The supernatural phenomenon in buried treasure tales in the Pirot region

The study of buried treasure tales has a long and rich history, so it is a very well-researched topic in a theoretical sense. However, some gaps in the empirical data still exist, both in buried treasure tales and in the practice of finding and digging up treasures. There are also some doubts regarding the direction of development of this phenomenon. One of the important characteristics of these tales, perhaps even its central motif according to the observations of some authors and indicators in the material published in recent decades - the connection with the supernatural - shows signs of weakening, diminishing and retreating. Since this is not a systematically studied aspect of the aforementioned tales, the aim was to investigate the empirical validity of these observations in a localized area. An attempt was made to study these stories and this practice in the vicinity of Pirot, primarily in the area of Srednji Visok, with a special focus on supernatural motifs. A total of 95 statements or stories were collected from 25 respondents, which were then analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. The results showed that the idea of the supernatural is present in these stories, in different forms and phases of the research, and that it had different functions and roles. These motifs were systematized, each one more clearly defined, and a model of statistical and comparative analysis was offered. The results showed no signs of weakening the importance and frequency of this phenomenon, at least in the last decades.