CHRISTIE'S PROGRESS JOURNAL: MAY 2005

I've continued reading Pyotr Simonov's book: Essential Russian Mythology. It tells of the tradition of storytelling in Russia. Here are some of the things I learned:

-"Irrespective of genre--myth, legend, folk tale or epic song--the stories preserved from Old Russia have all been learned by ear and handed down through oral transmission from father to son and from mother to daughter for generations. Indeed, it was not until the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries that the earliest attempts were made to commit them to writing...By the tenth and eleventh centuries the tradition of storytelling was at its fruition and it continued to occupy a prime position in the communication and transmission of beliefs, values and traditions for nearly a thousand years." (p. 25-26)

-"This [storytelling] became a refined art involving talented and responsible tellers with phenomenal memories and the ability to recreate the tales afresh with each recitation, but without altering their essential elements. Almost without exception the narrators were totally illiterate. They were, however, steeped in a tradition that provided them with a thesaurus of motives, anecdotes, riddles, proverbs and formulas, which they would skillfully weave into the age-old tales. The stories were told and retold whenever and wherever individuals came together: in taverns, around the hearth, by camp fires or in one another's homes." (p. 26)

-"The themes of these stories have much in common with the mythology of the theological traditions of other countries: destiny, life and death, the quest for a Utopia, the recovery of paradise lost. Invariably, obstacles must be overcome, remedies obtained and supernatural assistance sought. Furthermore, conflict is at the heart of most of the plots: a king in need of assistance or medicine; a fabulous creature that creates havoc; a country ravaged by a monster; a wicked stepmother. The hero or heroine must be prepared to undergo trials and anxieties before accomplishing a task, and the difficulties encountered are usually proportional to the honour and bliss finally achieved." (p. 26)

-"Taken as a whole, the entire corpus of orally transmitted Russian narratives presents a buoyant mix--older practices and beliefs are intermingled with Christian piety. Abounding in magic and fantasy, the tales, songs and stories run the gamut from gods and giants to folklore and historical truths. The material shows us that the Russians were clearly not romantics; but they respected nature, were faithful to their clan, saw in suffering an element of sanctity, and fought for truth. Since many of the qualities are much in evidence even today, we must surely see in these stories the primordial and essential features of Russian traditions and values." (p. 28)