Tam, gdzie grotołaz staje się autorem. Naukowe, literackie i podróżnicze opisy zejścia do wnętrza Ziemi

Abstract

Things hidden in the depths for a long time were fascinating; they are terrifying, on the one hand, tempt with the desire to discover undiscovered, on the other. Interior of the Earth have a symbolic rank, we associate it with gloom and darkness, in folk traditions people associate it with evil. As an unexplored area, interior start attracted attention explorers, who want learn more about inside the Earth, as yet inaccessible to humans. This was the beginning of underground mountaineering. Similar to high mountain climbing, this form of activity, in natural entail the emergence of the travel descriptions about caves and undergrounds. In this article author analyse this kind of literature, starting from first polish explorers and ending with contemporary descriptions of descent into the Earth. Both interesting are science and academic publications and popular travel literature, as well specialistic knowledge and fairy-tale elements.