Swiss Mythology
A Swiss Myth; Barbegazi
Introduction
The definition of myth varies greatly amongst scholars, some have a functionalist approach where myths serve as approvals for social action, and others have a structuralist view where myths serve to facilitate conflicting or dualistic elements of society and life (Magoulick, 2003). A classical definition of myth from William Bascom (1965) is that they are tales believed to be true, usually sacred, in distant or past worlds with extra human, inhuman characters. This essay will be mostly guided under McDowell’s (1998) definition, that myths are a story, capturing events real or imaginary where the extraordinary feats and traits of myths are only possible because they are attached to a period in the growth and development of civilization. Although this definition may not be fruitful in understanding myths more than others, however it is one that most closely resembles my understanding and ties into my example of Swiss myth. This essay will outline a typical Swiss myth and describe its placement in the historical timeline and culture of Swiss people.
Explanation and Relation to Culture
Switzerland is a country where I’ve truly grown up in, and I adopted their culture and traditions quickly. A large part of Switzerland’s culture lies in the mountains, and only once more and more people went to visit or inhabit the mountains did this myth emerge. One popular myth that is told in all parts of Switzerland is about gnome type creatures that live in the mountains called Barbegazi. The name derives from French; “barbe” and “glacee” meaning beard and frozen, together frozen beard. These creatures are characterized by their big feet; which they use to ski on, long frozen beards and mostly live in caves until the first big snow fall of the year. The first time I came in contact with this legend was when I went on a school ski day. In the region I lived, the Barbegazi is used to scare children, such as when the ski instructor
Introduction
The definition of myth varies greatly amongst scholars, some have a functionalist approach where myths serve as approvals for social action, and others have a structuralist view where myths serve to facilitate conflicting or dualistic elements of society and life (Magoulick, 2003). A classical definition of myth from William Bascom (1965) is that they are tales believed to be true, usually sacred, in distant or past worlds with extra human, inhuman characters. This essay will be mostly guided under McDowell’s (1998) definition, that myths are a story, capturing events real or imaginary where the extraordinary feats and traits of myths are only possible because they are attached to a period in the growth and development of civilization. Although this definition may not be fruitful in understanding myths more than others, however it is one that most closely resembles my understanding and ties into my example of Swiss myth. This essay will outline a typical Swiss myth and describe its placement in the historical timeline and culture of Swiss people.
Explanation and Relation to Culture
Switzerland is a country where I’ve truly grown up in, and I adopted their culture and traditions quickly. A large part of Switzerland’s culture lies in the mountains, and only once more and more people went to visit or inhabit the mountains did this myth emerge. One popular myth that is told in all parts of Switzerland is about gnome type creatures that live in the mountains called Barbegazi. The name derives from French; “barbe” and “glacee” meaning beard and frozen, together frozen beard. These creatures are characterized by their big feet; which they use to ski on, long frozen beards and mostly live in caves until the first big snow fall of the year. The first time I came in contact with this legend was when I went on a school ski day. In the region I lived, the Barbegazi is used to scare children, such as when the ski instructor
Bibliography: Bascom, W. (1965). The forms of folklore: Prose narratives. The Journal of American Folklore, 78(307), 3-20. Huntington, S. (1993, Summer), The Clash of civilizations, Foreign Affairs, 22-49 Magoulick, M. (2003). What is Myth?. Georgia College and State University,7. McDowell, John. From "Perspectives" on "What is Myth" in Folklore Forum, vol. 29, no. 2, 1998.