This thesis examines the use of folklore and the folkloresque in Haruki Murakami’s novel Hitsuji wo meguru bōken, or, as it is translated by Alfred Birnbaum, A Wild Sheep Chase. Murakami blends together Japanese and Western folklore to present a Japan that has been colonized by a post-national, global capitalistic force. At the same time, Murakami presents a strategy to resist this colonizing force by placing agency onto the individual and suggesting that it is still possible to craft a meaningful identity within the Japanese/Western blended, globalized society in which these individuals now exist. Alongside examining the use of folklore in this novel, issues of translation are also considered by comparing Murakami’s original Japanese text to Birnbaum’s English translation. The fields of folkloristics and translation studies inform this comparison, and a new way to discuss translations (especially those that come from a text in which folklore is central) is developed. These two major threads are pulled together in an analysis of Murakami’s role as a multinational writer. His blending of multiple cultural references and languages make his message on constructing an identity from a globalized culture more accessible to those outside of Japan; rather than focusing on what is lost in Birnbaum’s translation, this thesis uses a folkloristic perspective on translation studies and explores how Birnbaum expands upon Murakami’s process.

x, 147 p. A print copy of this title is available from the UO Libraries, under the call number: KNIGHT PR6053.A6944 Z75 2008 / This study explores and demonstrates how Marina Can uses Irish folktale motifs in her plays to bring the audience to a state of mind where they viscerally, as opposed to intellectually, engage with Ireland's search for a cultural post-colonial identity. The analysis of Carr's works focuses on four of her post- Mai plays: The Mai, Portia Coughlan, By the Bog of Cats, and On Raftery's Hill. The focus is on the connection between these plays and Irish folklore, and explores Carr's use of folklore motifs within her plays. The analysis uses the folkloristic research approach, which classifies items or stories in the folktales by identifying distinguishing characteristics or specific items within a tale genre. The indices used in the analysis are Aarne-Thompson Index, Tom-Peete Cross's Motif-index of Early Irish Literature, and Sean O'Sullivan's Motif-Index of Irish Folklore. The plays were searched for motifs that correspond with those of the folktale motifs, and were then compared with these found in the indices. A second analysis showed that, within these four plays, Marina Carr mainly uses Irish folktales from before England's colonization. She modifies the folktales within her plays, specifically around the issue of agency for her female protagonists. The concluding chapter offers a Jungian explanation of Carr's use of these folktales as a means to engage the Irish national discussion of the development of a cultural identity. / Adviser: John Watson

A B S T R A C T ( E N G L I S H ) Classification and cataloguing of folk narrative has been one of the important topics of folklore comparative studies. The present thesis examines the topic from the theoretical and methodological point of view in its first part and from the appliqued point of view in its second part. The introduction of the theoretical part describes the genre of folk legend on the basis of textual (content, form, structure) and contextual (belief, function, distribution) criteria. Next chapter pursues an analysis of classificatory systems and catalogues of folk narrative of the whole world. The chapter is divided into two main groups according to typological or structural principles. We focus on the development of international folktale catalogue of Aarne-Thompson(-Uther) and its influence, especially when encountered with catalogues of Non-European narratives. We also deal with Czech and Slovak works in cataloguing and our main concern is cataloguing of European folk legends. The content of the following chapter is an overview and evaluation of sources selected as a material for our catalogue. The practical part of the work is a proposal and processing of typological catalogue of Czech belief legends, which is intended to serve as a tool for folklorists and scholars of relative...

During stormy nights, be careful if you're out on your own, because you might encounter Odin, the hunter of the night, and he may decide to force you along with his phantom armyacross the sky. Cursed by the christian God for breaking his laws, Odin hunts the creatures ofdarkness. A motif in folklore appearing all across Europe it has been discussed many timesover by many different scholars in regard to its origin and potential connection topre-christian mythologies. This essay discusses and explains the Wild Hunt’s status in 1800sSwedish culture and how the drastically changing society of that time changed the Wild Hunt.Using archival material discussing the Wild Hunt this is mainly using memory theory andfolkloristic narrative analysis as the method. This essay aims to understand the history of theWild Hunt, and understand what purpose it served for the people who lived with it, focusingon the individual memories of the Hunt that may have been forgotten by time. A lot ofdiscussions regarding the Hunt centres on its connection to norse asatru, however while thisessay will bring this up, that is not the focus, as it is something that has been discussed bymany other scholars before. The Wild Hunt itself was a bright example of living culture, howstories change and adapt and how different parts are remembered throughout culture. In theend it seems like urbanisation is what led to the fall of the Wild Hunt in Sweden as the naturalphenomena that may have inspired it were no longer present in the modern cities

