Witches' Zoopsychonavigations and the Astral Broom in the Worlds of Croatian Legends as (Possible) Aspects of Shamanistic Techniques of Ecstasy (and Trance)Vještičje zoopsihonavigacije i astralna metla u svjetovima hrvatskih predaja kao (mogući) aspekti šamanističke tehnike ekstaze (i transa)
Studia Mythologica Slavica October 16, 2006 Suzana Marjanić 4 citations
Croatian legends describe witches' zoopsychonavigations—journeys undertaken in a lethargic, trance-like state—that may parallel shamanistic techniques of ecstasy. The concept of zoopsychonavigation marks a boundary where shamanistic ecstatic experiences and witches' lethargy permeate each other. Additional parallels between witchcraft and shamanism include the mytheme of mutual agon between shamans and between witches, distinctive birth features such as birth in a caul, the axis mundi topos of mythic mountains and trees (comparing the shamanistic tree to the fairies' tree), the use of hallucinogenic plants, and light-enhanced hypostases of witches' bodies, echoing Eliade's characterization of the shaman as a master over fire.