Page 20 [20]
Part I. Interdisciplinary Approach to Storytelling ] 19
2.1 Ethnographical Connections
The narrative structure of oral legends, tales and sagas is dealt with by
ethnography. These language monuments preserve the linguistic features
present at the time of writing, and in this sense, they represent a research
field for language historians. For ethnography, however, it is the socio-cultural
aspects of these narratives and their functions in the community that are
of interest. The narrative forms of ancient storytelling have been passed
down from generation to generation and reveal the dominant worldview of
a given community, as well as peoples relationship to others, to nature, and
to transcendence. At the macro level, such narratives are national identity
stories (e.g., heroic epics), and at the micro level these narratives spread
through personal networks (e.g., through gossip).
The collection of oral narratives related to folk traditions is one of the main
aims of ethnographic research. These narratives are then examined in terms of
their cultural-social determinants and functions. A prerequisite for storytelling
within a community is the existence of a common language, common speech
patterns and customs, and common rituals. The oral transmission of texts
was passed down in communities of memory until they were collected and
transcribed (Keszeg, 2011). Ethnographers’ transcriptions were stored in
thematic collections, such as the collection of sacral healing texts (Pécs, 1985¬
1986) or the collection of texts related to Hungarian folk traditions (Dömötör,
1983). Hungarian folkloristics also focus on the collection of folk ballads and
their interpretations in local contexts. Folk ballads are local folk narratives
that recount a tragic plot in verse-song form, revealing the circumstances
of a murder or other violation of the law as well as the punishment of the
perpetrator. The narrative structure and melody served to transmit the story
in local memory.
Narratives can also be grouped according to their role in social behavior.
Voigt (1972) classified folk narratives according to their function and purpose.
Within certain rites, different genres have become established and acquire their
legitimacy in particular social situations. Keszeg (2011) names weddings as an
example, in which a number of genres fulfill different functions, such as the
groom's farewell, the bridal send-off, and the ceremonial songs before meals.
Ethnography also explores elementary narrative structures. The trend
towards the typological study of fairy tales and epic works originated
in Scandinavia at the end of the 19" century. Carl Wilhelm von Sydow
distinguished the stages of story development on the basis of story types.
In von Sydow’s typology, the first level is the statement, which can be a
propositional or prohibitory predicate about people's beliefs and worldviews.
The memorat is a formulation of individual experience in narrative. The fabulat
is the most complex level of communication, in which the narrator represents
episodes in the form of a poetic narrative. Such texts are the various sagas
and tales present in the public consciousness. Von Sydow typologized the