Hasil untuk "Folklore"

W. Landes

Чап, А.А.

Статья посвящена исследованию образов фольклорных героев, воплощенных в творчестве тувинских камнерезов в период второй половины ХХ столетия, на примере произведений таких мастеров, как А. Тумат, А. Ховалыг, Х. Донгак, А. Ойдуп и Э. Байынды. Основная цель работы заключается в анализе и интерпретации образов из народных сказок и героического эпоса, отражающих богатство и разнообразие тувинского фольклора в малой пластике. Тувинская скульптура малой формы, особенно изображения фольклорных персонажей, пока изучена недостаточно. Статья поднимает важный вопрос о взаимосвязи между замыслом художника и литературным образом-персонажем, а также о значимости фольклорных мотивов в современном искусстве. Новизна исследования определяется попыткой комплексного анализа образов тувинских фольклорных героев, ранее не подвергавшихся искусствоведческому анализу. Рассматриваются не только художественные приемы и стилистические особенности, но и индивидуальные трактовки персонажей камнерезами, которые варьируются в зависимости от личных интерпретаций и художественных подходов. Показано, что такие сказочные образы, как Оскюс-оол или Демир-Маадыр, сохраняют свою актуальность и вдохновляют современных тувинских камнерезов. При этом каждое произведение, созданное на основе фольклора, обретает новую интерпретацию, отражающую художественный почерк того или иного мастера. Статья также акцентирует внимание на художественной выразительности малой скульптуры: автор рассматривает, как традиционные приемы помогают передать динамику и эмоциональную насыщенность фольклорных сюжетов. Обращаясь к эпическим героям, тувинские камнерезы находят уникальные пути для передачи культурного наследия, сочетая традиции прошлого с современными художественными решениями. Работа существенно расширяет понимание роли фольклора в тувинском изобразительном искусстве, подчеркивая его важность как источника вдохновения для художников. Исследования подобного рода не только способствуют углублению знаний о тувинском искусстве, но и поднимают вопрос о его месте и роли в современном художественном контексте.

Aytekin Albuz, Selçuk Bılgın, Göktuğ Ege Sağlam

Osmanlı Devleti’nin sonlanıp 1923’te Türkiye Cumhuriyeti’nin kurulmasıyla birlikte, "Müzik İnkılabı" olarak adlandırılan ve ilk dönem bestecilerimizin de genelini etkileyen ve 1950’li yıllara değin devlet politikası olarak uygulanan görüşün; aslında Ziya Gökalp’in “Türkçülüğün Esasları” isimli kitabına dayandırıldığı bilinmektedir. Atatürk’ün; “Dünyanın her türlü ilminden, keşfiyyatından, terakkiyatından istifade edelim, lakin unutmayalım ki, asıl temeli kendi içimizden çıkarmak mecburiyetindeyiz” sözünün de kuşkusuz "Çoksesli Türk Müziği" nin temellerinin atılmasında ve gelişmesinde çok önemli yol gösterici olduğu kesindir. Bu çalışmada; "Türk Müziğinde Kontrpuantal Çokseslilik Yaklaşımları" irdelenerek örneklem olarak seçilen Rast, Nihavend makamlarına ait 2 Longa ve 2 Medhal saz eseri üzerinde, tonal sistem kaynaklı 2 sesli denemeler yapılmıştır. Ardından yapılan çalışmalar piyanoya uyarlanarak konuya ilişkin uzman değerlendirmeleri alınmıştır. Araştırma; kısmen betimsel, kısmen de deneme boyutunda düşünülüp karma modelde ele alınıp yürütülmüştür. Araştırma sonucunda; belli bir sistematik içerisinde Türk Müziğinin makamsal dokusu bozulmaksızın kontrpunkt tekniği ile çokseslendirilebileceği görülmüş ve diğer araştırmacılara da konuya dair öneriler sunulmuştur.

