Loomtegelaste kujutamine laulumängudes
Depiction of animal characters in song-games

Summary/Abstract: The article compares song-games with animal characters in three temporally consecutive song-game layers in terms of their depiction style and game techniques. These are performative games to the accompaniment of runo songs, dance-figurative games to the accompaniment of transitional songs, and insert dance songs to the accompaniment of end-rhyme songs. For the most part, the animal character of older games is anthropomorphised, has a command of human speech and human activities. Unanthropomorphised animal characters are depicted on the basis of natural examples, by means of distinctive sounds and movements. The conflict in the game also proceeds from the animal characteristics of the characters. The games in the next layer depict animals as more abstract, and close-to-nature depiction is replaced by consensual symbols and terpsichorean moves. Conflict is a result of ethical-social problems inherent in humans. The last, round dance layer features, to a small extent, imitation by means of symbols, yet the main activity is (couple) dance to the accompaniment of songs. The temporal development of song-games moves from the scenes imitating real situations towards more abstract, terpsichorean techniques. Changes in the depiction of animals and birds in song-games probably reflect general changes in people’s perception of nature and receding from it.

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