Dem 15. Internationalen Slavistentag im August 2013 ging im Mai 2010 der 5. Internationale Weißrussisten-Kongress voraus, dessen Beiträge 2012 in drei Bänden in der Minsker Reihe „Беларусіка-Albaruthenica“ erschienen sind und zusammen mit einschlägigen Publikationen zum Slavistentag wie zum Beispiel dem unlängst von Gerd Hentschel herausgegebenen Beiträgen zu „Variation und Stabilität in Kontaktvarietäten. Beobachtungen zu gemischten Formen der Rede in Weißrussland, der Ukraine und Schlesien“ (Studia Slavica Oldenburgensia 21) einen guten Überblick über die aktuelle Weißrussistik geben. Der erste Band ist der Literaturwissenschaft und Folkloristik gewidmet («Літаратуразнаўства і фалькларыстыка», І. Э. Багдановіч (рэд.)), der zweite Band enthält Beiträge zur Sprachwissenschaft («Мовазнаўства», С. М. Запрудскі, Г. А. Цыхун (рэд.)), im dritten werden historische Themen und kulturologische Fragestellungen behandelt («Гісторыя і культуралогія», А.А. Суша (рэд.)).

Thesis is focused on motifs of taboo behavior in Czech prosaic folklore. The objective of this work was to depict how the motifs participate in folktales and legends, compare these motifs, describe their change in time and space and possible overlaps into to social reality. In the thesis is used as a method the textological analysis of narrative motifs in the primary sources of folklore narratives from the mid 19th century to the present. In summary are presented possible function of taboo in folklore narratives, relation of folklore and social reality based on taboo and variations in understanting a taboo phenomen in time.

(English) Ph.D. Thesis Contemporary Legend and Rumour in the Czech Republic. Origin, Genesis and Social and Cultural Function of Domestic Urban Folklore in International Context Petr Janeček Presented study analyzes character, origin, genesis and social and cultural functions of specific type of prosaic oral narratives transmitted in contemporary oral and non-oral tradition on territory of the Czech Republic. Main attention is given to realistic narratives with primary informative and entertaining function, which are usually presented by their tellers as at least potentially real story or information about actual, genuine happenings of both local and social importance, but whose variants, versions and editions simultaneously circulate over wider geographical and temporary horizon. Because of that, these narratives are labelled by international folkloristics as folklore genres of "contemporary legend" and "rumour". After overview and critical analysis of history of international studies of these two genre concepts, their terminology and genre (both formal and thematic) characteristics in international and Czech folkloristics are presented, as well as relationship of these genres to similar contemporary folklore forms, especially gossip, conspiracy theories, anecdotes and jokes, demonological...

This thesis compares selected beings of Baltic folklore within a nearer Balto-Slavic areal after analysing them. It defines the term "chthonic" in accord with the current traditions and supplements it with additional traits, which it verifies afterwards. Using these traits the thesis consequently determines the chthonic properties of the beings. The comparations begin with velnias/velns, a being with assumed chthonic character, which is confirmed. The core of the thesis is dedicated to aivataras, whose mythopersonyma and appearance are examined first, followed by its functionality i.e. the plots it figures in. According to the plots aitvaras and its Baltic variants are compared with East- and West Slavic beings with focus at the plots of Czech demonologic fables. This establishes aitvaras and its equivalents posses strong serpentine traits and a relation to the revered spirits of dead ancestors. The results of this comparison are compared to previous research and some differing conclusions are presented, among them a proposal of a possible etymology of the mythopersonymum "aitvaras". No significant difference on the functional level has been discovered between the terms "aitvaras" and "kaukas". The last chapter concerns itself with the being called "laumė" and to her similar female deities and...

