| Edition |
First edition. |
| Description |
xiii, 429 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 381-400) and index. |
| Contents |
Introduction: Dancing as life : how dance was thought to bring life -- I. Dancing the year : the ritual cycle of fertility -- Swan maidens, mermaids, and tree spirits -- Marking time -- To bring the spring -- Dancing up a storm -- Crazy week--Rusalia week -- Flowers with powers -- Midsummer Rusalii -- Friday, St. Friday -- The twelve days of Christmas -- II. Bride-dancing for fertility: the frog princess -- The cosmic arrow -- Bride testing -- Trial by dance -- The magic sleeve dance -- Second skins -- The hut on chicken legs -- Koshchey the deathless -- III. Dancing back through time -- Medieval traces -- Roman showbiz -- Dancing with the Greeks -- Back to the Bronze Age -- Dancing at the dawn of agriculture -- IV. Gotta dance! -- Keeping together in time -- Dancing the time warp -- Epilogue: dancing divinity. |
| Summary |
An ethnographic and archaeological exploration of ancient traditions and folklore pertaining to "dancing goddesses" traces their roots in early Roman, Greek, and European cultures to reveal the origins of modern customs. |
| Subject |
Folklore -- Europe, Eastern.
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Folklore -- Balkan Peninsula.
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Goddesses -- Folklore.
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Agriculture -- Folklore.
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Folk dancing -- Europe, Eastern -- History -- To 1500.
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Folk dancing -- Balkan Peninsula -- History -- To 1500.
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Europe, Eastern -- Social life and customs.
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Balkan Peninsula -- Social life and customs.
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Ethnoarchaeology -- Europe, Eastern.
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Ethnoarchaeology -- Balkan Peninsula.
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| ISBN |
9780393065367 hardback |
|
0393065367 hardback |
|
