RAS History & PhilologyЭтнографическое обозрение Ethno review

  • ISSN (Print) 0869-5415
  • ISSN (Online) 3034-6274

Transparent People: Areal Spread of Some Concepts of Beauty in the Old World

PII
S0869-54150000331-7-1
DOI
10.7868/S50000331-7-1
Publication type
Article
Status
Published
Authors
Volume/ Edition
Volume / Issue 4
Pages
24-39
Abstract
The article examines the areal distribution of the "transparent bones" (a woman or man has a body so transparent that bones can be seen through the skin and marrow can be seen through the bones) and "transparent neck" (a young woman or man has a neck or throat so transparent that food or drinks swallowed by her or him are seen through it) motifs. Both are based on the idea that bodily transparency is somehow attractive. The motif of "transparent bones" became widespread in Northern Eurasia because of the Russian colonization and may reflect the Finno-Ugric substratum in Russian folklore. The motif of "transparent neck" is attested from the Iberian Peninsula to Eastern Siberia and Borneo. It seems to originate from Central Asia, and enter Turkic folklore via Eastern Iranian tribes, likely the Sogdians, and the Arabic oral tradition via the Persians.
Keywords
FOLKLORE MOTIFS, TALE AND EPIC FORMULAS, CULTURAL CONTACTS, PEOPLES OF EURASIA FOLKLORE MOTIFS, TALE AND EPIC FORMULAS, CULTURAL CONTACTS, PEOPLES OF EURASIA
Date of publication
03.07.2017
Year of publication
2017
Number of purchasers
4
Views
640

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At the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation

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