Hõimlane verejõe tagant: Saami muinaslood tootempõhjapõdrast V
Relative from Across the River of Blood: Lapp Folk Tales About Totem Reindeer V

Summary/Abstract: In the current publication is continued the analysis of the 12th, 14th, 15th, 18th, 20th and 22st leaving stories and a summary of the whole block is given. In the Meandash stories, there are two kinds of escaping: one from the mother, the other from the wife. The second leaving type has been recorded all in all 13 times, including those recorded near the Imandra, Aahkel and from the Koltas, each story having two versions, the Kildin four and Turjala three versions. In addition, three more stories of the first type are known (two from the Koltas and one from the Turjala's). The leaving block can accompany all three kinds of marrying (table 8). However, half the cases (3 versions) are of the first type. In these two versions the mother's reaction does not reveal which escaping type we are dealing with. In a Kolta story (version III) the mother wanted to breast feed her adult son what does not seem plausible. In the differing Aahkkel story (22st) it is not clear what upset the reindeer. In the 14th story we encounter burning the spouse's skin; this is a loaned motif. In two stories from Imanrda and one Koltan version, only the child pissing on the bed-skin is mentioned. In the rest 8 stories (61.5 %) the rules of treating a pissed skin are violated: it is not been thrown into water but put to dry in the sun. In two Kildin stories (9th and 10th) and in one version of unknown origin (18th) the skin is pissed at night by the father-in-law (a total of 23 %), while in 8 cases (61.5 %) by the child. The 18th version is known for forgetting several facts (see "Mäetagused", 1998, 7). In other versions it is unclear whether the pisser is maybe not mentioned because it was unimportant compared to violating the taboo and what followed this. Before the children left, the mother did the following: 1) offered them breast food, 2) warned about dangers (men, animals), 3) cursed the son and/or 4) gave advice for life (table 9). In 9 cases (56.2 %) the mother breast fed the children and in 7 cases (43,8 %) warned them about men. Other reactions are exceptional. Thus it can be concluded that the escaping block that has small differences in different versions graphically reflects violation of an ancient taboo and the connected phenomena, also helping to answer some etiologic questions: 1) why reindeer do not live with men? (version 8) 2) how reindeer-hunting was started? (story 4) and 3) why the reindeer is shy? (version 5).

• Details
• Contents