Collection Of Folktales Research Articles

The image of the hero of Ukrainian fairy tales in the context of differentiation and transformation of the hierarchy of socio-cultural practices

Background. The Modern era, with its paradoxes of innovation and repetition, shaped the "discovery of the people" and rekindled interest in folktales. Enlightenment models of fairy tales emphasized the ethical dimension, while the romantic moods of the 19th century stirred European communities' interest in gathering national and regional versions of folktales and converting them into literary fairy tales. The perspective of contemporary humanities proves to be quite productive to enhance the understanding of the cultural potential of Ukrainian fairy tales in bridging diverse traditions and generating images. Methods. The methodological basis for the study is a content analysis of a collection of fairy tales. A categorization is based on the titles of folktales and the classifications of J. Campbell's transformations of the hero. The interpretation of the data is made in optics of the differentiation of a segmentary society and the specifics of its transformations of representation practices, first of all the image and the image of a hero. The aim of the article is to define fundamental characteristics of the image of a hero in Ukrainian fairy tales as a way of representation in logics of the differentiation of a segmentary community. Results. The differentiation of practices begins with the complexification of a segmentary society, where storytelling practices were detached from the original ritual syncretism in the logic of ethnic diversity production and strata hierarchy. Each stratum nurtured its storytelling genre and thematic uniqueness. With its functioning in the magical and practical unity of the peasant stratum, the folktale preserved the most archaic narrative structure, with corresponding images of the main characters and logic of image construction. The image of the folktale hero became the leading practice in representing communities. Conclusions. A content analysis of a collection of Galician folktales reveals the replication of the classic triad of popular culture "Heroes, Villains and Fools" (P. Burke), marked by a dominant quantitative representation of the fool's image. A fairy tale hero is a dormant hero, leaving the impression that everybody can find their place. The hero's heroic powers are exposed gradually, and the hero possesses definite traits and personifies moral integrity. These qualities allow the overcoming of obstacles and passing of tests. Usually, the hero of a Ukrainian fairy tale is a trickster who can maneuver through society. The ethical pathos of a fairy tale consists of a victorious war between evil and justice/resumption. The predominantly happy ending of Ukrainian fairy tales suggests these functions provide a therapeutic effect in difficult historical circumstances.

“She Did Not Want a Husband, and Least of All This One”

The article looks at how marriage appears in Icelandic folk legend collections from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, while focusing on the portrayal of femininity and gendered power relations. The focus is on legends of women and nonsupernatural men as well as women and male outlaws, which are common in Icelandic folktale collections. The legends show women being forced into marriage, difficulties within marriage and eventually perhaps women’s hopes for a better life. The article considers the messages about and for women conveyed in the legends, bearing in mind that while legends tend to reflect the societies to which they belong, they can also potentially affect and shape their environments.

The Trickster Archetype in Oral Literature: Unravelling Universality and Pedagogical Power across World Cultures

This paper delves into the intricate character of the trickster as portrayed in oral literature while conducting a comprehensive survey to explore the universality of this intriguing figure across diverse world cultures. The investigation draws inspiration from Carl Jung's proposition that these archetypal manifestations in cultural and religious literature stem from the "collective unconscious," a profound thread of consciousness connecting all human beings and societies worldwide. The essay emphasises the distinctiveness of each trickster's personality within their respective cultures while also highlighting the common traits shared among all tricksters. Typically perceived as an entertainer, teacher, judge, and sage, the trickster embodies both humorous and serious aspects of life, encompassing a wide range of roles from rewarding to punishing. Furthermore, the study asserts that the trickster character goes beyond being a mere fictional element in oral literature; rather, it serves as a powerful tool for pedagogy and satire. The study advocates for the deliberate collection and documentation of folktales. These tales serve as valuable raw materials for future research, offering insights into the cultural intricacies and shared human experiences across the globe.

Polish Folk Tale Archive: From Analog to Digital

Abstract The article presents a concise history of Polish folk tale from oral – analogue – beginnings to the digital collections of today. First, the storytelling tradition in Poland is described, secondly, an overview is given on folk tale collections and on the Polish research tradition, and, finally, the current digital folk tale archives are introduced in more detail. The focus of the article is about the recent development of online folk tale indexes and collections by popularising the very rich Polish folk tale documentation and scholarship as a valuable part of the European and global intangible heritage in the digital era.