Abstract In my study, I am using methods of text criticism to analyse how Chrisfrid Ganander (1741–1790) marked the word-final k in the Kalevala-metre old poems that he recorded in his dictionary and in Mythologia Fennica. These poems were published in the XV part of the Ancient Poems of the Finnish People. My study is linked to folkloristics, but belongs principally to the field of research into Old Literary Finnish. In my philological analysis I am comparing Ganander’s poetic texts with other old texts in the Kalevala-metre and analysing their relations and the origins and history of the texts. I am interpreting the phonetic and morphologic structure of the poems with the help of the context and on the cultural historical basis of the texts. The results of my study would seem to indicate that Ganander marked the final k clearly more frequently than his other contemporaries. In earlier studies Ganander’s marking of the final k has been criticized for inconsistency. In fact, in my data, the occurrences of the word-final k are not morphologically regular in the sense that the final k would always systematically occur in, e.g., imperatives. However, a regular pattern can be found in the way in which the cases with a final k fit the general ideas about the occurrence of the final k. Nevertheless, my data also include a few extraordinary occurrences of the final k and even some cases that may be deemed erroneous. The irregularities in the marking can be explained by the fact that Ganander had several different text versions of the same poem. The way in which Ganander marked the final k seems to have been affected mostly by the source texts and locality of the verses; their morphology, phonetic environment, and verse type. Yet, Ganander seems to have even used the final k deliberately in some cases. This is evident from a few cases of the final k in the texts Ganander produced himself and certain results of my philological analysis. The essential is that Ganander marked his final k’s in places where they could be expected from a historical perspective. Thus, it seems that he had an idea of where the final k’s should be. Ganander seems to have followed the marking of the final k’s in his sources very faithfully. However, it is especially interesting that he also marked the final k’s in verses based on source texts where the final k’s had not been marked. Ganander may have had old notes about these poems in his possession that the others did not have access to or that were not preserved in their collections. These verses might even represent poetry collected by Ganander himself. It seems that Ganander managed to catch and record rare and old linguistic material that has not, in fact, been preserved anywhere else. As a philologist, Ganander was versatile, critical, and enlightened, but he also made up some of his analyses purely on the basis of poetic verses. His dictionary includes even erroneous and incoherent interpretations. Ganander’s dictionary quotations that are based on folklore texts may also seem imaginative in the sense that he was trying to explain the world of folk poetry in them. Ganander’s philological interpretations – including their errors – have left their mark on later literary works. Thus, the poetic language as it was recorded by Ganander has affected the description of the Finnish language in dictionaries and grammars. The study and analysis of the language in the folk poems may therefore shed light on the history of the scientific description of the Finnish language. / Tiivistelmä Tarkastelen tutkimuksessani tekstikriittisin menetelmin, miten Chrisfrid Ganander (1741–1790) on merkinnyt sananloppuista k:ta sanakirjaansa ja Mythologia Fennicaan kirjaamiinsa kansanrunoteksteihin, jotka on julkaistu Suomen kansan vanhat runot -teoksen XV osassa. Tutkimukseni sivuaa folkloristiikkaa, mutta sijoittuu pääosin vanhan kirjasuomen tutkimuksen piiriin. Filologisessa analyysissani vertaan Gananderin runotekstejä muihin kansanrunoteksteihin ja selvittelen niiden suhteita sekä tekstien alkuperää ja historiaa. Tulkitsen runotekstien äänne- ja muotorakennetta kontekstin avulla sekä tekstin kulttuurihistorialliselta pohjalta. Tulokseni osoittavat, että Ganander merkitsi -k:ta selvästi enemmän kuin muut aikalaisensa. Aiemmassa tutkimuksessa Gananderin loppu-k:n merkintää on moitittu epäjohdonmukaiseksi. Loppu-k:n esiintyminen aineistossani ei olekaan morfologisesti säännöllistä sillä tavalla, että esimerkiksi imperatiiveissa olisi aina systemaattisesti k. Säännönmukaisuus näkyy kuitenkin siinä, että loppu-k:lliset tapaukset sijoittuvat aika hyvin yleisiin käsityksiin loppu-k:n esiintymisestä. Aineistossani on silti muutamia erikoisia ja myös virheellisinä pidettäviä loppu-k-tapauksia. Epäsäännöllistä merkintätapaa selittää se, että Gananderilla on ollut hallussaan samasta runosta useita erilaisia tekstejä. Gananderin loppu-k:n merkintään näkyvät vaikuttaneen lähinnä runosäkeiden lähdetekstit ja paikallisuus, morfologia, äänneympäristö ja säetyyppi. Ganander näyttää silti operoineen jonkin verran tietoisestikin loppu-k:lla. Osoituksena tästä ovat paitsi hänen itse tuottamissaan teksteissä esiintyvät muutamat loppu-k:t myös eräät filologisen analyysini tulokset. Oleellista on, että Ganander on merkinnyt -k:n historiallisesti odotuksenmukaiseen paikkaan. Hänellä näyttää siis olleen jonkinlainen käsitys siitä, mihin loppu-k kuuluu. Ganander näyttää olleen varsin uskollinen lähteidensä loppu-k:n merkinnälle. Erityisen kiinnostavaa on kuitenkin se, että hän on merkinnyt loppu-k:ta myös sellaisiin säkeisiin, joiden lähdetekstissä -k:ta ei ole merkitty. Gananderilla on voinut olla hallussaan näistä runoista sellaisia vanhoja muistiinpanoja, joita muilla ei ole ollut tai joita muiden kokoelmissa ei ole säilynyt. Nämä säkeet saattaisivat jopa edustaa Gananderin itsensä keräämää runoaineistoa. Ganander näyttäisi tavoittaneen ja panneen muistiin sellaista harvinaista ja vanhaa kielellistä ainesta, jota ei ole muualla juuri säilynyt. Filologina Ganander oli monimuotoinen, kriittinen ja valistunut, mutta hän kehitti joitakin analyysejaan pelkästään runosäkeiden perusteella. Hänen sanakirjassaan on myös virheellisiä ja sekavia tulkintoja. Gananderin kansanrunoteksteihin pohjautuvat sanakirjasitaatit saattavat tuntua mielikuvituksellisilta siksikin, että hän selittää niissä kansanrunojen maailmaa. Gananderin filologinen tulkinta on jättänyt jälkensä myöhempiin teoksiin – kaikkine virheineenkin. Näin runokieli Gananderin kirjaamana on päässyt vaikuttamaan suomen kielen kuvaukseen sanakirjoissa ja kieliopeissa. Kansanrunojen kielen tutkimus ja analyysi voivat siis osaltaan valaista suomen kielen tieteellisen kuvauksen historiaa.

