Podobe krvi v slovenski folklori in poeziji med svetim in profanimImages of Blood in Slovenian Folklore and Poetry Between Sacred and Profane

In this article, folk songs, some important traditional practices and mythological sources relating to blood as well as selected poems of Slovenian poets from Gregorčič to Makarovič and Detela are researched. Presented are the meaning, roles, symbolic and metaphoric dimensions of blood. The focus of the article is based on two philosophical concepts that are thematised in folklore and poetry: the sacred and the profane. It seems that discussing blood is a taboo and therefore we can say that a genuine artistic creation can relevantly depict both perceptions and conceptualisations of blood. The article takes ecocentric and unspeciesistic perspectives to this discussion and criticises the still existing unacceptable ritual practices of perpetuating killing of non-humans and spilling innocent blood.