E-mail: m.kundozerova@yandex.ru
Tel.: +7 (8142) 78-44-96
1, Pushkinskaja str., Petrozavodsk, 185910, Republic of Karelia, Russian Federation
PhD in Philology, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Linguistics, Literature and History, Karelian Research Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences
The study was carried out under state order (project № 124022000077-1).
This article is devoted to a cycle of Karelian legendary runosongs with Christian content. For the first time in Russian scholarship, these runosongs are considered as a special object of study. This article analyzes the main sequence of events in the cycle; considers their origin; provides information about their functions and performance; and traces parallels with images and themes of epic plots. The plots of the legendary runosongs were built around the life of the Virgin Mary--the main character of the cycle--and the life, death and resurrection of her son Jesus Christ. The Virgin Mary miraculously becomes pregnant (after eating a berry) and gives birth to a child (in some versions called God) and then goes in search of him. It turns out that the son has been tortured and buried, and his grave is covered with stones and guarded by sentries. The sun melts the stones and puts the guardians of the grave to sleep; Christ is resurrected. The basis of these legendary runes is texts of the Orthodox Church, but these texts have been passed through the prism of the personal lives of the performers. Legendary runosongs were predominantly performed by women. Speaking about the Virgin Mary, women performers described their own daily lives, pregnancy, loneliness during childbirth and the fear of losing a child. Christian images and ideas took root in the archaic soil of the Karelian epic, giving rise to this special variety of runic poetry. The runosongs were sung to runic melodies or, according to rare references, recited in a monotonous, melodious voice. Legendary runosongs had an apotropaic purpose and functioned as prayers. This study represents part of preparations for the celebration of the 800th anniversary of the baptism of the Karelians in 2027
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