Realizations of idiomatic expressions in Israeli oral wonder tales: A new interpretative method

Relying on findings that emerged from the examination of seventy versions of oral wonder tales recorded in the Israeli Folktale Archive, the article suggests that in many cases, identifying the idiomatic expressions hidden behind concrete acts provides us with a way to interpret some of the marvellous elements of the genre. Furthermore, examining this phenomenon helps us to better understand the unique manner in which different levels of thought processes are involved in the wonder tale genre.