Disentangling the Folklore Hairball

Abstract The ATU tale type index and the Motif Index of Folk-Literature have formed the basis for many comparative folktale studies. While the indices have been used extensively for the study of small groups of folktales and their associated motifs, there have been few attempts of describing a large linguistically and culturally unified corpus through its indexing. The study corpus consists of 2,606 folktales collected by Evald Tang Kristensen in nineteenth century Denmark, which were later indexed according to the second revised edition of the Aarne-Thompson index. We adjust this older index to align with the current ATU index. By creating linked network representations of the ATU index and the MI, as well as updating the Brandt indexing of the Danish folktales, we generate a network with 19,738 nodes and 28,292 edges, where nodes can be ATU numbers, MI numbers, Danish folktales, storytellers, or places of collection. By embedding all the Danish stories in this network, we provide a large-scale overview of the Danish folktale tradition. We introduce two novel interrelated network decomposition methods for the study of folktale collections at corpus scale: fixed points of degree peeling and graph fragments. The resulting analysis of the Danish corpus supports comparison with other traditions. Any collection that is similarly indexed can be embedded in this ATU+MI network and then subjected to the same interrelated graph decompositions.

Textual Concepts and Textological Practices in Hungarian Folkloristics

AbstractFocusing on the concept of ‘folklore text,’ the study surveys the textological dilemmas that a researcher faces during the collection, transcription, publication, and interpretation of folk poetry. Behind the development and implementation of strategies for text editing procedures lie complex cultural processes, which can be interpreted within the framework of the given discipline or placed within a broader cultural and technological historical context. The paper examines the methodological history of Hungarian folklore collections not only according to the theoretical concepts that define the research subject and research aspects but also based on the objective, technological conditions of the collection. The author proposes a folklore textological approach to the publication of texts that is much more conscious of the historicity and origin of folklore texts and considers their own philological-textological tradition. A new, process-based, and transcriber-centered concept of text would provide an intriguing direction for solving numerous folklore textological problems, which might show the role collectors and transcribers play in the creation of a text in a sharper and more nuanced light. The findings of the study are based on investigations carried out in the field of historical folklore text research, primarily on the examination of the methodological history of the collection and transcription of folktales; with certain restrictions, their applicability might be extended in terms of subject matter (to other genres) and time (even to the latest folklore phenomena arising in the digital medium), and they may also provide useful perspectives for representatives of other disciplines that study orality.

Jewish Cultural Studies by Simon J. Bronner

Reviewed by: Jewish Cultural Studies by Simon J. Bronner Jacqueline Laznow Simon J. Bronner. Jewish Cultural Studies. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2021. xix + 458 pp. In Jewish Cultural Studies, Simon Bronner summarizes his long and prolific academic trajectory. The book consists of updated versions of his published work with additional new material dealing mainly with the digital world and COVID-19. Bronner focuses on three folklore and ethnographic themes, conceptualization, ritualization, and narration, while interrogating objects, patterns, frames, and practices identified as Jewish in North America. His aim is to discern what makes them Jewish, why, and by whom. By doing so, he draws the boundaries of what he conceptualizes as Jewish cultural studies, a separate but complementary entity to traditional Jewish studies. In addition, Bronner argues that general American cultural studies do not recognize Jews as an ethnic group and points to the struggles of Jewish cultural studies in North America to find its place in academia since the twentieth century. Bronner considers the book an example of what he calls “the Chutzpah of Jewish Cultural Studies” (1). Through case studies and personal narratives, he points to the complexity of defining what Jewish culture is nowadays, raising the need to dare to examine Jewish daily praxis and rituals while considering the local context and the outsider’s gaze. He points to the fact that Jews, outside of Israel, have always been a minority group concerned with the maintenance and representation of their heritage, which makes them a unique cultural group with its own frame of mind. Reference to contemporary Israel as a multicultural Jewish center where folklore and ethnography researchers face different challenges from those faced by American researchers adds some depth to the otherwise American-centered arguments. Nevertheless, the description in chapter 4 of the history of Jewish folklore research, with an emphasis on S. An-sky’s collection of Jewish folktales in early twentieth-century Europe, Dov Noy’s work in Israel, and Haya Bar-Yitzhak’s description of their legacy, lacks reference to any of today’s prominent Israeli folklorists who engage in Jewish cultural studies in Israeli academia. Moreover, from his American and postdiasporic perspective, Bronner states: “In America the tension between tradition and modernity is especially evident” (xiii). This determination is problematic, since in our digital world, well described by the author in chapter 10, Jewish communities mirror each other and appropriate modern traditions and rituals that suit their own cultural context, thus the tension between tradition and modernity affects all Jewish communities. One example of this tension is the debates over mixed-gender prayer at the Western Wall in Jerusalem between ultra-Orthodox and progressive Jewish streams. Another example is the issue of conversions performed by the Conservative and Reform movements in today’s Argentina despite a historic religious ban from 1927. The book consists of three parts. Part 1 discusses the formation of beliefs and ideas in the academy and in everyday life while pointing to the tangle between opposites: continuity and change, tradition and modernity, and past and future. Bronner argues that in the modern world, keeping and passing on tradition takes place to a great degree at home, while the media help promote traditions and rituals, sometimes altering them. He correctly argues, as many folklorists around [End Page 224] the world have shown, that ethnographic research on home praxis is enlightening. Thus, Bronner conducts an in-depth analysis of the dualities of “House” and “Home” while pointing to the cultural construction of the term “domestic” and the role of the stereotypical Jewish mother in Kitchen Judaism. Finally, he introduces the term: “Livingroom Judaism,” an exposition of Jewish symbols at home (79). Part 2 focuses on the ways rituals have been adapted, created, and imagined in modern Judaism. Bronner points to the traditional role of women in Jewish rituals but does not discuss gender issues in depth nor the leading part North American Jewish women took in breaking religious gender roles, mirrored in all Jewish communities around the world. Interpreting the bar mitzvah as a celebration that connects father and son, he portrays the ritual as a masculine expression of tradition in spite of the actual feminized synagogue. Bronner further...

