The Shape Shifter. The Danube in a Snapshot

Abstract

Although not the longest river in Europe, the Danube has always manifested her existence in a plurality of voices, forms and guises, tempting leaders due to her strategic geographic position and the promise of abundance, thus risking to become a bone of contention on political maps, while revealing herself as an enchantress of colours and shades, of sounds and wor(l)ds beautifully blended in spectacular artistic creations that bring her to the fore. Starting from black-and-white snapshots of the Danube, this paper looks into her occurrences as a Shape Shifter, an Alchemist, a Collector and an Art Muse as they are embodied within literary and/or artistic records.