Beatrise Reidzāne’s Monograph "Meža putnu kāzas "Latvju dainās"" Has Been Published

A new monograph by Beatrise Reidzāne, titled Meža putnu kāzas Latvju dainās, has been published by the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia (ILFA). In this work, the author continues her long-standing research into the semantics of Latvian folk songs, focusing on the symbolic roles of 44 birds and animals that appear in the folk song type LD 2686, which portrays a “forest birds’ wedding.”

“Over time, fire and shelter set humans apart from other inhabitants of the forest or steppe—those who fly, crawl, or run on four legs. Yet birds and forest animals remained closely tied to everyday human life. One aspect of this connection is the personification of forest birds and animals, used to teach children about daily tasks and social customs. The chosen theme—wedding—is a significant family ritual, remembered consciously and passed down through generations, often using personified forest bird wedding imagery,” writes the author.

The book is structured in three chapters:

• The first explores the long versions of LD 2686, which contain 7 to 32 stanzas, analyzing their structure, relation to wedding rituals, and characters.

• The second examines the frequency, characteristics, and functions of these characters in the context of the wedding process.

• The third chapter focuses on 232 short four-line songs—texts from the children’s song tradition—where characters not mentioned in LD 2686 also take part in matchmaking, weddings, and child-rearing.

The monograph includes ethnographic and linguistic maps and tables, as well as a summary in English.

Dr. habil. philol. emeritus Beatrise Reidzāne, a researcher at ILFA, is widely known for her scholarly work on animal symbolism in Latvian folk songs. Her recent publications include Latviešu tautasdziesmu semantika. Vilka tēls "Latvju dainās” (Zinātne, 2019) and Latviešu tautasdziesmu semantika: Dabas tēli tautasdziesmās (Zinātne, 2015).

Author: Beatrise Reidzāne
Editor: Agita Kazakeviča
Design: Klāvs Priedītis
Publisher: Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art, University of Latvia
Supported by: Latvian Culture Capital Foundation
Price: €18.00

The book is available for purchase at ILFA (Mūkusalas iela 3, Riga), by writing to apgads@lulfmi.lv, and at bookstores across Latvia.