the myths around would change faster, following the changes of the society.
Changes in burial habits indicate changes in society and in its ideology. The study is following the changes of burial practices, trying to find out what the changes are possibly telling about the ideologies prevailing in the society in different times, and what they tell about the significance given to the megalith tombs.
The conclusion of the study is that folklore of Portuguese megalith tombs has absorbed material from many different eras, throughout the long existence of the tombs, and that in consideration of the symbolic similarities between the archaeological material and the folklore, it is possible that some fragmentary material of the Neolithic worldview has really been carried to the present day, hidden inside the symbols of folklore.
This study compares the archaeological data of the tombs to the folklore - stories, traditions, perceptions and beliefs concerning the tombs.
The aim of the study is to determine whether it is possible that some fragmentary material from the ancient religious worldview might have been carried to the present day in the symbolic level.
Theoretical background for the study is the idea of symbols as the core of myths - the oldest and most permanent strata of mythologies, which could remain unchangeable or chance very slowly, while the myths around would change faster, following the changes of the society.
Changes in burial habits indicate changes in society and in its ideology. The study is following the changes of burial practices, trying to find out what the changes are possibly telling about the ideologies prevailing in the society in different times, and what they tell about the significance given to the megalith tombs.
The conclusion of the study is that folklore of Portuguese megalith tombs has absorbed material from many different eras, throughout the long existence of the tombs, and that in consideration of the symbolic similarities between the archaeological material and the folklore, it is possible that some fragmentary material of the Neolithic worldview has really been carried to the present day, hidden inside the symbols of folklore.