Had a miska mlieka: Slovenské verzie príbehov ATU 285 a ATU 672(Serpent and Bowl of Milk: Slovak Verisions of ATU 285 and ATU 672 Tales)

The aim of this paper is the analysis of 47 tales of ATU 285 and ATU 672 types recorded on Slovak and Serbian territory. The theme of the tales is of a girl sharing food with a snake. The examined tales are divided to four variants - one with a negative, two with neutral, and one with a positive ending. The tales are compared with Bulgarian ritual known as Stopanova Gozba, which represents the rite of feeding a household spirit and an ancestral deity. The examined tales may represent part of similar ritual. The tales are not connected with Christianity and may conserve archaic concepts.