Paper short abstract:

There is a large number of obscene songs in the Estonian Folklore Archives. What was the meaning of these texts when they were created and performed? I will examine the history of collecting and publishing obscene songs, and discuss plausible options for contextualizing decontextualized songs.

Paper long abstract:

In the 19th century, pastor Jakob Hurt (1839-1907) inspired Estonians to collect their folk songs because he understood that "old songs" and other "antiquities" may be the source from which to gather knowledge about "the peoples' domestic life, their work, festivities, customs, wisdoms, follies, their faith and spiritual life, truth and humour". Hurt encouraged his correspondents to collect, among other things, the "ugliest folk memories and the most obscene superstitions," for he found that in addition to the "nice and beautiful" folklore, one should also be familiar with the "horrible, harmful, and obscene." Hurt's appeal to collect both the beautiful and the ugly follows the principle of scientific objectivity, which postulates that the research subject should not be selected or neglected on the basis of aesthetic values. It seems, however, that the more educated of Hurt's correspondents were internally conflicted when they found out that the collection of Estonian folklore needs "shameless" songs as well.

There is a large number of obscene songs in the Estonian Folklore Archives and they have been collected from both men and women. Some of these songs are connected with certain rituals, but in many cases, the context is completely unknown. What was the true meaning of these texts, seeming obscene today, when they were created and performed? In my presentation, I will examine the history of collecting and publishing obscene songs in Estonia, and discuss plausible options for contextualizing decontextualized songs.