HISTORICAL ORIGINS OF THE FOLK BELIEF THAT INFANTSARE BROUGHT BY STORKS

<jats:p>The article explores the historical origins of the belief that infants are brought by storks. Historical, folklore, and archaeological sources are used to examine ancient ideas about a mythical bird performing intermediary functions: carrying the souls of the dead to the other world and bringing back the souls of newborns. The belief that a stork brings an infant is interpreted as a later reinterpretation of an ancient concept in which a mythical bird (and subsequently a goddess) was believed to bring the souls of infants from the other world.</jats:p>