The aim of this study is to draw new perspectives to the theoretic approach towards the complex nature of the modern fairy tale genre and its transformation. The study is exemplified by two books by Alan A. Milne about Winnie-the-Pooh (1926-1928), Tove Jansson’s eight books about the Moomintrolls (1945-1970) and Eno Raud’s four books about three funny creatures called “Nakstitrallid” in Estonian (1972-1982). In this thesis, I examine the disputable problem of defining the fairy tale genre in modern literature and refer to the history of the genre and storytelling tradition that have indirectly inspired all three authors in their decision to turn for fairy tale as a genre. Applying the poetical analysis, I argue that these authors contributed to the continuity of fairy tales by creating the link between folkloric heritage, novelistic literary expression and children’s imagination. This study can therefore be considered as topological, however it does not pretend to introduce the complete systematic definition of the genre as the thesis’ format does not allow such in-depth investigation. In the first chapter, ‘Archaic world stimulation in modern fairy tale’, I examine the dominating literary categories that refer to the folk fairy tale intertext: Bakhtin’s concept of ‘chronotope’ – category of time and space, system of fictional allegoric characters and category of fantastic.  In the second chapter, ‘Modern fairy tales from perspective of children’s literature’, I analyze the books of Milne, Jansson and Raud in the scope of narratological and aesthetic categories of children’s literature. The folkloric laughter intertextually reproduced by naïvism of the Moomins, the Naksitralls, and Winnie-the-Pooh’s friends, while folkloric collective hero is presented by universal harmony of a happy family and child-like protagonists. I came to the conclusion that poetics of folklore fairy tale still exists in these books through the intertextual dialogue. Modernism as literary method re-evaluates folkloric aspects such as nonlinear time, the blurred boarders between individual and cosmos, material and spirit, text and reality. Every new artistically unique fairy tale world resembles the new stage of the genre development. The more innovative is the story, the more sophisticated can be its poetics.