Academic literature on the topic 'Lithuanian Fairy tales'

National identity of the Lithuanian minority in PolandIn the article, the author raises, essential for the Lithuanian minority in Poland, (1) the issue of comprehending the national identity, homeland, nation, and (2) the importance of the Lithuanian language, faith and educational system in the everyday life of the minority. She determines the elements shaping up the identity of the Suwalki Lithuanians residing in the ethnically cohesive border area, as well as the Suwalki Lithuanians moving from one place to another within Poland (internal migration). As the crucial elements of the two groups of Lithuanians, she recognizes their respect for the vernacular – the Lithuanian language, the history of Lithuania, the Catholic faith, and also the interior decorations of the Lithuanian household. Equally essential factors for the Lithuanian minority residing in the border area are the names, Lithuanian fairy tales and legends, as well as the local folk tales and wildlife. As far as the Suwalki Lithuanians of internal migration are concerned, the aforementioned elements are of less importance or even not physically present. They rather constitute an object of specific homesickness for the Lithuanians of seasonal migration, who pretty willingly and regularly get back to Suwalki, Sejny, Puńsk and its neighbouring areas to spend holidays there. The author also emphasizes the recent economic transformations, particularly those resulting in migrations leading to depopulating the Lithuanian ethnic areas and closing down the schools with the Lithuanian language as a language of instruction.

Lithuanian and Masurian members of the Fellowship Movement (gromadkarze) were described by their contemporaries as extremely pious, honest, humble, righteous or obedient. They were strangers to all worldly joys, which they themselves called “fairy tales”, “sins” or “ugly things”, and those things associated with them, amongst others singing (with the exclusion, of course, of religious songs), dance, music and other pagan remnants. There are no direct sources that would clearly outline the attitude of the members of the Fellowship Movement move�ment to folklore and people, and the materials touching this sphere of their lives collected by strangers are very scare and mainly concern folk songs. This article focuses on the issue of the presence of superstitions in the lives of people and tries to determine whether the public disapproval of superstitious beliefs reflected their real views, or whether it served only as a veil behind which they hid their real faces. This information was taken from folk�loristic collections, archival materials of scientific expeditions and fiction, documenting life primarily in Lithuania Minor and from the last witnesses of the activities of Lithuanian members of the Fellowship Movement. Informa�tion gathered at different times and places is convergent: the piety of the members of the Fellowship Movement, mainly peasants, was based on a strong foundation of Christian faith entwined with paganism, which could not be completely eradicated, and without which their faith would not be as strong. The article was created within the framework of the research project “Modernybės ir tradicijos sampyna: surinkimininkų judėjimas Mažojoje Lietuvoje” (“A Plexus of Modernity and Tradition: The Fellowship Movement in Lithuania Minor”) financed by the Lithuanian Scientific Council (Lietuvos mokslo taryba), Contract No. S–MOD–17– 10.

AbstractThe article presents child-threatening mythical creatures, their expressions and functions in Lithuanian folklore. Threats of the mythical world can be divided into two groups: real and constructed threats. The ones of the first group, real threats, are perceived as threats to children by adults. Real threats arise from two types of representations of the mythical world: mythical creatures and mythologised persons. The second group, constructed threats, is the is the phenomenon in which adults use folklore narratives to evoke fear in children, but adults do not perceive those narratives as real threats. Three types of folklore genres were used to frighten children: fairy tales, folk legends, and short, frightening expressions. This article focuses on the latter. The research analyses Lithuanian customs, beliefs, and narratives from the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.

