A Rare Find: a 19th Century Song about Cholera in Slovenia and Its Interpretation

Authors

  • Mojca Ramšak University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts, Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology; Faculty of Medicine, Institute for the History of Medicine https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1934-5466

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23858/FAH34.2021.006

Keywords:

cholera, Slovenia, 19th century, manuscript, folk literature, song, Modern Period

Abstract

The accidental discovery of an 1847 manuscript in the Local History and Special Collections Department at Maribor University Library in Slovenia (shelfmark: Kreps, 1847; UKM Ms 563), which contains, among other things, a song about cholera, was the basis for its contextual interpretation and comparison with related recorded songs. This new discovery is important because the song refers to the first wave of cholera on Slovene territory in 1836, whereas other songs describing the disease were written later. The text of the song resembles a collection of frightening news about the disease circulating among the people. The questions of whether the information in the song is real or fictional, genuine or exaggerated are discussed in light of the memory of cholera outbreaks found in other songs of the same genre and historical data.

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References

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Published

2021-12-13

How to Cite

Ramšak, M. (2021). A Rare Find: a 19th Century Song about Cholera in Slovenia and Its Interpretation. Fasciculi Archaeologiae Historicae, 34, 83–91. https://doi.org/10.23858/FAH34.2021.006

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Articles