HERANÇA E TRANSMISSÃO NOS CONTOS ROMENOS E IBÉRICOS: “SAREA ÎN BUCATE” E AS SUAS VERSÕES IBÉRICAS

Abstract

Heritage and Transmission in Romanian and Iberian Fairytales: “Sarea în bucate” and Its Iberian Versions. Folkloric fairytales are the collective treasure of a nation. They are not just sources of entertainment and creative manifestations of their authors (most of them are anonymous), but also literary works through which precepts, warnings, social and moral rules are passed from one generation to the other. Fairytale characters personify ideas, values and symbols. It is a cultural heritage that helps us understand mankind better, especially nowadays, in a world where multiculturality is extremely important. This study highlights the similarities, but also the differences between folkloric fairytales in the Romance world, by virtue of a comparative analysis of the Romanian fairytale Sarea în bucate, with its Spanish and Portuguese counterparts: El amor como la sal and O sal e a água, respectively (there are, in fact, four versions of this fairytale in Portugal, originating from different geographical areas, all of which are included in this study). The analysis focuses on narration techniques that are used (e.g. oral speech, the narrator’s role and involvement, which also explains the existence of several versions of the same fairytale) and also highlights the importance of treasuring the diversity and singularity of social and moral rules that bridges people from different nations and brings different cultures together.

Article history: Received 19 January 2026; Revised 7 March 2026; Accepted 15 April 2026; Available online 30 June 2026; Available print 30 June 2026.