Križišča niso nikoli sama. Mejni prostori na Krasu in v Istri<br>Crossroads are Never Alone. Border Areas of the Karst and Istria</br>

Abstract

The authors endeavour to understand the symbolic power of crossroads through the ethnographical records from Istria and the Karst in Slovenia. From the Antiquity to this day the crossroads are marked with different monuments, ranging from ancient landmarks and Christian symbols to memorials to fallen heroes and national monuments. In peoples' imagination crossroads are perceived as dangerous places, where different demonic forces gather and meet. On the other hand, they also represent the meeting places of benevolent creatures and sites of apotropaic and magic acts, so their character is ambivalent. Besides crossroads there are several other examples of liminal places, sites of crossings and borders, which attract supernatural forces. Liminal spaces will be discussed within the dualistic perspective, where reality is perceived on the grounds of binary oppositions, and on the idea of an empty centre, a »gap«, which was constantly being attempted to diminish and domesticate.