Elena Boganeva, Ilja Butov, Mare Kõiva

We examine materials related to ghosts from the Russian collection of the Estonian Literary Museum, drawing parallels with Belarusian and Estonian traditions. The thematic content is divided into five categories: (1) names and terminology; (2) appearance and attributes; (3) actions toward humans, acoustic and temporal characteristics; (4) places of manifestation; and (5) contemporary typological development of ghosts in media and the tourism industry. While the names in all languages refer to specific perceptions – most commonly visual, i.e., visible beings and phenomena – some terms also imply “doing something” or enchantment, which in turn reflect differing conceptual fields and ontologies: from notions of the soul and its departure at death to contacts with demonic phenomena, the otherworld and the deceased. Various mythological beings appear in ghostly form, vanishing suddenly from human sight. Ghosts may manifest in anthropomorphic or zoomorphic forms, but beyond humans and animals, they also appear as objects like fireballs, shadows, or beings of indeterminate shape. In anthropomorphic descriptions (both male and female), Estonian-Russian narratives often emphasize tall stature, the wearing of hats, or white clothing. Zoomorphic ghosts take the form of virtually all domestic animals – cows, goats, roosters, or pigs. In Estonian and Belarusian folklore, other domestic animals such as horses also appear. Ghosts typically do not cause direct harm to humans, even when they pursue them, but they invariably evoke fear as beings of the otherworld, often associated with demonic realms. Sometimes, ghosts lead people astray, causing them to lose their way or sense of direction. In exceptional cases, ghosts or revenants may be benevolent, though it remains questionable whether such encounters are truly beneficial to the individual. A characteristic feature of ghostly phenomena is the absence or inadequacy of transitional rites (e.g., improper burial), which activates them. Death, as the final major rite of passage, begins during the dying process and continues through the funeral and wake. Violations of ritual or disregard for the wishes of the deceased lead to attempts at continued contact, resulting in hauntings and ghostly experiences. It is also notable that while encounters with revenants may involve specific individuals and miscommunications that are understandable through narrative, most ghostly contacts are singular and anonymous. In Estonian folklore, a significant number of ghostly beings are known to cause confusion and economic damage. Sometimes, ghosts lead individuals astray, causing them to lose their way or sense of direction. In exceptional cases, ghosts or revenants may appear benevolent, though it remains uncertain whether such encounters are truly beneficial to the person involved. Ghosts may be invisible, in which case they are represented by various acoustic features, ranging from human-like sounds (laughter, whistling, moaning) to other noises (creaking, banging, etc.). The typical time of encounter is evening, twilight, or night, though in rare instances, even midday. The most frequently associated locations include cemeteries, graves, places where treasure has been hidden under oath, sites of accidental death or suicide, underground monastery ruins, places where bones remain unburied, and solitary natural settings such as bogs, stones split by lightning, near trees, or bodies of water. A defining characteristic of ghostly manifestations is the absence or inadequacy of transitional rites (e.g., improper burial or umbluu), which activates them. Ghosts cannot be treated as distinct mythological figures such as revenants, forest spirits, or water beings (näkk). Rather, they represent one form of manifestation of any mythological entity – be it a local spirit (genius loci, guardian spirits), impure forces, or restless dead who have been deprived of proper ritual departure. In some examples, we observe transitional forms between different representations: for instance, a girl seen in a bog may be interpreted either as a näkk or a ghost, with the vision being ambivalent – both dangerous and alluring. Particularly intriguing are fire motifs, which on the one hand symbolize the souls of the dead, and on the other hand point to hidden treasures. This is a widely spread genre in folklore that merges the supernatural with the material. Russian folklore in Estonia prior to World War II is especially revealing: it lacks the influence of journalism and radio, which at the time were already shaping oral traditions in towns and settlements. For example, in the rural tradition under study, there are no narratives associated with iconic buildings such as Narva Castle – these motifs only emerge decades later. The texts contain numerous elements characteristic of European folklore in general (e.g., the figure of the “White Lady” or a person dressed in white). At that time, there were no excursions to haunted places – such plotlines were added to the tradition later, and the use of ghost stories in tourism remained quite modest in its early stages. Oral storytelling is a powerful yet flexible cultural form. In addition to reflecting reality, narratives possess their own “life” – they serve as tools for structuring and organizing memories and experiences, guiding their interpretation. Deeper insights into reciprocal cultural influences and the transformation of mythological imagery in new cultural contexts are still awaiting thorough exploration. This is a dynamic phenomenon that differs from traditional discourse. The theme of ghosts is one of the key topics in mythology research that deserves attention – not only due to its significant role in contemporary cultural and societal life, but also because it is central to modern folklore. The region’s history and its narratives reflect the complexity of unresolved historical events. Older stories often address moral norms of their time, issues arising from class and gender differences, and sensitive aspects of human psychology.

