BALTIC STORYTELLING THEMES - by Anda Vitols, 2008 The psychological journey Stories are psychological journeys, reflected in nature, an old story-telling method found in Baltic and Nordic countries. My own influence comes from Latvian “dainas”, and the stories derived from them. Latvian stories are internationally known for naturally and lovingly showing everyday life experiences and challenges. They realistically show personality and emotions, providing positive solutions to everyday situations. Common western beliefs assume the world is only good after the bad is eliminated. Pain is bad. In contrast, Latvian assumption is that everything is in harmony. Harmony in nature, music and visual representation, all help us understand problems in life and how to resolve them. With a gentle manner and humor, discords are identified and resolved. When you are content with this harmony, then you are indeed IN harmony with it. Influence: Latvian “dainas” Latvian values are grounded in Latvian folklore philosophy, which foundations appear in the “dainas”: a carefully indexed database of millions of verses collected from farmers working the land. Originally a vocal tradition, held by women of the house, it is a farmers almanac of how to survive. It has been used over 4000 years, so that alone speaks of its observational accuracy and ongoing relevance. Like many very ancient philosophies, the stars in the sky, ourselves as people, and nature that supports us, are understood to be in synch: What happens in the sky, reflects what is happening on earth; similarly, what happens on earth, is reflected in the sky. Latvians point of view is from the ground up, studying what we see in nature, usually plants, to help them understand human behavior. The non-linear psyche journey: analogy to plants and nature The psychological journey is never a linear narrative of events. Instead, our thoughts can bounce from one idea to another, instantaneously at free will. For example, it easy for use to visualize a tree, and then visualize a zebra. Sometimes we don’t have control over our thoughts and emotions, and hence behavior, and this can make us frightened, if its something bad, or calm, if it’s a positive instinct. A 4-line daina verse describes a scene in nature. The psychological journey, is explained artistically using these nature scenes described in the dainas. Simply cut-and-paste the daina scenes together to tell the character’s inner journey. This can take you from one time and place at one moment, to another time and place right after that. That is not a stretch of the imagination. Just the opposite; this is exactly how the brain and psyche experience the world. Dainas Using Dainas today via improvisation The improvisation process is used for translating dainas into a meaningful format today. To keep ancient ideas alive we must recycle them into our current life, so they are relevant and useful. Past interpretations are history, and history, by definition, is dead. The improvisational method has 2 steps. The first step is to learn the concept explained in a verse. The next step is to make it relevant to own life, by deciding yourself how it can be useful or interesting. This method continues to be used in the Baltic and Finland today. practical example: Dainas describe a picture scene in nature. It is up to you to improvise this scene into your own world. You reflect on how this scene in nature reflects some happening in your world – like having an argument with your brother, or a laugh with a friend. All emotions and major life events, such as birth, love, marriage, death are described in these nature scenes. By actively finding relevance to your own life, they remain alive. Philosophical ideas and values explained with dainas Our spirit Life as light In Latvian stories, plots are personal journeys emphasizing spiritual and personal growth. The character rediscovers the shining light inside them, which lets them know they are ok as they are. Their goal now becomes in discovering how they fit into the world. The natural world is seen as a well balanced place offering much natural support, so the more a character understand it, the more they are able to accept its offerings. Well-balanced world and self are envisioned as shining white light, while unbalanced is black with no light. (This idea is different from popular western plots; where characters, having become scared of themselves or the world, seek to control it – instead of trying to fit into it.) Describe character from inside -> out The element deepest inside you is your light, so a character described from inside out takes the following sequence: light inside, emotions, gait (trait), behavior, dress, interaction with environment. Children are born with an understanding that they belong, and therefore behave with charm. Gradually they lose this charm as they become adults. By middle-age, the need for re-awakening ones inner charm emerges, to re-assure ourselves that we are ok. In yoga meditation you “go back” to the “shining light inside yourself”. By doing so, tension is released from the body, which then weakens the wall of emotions blocking access to inner self. Stories talk about this wall of emotions and how to get past them. The method usually involves taking another set of emotions and values which are better suited for our own harmony, taking into account our presence in a harmonious world. Characters must always interact with each other or the scene itself for a chance to be in harmony with it. The stories are for children and grownups alike. Nature as a tool to tell story Nature described as patterning and networks in harmony, (instead of good vs evil): Balance is achieved by developing networks and patterns instead of a simple bipolar contrast of good versus evil. In fact, the assumption that there is evil does not exist. Things may be evil, but quite often things just are not patterned correctly. Artistically, correct patterns mirror mathematical series or weighted compositions. Contrasts, such as red versus blue, calm versus