The Maiden's Death Song & The Great Wedding
The Maiden's Death Song & The Great Wedding

Summary/Abstract: Lauri Honko in collaboration with Anneli Honko and Paul Hagu. The Maiden's Death Song & The Great Wedding. Anne Vabarna's Oral Twin Epic written down by A. O.Väisänen. FFC 281, Helsinki: Academia Scientiarum Fennica 2003, 529 pp. The academic publication of the famous Setu singer Anne Vabarna's twin epic (The Maiden's Death Song and The Great Wedding), published in the reputable Folklore Fellows' Communication series, became unexpectedly, though quite symbolically, Lauri Honko's final tribute to the Balto-Finnic epic song tradition in Kalevala metre. The publication is particularly important in introducing Setu folklore to the international audience. The occurrence of leelo, the Setu chant, as the most "traditional" component in Anne Vabarna's repertoire is somewhat questionable, but I will not go into it at this point. The word epic is grand enough. It seems that while we agree that the millennia-long tradition in Kalevala metre, as presented by Lauri Honko, is still alive, we can also agree that Anne Vabarna's epics are curiosities, a Modernist shock which upset the early 20th century village culture. The context of nuances like that will probably remain incomprehensible for foreign readers. In addition to the excellent textualization of Anne Vabarna's creation, the book also symbolises Lauri Honko's monumentally epic passion towards the folklore of small ethnic groups

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