 |
 |
Wow! Utterly fascinating. The idea of rival local gangs of magicians engaged in magical warfare links up in some ways with the battles of the Italian benandanti which Ginzberg discovered (though these don't use storms in their battles). Someone must definitely write an article on this -- and send it to 'Folklore'! Jacqueline --- Andrija Filipovic <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC Digest - 17 Dec 2005 to 18 Dec > 2005 (#2005-19)----- Original Message ----- > From: "jacqueline simpson" > <[log in to unmask]> > > > I've traced one very early allusion to > tempestarii, in > > a treatise written c. 815 by Archbishop Agobard of > > Lyons, saying people believed that they raised > winds > > which brought storm-clouds & thunder to cut down > > harvests, and that the crops are then gathered by > > ships which sail among the clouds and carried away > > through the air to tyhe land of Magonia. > > Fascinating info. In Serbian folklore, zduhaci have > the same function as tempestarii. While out of the > body, a zduhac conducts winds, banishes storms and > hail clouds, and fights with zduhaci from other > countries who usually live across the sea or beyond > the mountains. They lead storms and hail clouds to > the battle and fight against the hail clouds other > zduhaci bring with them. The battle between zduhaci > follows a certain set of rules. Some battles occur > only during the night, some only during the day, but > always battles are waged with strong winds and heavy > clouds. As for the seasons, the battles happen most > often during the spring or autumn. The zduhaci use > many different kinds of weapons – a spindle, buds > from beech trees, large trees or rocks, stones, > feathers, pine cones, and hay stacks. Beside these > they carry cauldrons filled with milk and wage > battle with besoms. It is believed that the most > important tactical advantage is to take the > cauldrons of milk and besoms from other zduhaci > because the cauldrons taken make the cattle of the > winners produce more milk and the besoms taken make > the crops of the victors richer. > > People who fight against the storm daemons are > present in folklore of other Slavic nations. > Croatians in Bosnia and Herzegovina call them > vilenjaci – fairy-men; people in the area around > Dubrovnik – negromanti; Serbs in Hungary – taltos; > in Poland – platnenik; in the Ukraine – gradivnik; > and in some areas of the Balkans, oblacari – > cloud-men. In Slavonia, grabancijashi are wandering > beggars who learned their craft of leading the storm > clouds by attending a school of magic or from “black > books”. According to Hungarian lore, they lead storm > clouds whilst riding dragons to those places where > they were not given food and shelter, as recompense > for past wrongs. However, they may also banish the > storms if they are treated well. > > It appears that "those who persue the clouds" are > present all over the Europe - from Ukraine, Hungary, > throughout the former Yugoslavia, Greece, Italy to > Poland, France and Spain. It is rather awkward to > see that no one has done any systematic research on > this subject. > > Andrija > ___________________________________________________________ NEW Yahoo! Cars - sell your car and browse thousands of new and used cars online! http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/