stress, add interest, but are not the main focus of the solution. Using landscape scenes to describe idea (in addition to key actors) American audiences just look at the focal point, and not beyond that. Asians and Latvians, on the other hand, look at the whole picture. As a result, much is lost in visual communication to the American audience. Hence, a western adult viewer must be guided where to look and what to look for, reminding viewers that nature is “reflecting” (atspogulo) ourselves. Interestingly, children instinctively understand this style of communication, and maintain or lose this understanding as adults, based on their culture and personal life events. Theme of security Nature supports you, but only if you are receptive to it. Situations may not be what you like, but nature always supports you, so you are never alone, or without resources. This is the primary value of a “green culture”: The foundation that we stand on is most important. The logic being, that a structure is only as strong as its supportive structure, be it buildings or humans. Since nature is defined as a foundational supportive structure, it is not to be isolated or demolished. Instead, it is to be used in a harmonious way. Stories based on green philosophies are built from the ground up. They develop within the context of nature and its natural balance. The development of characters occurs by their movements, successful and unsuccessful, within this balance. Theme of harmony: natural balance All things are balanced. The so-called “laws of nature” are balancing laws. When natural phenomenon go out of balance, they will always change to become balanced again. Chemical and mathematical equations that are balanced, are stable, and those that are not balanced, are unstable. We all are here as part of nature, and therefore by definition belong here. Nature is not a practical joke. Everything is meant to be here, from the ground, to plants, animals and humans. Our task is to fit together effortlessly, as a jig-saw puzzle. When there is tension, someone or something is trying to force the pieces together. Pieces can fit together without force, and with that point of view, it is much easier to find the right way to do so. Beauty as harmony: Beauty is a strong motive. It is assumed that we are all beautiful (dailums). We may lose site of it, but it always exists for those who seek to find it again. Theme of nurture and growth It’s assumed that females have an instinct to nurture. Further, they are compulsive caregivers. They look to males to provide safety, so they are free to be caregivers, and do not need to spend their energy defending themselves. They also look to men to engineer homes and other things to make their nurturing roles a reality. Men do not have the instinctive sense that tells them how, what and where to nurture. Once told, by women they trust, they can do caring roles very well. If men consult each other, or feel the need to dominate and control women, the result is always disastrous. Respect and admiration of these instinctive feminine and masculine roles of nurture and engineering respectively, is a pattern of harmony. Of course, in reality, not all women have this nurturing instinct. Some never had it, but most have lost it from abuse within their families and communities. So in summary, it’s assumed that patriarchal control of women makes things worse. Harmony and balance happens when women have authority to make decisions over which they are accountable (i.e. nurturing of others). Estonian themes same as Latvian theme of wholeness - not black and white “In world of Estonian animation there is no good or bad, no black or white, no single truth. Instead, we find, as Heraliclitus once said ‘combination, wholes and no wholes, concurring differing, concordant disconcordant, from all things one and from one all things.’” <estonian animation> theme of everything possessing a spirit “Not surprisingly, animism was a predominant belief in early Estonians. Tress, stones, land, rivers, and even fire were believed to posses spirits.” <estonian animation> theme of just trying to live a normal life “examines how individual identity is affected by ideological structures.” “as earlier works, impasses with its simplicity and understated stories.” “simple characters leading simple lives, where unexpected sometimes happens.” “no political correct morality lessons here, no production placements - just a glimpse into a life in process.” <estonian animation> This is similar to Looney Tunes comedy sitcoms, where unusual characters are in normal situations. Chuck Jones explains these characters as “simply trying to do this... to do that.” Although the humble adult will see that these unusual Looney Tune characters reflect ourselves, and the situations reflect the adult world along with all its strong stereotypes. theme of finding parallel to nature Adults in western world often struggle to understand children because their language and culture are not founded on instinctive analogies to nature. Children understand things anthropomorphically, yet many adults, because of their learned culture, have lost this ability. The following quotes explain this adult struggle: “(film) filled with assortment of strange characters and actions that would be called surreal if they were in an adult film. (eg. when the sun comes out of the door to take the moon’s shift.) Here, they are merely surprises within the normal course of life.” “What we call surreal or absurd or bizarre might in fact be quite normal and, in a sense, innocent (eg. What is so strange really about a person who simply wishes to say good morning to everyone?) Children say and imagine some of the most bizarre things. Although there is an internal logic to their works, it’s the struggle with words and their meaning that confuse - or strike as imaginative - the adult listener.” <estonian animation p. 172> [Robinson, Chris. Estonian Animation: Between Genius and Utter Illiteracy. 2003, 2006. Ottawa Canada. In conjunction with Estonian Animation Association.] Home |