Świat fauny w "Opowieściach o Matce Boskiej" Justyny Bednarek wobec tradycji ludowej i literackiej

The subject of the essay is the analysis of the image of fauna in Maryjki. Tales about Mother of God by Justyna Bednarek addressed to children. In the first part of the article, the characteristics of folk aetiological tales and folk Marian legends were presented, a special attention was drawn to the pre-Christian symbolism of fauna in them. The images of animals and other non-human beings appearing in folk tales and new literary version (the snake, the frog, the spider, wolves, the lark, sparrows, swallows) were compared. Some animals in stories of Bednarek (or in older literary works) are literary creations, such as: dogs, the cat, the cow, the ferret. The attitude of the Mother of God as the protagonist and human characters toward representatives of those animals was analyzed. The literary inspirations of the author identified in the works were also taken into account (works by such authors as: M. Gawalewicz, K. Iftakowiczéwna, E. Szelburg-Zarembina, J. Quercy). The analysis from the perspective of animal studies showed a much higher degree of empowerment of creatures than in folk tales and in older literary works. Justyna Bednarek uses the anthropomorphization, which is characteristic in original plots. A novelty is using of a narrative describing the inner world of animals’ thoughts and emotions and giving names to the selected creatures. The figure of the Mother of God in Bednarek's version has a much greater agency and an initiative in interventions and taking care for the balance in nature than in folk and old literary tales. She can be considered the “first ecologist”. Moreover, Maryjki discusses the issue of animal abuse, forcing them to live and to work in bad conditions, a fur farming and the idea of all animals' salvation.