Latgale is the essentially most different and most peculiar Latvian region from the perspectives of language and culture and their interaction with the cultures of other nations. Hence, this article attempts to reveal how the images of werewolves in Latgalian folklore and the means of their expression used in traditional tales differ from the rest territory of Latvia. The aim of the article is to understand the use of this relatively little studied mythical image and the features of their characters in Latgalian folklore. Previously, the author studied the features of werewolf depictions in Latvian folklore in general, and also compared it to Lithuanian folklore. The main source used in the research are five tales of werewolves, which can be found in an electronic version of Pēteris Šmits’ collected fairy tales and tales on http://valoda.ailab.lv/folklora/pasakas/saturs.htm, recorded in the dialect of the Eastern part of Latvia. Different dictionaries and encyclopedias, for example the „Interpretative Dictionary of the Latvian Language” („Latviešu valodas skaidrojošā vārdnīca”) (http://www.ailab.lv/Vardnica/), the „Dictionary of Latvian Etymology” (“Latviešu etimoloģijas vārdnīca”), the „Encyclopedia of Mythology” (“Mitoloģijas enciklopēdija”), and the „Dictionary of Foreign Words” (“Svešvārdu vārdnīca”) were used to describe the symbolical and etymological meaning of a werewolf image. The main methods used in the paper are semiotic and comparative. The semiotic method is used to explain the symbolical meaning of the werewolf image and the semantics of the word. The comparative method is used to compare the comprehension and interpretation of the werewolf image in the tales written in the Latvian and Latgalian languages, as well as to compare the structure of these tales and the use of artistic means of expression. As the result of the research, it is possible to conclude that the Latgalian tales of werewolves show features that both agree with and differ from tales of other regions. However, the means of expression in the Latgalian tales of werewolves are rather different from texts written in other regions. One of the major differences is the language which the tales are written in, as well as emotionally expressive elements in the colloquial speech of the narrators, such as the lexis of the region, dialectisms, similes, hyperbolization, and russicisms.Just like in the majority of tales from other regions, special introduction and conclusion formulas are used. The introduction formula takes the listeners into the world of fairy tales and magic, and the conclusion fromula brings them back into reality. In addition, the use of particular toponyms to gain the effect of credibility is quite common. The motive of shapeshifting wedding guests in a number of Latgalian tales is more characteristic and more common in Lithuanian folklore, but not in the folklore of other Latvian regions. Only in one of the analyzed tales a person turns into a werewolf of his own free will. What’s more, he is not a Latgalian, which subtextually implies dislike and prejudices against an alien, which is relatively typical of Latgalian folklore in general. Also, a special shapeshifting formula – a curse – is found in one tale only. Few techniques are mentioned for retrieving human form – jumping over another shot werewolf’s skin, eating a piece of bread given by a human, or cross-cutting a wolf’s skin. Among these methods the bread technique is the most common also in the tales from other Latvian regions. Also, it should be noted that the word „werewolf” is mentioned in one tale only and an expressive description of a werewolf’s appearance is missing. This probably means that this character was not very popular in Latgalian folklore, which is also proved by the small quantity of these texts. Only one tale is narrated by a man, whereas male narrators are predominant in the other regions. In addition, in some Latgalian tales there are relatively distinguished features of patriarchy, relationships between the rich and the poor, and a peculiar sense of humor for this region and its means of expression. Having conducted the research of the tales of werewolves it is quite safe to assert that the narrator’s place of residence and the region that he/she comes from has a relatively essential meaning in the choice of folkloristic motives. The social and cultural environment, the language, and mutual relations are those preconditions that form a person’s weltanschauung, perception of life and basic values. With their special mentality, emotionally colorful means of expression and an exciting, different language, the Latgalian tales are for sure distinctive from the other ones and are very important for Baltic folklore in general.

