Three questions/requests

[J. Rouhier-Willoughby]

>(2) Can someone point me to a good source that *identifies* the "hex"
>signs carved at the very edge of the long wooden eaves on Russian izbas
>and churches? I've been looking, but haven't found anything except for a
>reasonable description of the "gromovoj znak," which I now think I can
>recognize. I can differentiate the other designs, I just don't know which
>elements they evoke/invoke/protect against.


There is a good chapter on them in Alison Hilton's book, Russian Folk
Art. Indiana U. Press.

>-- Was Gogol' aware of this ... I gather his knowledge of folk-lore was
>purely second-hand?


My impression of Gogol is that he had a strong first-hand awareness
of lore. As to whether he knew this particular connection, I do not
know.
--
****************************************************
Jeanmarie Rouhier-Willoughby
Associate Professor
Russian and Eastern Studies and Linguistics
1055 Patterson Office Tower
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY 40506-0027
(859) 257-1756
fax: (859) 257-3743
  jrouhie at pop.uky.edu
http://www.uky.edu/~jrouhie/
****************************************************

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