Episode Details

Montenegrin folk prose represents a complex Mediterranean-Slavic synthesis through which the people sacralized their rugged landscape, turning geography into a living text of moral laws and founding myths. In this tradition, demonological and supernatural beings such as fairies and zduhaći actively participate in the social dynamics and astral defense of the community, while saints undergo anthropomorphism through motifs of outsmarting. Through the form of fairy tales, the process of the hero's individuation and initiation is encoded with the help of totemic helpers, while fables and humorous stories serve as an ironic social corrective and a form of national self-reflection. Addressing universal questions of sin, justice, and human survival, this oral word has been preserved through the salvific ethnography of the Radojević brothers and Matica Crnogorska as a foundation of Montenegrin cultural identity.

SOURCES:

• Radojević M, priređivač. Montenegrin Folk Prose: Legends, Fairy Tales, Fables, Tales. Krivokapić M, prevodilac; Ivanović I, urednik. Podgorica: Matica crnogorska; 2025.
• Radojević M, priređivač. Prosa Popular Montenegrina: Leyendas, Cuentos de Hadas, Fábulas, Relatos. Kovač Barett I, prevodilac; Barett EJ, redaktor; Ivanović I, urednik. Podgorica: Matica crnogorska; 2025.