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In Europe, there is an increasing interest in pulses both for their beneficial effects in cropping systems and for human health. However, despite these advantages, the acreage dedicated to pulses has been declining and their diversity has reduced, particularly in European temperate regions, due to several social and economic factors. This decline has stimulated a political debate in the EU on the development of plant proteins. By contrast, in Southern countries, a large panel of minor pulses is still cropped in regional patterns of production and consumption. The aim of this paper is to investigate the potential for cultivation of minor pulses in European temperate regions as a complement to common pulses. Our assumption is that some of these crops could adapt to different pedoclimatic conditions, given their physiological adaptation capacity, and that these pulses might be of interest for the development of innovative local food chains in an EU policy context targeting protein autonomy. The research is based on a systematic review of 269 papers retrieved in the Scopus database (1974–2019), which allowed us to identify 41 pulses as candidate species with protein content higher than 20% that are already consumed as food. For each species, the main agronomic (e.g., temperature or water requirements) and nutritional characteristics (e.g., proteins or antinutritional contents) were identified in their growing regions. Following their agronomic characteristics, the candidate crops were confronted with variability in the annual growing conditions for spring crops in Western European temperate areas to determine the earliest potential sowing and latest harvest dates. Subsequently, the potential sum of temperatures was calculated with the Agri4cast database to establish the potential climatic suitability. For the first time, 21 minor pulses were selected to be grown in these temperate areas and appear worthy of investigation in terms of yield potential, nutritional characteristics or best management practices.

After the Romanticism era, when virtuoso music was dominated by the violin, cello and piano, there was a noticeable tendency among composers to search for new and fresh sound inspired by instruments previously functioning mainly in an orchestra. One of the instruments which acquired a new glory back then was the viola. Even though Western European literature earned a permanent place in the repertoire of violists worldwide, Polish pieces representing this genre are lesser-known and performed not as often, except for a few compositions. The library of Polish 20th century viola works is quite rich, but many compositions did not stand the test of time and we would look for them in vain within the performance canon; others were not published in print or recorded, and their manuscripts are owned by private collections. Some autographs of compositions have gone missing and only their titles have been preserved to this day. The present article is an attempt to systematise the state of knowledge about Polish viola compositions written before the end of the 20th century.

This article examines the features of explication of modern German philosophical lyrics represented by the transnational genres of haiku and tanka. The author focuses on the problem of definition of the term “philosophical lyrics”, observes the process of formation and representation of haiku and tanka as syncretic genres in German poetry, conducts a comparative analysis of these genres. The universal features of haiku as well as features peculiar to European culture are summarized and described. The article also analyzes the concept of the connection between haiku and painting and describes the haiga genre as a symbiosis of poetry, calligraphy and painting. The research is based on the haiku and tanka of modern German authors: I Kunshke, H. Tum, M. Bagdan, M. Berner, S. Kempen, F. Ditrich. The applied methods of linguistic-stylistic and literary analysis are aimed at identifying the linguistic means of German haiku and tanka poetry, giving insight into formation of the philosophical worldview of the Western European society.

The purpose of the article is to present elements of fantasy in selected works of old literature. It focuses above all on presenting the amazing places shown in literary works created in the 16th and 17th centuries. The author also shows similarities between fantasy, fairy tale, and utopia. Science fiction was created on the basis of utopia or anti-utopia, which lost their cognitive functions and began to discuss the characters’ adventures in such a way as to primarily provide entertainment to readers. In addition, the author points out that in the Renaissance era, Western European literary works containing elements of fantasy were primarily utopian or fairy-tale in nature. Their main role, however, was not to fulfill the entertainment function. It was only in the 19th century that leisure literature was discovered, when the ability to read and access to the text spread.

Introduction. The article discusses the motive of a “miracle in a fiery furnace”, based on the story of the Three Holy Children in the Book of Daniel. Methods. The study provides a comparative analysis of the Biblical topos about the trial by fire in Byzantine, Western European and Eastern sources. A semiotic approach of textual study is used. Analysis. In Byzantine hagiography and hymnography, the plot of the “Three Holy Children” was interpreted as a prototype of the Incarnation, so, the sacred situation was reproduced in new historical conditions. In the Lives of Bishops of Cherson, the plot about miracle in the furnace is used for construction the local sacred history. Similar motives are found in the narratives about the baptism of Rus, such as Vita Basilii (the fifth book of Theophanes Continuatus), Vita beati Romualdi by Petrus Damiani, Historia de predicatione episcopi Brunonis. In narrative about conversion of Özbeg Khan to Islam, literary plot was connected with shamanistic representations about the holy fire. Results. The Biblical topos of the “fiery furnace” underwent a semantic transformation within the framework of various discourses. It was used in Byzantine texts for constructing the Christian Identity, while was enhanced by Turkic mythology in Muslim tradition.