The development of communicative competence is one of the most distinct priorities in contemporary education system in Lithuania (Lietuvos valstybinė švietimo strategija 2013–2022 m.; Pradinio ir pagrindinio ugdymo bendrosios programos (patvirtinta LR švietimo ir mokslo ministro 2008 m. rugpjūčio 26 d. įsakymu Nr. ISAK-2423). Conception of communicative competence of primary school age students is founded on the communication and competence definitions: communication is the activity of conveying information, based on the principle of dialogue, through the exchange of thoughts, messages, experiences, as by verbal or nonverbal interaction, seeking mutual understanding and competence is the entirety of knowledge, abilities, and valuebased attitudes necessary for successful development / self-development and daily life. The objective to enhance effectiveness of the processes of the development of communicative competence induces turning back to the opportunities proposed by training through arts, specifically through drama activity. Effectively applied, drama activity methods can play importante role in transforming and supporting teaching. Following this we raised the research questions: How to specify activities in the textbooks by identifying the methods of creative activity relevant to the development of communicative competence? How in the textbooks (Lihuanian language, Nature Science and Mathematics) are proposed teaching and learning activities relevant to primary school age student‘s communicative abilities (listening, speaking and reading), and how activities are distributed under classes and object of textbooks? How drama activities are presented in the textbooks on developing students’ communicative abilities? This article covers a comparative analysis of the textbooks of the Lithuanian language, Nature science, Mathematics designed for primary school students. Quantitative research design was used and method was employed content analysis (Bitinas, 2008; Ferari et al., 2010; Kojanitz, 2009) of textbooks: Lithuanian language “Pupa”; Nature science “Gilė” and Mathematics “Riešutas” for the first-fourth grades. Total were analysed 32 textbooks. Provision made for sampling of texts, breakdown into constituent components, their categorization, encoding of text units under semantic categories, and interpretation of the contents categories. Drama activity was analysed under to semantic categories – to perform (lt. vaidinti) and to play (lt. žaisti); communicative abilities and activities were analysed under to sematic categories – reading, speaking and listening. Results of the textbooks analysis highlights the nature of the activities contained in to the textbooks and relationship with drama activities, and with development communicative abilities. It has been established in the textbooks, intended for the first through fourth grades, more attention is given to listening and speaking in first and second grades, while in third and fourth grades focus is replaced upon reading, listening and speaking. Analysis of textbooks has shown that pupils are given sufficient amount of activities that develop their communicative abilities, however, when doing analysis in terms of drama activities (semantic categories of the content), only but few drama activities have been identified. The results showed that the students’ communicative competence are most frequently developed in the class (in the textbooks) of the Lithuanian language and Natural sciences. Drama activities are used not always in a suitable manner, i.e. failing to take advantage of the opportunities provided by drama activities. Drama activities in textbooks normally are limited to reading of texts (in dialog) and, focusing upon memorization and reproduction of a text. It has been found out that textbooks also lack tasks associated with different kind of drama activities, there is shortage of learning resources fir to such activities, such as fairy tales, poems, small form folklore, etc.

Cognitive Grammar (Langacker 1991) allows for a unified account of copular constructions. In this framework, all types of copular constructions can be seen as the different instantiations of a single archetype of statements of identity between two entities (Mikulskas 2017). Radical Construction Grammar, the framework adopted in this article, also allows for a unified account of copular verbs, as it views both so-called ‘semi-copulas’ and typical copulas as members of a single category of copulas as long as each of them fills the same slot between the thematic argument and the predicative complement in a copular construction. According to Radical Construction Grammar, an independent word class ‘copula’ does not exist. “Instead, verbs in a particular language can be labelled ‘copular’ if they have the appropriate semantics and morphosyntax to fit in the so-called ‘copular slot’ of a copular construction” (Petré 2012: 30). From this theoretical perspective, the term ‘copula’ applies only derivatively. Thus, syntactically, copular verbs have a linking function. Additionally, some of them express various aspectual meanings and can be seen as aspectual variants of the typical copula “be”. For instance, the Lithuanian verbs tapti ‘become’, virsti ‘turn into’, darytis/pasidaryti ‘become’ (lit. ‘make oneself’) and, formerly, stotis/pastoti ‘become’ (lit. ‘stand up’), mainly in the Simple Past and Future tenses, when used in copular constructions, express ingressive aspect of the change event. These verbs, used in different constructions, such as existential, locomotional etc., retain their original meaning. Importantly, even when they are used in copular constructions, while being first of all linking verbs and aspectual markers, they can still have different syntactic and semantic properties. The latter are the outcome of their primary meanings inherited from their source constructions (‘backward pull’; Traugott 2008). That said, it is nevertheless clear that each of these verbs is