Elena Eduardovna Ivanova

This article discusses the mountain metonymy of the Urals, i.e. the designation of supernatural anthropomorphic creatures that store the riches of the subsoil (minerals and metals) and contribute to or hinder their discovery, extraction, and processing. Russian mountain mythology has been studied by folklorists, but the linguistic aspect is only beginning to be explored. The material for the article was collected in the field between 2020 and 2023, and derived from dictionaries, folklore texts, and authorial literature. The author mostly focuses on Middle Ural and South Ural mythonyms; for comparison, the article draws on material of other zones connected with the Urals geographically or historically (Bashkiria, Siberia). The article provides detailed descriptions of the motivations of mythonyms and the conditions for the appearance of nominations. Mountain mythonymy can be divided into several groups depending on the motivation, i. e. the thematic group of vocabulary underlying the mythonym. This article analyses mythonyms motivated by social vocabulary, namely, denoting a person or kinship: золотая девка (golden girl), каменная девка (stone girl), горная девка (mountain girl), чудская девица (Chudskaya maiden), горный батюшка (mountain father), горная матка (mountain mother), Шубин (Shubin), etc. The article reveals and explains the specificity of Ural mountain mythonymy: thus, the девка token is used for the nomination of female spirits, whereas the баба nomination is characteristic of traditional Russian peasant mythology. An expressive feature of Ural mountain mythonymy is the presence of mythonyms formed from toponyms (девка Азовка, девка Дедюрка). The article proves that the formation of mountain mythonymy was influenced by the mythology of the Russian peasantry, the mythology of the autochthonous peoples of the Urals (Turkic and Finno-Ugric), as well as the terminology of mining actively developing in the Urals in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Desak Putu Monika Sandat, I Gusti Agung Ayu Wulandari

Implementing social studies learning for grade 1 elementary school is still not optimal in absorbing material concepts and people's values in social studies lessons. One of the causes is the low quality of teaching modules teachers own. This research aims to develop a social studies e-module containing Balinese folklore based on Pancasila student profiles for grade 1 students in elementary schools. This research uses the Dick and Carey development model, which consists of 10 stages. The subject of this research is to use individual trials of 3 students and small group trials of 9 people. This research applies a post-test-only method with data collection methods using questionnaires and multiple-choice objective tests. Data analysis involves qualitative and quantitative descriptive analysis techniques. The research showed that the e-module obtained a very good classification with media validity of 80%, social studies content validity of 95%, design validity of 97.22%, language validity of 90%, individual trials of 91.67%, and small group trials amounting to 91.67%. The effectiveness calculation shows a significance value of 0.000 (< 0.05), confirming a significant difference in student understanding between classes that use e-modules containing Balinese folklore with Pancasila student profiles and classes that use regular e-modules. Thus, it is known that the new features in the e-module have proven effective in improving the quality of the learning process. This research can be used as a parameter for e-module development to support the feasibility and effectiveness of implementing learning for elementary school students.

Ida Ayu Dwita Krisna Ari, I Wayan Nuriarta

Mesatua folklore in Bali has moral education values. The aim of this training is to draw folklore illustrations for elementary school (SD) children in Bali to preserve the mesatua tradition whose values ​​are relevant to society. This training program uses three program approaches, namely (1) Mesatua, (2) Drawing illustrations, (3) Reading children's drawings. The implementation of the program resulted in the provision of mesatua folklore in each region which was given differently according to the needs of the local environment. At the public elementary school in Budakeling village, Karangasem district, they were given the folklore I Belog, while at the public elementary school in Tukadsumaga village, Buleleng district, they were given the story The Arrogant Frog. The conclusion shows that children's illustrative work discussed line, composition, illustration, typography and color. The works produced by elementary school children in the two districts show works that are honest, expressive and free. The composition of the fields also shows that their drawings are full of freedom and confidence in drawing. Character values ​​such as not being arrogant, having to study hard and being obedient to worship are contained in the children's drawings. ==== Cerita rakyat mesatua di Bali memiliki nilai pendidikan moral. Tujuan pelatihan menggambar ilustrasi cerita rakyat untuk anak-anak Sekolah Dasar (SD) di Bali adalah untuk melestarikan tradisi mesatua yang nilai-nilainya relevan dengan masyarakat. Program pelatihan ini menggunakan tiga pendekatan program, yaitu (1) mesatua, (2) menggambar ilustrasi, dan (3) membaca gambar anak. Pelaksanaan program menghasilkan pemberian cerita rakyat mesatua di masing-masing daerah diberikan secara berbeda-beda sesuai dengan kebutuhan lingkungan setempat. Di SD Negeri Desa Budakeling, Kabupaten Karangasem diberikan cerita rakyat I Belog, di SD Negeri Desa Tukadsumaga, Kabupaten Buleleng diberikan cerita Si Kodok Sombong. Simpulannya menunjukkan bahwa karya ilustrasi anak-anak dibahas garis, komposisi, ilustrasi, tipografi, dan warna. Karya-karya yang dihasilkan oleh anak-anak SD di dua kabupaten menunjukkan karya yang jujur, ekspresif, dan bebas. Komposisi bidangnya pun menunjukkan gambar mereka penuh kebebasan dan rasa percaya diri dalam menggambar. Nilai-nilai karakter seperti tidak boleh sombong, harus rajin belajar, serta taat beribadah terkandung dalam gambar anak.

