Mythology and folk narrative

This research group consists mainly of scholars of the Department of Folkloristics of the Estonian Literary Museum, but includes also folklorists, philosophers, theologians from the University of Tartu, the Tallinn Pedagogical University and the Viljandi Culture Academy.

The group aims to study topical issues in mythology and narratives, including the treatment of legends and tradition spread in virtual reality, their functions, behaviour, and dissemination strategies. The research work focuses on the changes and processes that have taken place in the Soviet and Post-Soviet period, focusing on the observation of key figures and their relation with earlier fixed stereotypes and models. Estonia's inclusion into the European Union has introduced new topics of study - namely, the spread of global transnational phenomena and their adaptation in local culture area, as well as manifestation of ethnic Estonian identity.

In addition to publishing electronic journals Mäetagused and Folklore. Electronic Journal of Folklore (see further in the preamble), the research group publishes the publication series Sator. Artikleid usundi- ja kombeloost and the bilingual publication series Tänapäeva folklorist/ Contemporary Folklore.

Research process

Investigation into modern research materials takes place through multiple-choice and open interviews with random or fixed samples. Weekly seminars on mythology and narratology theory are held regularly, translations of the works are available on Error! Bookmark not defined.the internet. Traditional seminars on mythology are held each spring. Interdisciplinary panel discussions and conferences are also organised. In addition to the international academic events, mentioned in the preamble, the group has organised several folkloric and interdisciplinary conferences, seminars, round-table discussions in Estonia, including applied e-conferences and tutorials (e.g. Dialoog privaatse ja avaliku elu vahel 2002)

Main areas and topics of research

The analysis of historical and modern outputs and constituents of legends. The observation of the legend genre in narratives, the continuance of the characteristic patterns of a living legend in modern culture and oral narrative history. The characteristic feature of a contemporary myth is the consistence and manifestation of narrative aspects in movies, cartoons, detective novels and other forms of mass culture. In addition, the consistence of the cognitive and explicatory aspect of legends associated with personal identity and national ideology, as well as the reflection of a legend as an aberration in pseudomythology, are also analysed. One of the new research trends is to observe how legends relate to stereotypes and basic emotions, like fear and shame. Studies into historical legends focus on comparative mythology, including the situational analysis characteristics of ethno-cosmology and the Balto-Finnic mythological creatures.

The ritual institutions of tradition in multi-cultural environment. This study aims to explicate how ritual institutions are formed and modified, and their ideas are transcommunicated in the society influenced by multicultural media. The focus is on shamanic rituals and lore, groupings surrounding psychics and prophets and their activities, family rituals and religious rites. The topics also include ritual ceremonies associated with agriculture, herding, hunting and fishing, social and proprietary relations and strategies, especially among the small ethnic groups in Europe and Siberia; if possible, also the observation and interpretation of revived national movements are studied.

Studies in narratology. The focus is on analysing the rapidly developing narratology studies in the world, investigating the regularities of traditional legend lore and personal experience stories (including spontaneous narration, the poetic and structural relations of narratives, the manifestation of oral history in narratives, fiction versus true life stories, narratives of borderline and risk groups). The topics include the proportions of mythological and historical motifs and contextual incidents in narratives and the role of the narrator in the formation of a story.

Virtual communities and the level of heritage. One of the main topic studied is the affirmation strategies of small nations and their manifestations in modern media (manifestations of regional and family culture). The analysis of cyber lore (passwords, virtual cards, legends) and cyber philosophy spread in the multi-media environment and the influence of traditional folklore on these phenomena. A more detailed analysis is made on three Estonian virtual communities with specific modes of expression, the ratio of real and virtual communication, folklore and language use. The formation of web groups and joint organised activities (e.g. Geoaching in Estonia) are also discussed.

International contacts

This research group cooperates with international bibliographic publications Internationale Volkskundliche Bibliographie = International Folklore Bibliography = Bibliographie Internationale d'Ethnologie and Demos.

The group is involved in the following international projects:

"Mythologia Uralica" (joint project for compiling glossaries in mythology: cooperation with Russia, Finland, Hungary); Joint Estonian-Finnish project "Epics Around the Baltic Sea"; Joint Estonian-Icelandic-German project "Sagas and Societies"; Joint project between the Nordic countries and Estonia "Masks and Mummers in the Nordic Countries" (2001-2003); Project with the University of Ulster and the University of Dublin "Mumming in Cross-Border and Cross-Community Contexts" (2002-2003).

The group has research contacts with the Max Planck Institute of Social Anthropology (Halle, Germany) in Siberian studies. Cooperation partners are also the Folklore and Ethnology institutions of Slovakian and Slovenian Academy of Sciences, research centres and organisations of Finno-Ugric studies.

The group also participates in the Folklore Fellows Network, the International Society for Folk Narrative Research (ISFNR), and Societé Internationale d'Ethnologie et de Folklore (SIEF). The Department of Folkloristics of the Estonian Literary Museum has a major role in organising the 14th World Conference of ISFNR (which will be held in 2005) in Tartu.

Publications

Books:

Lives, histories and identities: Studies on oral histories, life- and family stories. I-III. Ed. by T. Jaago, M. Kõiva, K. Kärsna. Tartu: University of Tartu, Estonian Literary Museum, 2002.
Lintrop, A. Udmurdi usund. Tartu: ERM, 2003.
Meedia. Folkloor. Mütoloogia. (Tänapäeva folkloorist 3). Toimetanud Mare Kõiva. Tartu: EKM, 2000.
Petzoldt, L., Hiiemäe, R. Väike deemonite ja vaimolendite leksikon. Tartu: EKM, 2003.
Tagasipöördumatus: sõnad ja hääl. Toimetajad K. Salve, M. Kõiva, Ü. Tedre. Tartu: EKM, 2000.

Articles:

Hiiemäe, R. Kollektiivsete hirmudega toimetulekust rahvapärimuses. - Sator 3. Artikleid usundi- ja kombeloost. Koostanud ja toimetanud M. Kõiva. Tartu: EKM, 2003, 180-194.
Kõiva, M. Elektrooniliste publikatsioonide liikidest ja probleemidest. - Keel ja Kirjandus, 5, 305-319, 2002.
Kõiva, M. The Big Snowstorm I. The Spreading of Personal Experience stories about Soviet Estonia among Estonians in Sweden 98. - Folklore: An Electronical Journal of Folklore. Ed. by M. Kõiva & A. Kuperjanov. 21, 98-138, 2002.
Kõiva, M., Vesik, L. Data bases and E-publications. Estonian Folkloristics Today. - Europäische Ethnologien im neuen Millennium. Osteuropäische Ethnologien auf neuen Wegen. Abschied vom Referatenorgan DEMOS. Herausgeber: B. Emmrich, J. Moser. Thelem, 2002, 161-182.
Salve, K. Vepsernes nationale identitet. - Tundraens og tajgaens folk. Redigeret af C. Oreskov. København, 2002, 95-103.
Ventsel, A., Stammler, F. Between Neo-Liberalism and Dirigisme: Approaches to Reindeer Herding in Yamal and Sakha. - Chris Hann and the "Property Relations" Group (eds.), The Postsocialist Agrarian Question. Property Relations and the Rural Condition. I. Halle Studies in the Anthropology of Eurasia. Münster: LIT Verlag, 2003, 321-363.