Mysteries of Fate: Fortune Telling at the Church Lock

Abstract

This study analyzes variations and versions of a plot typical for the folklore of the Tersk coast of the White Sea: fortune telling on the church-porch at the lock that seals the church. In peasant beliefs and stories, the church space is full of a superhuman presence, especially at night. Supernatural beings and forces of various nature gather here and fight. The structure and semantics of the plot are examined in comparison with the structure and semantics of typologically related narratives. The main goal is to show the ambiguity of ideas about predetermination, fate and limits of human knowledge actualized by the plot