Abstract
Having as starting point the ethnologist Petru Caraman’s study on the significances of the Black Sea in the folk creation, the author analyses the named motif in the Bessarabian folklore. The motif of the sea is present in several folkloric species: carols, charms, wedding orations, tales, riddles and sayings. The creations collected in Bessarabia confirm Petru Caraman’s conclusions that, in the Romanian phantasy, the sea depicts the immensity, the infinite space; it is a dwelling for miraculous creatures and an important trade route. Only a part of the territory inhabited by Romanians (Dobrudja and southern Bessarabia) borders the Black Sea. However, the image of the sea is present in the folklore of all the Romanian historical provinces. It is a proof of the spiritual unity of the Romanian nation, particularly, of its ethnic and cultural continuity between Prut and Nistru. The analysed folkloric texts also illustrate the value of the oral tradition as historical source – one of the permanent topics in the creation of Petru Caraman.
Keywords: Black Sea, Bessarabia, folklore, historical references, folk mythology.
Cuvinte-cheie: Marea Neagră, Basarabia, folclor, referinţe istorice, mitologie populară.