Eskimo folk stories (Summer term) (LIT 14(z))

  • Day and time: Tuesday 15:35 - 17:00
    Weekly
  • Length of course: 1 term. Summer (8 Weeks)
  • Number of places: 25
  • Start date: 22 April 2025
  • Description:

    Inuit folk tales (Eskimo, as was) are amongst the liveliest, wackiest and most entertaining of all traditional stories. The great Danish explorer and anthropologist Knud Rasmussen collected hundreds of these stories on his epic journey on foot through north Canada, lasting several years, in the 1920s. These tales include: The centipede as wooer, The man who ate his wives, The man who became a star, The woman with an iron tail, The man who did everything that was forbidden, The boy who frightened people to death, and The flying race of the two shamans. We shall read together (via Zoom) stories from Rasmussen's 'Eskimo folk-tales', translated by W. Worster. (Some editions are titled 'Inuit folk tales'.) These can be purchased on Amazon or on AbeBooks very cheaply as books or almost free as Kindles. I will provide a commentary on the stories and culture, and facilitate a discussion.

  • Format: Taught course or activity

  • Tutor: Chris Jones
  • I used to tell traditional folk tales (in particular Inuit stories, as these are very unusual) publicly, in an amateur capacity. There is great wisdom in native peoples' cultures.


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