FROM JUNGLES AND RIVERS: ANIMAL TROPES IN MALAYSIAN INDIGENOUS LITERATURE IN ENGLISH

Recent developments in the local literary arts scene have seen the emergence of publications on folktales and fables of Malaysian indigenous people in English. Central to these publications is the presence of animals, whether as symbols, voices, or characters. Nonetheless, critical reaction to this presence has been sparse at best. As animals are paradoxically recognised as central to indigenous societies and their literatures yet marginalized in relation to human concerns, analysing texts to see how these animals function in literature, what they teach us about animals and what they reveal about humans and our relationships to animals seem critically crucial. Tapping into the field of animal studies, this paper investigates animal tropes in Malaysian indigenous folktales in English. To this end, folktale collections from such as Heidi Munan’s Sarawak Folktales (2017), Lim Boo Liat and Jefri Dylan Ong’s Orang Asli Animal Tales (2016), Clifford Sather’s Apai Alui Becomes A Shaman and Other Iban Comic Tales (2001), Robert Sulis Ridu, Ritikos Jitab and Jonas Noeb’s King Siliman and Other Bidayuh Folk Tales (2001), and Jayl Langub’s Suket: Penan Folk Stories (2001) are examined. Using Mario Ortiz Robles’s framework of animal tropes, this research found that the majority of these animal tropes are anthropomorphized or shown as possessing human capacities, such as conversing, dancing, working, and interacting with others, indicating Malaysian literary animals as literary, cultural endeavours which largely involve a projection of humanity.

Two Theoretical Frameworks of Folklore Studies and Two Selected Tales from the Collection of the Assamese Folktales Entitled Burhi Aair Sadhu: A Discursive Analysis

Within the broad spectrum of critical theories in Folklore studies, the critical tenets of Historical materialism and Psychoanalysis are of great significance. With the appropriation of Historical materialism propounded by Engels and Marx and the Freudian psychoanalytical perspectives, there emerged two novel trends in Folklore studies. Marxist folklorists argue that the folk- the creator of the folklore mostly constitutes the working class. Therefore, the body of folk literature is the symbolic representation of the class struggle itself. On the other hand, the adherents of Freudian Psychoanalysis explicate the folktales as the symbolic expression(s) of the id’s repressed forbidden wishes and desires. The present paper intends to analyze two selected tales, namely Tejimola and Panesoi, from the collection of Assamese Folktales entitled Burhi Aair Sadhu, in the light of Historical materialism and Freudian psychoanalysis, respectively. The paper examines the theme and characters of two selected tales. Further, a close reading of both tales’ symbols and metaphors would inform the conceptual underpinnings of Historical materialism and Freudian psychoanalysis. This study also analyzes the element of fantasy in the selected tales.