I. Nova, Aan Putra

The importance of real-life contexts in learning mathematics is because most students have difficulty in applying mathematics to everyday life. Culture is one of the media in learning. Indonesia is famous for its cultural diversity, one of which is folklore. This study aims to conduct a literature review related to Ethnomathematical Exploration in folklore. The research method used is the SLR (Systematic Literature Review) method. Data collection techniques were carried out by documenting all articles that had similar research to this research report. The articles used in this study were 7 articles of accredited national journals compiled from Google Schoolar. Based on several reviewed articles, it was concluded that specifically, there was only 1 article that used folklore to explore mathematical elements. It can be said that the integration of folklore in mathematics learning is still very little, so further research is needed to add the novelty of ethnomathematics to folklore.

C. Canonne

The goal of this short note is to provide simple proofs for the "folklore facts" on the sample complexity of learning a discrete probability distribution over a known domain of size $k$ to various distances $\varepsilon$, with error probability $\delta$.

Elahe Delshad, M. Yousefi, P. Sasannezhad et al.

Background Carthamus tinctorius L., known as Kafesheh (Persian) and safflower (English) is vastly utilized in Traditional Medicine for various medical conditions, namely dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, postpartum abdominal pain and mass, trauma and pain of joints. It is largely used for flavoring and coloring purposes among the local population. Recent reviews have addressed the uses of the plant in various ethnomedical systems. Objective This review was an update to provide a summary on the botanical features, uses in Iranian folklore and modern medical applications of safflower. Methods A main database containing important early published texts written in Persian, together with electronic papers was established on ethnopharmacology and modern pharmacology of C. tinctorius. Literature review was performed on the years from 1937 to 2016 in Web of Science, PubMed, Scientific Information Database, Google Scholar, and Scopus for the terms “Kafesheh”, “safflower”, “Carthamus tinctorius”, and so forth. Results Safflower is an indispensable element of Iranian folklore medicine, with a variety of applications due to laxative effects. Also, it was recommended as treatment for rheumatism and paralysis, vitiligo and black spots, psoriasis, mouth ulcers, phlegm humor, poisoning, numb limbs, melancholy humor, and the like. According to the modern pharmacological and clinical examinations, safflower provides promising opportunities for the amelioration of myocardial ischemia, coagulation, thrombosis, inflammation, toxicity, cancer, and so forth. However, there have been some reports on its undesirable effects on male and female fertility. Most of these beneficial therapeutic effects were correlated to hydroxysafflor yellow A. Conclusion More attention should be drawn to the lack of a thorough phytochemical investigation. The potential implications of safflower based on Persian traditional medicine, such as the treatment of rheumatism and paralysis, vitiligo and black spots, psoriasis, mouth ulcers, phlegm humor, poisoning, numb limbs, and melancholy humor warrant further consideration.

D. Sanjaya, I. K. Suartama, I. Suastika et al.

The objective of this study is to analyse the affectivity of satua (Balinese folklore)-based character education in the instructions of civic education in primary schools in Buleleng Regency, Bali. This study used the experimental design in testing the affectivity of folklore-based instructions in the competency and character of primary school students. The instruments used to collect data in this study were questionnaires, test of learning outcomes, score inventory and self-evaluation. The questionnaire was designed to find out the feasibility of folklore-based instructions. The test on learning outcomes was used to find out their scores. The data analysis used the multivariate analysis of variance. The results of the study indicated that a) learning using Balinese folklore is better than conventional learning in students’ civic knowledge, b) learning using Balinese folklore is better than conventional learning in students’ attitude and c) learning using Balinese folklore is better than conventional learning in students’ skills.

