MISCELLANEA The Cross as a Point of Reference

• Authors: Robotycki, Aleksander

Abstracts

EN

This short essay refers to the phenomenon of mountaintop crosses as paradigmatic religioussymbols in the mountains. Once treated as almost natural elements of mountain landscapes, nowadays they become more and more often objects of contention. The author proposes that these symbolic conflicts should be viewed through the anthropological categories used to analyze folk cultures. He argues that folk culture is the main frame of interpretation of the mountain crosses. However, he points out that there are also many other cultural resources which are used to contextualize and interpret symbols in modern societies. The structure of the text alludes to a mountaintop cross functioning as a geographic reference point. The essay is divided into four sections: N – North, S – South, E – East and W – West. The author explores four cultural spaces used as contexts to understand symbolic meaning of mountain crosses and their natural surrounding. He asks relevant questions regarding the usage of sacred symbols and their interpretation in modern societies.

Keywords

EN

krzyż

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Gdański
• Journal: Miscellanea Anthropologica et Sociologica
• Year: 2012
• Volume: 13(1)

Contributors

author

Robotycki, Aleksander