(in ) is a short oral story in
Russian folklore
The Russian folklore, i.e., the folklore of Russian people, takes its roots in the pagan beliefs of ancient Slavs and now is represented in the Russian fairy tales. Epic Russian bylinas are also an important part of Slavic paganism. The oldest ...
about a supernatural incident: a case that took place in reality, without focusing on the personal testimony of the narrator (in contrast to the , where the story is recounted on behalf of the "eyewitness"). It echoes the term ''
urban legend
Urban legend (sometimes modern legend, urban myth, or simply legend) is a genre of folklore concerning stories about an unusual (usually scary) or humorous event that many people believe to be true but largely are not.
These legends can be e ...
''.
The (in comparison to the ) is closer to
legend
A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...
s and
fairy tales
A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the Folklore, folklore genre. Such stories typically feature Magic (supernatural), magic, Incantation, e ...
("people say that...").
History
The terms and became known among the people no later than the 19th century. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries,
Dmitry Sadovnikov
Dmitry Nikolayevich Sadovnikov (Дмитрий Николаевич Садовников, 7 May 1847 in Simbirsk, Russian Empire – 31 December 1883 in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire) was a Russian poet, folklorist and ethnographer.
Among ...
,
Pyotr Efimenko, Nikolai Onchukov,
Dmitry Zelenin, Boris and
Yuri Sokolov, and Irina Karnaukhova collected and .
A more complete study of the took place in the second half of the 20th century.
Erna Pomérantseva proposed a clear distinction between the terms and : "the term corresponds to the concept of superstitious
memorat .. From the , tradition, that is, the plot... the is distinguished by... formlessness, singularity, lack of community."
See also
*
*
References
{{reflist
Russian folklore