in a different stage on its way to grammaticalization and each accommodated to copular function in a varying degree. So, a descriptivist encounters a practical problem: which of the above-mentioned verbal lexemes qualify as ‘real’ copulas and which do not? Are such verbs as augti ‘grow’ or eiti ‘go’, which can perform copular function in certain restricted contexts, on a par with more typical copulas such as tapti or virsti? Some Lithuanian researchers even doubt if the verb lexeme virsti can be labelled ‘copular’. To provide for this descriptive need a definition of the category of copulas is elaborated in the first two chapters of the article. Complementing the constructional requirement of filling the slot between the thematic argument and the predicative complement, two additional criteria are suggested. First, the postcopular nominal, as the result of reanalysis of the source construction in the course of grammaticalization, must become coreferential with the subject nominal. This is a necessary but not sufficient condition, as it does not differentiate between primary and secondary predicatives. Secondly, the types of complement of the verb must be unpredictable from its semantics or, in other words, the copular verb must be desemanticized to a sufficient degree to be capable of selecting its complements from a wide array of semantic and syntactic types (that is, NP, ADJ, PP). So the question whether to include a concrete verb lexeme into the class of copulas is mainly reduced investigating the semantics of its complements (or the productivity of its complementation). In the second two chapters of the article a contrastive study of the syntactic and semantic properties of the copular verbs virsti vs. tapti is presented in order to prove that the corresponding copular constructions featuring these verbs are different instantiations of the more abstract ingressive-aspect-expressing construction. A quantitative analysis of data in the Corpus of Modern Lithuanian reveals various relevant points in the parallel development and interaction of these verbs and in their coexistence in present-day Lithuanian: how they divide between them the job of expressing ingressive aspect in the profiled change events while at the same time competing with each other in some contexts. Additionally, some relevant facts of the usage of the copulas under discussion were checked in the Old Lithuanian Corpus and in the Dictionary of the Lithuanian Language. The analysis allows us to draw some important conclusions concerning the coexsistence of the two verbs under discussion and their categorial status in modern Lithuanian. First of all, the verb virsti can reasonably be seen as an aspectual variety of the copula būti ‘be’, on a par with the more grammaticalized copula tapti. The verb virsti, when used in copular constructions, is sufficiently desemanticized: one may claim that a sufficient number of copular constructions featuring the verb virsti have nearly lost their touch with their inherent semantics. More specifically, half of the analysed cases of copular constructions with this verb have already abandoned their tendency – inherited from the locomotional source construction (designating the overturning of a vertical object ) – to denote negatively evaluated change events. Though the verb virsti was originally used mainly in the inclusive type of copular constructions, it is now, on the analogy of copular constructions featuring the verb tapti, increasingly used in the ascriptive type as well: in more than 4% of the analysed instances the copula virsti selects adjectival predicative complements. Sporadically, the copula virsti is attested even in the specificational type of copular constructions (in this type of sentences the usage of the copula tapti is unrestricted). Also in modern Lithuanian the copula virsti has borrowed from the copular constructions featuring tapti the morphosyntactic coding of its complements by the instrumental instead of the original coding with PP. A thorough study of the semantic distribution of the copulas virsti and tapti in the Corpus of Modern Lithuanian shows that they have more or less divided between them the semantic space of aspectual expression according to the meanings they have inherited from their source constructions, and to their resulting aspectual potential. The constructions containing the copula virsti profile, in most cases, a radical transformation of a subject referent proceeding in an uncontrolled and incremental way. Such transformations include changes of physical elements, changes in a person’s mood and character, or spell-induced changes in fairy tales. Aspectually, such copular constructions have the profile of an accomplishment. Conversely, the constructions featuring the copula tapti presuppose a subject referent in control of the profiled change event. The result of the change is usually a new social status, a new profession or office held by the subject referent. In some cases the change profiled is only a projection of some relevant features of the subject referent into the cognitive domain of some speech community: the subject referent of the sentence, because of its social behaviour or personal features, is declared by the speaker to be a model or a guide for other people. The aspectual profile of such constructions is typically that of an achievement as in most cases they designate an instantaneous ingression of the subject referent into its new status. Nevertheless, the quantitative analysis of the corpus data shows that in about 13% of the copular constructions analysed the preterite verbal forms virto and tapo can be used interchangeably. This fact, considered together with the empirically attested facts of mutual interaction of the corresponding copular constructions, allows us to treat the constructions featuring these copular forms as two different instantiations of a single copular construction expressing the ingressive aspect of the profiled change event.