C. Ambayon

Mythology and folklore have long been important means for promoting literacy in human societies. This study aimed at validating a mythology and folklore module and evaluating its effectiveness in teaching the subject of mythology and folklore. This was in response to inadequate learning resources in teaching literature and to address the call for effective instructional materials. The study used comparative-experimental research design. The results revealed that the developed module consisted of excellent contents, relevance and mechanics as evaluated by experts in the area. The module was also assessed by the students as highly acceptable, valid, reliable, and usable. Third Year Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSED) major in English students for School Year 2015-2016 were the participants of this study. The students were divided into control and experimental groups. The groupings were based on their GPA during the previous semester. While the experimental group utilized the developed module, the control group did not. The test instruments were the different exercises given every after the topics which lasted for one hour every session. Based on the results, the performance of the college students in literature in experimental group had improved from poor to excellent achievement whereas the control group had relatively improved from poor to fair achievement. Hence, it is recommended that the module be used in similar contexts particularly in learning mythology and folklore.

R. Hutton

Q. Vuong, Manh-Tung Ho, H. Nguyen et al.

Folklore has a critical role as a cultural transmitter, all the while being a socially accepted medium for the expressions of culturally contradicting wishes and conducts. In this study of Vietnamese folktales, through the use of Bayesian multilevel modeling and the Markov chain Monte Carlo technique, we offer empirical evidence for how the interplay between religious teachings (Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism) and deviant behaviors (lying and violence) could affect a folktale’s outcome. The findings indicate that characters who lie and/or commit violent acts tend to have bad endings, as intuition would dictate, but when they are associated with any of the above Three Teachings, the final endings may vary. Positive outcomes are seen in cases where characters associated with Confucianism lie and characters associated with Buddhism act violently. The results supplement the worldwide literature on discrepancies between folklore and real-life conduct, as well as on the contradictory human behaviors vis-à-vis religious teachings. Overall, the study highlights the complexity of human decision-making, especially beyond the folklore realm.

Burkhan A. Berberov

Introduction. The riddle which reflects the world outlook of the people is a popular genre in the Karachay-Balkar folklore. However, the richest materials collected over decades have not been studied so far. The present study aims at examining the history and poetics of the Karachay-Balkar riddle drawing on the works of leading foreign and Russian theorists. This has involved i) the discussion of the socio-cultural factors that were conducive to the emergence of the genre, ii) the description of the five principal thematic circles, iii) the analysis of the key structural formulas of the Karachay-Balkar riddle, and iv) the description of the expressive language of the puzzle. Data and research methods. Academic collections, including pre-revolutionary sources, were used as the database for the research, which involved comparative-historical, system-structural, semiotic, textological, and analytical methods. Results. The Karachay-Balkar puzzle may be seen as a bilateral artistic subculture, with one side facing the archetypal invariant, and the other characterized by variability, granted the historical and geographical contexts, the landscape of the North Caucasus, the life, and the culture of the highlanders. The conceptualization of the world in riddles involves five main ontological conceptual spheres: anthropocentric, ethnocultural, natural, cosmogonic, mental, and ethical. The riddle images are most often associated with ethnically marked objects. The distinct character of the Karachay-Balkar riddle is due to frequent use of rhymed poetic forms, verse formulas, proper names, as well as to a wealth of their expressive devices (metaphor, comparison, alliteration, antithesis, sarcasm, and humor). Also, the riddles have a great pedagogical potentiality. Conclusions. The analysis of the Karachay-Balkar riddles resulted in identifying the distinct features in the conceptualizations of the world by the North Caucasian highlanders, as well as in drawing a picture of their values in the material and spiritual spheres.

Fatemeh Jalalvand, Arezou Rezaei, Arezou Rezaei et al.

