Theorizing Rabbinic Folklore: The Miraculous Sleep of the Holy Man

Authors

Gal Sela, Beyond _Canon Study Centre, University of RegensburgFollow

Abstract

The miraculous sleep (ATU 766) is a well-known, recurring tale-type observed in Abrahamic folktales since the Second Temple period. This study compares variants of ATU 766 on three levels of analysis: as a popular tale in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim writings from late antiquity and early medieval times; as a Jewish rendition; and as a multiple tale-type in rabbinic literature. The analysis engages with Dan Ben-Amos’s critical work concerning the use of syntactic methods in folklore studies to analyze Midrash and Aggadah. The essay offers a new theoretical perspective on rabbinic folklore using the notions of tale-type, ecotype, conglomerate, and motif as discourse formations of different scales.

Recommended Citation

Sela, Gal (2024) "Theorizing Rabbinic Folklore: The Miraculous Sleep of the Holy Man," Jewish Folklore and Ethnology: Vol. 3: Iss. 1, Article 2.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/jewishfolklore/vol3/iss1/2