The Magic Lamp in American Fiction: An Archetypal Approach to Mark Twain and Kurt Vonnegut

This paper examines the symbolism of the magic lamp in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) and Kurt Vonnegut's Hal Irwin's Magic Lamp (1957). This study, which uses an archetypal approach to the texts, demonstrates how the American authors use the literary source of the magic lamp image from the Middle Eastern folktale collection of the Arabian Nights, where the lamp essentially represents Aladdin's dream and a quick route to success. Furthermore, the two authors aim to transform this image into the motif of the American dream in its modern contexts. These two literary works likewise made an effort to use the picture as a vehicle for the issues of slavery, racial prejudice, and class inequality. Additionally, the characters’ desire to escape their social and economic constraints is, contrary to what they anticipate, frustrated because of their use of the lamp. Moreover, the wishes of the characters in both texts to escape from their social and economic restraints are, contrary to their expectations, thwarted as a result of their use of the lamp. This negative outcome renders the function of the lamp the opposite to its original function in the literary sources of the texts.

The Witch in Flight

The Witch in Flight

J. K. Rowling’s Imaginary Realm of Faërie – a Collection of Myths and Folktales from Eastern and Western Cultures

Storytellers, especially fantasy writers, have always relied on the power of a willing reader’s imagination that can surpass any word or image conveyed through literary texts. Our research is fuelled by the possibility to explore the memorable collection of creatures and the symbolic depth that they add to one of the most popular book series of modern times. The analysis is centred on three categories of magical animals that inhabit J. K. Rowling’s wizarding world, as they have either been popular in different mythologies, illustrated the man-beast archetype or can be characterised as magical beings with dark counterparts.

Role of School Libraries in Promoting Cultural Heritage through a Collection of Distinctive Folktales

This paper discusses the role of school libraries in the provision of distinctive collections of folktales and the importance of folktales in the development of students' cultural awareness. This study evaluates the influence of folktales and the result of methodology taken in the school library during a specific period.

Velimir Khlebnikov's “Christmas Tale” Snezhimochka

A wide range of dramatic forms can be found in Khlebnikov’s dramatic œuvre, which should be viewed against the background of Russian classical literature and culture, Symbolism, as well as the Futurist theatre of the time. In this paper I focus on Khlebnikov’s early dramatic work Snezhimochka (Snowflake, 1908) retracing its connections with the folk character of Snegurochka (the Snow Maiden) as she is represented in Afanas’ev’s famous collections of folktales, on which Ostrovsky based his play Snegurochka (1873), on which in turn Rimsky-Korsakov based his opera Snegurochka (1882). I highlight how the motif of the Snow Maiden played an important role in the revival of interest in folklore and Slavic mythology in St Petersburg Symbolist circles, which the young Khlebnikov frequented. Finally, Snezhimochka and Kruchenykh’s “opera” Victory over the Sun – which were intended to be performed together – are compared with reference to the theme of the sun, their characters, and, above all, their treatment of language and neologization.

Infusing New Life in Folktales: Children's Literature in India


 
 
 
 This paper attempts to look at the intersection of folktales and children's literature, and proposes to categorize the rendering of folktales for children as standard/ original version and experimental version. Folktales are the original source from which all other genres of entertainment have emanated and evolved. They have gradually transitioned from oral tradition to the textual, from textual to digital and virtual world. This does not only indicate their innate instinct of survival but also their ability to adapt to changing times. Folktales, at one point of time, were directed at audiences of all types. Over a period of time they began to be seen as part of the children's world while 'textuality' came to be associated with the adult world. This distinction got blurred in the recent transition to the virtual world where children and adults can experience a folktale on the screen alike. Thus, standard or original versions of folktales continue to exist in the society and get transmitted from one generation to the other. Experimental version on the other hand is based on innovation in the narration bringing together the folktales and the element of fiction writing, merging reality and fiction, mixing tales with lived experience. Based on the impact and usage of folktales they may be divided broadly into two categories, standard or original version, and the experimental version. This paper attempts to study written versions or collections of Indian folktales for children in the light of these two categories in folktales developed for children.
 
