The Folk Cult of St Phanourios in Greece and Cyprus, and its Relationship with the International Tale Type 804

Abstract

This paper discusses, from a historical perspective, the basic elements of the folk cult of St Phanourios in Greece and Cyprus—namely, the custom of preparing phanouropita (literally, “St Phanourios pie”), which is connected with the belief that one can find something lost or obtain good luck in general—and the oral narratives associated with St Phanourios and his mother, which seem to constitute the Greek adaptation of the international folktale type 804. The investigation is based on recently collected material as well as the manuscript collections of the public folklore archives.