Monumenta Estoniae Antiquae

The Monumenta Estoniae Antiquae are a collection of Estonian folk songs, folk tales, proverbs and riddles. It contains more than 800,000 pages manuscripts, of which 100,000 in the trochaic meter Dimeters. The text - body is one of the largest and most important of its kind in the world.

History

The interest in the Estonian Folklore awoke in the early 19th century. The Learned Estonian Society (Estonian: Eesti Õpetatud Selts ) was established in 1839 as the central organization for the collection and exploration. She was the one who coordinated the compilation of the Estonian national epic Kalevipoeg that was started by Friedrich Robert Faehlmann and completed by Friedrich Reinhold Kreutz forest.

1843 brought Kreutz forest for the first time the idea of ​​a systematic collection of Estonian folklore on the way. Alexander Z. (1795-1876) published in 1852, supported by the Estonian literary club founded in 1842 ( Eesti Kirjameeste Selts ), a three-volume anthology of 1,300 songs, which is considered the first scientific publication on this topic.

Soon after Jakob Hurt 1872 President of the literary club had become, a project was launched, the systematic collection made ​​it his goal in all parts of the country. Both the collection as well as the publication was coordinated by Jakob Hurt, who could mobilize about attacks, calls in newspapers and brochures, as well as personal letters 1400 voluntary "collector" in all parts of the country.

Hurt intended publishing a six-volume series under the name of " Monumenta Estoniae Antiquae ".

Vana Kannel

Between 1875 and 1886 two volumes of folk songs were published under the series title Vana Kannel ( " The old Kannel ." Each volume comprised the whole in a single parish ( kihelkond ) collected material and was thus the decomposition of the project based on geographic region and dialects rather than by theme before. Vana Kannel I contained the songs from Põlva in southwestern Estonia, Volume II those from the mittelestnischen Kolga -Jaani. Hurt was on finding the third volume with material from Viljandi, as difficulties in coping with the intumescent material inflow occurred. work were interrupted.

1904 and 1907 Hurt was supported by the Finnish Literature Society (Finnish: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seuratt ) the three -volume series Setukeste Laulud out with songs from Setumaa. In 1907, he died.

During the 1930s the Estonian Folklore Archives undertook a fresh start. 1938 and 1941 appeared Band III and IV of the Vana Kannel with the songs from Kuusalu and Karksi, edited by Herbert Tampere ( 1909-1975 ). A fifth band with songs from Muhu was in preparation, as the work came to a standstill because of the Second World War. Of the total of 112 parishes just four parishes and Setumaa were processed at this time.

In the Soviet period, the project was revived in the mid-1950s. They planned the addition of forty volumes. With Haljala on Saaremaa should be started in 1960, then every year should be issued by the Estonian Literary Museum and the University of Tartu tape. However, it took until 1985 until it came to the publication of Vana Kannel V ( Mustjala ); Vana Kannel VI ( Haljala ) followed in 1989. Since the restoration of state independence of Estonia, the volumes were published VII (1997, Kihnu ) and VIII (1999, Jõhvi and Iisaku ).

More parts

Besides Vana Kannel, there are other sub-series:

• 2 Eesti muistendid recorded Estonian folk tales. Between 1959 and 1970, published three volumes of warriors and heroes, 1997 Pestüberlieferung ( Eesti katkupärimus ).
• 3 Eesti vanasõnad = Proverbia Estonica. Between 1980 and 1988, published in three volumes and two index volumes 15,140 proverbs.
• 4 Eesti mõistatused = Aenigmata Estonica. 2001 and 2002 published two volumes with 2800 puzzles and conundrums. These were co-published by the Institute of Estonian Language ( Eesti Keele Instituut ).