The Snake in Pamiri and Polish Folk Narratives and Proverbs. A Comparative Study of the Most Common Traits

The snake is one of the most common animal characters in the oral narrative traditions of Tajik Badakhshan and Poland. This article aims, firstly, to describe the most common traits of the snake in Pamiri oral narratives, which are: on the one hand ingratitude and meanness and on the other hand gratitude and caring; and secondly, to examine the similarities in the representation of these characteristics linking Pamiri and Polish oral narratives. Folktales, legends, memorates and ethnographic accounts were subjected to comparative analysis. Snake-related proverbs were also included in the research as a supplementary material. Part of the research material was collected during field research in Tajik Badakhshan. The analysis showed that the two traditions share key similarities in the depiction of the snake’s ingratitude and meanness, but also gratitude and caring as well as in the functions performed by snakes possessing these traits, such as that of donor, household guardian or antagonist.