Demonologia w kopalni kreowanej przez Gustawa Morcinka

Abstract

[Demonology in the mines created by Gustaw Morcinek]

Underground demons appeared most often in Gustaw Morcinek’s novels rather than in his monographs or articles. They were not some fantastic or stylised creations of the writer’s imagination but were most probably based on folklore tales which Morcinek not only knew very well but also explored. Scientists have never undermined the authenticity of his detailed descriptions; on the contrary, they treated them as folklore tales (not literary pieces) and cited in their own works. There are many detailed stories about underground demons in Morcinek’s writings. Many facts about Pustecki and Szarlej were noted and interpreted exclusively by the author who truly and accurately recreated miners’ tradition, beliefs and reality in his novels.