”Voi šinuvo rauta raukka”

Hyvittely ja epäsuora aggressio vienankarjalaisissa raudan synty -loitsuissa

Authors

• Tuukka Karlsson Helsingin yliopisto https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3696-7163

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30666/elore.121370

Keywords:

kalevalamittaiset loitsut, tietäjät, rekisterit

Abstract

The article examines Kalevala-metric incantations from Viena Karelia. The research material comprises of archived incantations, which have been published in the anthology Suomen Kansan Vanhat Runot (Ancient Poems of the Finnish People). In addition, the material has been limited to the so-called communicative incantations, which are connected with ritual specialists called the tietäjät. The view of the article is theoretical: it discusses how an application of linguistic anthropologic register theory is suited to examining emotions in incantations. The methodological framework consists of close reading and its combination with register theory and knowledge concerning larger sets of materials.

The primary research questions address the use of textual devices in the incantation material. The main interest lies in the way performers present use commands, requests, and questions when addressing non-human agents. In addition, the presentation of aggression and propitiation is examined. The focal argument is that the analyzed incantations include various registers, which are based on reflexive evaluations concerning the status of the addressees. By evaluating the alignment of a non-human agent, the performer is able to apply an appropriate register and present various emotions.

The analysis reveals how the tietäjät present emotions ranging from affection to aggression by utilizing different registers. Additionally, the research material includes sections presenting irony and indirect aggression. These parts of the incantations form a register that the specialist uses to empathize their authority. The features of different registers form enregistered emblems, which index social relations between the performers and addressees. The article therefore participates in the discussion of presentation of emotions in the specialist incantations and continues in the application of register based view with Kalevala-metric incantations.