Menopause is the last menstrual period associated with a decline in ovarian steroid secretion and follicular loss. Hormone profile changes during menopause include a decrease in the production of estrogen, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and prolactin (PRL), and an increase in thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and cortisol. Herbal medicines are considered as alternatives to hormone therapy. The studies on postmenopausal women have shown that Elaeagnus angustifolia L. (called “Senjed” in Persian) has some efficacy in improving sex hormone and lipid profiles, joint pain, and cardiovascular function, as the decrease in luteinizing hormone, low-density lipoprotein, and heart rate was significant. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of E. angustifolia on TSH, DHEA-S, PRL, and cortisol levels and their ratios in postmenopausal women. It is assumed that the eventual effects of hormones on the brain and other tissues are determined by the balance between interdependent hormones. In the present randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled trial (https://en.irct.ir/search/result?query=IRCT20170227032795N4), fifty-eight postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to one of two medicinal herb (15 g of the whole E. angustifolia fruit powder) and placebo (7.5 g isomalt + 7.5 g cornstarch) groups. After 10 weeks of the treatment, the serum levels of TSH, DHEA-S, PRL, cortisol hormones, and their ratios were measured. The increase in the TSH, and cortisol levels, and cortisol/DHEA-S ratio and the decrease in prolactin and DHEA-S and the PRL/TSH, PRL/cortisol, and DHEA-S/TSH ratios after E. angustifolia consumption were significant only based on within-group but not on the between-group analysis. Based on between-group analyses, the changes in the hormone profile were not significant in the placebo group. According to Iranian tradition and folklore, E. angustifolia fruit is a symbol of female fertility. Therefore, its consumption is highly recommended to maintain health in the elderly, especially women. However, the observed outcomes about the effect of E. angustifolia on menopause were not completely in line with the Iranian folklore. E. angustifolia consumption did not significantly affect the hormone profile and ratios at the end of the ten-week trial, possibly due to the small sample size, short time, and the fact that our participants were postmenopausal women.

Addisu Asefa , Habte Jebessa Debella

Human cultures are co-evolved in association with attributesofbiodiversity. Thissuggeststhat loss of a given speciesresults in correspondingloss of cultural practices associated with thatspecies. Consequently, it has been advocated for inclusion of cultural dimension of biodiversity to biodiversity conservation initiatives. However, studies investigating such human-animal interactions have been scanty. The objectiveof this article was to identify and interpretOromo society‟s oral folklore manifested through various features of the Northern Ground-Hornbill (NGH; Bucorvus abyssinicus) in Ethiopia. Data were obtained from social media text posts on a Facebook community page in response to a post of questionsasking the nameand cultural values of the NGH. A qualitative, thematic content analysis approach was usedfor data analysis. Three main themes (oral folklore genres) were emerged from the data that elucidated the uses of NGH in oral literature: poetry, fable story and children word game. A total of 12 oral folklore taxonomies (7 poems, 4 stories, and 1 children word game) were identified and described. The results showed that Oromo people use oral poetry related to the birds in their day-to-day life activities to express their beliefs, attitudes, feelings and other communal affairs. Oromo people also deliver, through fable stories, important lessons about life, nature, love, friendship, heroism, and morality. These findings demonstrate that NGH has significant cultural values to the Oromo society.

Sofia Moratti

This article contributes to the feminist literature that explores the vast landscape of metaphors on the professional experiences and identities of women academics found in scholarly works. In their now classic studies on the semantic content of these tropes, feminist scholars have identified one large cluster of metaphors that allude to structural barriers or natural phenomena (e.g., ‘glass ceiling’ and ‘chilly climate’), criticised for overlooking human agency. This paper is novel in that identifies (and problematises) another ample cluster of shared meanings: ‘tale and myth’ metaphors drawing from <i>fairy tales, legends, sagas, folklore, mythology and religious imagery</i>. I argue that many such metaphors aim to capture the lower <i>status</i> of women academics (e.g., ‘Cinderella’), and are characterised by: <i>liminality</i>, as they open up possible-worlds and untested social arrangements (e.g., ‘Alice in Wonderland’); <i>ambivalence</i>, as they portray women as either monsters, or prodigies, or both (e.g., ‘intellectual Frankenstein’); <i>reductionism</i>, in that they implicitly seek to subsume complex social phenomena under familiar fictional plots; and (relatedly) <i>normativity</i>, in that they create expectations as to the likely development of a situation and implicitly suggest a course of action. Particularly the latter two characteristics constitute significant limitations of ‘tale and myth’ metaphors: nonetheless, can there still be merit in their use? In the paper, I advance a suggestion.

R. Neal, Simon M. Wheatley

S. Santhosha, P. Jamuna, S. Prabhavathi