This policy brief examines shared-knowledge, transparency and accountability to improve enabling state-society relations on COVID-19 resilient building governance and takes into account the impact on third-country nationals (TCNs) in Austria, Finland, Czechia, and Lithuania. Existing research pointed to state-society relations as decentralised multi-stakeholder governance in public service reform for sustainable resilience building societies. However, the governance faced budgetary constraints and low public sector performance management. Although the relational governance shows certain public authorities have failed and/or ineffective to administer and achieve a range of public policy goals, there is still little policy study research in Nordic, Baltic, Central Eastern European- CEE and Central Western European countries explaining the improvement of state-society relations model on COVID-19 resilient building societies and its impacts to TCNs’ in the selected entities. Based on a qualitative cross-country oriented research approach with fewer country com­parisons, primary data from the authors of this policy paper research, documents, published and unpublished scholarly texts are collected and analyzed with document and content analysis techniques. The findings indicates insufficient shared-knowledge for responsive decision to local concerns, lack of diverse interests groups’ consultations, and quality service delivery often not transparent that infringe the core values of trust, public accountability, mutual responsibilities, and citizens’ participation in effective public service relational governance implementation and impact TCNs and ethnic minorities peoples’ COVID-19 crisis-related resilient in the selected entities. This policy brief recommends shared-knowledge for open access to relevant information, mutual corporate responsibilities between government, public and private organization policy for public interest, diversify migrants communities involvement in policy consultation for open democracy, rebuilding of bureaucrats’ professional capacity to ensure commitment and increase public service staff, and legislation to set specific working ethics and values compatible with public interest that combine honesty, integrity, transparency, accountability, and fair equal treatment of citizens (especially from heterogeneous minorities subgroups) in the formulation, implementation, and delivery of public care to sustain COVID-19 resilient building societies. Not meeting these marginal policy adjustments and recommendations may intensify the reinforcement of public service distrust and corruption, deepen political and /or social inequalities, jeopardize open democracy, and impair sustainable COVID-19 resilient building societies.

My work on the thealogy of Mary conveys a largely subjective way of thinking, it does not claim to present the view of any group, and it does not profess a theoretical agenda for a cult or a religious movement of Mary. The framework of this work is grounded in symbolic (legends, fairy tales and images), psychological (the structure of the psyche according to Carl Gustav Jung: the Self, the conscious, the unconscious, the Shadow) and imaginative (individual interpretations of narratives and images) spheres that are combined with feminist spirituality theories, religious philosophy and literary analysis. In my thesis, I offer a non-Christian myth of Mary which I form out of the folklore narratives about Mary. In my work, Mary is understood as the female divine archetype on the collective level, and as an expression of the Self on the individual level. Following Jung’s theory, the archetypes are forms and not contents, that is, an archetype can be comparable to an empty shell, which we fill with our own experience or with narratives that are meaningful to us. I take the image of Mary out of the Roman Catholic context and give it a new mythological narrative. This means to me a possibility not only to acquire a non-Christian myth of Mary but also to develop an individual relationship with the divine in its female personification. On the collective level, the thealogy of Mary creates a spiritual and psychological sphere in which the female divine has a possibility to outweigh the one-sidedness of the past few thousand years of the male predominance in the religious philosophy in the West.