Faroese Oral Traditions

In my World Literature class with Prof. Coffey, we have been studying Scandinavian literature and have looked at many of their oral traditions as well. One of the main areas that we have focused on is the oral traditions of the Faroese Islands. While most of Scandinavian cultures still use oral traditions today, I found that the Faroese Island traditions were the most prominent and interesting. If it were not for the act of storytelling, many pieces of literature could have been lost in time because saying something does not finalize it the way that print does. While peices of literature have derived from the oral traditions and stories, some of the oral traditions of the Faroe islands still continue to this day.

Dr. Sexson has explained how it is impossible for the oral and literate cultures to exist in the same place. The interesting thing about the Faroe islands is the fact that the people use orality in one language, and are literate in another. Because there are only a small number of people on the islands, the Faroese do not write books in their own language because not enough people would read them. Because of this fact, they are forced to read and become literate in a different language than they grew up speaking.

Some examples of oral traditions that are used on the Faroese islands include their traditional ballads which are called Kvaeoi. (that word has accents on it that I could not figure out how to do on the computer) These ballads are used in set verse form and usually incorporate repetition, themes and recurring motifs, rythm, music, dance and formulate diction. Sometimes the people perform brandle simple which is the word for a chain or ring dance. In these dances the people will repeat verses over and over in a chant form. The bard, or main voice present in the chant, knows the chant better than anyone in the group and speaks the loudest. If people forget a verse they let the bard continue on without them until they can pick it up again. Another example of one of their oral traditions is the Drunner Verse. This verse is a feroese wedding custom that is a game of exchanging words with the bride and groom, in a playful teasing mannar to poke fun at them. These jokes are usually in reference to making fun of what the couple will do when the wedding party is over.. Another example of their oral culture are the Tattur, or satiric ballads, which strongly express the power of words in their culture.

The Feroese people do not just use their oral traditions during ceremonies, such as their great whale hunt, but they also continue the oral traditions in their own homes. At night, a husband and wife will engage in kvolseta which translates to evening work at home. During this time, the women would knit and their husbands would spin the wheel. While they were knitting, both the husband and wife chant an oral ballad in a sort of whistling while they work manner.

It is interesting to take two classes that are focused on some of the same material because it gives you a better understanding of the same topic through different points of view.