Blood Libel Legend in Latgale: Types of Narratives

Abstract

The article is based on the materials collected among the non-Jewish population of Latgale, that is, the southeastern region of Latvia. The accusation of Jews in the ritual murder of Christians has been widespread in Europe from the Middle Ages to the present. Usually, such narratives speak about a small Christian child who is murdered and whose blood is supposedly used in a ritual context, for example, added to the unleavened bread (matza), which Jews eat for Passover. The topic was subject to quite abundant research work during the last two centuries. The article presents the circulation of this myth in modern Latvia and discusses the types of the story, the topics of narratives and transformation. The theme of the blood libel is well known in this territory, and almost all our interviewees have heard that Jews used blood for some ritual purposes. Often these narratives were associated with calendar festivals, frequently with Pesach and the legend of the crucifixion of the Christ, but at present stories are transformed and have lost contact with the folk calendar.