TRANSLATION AND TRADITION
TRANSLATION AND TRADITION

Summary/Abstract: Folk traditions have a great relevance for the understanding of culture. This is the reason why historical linguists of the XIX and XX century have collected any sort of popular tradition, such as tales (Brothers Grimm) or folk songs (Nigra, Nerucci, Puymaigre, Nerval,etc.). Some of these songs are spread over large areas and are adapted to the different audiences they are addressed to. Analysing and comparing a high number of version of a folk (children)song, “The three drummers”, this article proposes a historical interpretation of the content, and,in addition, proposes the hypothesis that the features of mythopoeia hold also for folk traditions,even children songs. It will be shown that the building of the different versions of such a song meets all the requirements of the re-assembling of a myth.

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