Political functions of Slovene national mythological heroes with regard to the changing socio-political circumstances and needs

Tratnik, Polona (author)

This article explores how the motif of an ordinary man who confronts a powerful antagonist endangering the community has been used to help achieve national political goals. In 1858, Slovenian writer Fran Levstik wrote the tale of Martin Krpan, a mighty hero who saves the Empire. The character was inspired by the folktale hero Peter Klepec, as well as the medieval knight Gašper Lambergar who saved the Holy Roman Emperor. In the twentieth century, writers retold the tale of Peter Klepec at significant historical moments—on the eve of the breakup of the Habsburg Empire and before and after World War II.

• Language: English
• Keywords: fairy tales, folk tales, social function, political function, political myths, national heroes, mythological heroes, Peter Klepec, Martin Krpan
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: Str. 167-191
• Numbering: Vol. 11, no. 2, art. 3
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-169769
• UDC: 316.7:398.2
• ISSN on article: 2169-0235
• COBISS.SI-ID: 216650755
• Publication date in RUL: 09.06.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Narrative culture
• Publisher: Wayne State University Press
• ISSN: 2169-0235
• COBISS.SI-ID: 39818285

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
• Description: A creative commons license that bans commercial use, but the users don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: pravljice, ljudske pripovedke, družbena funkcija, politična funkcija, politični miti, narodni junaki, mitološki junaki, Peter Klepec, Martin Krpan