Treatise on the South Slavic Vila

Abstract

<p>This thesis seeks to clarify the often confused understanding of the Serbo-Croatian vila and elucidate her position within the archaic South Slavic world view. Through a survey of her functional traits within the Serbo-Croatian epics, the argument presented here attempts to typify her actions in the epic sphere, and weigh those against her conception in the folkloric sphere, making a case for the understanding and study of the vila as one distinct figure divided into two typological facets - one mythological in nature, the other a product of folk custom. From there the thesis explores a comparative Indo-European mythological study of the isolated epic functions of the vila, in order to properly posit her among similar analogues in the Indo-European myth system.</p>