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Заметки о восточнославянских календарных запретах: почему в Ильин день олень портит воду
This article discusses the motivations used to explain why one should not swim after Elijah's Day. The general formula is as follows: someone (Elijah the prophet/God or an animal - deer/elk/ bull or bear) dips an ice floe, paw, hoof, antlers or urinates in the water, after which the water becomes unsuitable for bathing. The zones of distribution of specific motivational formulas are highlighted and the version associated with the deer/elk/ bull is considered. The author concludes that the appearance of the hoofed horned animal in this context is connected with another motif, reflected in the legend of the sacrificial deer voluntarily giving itself up for slaughter on the Ilyin day or some other holidays. In turn, this plot goes back to the Byzantine hagiography of St. Athenogenes of Heracleopolis
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