Uhrin, M.: Victor Turner’s Theory of Symbols 25 Appendix 1: The church in Poruba pod Vihorlatom dedicated to the Holy Apostle and Evangelist St Mark Source: author’s photo The main function of the fence is the protection of a sacred place against contamination, which may be caused by animal excretions The fence also protects against physical damage to church property The village church is located near a main road According to respondents, the fence prevents potential damage to the church by motor vehicles Thus, it protects the church and the crosses on its premises not only from pollution but also from physical damage while at the same time serving as a means of defining the property belonging to the church During ethnographic interviews, the respondents stated that the entry of any animals into the area is considered inadmissible and inappropriate In this context, the function of the fence is interpreted by respondents as protection against the entry of animals onto land belonging to the church According to them, animals could contaminate this area with bodily excretions, i.e faeces and urine Turner himself was not concerned with the question of pollution However, another representative of symbolic anthropology and a contemporary of Turner, Mary Douglas, drew attention to the issue of pollution in the 1960s (Douglas 2002, 2003) Various contemporary researchers, following her arguments, claim that faeces and urine are considered polluting, impure and disgusting substances This applies not only to the bodily excretions of animals but also to those of humans Cigarette butts, ash from their consumption, used tissue paper, or any waste can pose a threat of contamination and pollution (Bužeková and Išová 2010; Jerotijević 2011; Rozin, Haidt and McCauley 2000) © RASCEE, www.rascee.net 2020, 13 (1)