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Paper short abstract

This paper explores Tibetan short folklore forms—proverbs, riddles, and concise allegories—highlighting how brevity supports memorability, transmits ecological knowledge, and conveys Buddhist ethical principles within everyday life.

Paper long abstract

This paper examines the mnemonic and cultural functions of brevity in Tibetan short folklore forms, with a focus on proverbs, riddles, and concise allegorical expressions. These genres, closely connected to everyday life, distill practical experiences and observations of the natural world into compressed messages while simultaneously conveying deeply embedded cultural and ethical values. Drawing on Jan Assmann’s theory of cultural memory, the analysis emphasizes that brevity is a deliberate strategy enhancing memorability and transmission.

For the purposes of this study, Tibetan proverbs and riddles related to agricultural, pastoral, and ecological themes are examined, comparable to weather proverbs or animal-sound imitations found in other traditions. They also function as carriers of Buddhist ethical principles, social norms, and cosmological frameworks. Through their condensed forms, these texts link practical subsistence activities, such as harvesting and livestock keeping, with broader moral and religious teachings. Short epic forms in Tibet similarly act as key vessels of cultural memory, transmitting ecological knowledge and spiritual worldviews across generations.

By situating Tibetan examples within the wider study of short folklore forms, this paper contributes to an ethnolinguistic and folkloristic understanding of how societies conceptualize nature, sustain values, and ensure intergenerational continuity through brevity.