Abstract
The folkloric beliefs concerning the end of the world provide a reflection on the human existence throughout time. The catastrophes expected lately point out the main values that have assured the stability and the continuity of the traditional community. Within the eschatological scenarios, one can find several items related to the mythical thinking: the numerical symbolism, the repetition of sacred archetypes, the antithetic symmetries and oppositions. These dark predictions display several motifs used also in the folkloric poetry, legends, customs and the rural way of life. The eschatological discourse represented a way of enforcing the spiritual fundaments of the society in order to provide its continuity.
Keywords: eschatology, folklore, apocrypha, mythical thought.
Cuvinte-cheie: eshatologie, folclor, apocrife, gândire mitică.