Marriage is (Not) Required: Ukrainian Wonder Tales and Customary Law
8 April 2022
WHO: Alina Oprelianska, PhD student at the University of Tartu, Estonia and the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, visiting student at the Kule Folklore Centre, University of Alberta
WHEN: 12:00 pm MDT, Friday, April 15, 2022
WHERE: ZOOM, Register here
Description:
Marriage and beauty are considered to be intrinsic features of female wonder tales. However, the concept of beauty is different for 19th and 21st centuries, as well as brings up different connotations in different cultures. Consequently, wonder tale tasks performance might be of another meaning than merely a “patriarchal” point of view on femininity.
This presentation is going to elucidate some matters of Ukrainian customary law in the context of ATU 480 “The Kind and the Unkind Girls”, or how it titles in Ukraine – “The Mare’s Head”. Some problems of the right to own property, matrilineal inheritance, and dowry are going to be discussed. In light of Ukrainian customary law, property matters may be understood as the focus of the tale, especially regarding actions that occur prior to marriage and serve as a guarantee of a profitable husband. The right to own property will be revealed in connection with the concept of beauty. It aims to delineate how local customs and customary low might influence the meaning of the reward and the motivation of the journey in Ukrainian female wonder tales.
Biography:
Alina Oprelianska is a visiting student at the Kule Folklore Centre at the University of Alberta. She is working on a PhD program at the University of Tartu, Estonia, under the supervision of Merili Metsvahi, and at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, specializing in the field of Fairy Tale Studies, with a focus on gender aspects. Her research interests include Ukrainian tales, customary law, and belief narratives. She is an awardee of the Darmasiswa Scholarship (Indonesia, 2012-2013), Mykhailo Hrushevskyi Scholarship for PhD Students (Ukraine, 2020-2021), and Volmedar Siimon Memorial Scholarship (Estonia, 2021). Now she is a vising student at Peter and Doris Kule Centre for Ukrainian and Canadian Folklore at the University of Alberta. She is involved in Tartu University’s project PRG670 ‘Vernacular Interpretations of the Incomprehensible: Folkloristic Perspectives Towards Uncertainty.’