<i>The Woman as Wolf</i> (AT 409): Some Interpretations of a Very Estonian Folk Tale
The article analyses tale type The Woman as Wolf, which is one of the most popular folk tales in the Estonian Folklore Archives and is represented there both in the form of a fairy tale and in the form of a legend. The vast majority of the versions of The Woman as Wolf were written down in the first...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Sciendo
2014-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Ethnology and Folkloristics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.jef.ee/index.php/journal/article/view/153 |
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| author | Merili Metsvahi |
| author_facet | Merili Metsvahi |
| author_sort | Merili Metsvahi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The article analyses tale type The Woman as Wolf, which is one of the most popular folk tales in the Estonian Folklore Archives and is represented there both in the form of a fairy tale and in the form of a legend. The vast majority of the versions of The Woman as Wolf were written down in the first part of the 20th century within Estonia and where recorded from Estonians. The article introduces the content of the tale, the origin of the first records from the early 19th century, and the dissemination area of the tale, which remains outside Western Europe: apart from the Estonian versions there are Sami, Karelian, Vepsian, Livonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian versions. While in almost all the Estonian versions the main protagonist is transformed into a wolf, in most of the versions written down in other areas and ethnic groups, another animal or bird replaces the wolf. The author is of the opinion that the Finnic area is central to the distribution of the folk tale The Woman as Wolf. The animal the woman is transformed into in the plot would not have been a wolf in earlier times. The article provides an explanation why the wolf is predominant in Estonian written sources. For that purpose the ways in which the wolf and werewolf were perceived in earlier Estonian folk belief are introduced. At the end of the article interpretation of the folk tale is provided. The author states that the plot and some of the motifs found in this folk tale reflect the difficulties women had in submitting to the norms and values of patriarchal order within their society. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-abebe8c29771419585db0f59a3fad8de |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1736-6518 2228-0987 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2014-01-01 |
| publisher | Sciendo |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Ethnology and Folkloristics |
| spelling | doaj-art-abebe8c29771419585db0f59a3fad8de2025-02-02T18:43:54ZengSciendoJournal of Ethnology and Folkloristics1736-65182228-09872014-01-01726592106<i>The Woman as Wolf</i> (AT 409): Some Interpretations of a Very Estonian Folk TaleMerili Metsvahi0University of TartuThe article analyses tale type The Woman as Wolf, which is one of the most popular folk tales in the Estonian Folklore Archives and is represented there both in the form of a fairy tale and in the form of a legend. The vast majority of the versions of The Woman as Wolf were written down in the first part of the 20th century within Estonia and where recorded from Estonians. The article introduces the content of the tale, the origin of the first records from the early 19th century, and the dissemination area of the tale, which remains outside Western Europe: apart from the Estonian versions there are Sami, Karelian, Vepsian, Livonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian versions. While in almost all the Estonian versions the main protagonist is transformed into a wolf, in most of the versions written down in other areas and ethnic groups, another animal or bird replaces the wolf. The author is of the opinion that the Finnic area is central to the distribution of the folk tale The Woman as Wolf. The animal the woman is transformed into in the plot would not have been a wolf in earlier times. The article provides an explanation why the wolf is predominant in Estonian written sources. For that purpose the ways in which the wolf and werewolf were perceived in earlier Estonian folk belief are introduced. At the end of the article interpretation of the folk tale is provided. The author states that the plot and some of the motifs found in this folk tale reflect the difficulties women had in submitting to the norms and values of patriarchal order within their society.https://www.jef.ee/index.php/journal/article/view/153fairy talelegendwolfwerewolfwomenFinnic folklore |
| spellingShingle | Merili Metsvahi <i>The Woman as Wolf</i> (AT 409): Some Interpretations of a Very Estonian Folk Tale Journal of Ethnology and Folkloristics fairy tale legend wolf werewolf women Finnic folklore |
| title | <i>The Woman as Wolf</i> (AT 409): Some Interpretations of a Very Estonian Folk Tale |
| title_full | <i>The Woman as Wolf</i> (AT 409): Some Interpretations of a Very Estonian Folk Tale |
| title_fullStr | <i>The Woman as Wolf</i> (AT 409): Some Interpretations of a Very Estonian Folk Tale |
| title_full_unstemmed | <i>The Woman as Wolf</i> (AT 409): Some Interpretations of a Very Estonian Folk Tale |
| title_short | <i>The Woman as Wolf</i> (AT 409): Some Interpretations of a Very Estonian Folk Tale |
| title_sort | i the woman as wolf i at 409 some interpretations of a very estonian folk tale |
| topic | fairy tale legend wolf werewolf women Finnic folklore |
| url | https://www.jef.ee/index.php/journal/article/view/153 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT merilimetsvahi ithewomanaswolfiat409someinterpretationsofaveryestonianfolktale |