 
 

The Complete Folktales of A. N. Afanas'ev. Volume III

The Complete Folktales of A. N. Afanas'ev. Volume III

The Influence of the Grimm Tales on the Tale Textology of László Arany

Abstract László Arany's Eredeti népmesék (Authentic Folktales, 1862) is an iconic collection of folktales. The tales in this publication have been entrenched in the national identity as classic Hungarian folktales, and the narrative style of the tales has been established in the public consciousness as the narrative style of Hungarian folktales. The Arany family's collection of folktales ultimately had a similar function in Hungarian culture as the Kinder- und Hausmärchen of the Brothers Grimm had in Germany, but while the text formation of the Grimm tales had been thoroughly explored by philology, the Arany tales had not been accompanied by folkloristic interpretations or in-depth philological analyses. To László Arany, the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm were the ideal, which he indicated in his many theoretical writings as well as his role as a collector and editor of tales. To form the individual texts found in Eredeti népmesék, László Arany used the tale manuscripts transcribed by his mother and sister in the 1850s, modifying them considerably, primarily by employing stylistic devices, many of which can also be observed in the work of the Grimms. This essay examines the extent to which László Arany's editorial and text formation practices were determined by the textological practice developed by the Brothers Grimm, and ultimately the extent to which the stylistic ideals of fairy tales developed by the Grimms contributed to the development of the written, literary version of Hungarian folktales.

Riddles in the Manuscript and Print Version of a 19th-Century Collection

Abstract Scholarly publication of folk riddles in Hungary started in the mid-19th century. Among the early sources was the first classic collection of Hungarian folktales, Eredeti népmesék [Authentic Folktales], compiled by László Arany, which includes a separate chapter comprising 54 riddle tales. Manuscripts related to this publication were found in the Hungarian Academy of Sciences among other collections from the 19th century and identified in the 1960s as having been recorded by members of the Arany family. The manuscripts contain all the riddles published by László Arany, along with 25 riddle texts that remained unpublished. Comparison of the two sources reveals the editing process: the selection and arrangement of the material, along with the text modifications applied by László Arany. The first part of this article consists of a few terminological notes on tales and riddle tales in 19th-century Hungary, followed by the description of the riddle material in the manuscripts associated with the Arany family. In the second part the author presents in more detail the editing process which shows a far higher degree of conscious editorial attention than other publications of folk riddles in the period.

A Multiplicity of Stories: Reading Feminist Orientalism in Scheherazade.2

AbstractIn the folktale collection One Thousand and One Nights, the narrator Scheherazade escapes the Sultan's physical and sexual brutality through her storytelling; in the dramatic symphony Scheherazade.2, composed by John Adams (2014), the music and its programmatic commentary evoke modern images of women facing violence and oppression. Through a musical story of empowerment and a construction of gender and ethnic identity, Adams utilizes program music's narrative and representational components to challenge contemporary power dynamics on a global scale. Typically, a work like this might be viewed through one of two methodological lenses. A feminist critique of Scheherazade.2 might examine the ways in which the piece confronts misogyny and offers reparation. An orientalist critique might examine the ways in which the piece's invocation of Scheherazade combines with musical and programmatic exoticism to project a cultural “Other.” This article blends these two lenses, using the framework of feminist orientalism to examine the intertwined implications of both angles of critique in the context of transnational feminism. As a Western project alluding to the Arabian world of Scheherazade and the Sultan to tell a story about misogyny, Scheherazade.2 effectively construes such issues of misogyny as “Eastern.” The effect of displacing these problems of violence and oppression onto the East arguably provides a more palatable way for Western audiences to critique the West itself, but ultimately impedes transnational efforts. While seeking broad-scale reparation and advocacy, therefore, Scheherazade.2 nevertheless reinscribes orientalist stereotypes through the constructed narrative of a gendered and ethnic “Other.” A feminist orientalist critique draws out the paradoxical nuances of Scheherazade.2, parsing the dynamic network of musical and extra-musical factors that shape interpretations of the piece and its reparative potential. By considering the complex layers of agency, identity, and interaction that create new meanings in different contexts, this critique highlights the ways in which Scheherazade.2 works to redress issues of misogyny while also perpetuating discourses of essentialization and appropriation. This article argues overall that, by recognizing the feminist orientalist implications of Scheherazade.2, the reparative potential of the piece can be foregrounded and genuinely realized in a transnational context.

Icelandic Folklore and the Cultural Memory of Religious Change

Icelandic Folklore and the Cultural Memory of Religious Change