FOLK LORE

Evening Star, Issue 20585, 10 September 1930, Page 12

FOLK LORE

NOW A SCIENCE Tho study of traditions as they appear in fiction, custom, magic, ritual, and belief is intensely interesting, because one is hero in touch with the “ folk,” the common people. The material for investigation is abundant and the workers arc many. The British Folk Lore Society held its jubilee congress some time ago. By means of collecting, examining, and classifying the members aim at reconstructing a spiritual history of man, and this involves a careful evaluation of documents with proper attention to chronology. While attending tho jubilee congress in London Dr Alexander Haggerty Krappo conceived tho idea of furnishing a comprehensive handbook on tho subject, doing for the English reader what Heims had done for the German people a few years before the Great War. The result is now before ■ ! >e public in the very complete and scholarly volume entitled ‘ The Science of Folk Lore (states the Melbourne ‘ Argus ’). Jt is tho first thing of the kind in English, and is no mere compilation, but a vigorous presentation of tho whole subject, hand in hand with a critical discussion of the various theories held by authorities on the question of genesis. The book naturally opens with the fairy tale which is defined as a continued narrative, serious on tho whole, centring in one hero or heroine, usually poor and destitute at the start, who, after a series of adventures in which the supernatural element plays a eon spicuous part, attains his goal and lives happily ever after. In the scientific analysis of the fairy tale it is found to bo made up of a number of adventures or motives and these motives make up tho plot of the talc or the type. Some of the motives are limited to a certain number of tide types, bub the sum total of all motives reaches probably to about 1),000. Or I versions of many of these have been collected from the people during the nineteenth century, and collectors are still busy. These variants are found all over Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, and it is significant that nemo are reported from Central Africa and mtive Australia. The fairy talc seems to bo essentially an Old World product. Can a given fairy talc bo shown to bo derived from a given myth? Tho famous story of Bluebeard, as known to English readers, is a version by no means among (he oldest or most primitive. In another group of variants belonging to South-eastern Europe Bluebeard requests bis fiancees to devour a dead man’s bone. Two of the sisters refuse, and are promptly killed ; tho third gets away with a ruse. The myth which is tho basis of all the ver sions is tho Greek one of Death devouring the corpses of tho dead. Nevertheless, it is permissible to lake tho common-sense view of tho fairy tale as a piece cf popular fiction prim arily designed to please and entertain. Dr Kra. po holds to tho literary interpretation rather than tho more abstruse views put forward hy tho anthropological school or the solar myth theory defended by Max Muller. Tho genuine fairy talo dispenses with v preamble, usually follows a fixed formula for the beginning and tho end, and tho iinm hers most used are two or three. The third giant is always the most dan gerous, and of tho three king’s Laughters the third and youngest Ist.always the prettiest. l --' Tho merry talo came later than tho fairy tale, and this is partly duo to a

feeling of prudishucss. The motives are few, hut tho types are quite fixed. Tho animal talc purports to explain a cause, and the standard example is tho well-known explanation of how the bear came to Jose its tail. The fox persuaded him to dip his tail into the water one winter night to catch fish, the water froze, he pulled to free himself, and the tail came oil'.

Local legends are attached fo a definite locality, and were invented to explain some uncommon feature in the landscape. An impression in. a rock is like a foot, and forthwith is pointed out as tho footprint of some famous individual. Dr Krappo explains further that local _.ends often explain . ites which have fallen into disuse. Tho tale of Lady Godiva was invented to explain an agricultural rite in which the procession of a naked woman formed a sort cf climax. Festivals are probably survivals of ancient pagan rites. _ The local legend best f pports tho claims of the anthropological school. Tho inigntory talc is one that exists in a limited number of variants localised in quite different places, though forming part of a very definite and highly orthodox religious system. Examples are furnished in the treachery of Delilah and her descendant Tarpeia.

How is it that a society at bottom illiterate manages to hand on traditions from generation to generation without fundamentally altering them in the process? Dr Krappc points out that in an illiterate society there arc men specially trained in memorising. They are found among the Maoris of New 7 -.laud, who Land cm records from 'father to son. Tho Icelandic saga man followed the same practice. Tho saga is, first of all a f: lily affair concerned with genealogies, hut may develop into a romantic affair. What is tho difference between a folk song and a popular song? Broadly it is this: A folk song originates anonymously among unlettered folk, whereas tho popular song has a purely literary origin. ‘ The Old Kentucky Home ’ is a folk song, whereas ‘ Annie .autrio ’ is a popular song. Tho one typo often shades into the other. As to popular ballads, it may ho safely said that Burns, Scott, and Byron found great inspiration in folk poetry, Byron finding his in the balladry of the Levantines, chiefly in the Greek language. Dr Krappo cannot he said to he so happy in his treatment of superstition. He defines it as the sum of beliefs and practices shared by other people in so far as they differ from our own. His assertion that leligiou has its main roots in fear will be vigorously questioned. Ho also defines myths as talcs of popular origin, modified by poets, loosely conne-tecl with religion, but never incorporated into creeds. They were usually attempts to explain something, .and died under the hammer of the rationalists. Students will find this h-ok irev-b aim stimulating, and if it here and there bridges a gap in rickety v yno one is bound to make any mistake about it. Even an author may unconsciously invent a fairy explanation.