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Paper short abstract

Forest and sea are important liminal spaces in 17,000 fairy tales from the Estonian Folklore Archives. Both appear as realms where protagonists may lose and find themselves, thresholds between the everyday world and fairy land, the in-between space.

Paper long abstract

Fairy tales often unfold at the edges of the familiar world – not within “our country”, but beyond it. Every path that leads away from home is lined with choices and opportunities, and chance plays a central role. Drawing on more than 17,000 tales from the Estonian Folklore Archives at the Estonian Literary Museum, I analyse how the forest and the sea are depicted – both through the frequency of related vocabulary and the narrative roles these spaces fulfil.

The forest frequently emerges as a realm of danger, encounter, and enchantment – a place where protagonists may lose and find themselves. The sea is often portrayed as more distant, yet equally imbued with symbolic resonance and uncertainty, shaped by chance and unpredictability. Both serve as thresholds between the everyday world and fairy land, the in-between space.

Especially in the forest, protagonists encounter beings who look human but conceal uncertain natures – both helpers and adversaries. This layered multivocality mirrors the forest archive itself – dense, varied, and full of divergent perspectives. Like these liminal spaces, fairy tales invite non-linear journeys and unexpected discoveries, even when entered against one’s will.