Tarkan Viking kani (Tarkan versus the Vikings) (), a low-budget feature film made in the heyday o... more Tarkan Viking kani (Tarkan versus the Vikings) (), a low-budget feature film made in the heyday of Turkey’s prolific Yeşilçam film industry, anachronistically pits Viking against Hun in an allegory of Turkey’s position between East and West. By figuring Vikings as representatives of an essential westernness, this film partakes in what I propose is a Viking-film commonplace, but does so from a rare non-western perspective, positioning Vikings within a discourse that is both Orientalist and Occidentalist. This article examines Tarkan versus the Vikings in its historical and ideological contexts, using this film as a critical vantage point from which to consider the (mostly) western Viking film genre, and the stylized image of the West that is the cinematic Viking.
Abstract I propose that certain legends may be understood as ‘metatradition’, that is, as traditi... more Abstract I propose that certain legends may be understood as ‘metatradition’, that is, as traditional lore that takes tradition as its theme, and examine how ML 6045: Drinking Cup Stolen from the Fairies in particular models tactics for approaching the past and what it has to offer in transitional times. I compare the representations of tradition in this legend to those put forth in the scholarship surrounding the legend, and in folk-narrative scholarship more generally, and conclude by suggesting that the ‘critique of tradition’ is itself traditional, and that we should look to legend as we think critically about tradition. Résumé Je propose que certaines légendes pourraient être comprises comme des ‹méta-traditions›, c’est-à-dire des sujets traditionnels dont le thème même est la tradition. Plus spécifiquement, j’examine comment ML 6045: Drinking Cup Stolen from the Fairies développe des tactiques pour l’approche du passé et ce qu’il a à offrir dans des périodes de transition. Je compare les représentations de la tradition dans cette légende à celles avancées dans les investigations autour de ce récit, et plus généralement en recherche sur les narrations, et je conclus en suggérant que la ‹ critique de la tradition › elle-même est traditionnelle, et qu’en refléchissant de manière critique sur la tradition, il faudra regarder la légende. Zusammenfassung Nach meinem Verständnis können bestimmte Sagen als ,Metatradition‘ verstanden werden, d. h. als traditionelle Überlieferung zum Thema Tradition. Speziell untersucht wird, wie ML 6045: Drinking Cup Stolen from the Fairies (ML 6045) Taktiken zur Annäherung an die Vergangenheit und an das, was sie uns in Zeiten des Übergangs zu bieten hat, entwickelt. Ich vergleiche die Darstellungen der Tradition in dieser Sage mit denen der wissenschaftli chen Beschäftigung über sie, und in der Erzählforschung allgemein, und komme zu dem Schluß, daß die ,Kritik der Tradition‘ selbst in der Tradition verankert ist, und daß wir bei der kritischen Reflexion über die Tradition die Sage betrachten sollen.
This essay examines the relationship between the Devil and writing in oral tradition, expanding o... more This essay examines the relationship between the Devil and writing in oral tradition, expanding on Thomas Sebeok’s observation that the repeated appearance of these two concepts together in folk narrative indicates that they are “related in meaning” in the thinking of informants. I suggest that this relationship reflects particular circumstances in the milieux of collection (nineteenth and early twentieth-century rural Europe), but also reflects essential qualities shared between the Devil and the written word.
Tarkan Viking kani (Tarkan versus the Vikings) (), a low-budget feature film made in the heyday o... more Tarkan Viking kani (Tarkan versus the Vikings) (), a low-budget feature film made in the heyday of Turkey’s prolific Yeşilçam film industry, anachronistically pits Viking against Hun in an allegory of Turkey’s position between East and West. By figuring Vikings as representatives of an essential westernness, this film partakes in what I propose is a Viking-film commonplace, but does so from a rare non-western perspective, positioning Vikings within a discourse that is both Orientalist and Occidentalist. This article examines Tarkan versus the Vikings in its historical and ideological contexts, using this film as a critical vantage point from which to consider the (mostly) western Viking film genre, and the stylized image of the West that is the cinematic Viking.
Abstract I propose that certain legends may be understood as ‘metatradition’, that is, as traditi... more Abstract I propose that certain legends may be understood as ‘metatradition’, that is, as traditional lore that takes tradition as its theme, and examine how ML 6045: Drinking Cup Stolen from the Fairies in particular models tactics for approaching the past and what it has to offer in transitional times. I compare the representations of tradition in this legend to those put forth in the scholarship surrounding the legend, and in folk-narrative scholarship more generally, and conclude by suggesting that the ‘critique of tradition’ is itself traditional, and that we should look to legend as we think critically about tradition. Résumé Je propose que certaines légendes pourraient être comprises comme des ‹méta-traditions›, c’est-à-dire des sujets traditionnels dont le thème même est la tradition. Plus spécifiquement, j’examine comment ML 6045: Drinking Cup Stolen from the Fairies développe des tactiques pour l’approche du passé et ce qu’il a à offrir dans des périodes de transition. Je compare les représentations de la tradition dans cette légende à celles avancées dans les investigations autour de ce récit, et plus généralement en recherche sur les narrations, et je conclus en suggérant que la ‹ critique de la tradition › elle-même est traditionnelle, et qu’en refléchissant de manière critique sur la tradition, il faudra regarder la légende. Zusammenfassung Nach meinem Verständnis können bestimmte Sagen als ,Metatradition‘ verstanden werden, d. h. als traditionelle Überlieferung zum Thema Tradition. Speziell untersucht wird, wie ML 6045: Drinking Cup Stolen from the Fairies (ML 6045) Taktiken zur Annäherung an die Vergangenheit und an das, was sie uns in Zeiten des Übergangs zu bieten hat, entwickelt. Ich vergleiche die Darstellungen der Tradition in dieser Sage mit denen der wissenschaftli chen Beschäftigung über sie, und in der Erzählforschung allgemein, und komme zu dem Schluß, daß die ,Kritik der Tradition‘ selbst in der Tradition verankert ist, und daß wir bei der kritischen Reflexion über die Tradition die Sage betrachten sollen.
This essay examines the relationship between the Devil and writing in oral tradition, expanding o... more This essay examines the relationship between the Devil and writing in oral tradition, expanding on Thomas Sebeok’s observation that the repeated appearance of these two concepts together in folk narrative indicates that they are “related in meaning” in the thinking of informants. I suggest that this relationship reflects particular circumstances in the milieux of collection (nineteenth and early twentieth-century rural Europe), but also reflects essential qualities shared between the Devil and the written word.
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