Monumenta Estoniae Antiquae

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The Monumenta Estoniae Antiquae is a collection of Estonian folk songs , folk tales , proverbs and puzzles . It comprises more than 800,000 pages of manuscripts, 100,000 of which are in the trochaic meter . The text body is one of the largest and most important of its kind in the world.

history

Interest in Estonian folklore arose at the beginning of the 19th century. The Estonian learned society ( Estonian: Õpetatud Eesti Selts ) was established in 1839 as the central organization for their collection and research. It was she who coordinated the compilation of the Estonian national epic Kalevipoeg , which was started by Friedrich Robert Faehlmann and completed by Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald .

In 1843 Kreutzwald first came up with the idea of ​​a systematic collection of Estonian folklore. Alexander Neus (1795–1876) published in 1852, with the support of the Estonian Literary Association ( Eesti Kirjameeste Selts ) founded in 1842 , a three-volume anthology with 1,300 songs, which is considered the first academic publication on this subject.

Soon after Jakob Hurt had become president of the literary association in 1872, a project was launched with the aim of systematic collection in all parts of the country. Both the collecting and the publication were coordinated by Jakob Hurt, who was able to mobilize 1400 voluntary “collectors” in all parts of the country through notices, appeals in newspapers and brochures, as well as through personal letters.

Hurt intended to publish a six-volume series under the name "Monumenta Estoniae Antiquae".

Vana Kannel

Between 1875 and 1886 two volumes of folk songs appeared under the series title Vana Kannel ("The old Kannel "). Each volume comprised all of the material collected in a single parish ( kihelkond ), thus breaking down the project by geographical and dialectal rather than theme. Vana Kannel I contained the songs from Põlva in south-west Estonia, Volume II those from Kolga-Jaani in Central Estonia . Hurt was in the process of putting together the third volume with material from Viljandi when difficulties arose in coping with the increasing influx of material. The work was interrupted.

In 1904 and 1907, Hurt published the three-volume Setukeste laulud series with songs from Setumaa , supported by the Finnish Literature Society ( Finnish: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura ) . He died in 1907.

During the 1930s, the Estonian Folklore Archive made a new attempt. In 1938 and 1941 volumes III and IV of Vana Kannel appeared with the songs from Kuusalu and Karksi , edited by Herbert Tampere (1909–1975). A fifth volume with songs from Muhu was in preparation when work came to a standstill because of World War II . Of the total of 112 parishes, just four parishes and Setumaa had been completed at this point in time.

During the Soviet rule, the project was revived in the mid-1950s. Forty volumes were planned to be added. With Haljala on Saaremaa should be started in 1960, then every year should by the Estonian Literary Museum and the University of Tartu a tape issued. However, it was not until 1985 that Vana Kannel V ( Mustjala ) was released; Vana Kannel VI (Haljala) followed in 1989. Since Estonia regained its independence, volumes VII (1997, Kihnu ) and VIII (1999, Jõhvi and Iisaku ) have been published.

More pieces

In addition to Vana Kannel, there are other sub-series:

  • 2. Eesti muistendid lists Estonian folk tales. Between 1959 and 1970 three volumes with legends of warriors and heroics appeared, and in 1997 a plague tradition ( Eesti katkupärimus ).
  • 3. Eesti vanasõnad = Proverbia Estonica . Between 1980 and 1988 15,140 proverbs appeared in three volumes and two index volumes.
  • 4. Eesti mõistatused = Aenigmata Estonica . In 2001 and 2002 2 volumes with 2800 riddles and joke questions were published. These were co-edited by the Estonian Language Institute ( Eesti Keele Instituut ).

Web links

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  1. ^ Jaan Puhvel , On the fate of Monumenta Estoniae Antiquae , Journal of Baltic Studies, 1970, 1: 4, pp. 12-13.
  2. ^ Felix Oinas , Studies in Finnic Folklore , Routledge 1997, p. 22.