Sterken, Arjan
From the East to the Moon: Towards an international understanding of folktale motif A153.1 Theft of ambrosia: Food of the gods stolen.
Research master thesis, Master Research Master Theologie en Religiewetenschappen.
Abstract
This thesis gives an answer to the research question ‘how is the motif A153.1 Theft of ambrosia: Food of the gods stolen instantiated and structurally related to one another in different contexts?’ This thesis wishes to re-evaluate the Indo-European theoretical frame by providing a negative control. For this, 66 texts from India, 24 from Greece, and 42 from China (the negative control) are structurally analysed, using an adapted form of structuralism as described by Frog. As a result, the ‘universal’ group is the strongest, meaning that most motifs are shared by Indian, Greek, and Chinese narratives. A little weaker in strength is the Indo-European group, followed by the India-China pair. The similarities between Greek and Chinese narratives are negligible if ignoring the ‘universal’ similarities. From this analysis, two conclusions are drawn: 1) Indo-European reconstruction is valid, as now tested by a negative control; and 2) to understand international folktale motifs which were only considered from its Indo-European data, it is fruitful to apply non-Indo-European data as well.
| Type: |
Thesis
(Research master)
|
| Supervisors (RUG): |
| Supervisor | E-mail | Tutor organization | Tutor email |
|---|
| Roig Lanzillotta, F.L. | | Faculteit GGW, Jodendom, Christendom en Islam in formatieve fase | F.L.Roig.Lanzillotta@rug.nl | | Meder, T. | | Letteren en Rechten, Oudere Nederlandse letterkunde | T.Meder@rug.nl |
|
| Degree programme: |
Master Research Master Theologie en Religiewetenschappen |
| Academic year: |
2018-2019 |
| Date of delivery: |
14 Oct 2022 08:09 |
| Last modified: |
14 Oct 2022 08:09 |
| URI: |
https://rcs.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/699 |
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