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A Comparative Analysis of the Portrayal of Witches in Long 19th-Century English and German Folktales
ID Brinovec, Erazem (Author), ID Currie, Oliver (Mentor) More about this mentor... This link opens in a new window, ID Kramberger, Petra (Mentor) More about this mentor... This link opens in a new window

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Abstract
Abstract A Comparative Analysis of the Portrayal of Witches in Long 19th-Century English and German Folktales This master's thesis examines the portrayal of witches in German and English folk literature during the long 19th century (1789–1914). It focuses on how the figure of the witch reflects societal anxieties, religious concepts, gender constructs, and patriarchal structures. The thesis argues that, in the narratives studied, witches function as flexible narrative constructs through which societal fears regarding the unknown, female independence, economic instability, and moral disorder are expressed. The study is based on a comparative analysis of 67 texts (34 German and 33 English), comprising both fairy tales and legends. Drawing on Stith Thompson’s classification of folktales, the study investigates five key aspects of the witch’s portrayal: animal transformations and animal companions; physical appearance and age stereotypes; harmful magic and scapegoating mechanisms; benevolent magical female figures; and the religious framework of witchcraft and diabolism. The analysis suggests that the observed differences between the two traditions may be partly attributed to their differing genre compositions. The German corpus contains a higher proportion of fairy tales than the English one; within this corpus, symbolic and moral patterns of representation, such as transformation, punishment, and the restoration of order, predominate. In contrast, legends prevail in the English corpus, where witches are more frequently linked to local communities, historical anxieties, and specific allegations of social and economic harm. Transformation magic plays a more significant role in the German corpus, whereas animal familiars appear more frequently as active agents associated with witchcraft in the English corpus. In the two corpora analyzed, the witch is constructed in places through physical otherness and social marginalisation. Although the analysis reveals certain trends regarding age and appearance, there is no single, uniform archetype. However, the study also identifies positive and morally ambivalent female magical figures. In the English corpus, the term “witch” is occasionally applied to benevolent or morally ambivalent figures, whereas benevolent magical female figures in the German corpus are more frequently designated by other terms, such as “wise woman”. The analysis further shows that Christian and demonological interpretive frameworks, specifically the figure of the Devil and the concept of the pact with the Devil, play a role in the portrayal of witches in both corpora. Finally, the study concludes that the witch was not a static literary archetype but a dynamic figure shaped by cultural context, genre conventions, and historical concerns.

Language:English
Keywords:witches, folklore, animal transformation, English folklore, German folklore, the Devil, folktales, fairy tales, legends
Work type:Master's thesis/paper
Organization:FF - Faculty of Arts
Year:2026
PID:20.500.12556/RUL-189597 This link opens in a new window
Publication date in RUL:10.10.2026
Views:180
Downloads:45
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Secondary language

Language:Slovenian
Title:Primerjalna analiza upodobitve čarovnic v nemških in angleških ljudskih pripovedkah iz dolgega 19. stoletja
Abstract:
Izvleček Primerjalna analiza upodobitve čarovnic v nemških in angleških ljudskih pripovedkah iz dolgega 19. stoletja Magistrsko delo obravnava upodobitev čarovnic v nemški in angleški ljudski književnosti v obdobju t. i. dolgega devetnajstega stoletja (1789–1914). Osredotoča se na to, kako lik čarovnice odraža družbene tesnobe, verske predstave, spolne konstrukte in patriarhalne strukture. Delo utemeljuje tezo, da v proučevanih pripovedih čarovnice delujejo kot prilagodljivi pripovedni konstrukti, skozi katere se odražajo družbeni strahovi, povezani z neznanim, žensko neodvisnostjo, gospodarsko nestabilnostjo in moralnim neredom. Raziskava temelji na primerjalni analizi 67 besedil (34 nemških in 33 angleških), ki vključujejo tako pravljice kot legende. Na podlagi klasifikacije ljudskih pripovedi Stitha Thompsona študija preiskuje pet ključnih vidikov upodobitve čarovnice: preobrazbe v živali in živalske spremljevalce (t.i. »familiars«); fizični videz in stereotipe o starosti; škodljivo magijo in mehanizme pripisovanja krivde (grešni kozel); dobrohotne magične ženske like; ter verski okvir čarovništva in demonologije znotraj izbranih literarnih del. Analiza nakazuje, da je opažene razlike med obema izročiloma mogoče delno pripisati njuni različni žanrski sestavi. Nemški korpus vsebuje večji delež pravljic kot angleški; v njem prevladujejo simbolni in moralni vzorci upodabljanja, in motivi kot so preobrazba, kaznovanje in ponovna vzpostavitev reda. Nasprotno pa v angleškem korpusu prevladujejo legende, v katerih so čarovnice pogosteje povezane z lokalnimi skupnostmi, zgodovinskimi tesnobami ter konkretnimi očitki o družbeni in gospodarski škodi. Magija preobrazbe igra pomembnejšo vlogo v nemškem korpusu, medtem ko se v angleškem korpusu pogosteje kot aktivni akterji pojavljajo živalski spremljevalci (t. i. »familiars«). V obeh analiziranih korpusih je podoba čarovnice mestoma oblikovana na podlagi fizične drugačnosti in družbene marginalizacije. Čeprav analiza razkriva določene vzorce glede starosti in videza, ne obstaja enoten, nespremenljiv arhetip. Študija prav tako izpostavlja pozitivne in moralno ambivalentne ženske magične figure. V angleškem korpusu se izraz »čarovnica« (witch) občasno uporablja za dobronamerne ali moralno ambivalentne figure, medtem ko so dobronamerne ženske magične figure v nemškem korpusu pogosteje poimenovane z drugimi izrazi, na primer »modra ženska« (wise woman). Analiza tudi kaže, da imata krščanski in demonološki interpretativni okvir – zlasti podoba hudiča in koncept zaveze oz. pogodbe s hudičem – nezanemarljivo vlogo pri upodabljanju čarovnic v obeh korpusih. Študija naposled ugotavlja, da čarovnica ni bila statičen literarni arhetip, temveč dinamična figura, ki so jo oblikovali kulturni kontekst, žanrske konvencije in zgodovinske okoliščine.

Keywords:čarovnice, folklora, preobrazba v živali, angleška folklora, nemška folklora, hudič, ljudske pripovedi, pravljice, legende

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