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Red as a Pomegranate. Jewish North African versions of Snow White

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Published/Copyright: November 10, 2017
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Abstract:

The article presents and discusses oral Jewish North African versions of Snow White, preserved in the Israeli Folktale Archive. Unlike previous interpretations that suggested viewing the relatively active heroine in these tales as reflecting maidens' ability to choose their own destiny, this article suggests viewing them as warning tales, aimed at guiding young maidens on how to manage their sexuality in Arab-Jewish society. The versions in which the father (rather than the mother) decrees the daughter's murder, due to suspected promiscuity or cases in which the heroine is an incest victim, serve to support this idea.

Zusammenfassung:

Der Aufsatz befasst sich mit nordafrikanisch-jüdischen Schneewitchenvarianten, die sich im israelischen Erzählforschungsarchiv befinden. Frühere Interpretationen deuteten die relativ selbstständige Heldin dieser Quellen als Ausdruck einer Kultur die jungen Frauen gestatteten, ihr Schicksal bis zu einem bestimmten Grad selbst zu bestimmen. Dieser Aufsatz interpretiert diese Texte als Warngeschichten, die junge Frauen anleiten wie sie ihre Sexualität in einer arabisch-jüdischen Gesellschaft leben sollten. In den diskutierten Varianten beschließt der Vater (und nicht die Mutter) die Ermordung des Mädchens; die Gründe sind entweder der Verdacht promiskuitiver Handlungen auf der Seite der Heldin oder die Darstellung der Heldin als Opfer von Inzest. Diese Handlungsstränge unterstützen die Interpretation dieser Erzählstoffe als Warn-und Moralgeschichten, die jungen Mädchen als Handlungsanweisungen dienen sollen.

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Online erschienen: 2017-11-10

© 2017 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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