Konflikt ja vägivald looduslike pühapaikadega seotud kohapärimuses
Conflict and violence in narratives about sacred natural sites

Summary/Abstract: This article discusses the role and function of violent motifs and folktales found in the place-lore of Estonian sacred natural sites, such as holy groves, and sacred stones and bodies of water, from an ecosemiotic point of view. Drawing comparisons with Estonian archival material, the study also considers Ancient Greek and Saami place-related narratives as examples of premodern discourse on supernatural sites. Building on the theories of Philippe Descola (2022 [2005]), Eduardo Kohn (2013), Bruno Latour (2014 [1991]), and Yuri Lotman (1999), sacred natural sites are viewed as blurry and porous border zones between nature and culture, the natural and the supernatural domains, which can thus function as key points of communication between these spheres. Narratives of violent conflict between supernatural creatures that are said to have taken place in a sacred natural site reinforce the sanctity of these places, highlighting their significance as crucial nodes in the complex network of relationships between humans and supernatural creatures. In cautionary tales explicating the taboos and prohibitions related to sacred natural sites, violent motifs often serve as consequences for violating these interdictions. Thus, these tales instruct the audience on the nature of the rules governing relationships between humans and supernatural creatures, helping humans to prevent overt conflict. The article suggests that structural analysis, following the approach of Alan Dundes’s “The Morphology of North American Indian Folktales” (1964), may help make sense of the fragmentary narratives and motifs often found in recorded archaic place-lore and, in combination with the comparative method, may enhance the understanding of the context surrounding the recorded fragments.

• Details
• Contents