Deals and Deeds: Estonian Fairytales to Live By

Deals and Deeds contains 30 Estonian folktales, re-written by Merili Metsvahi based on texts and vocal recordings of village people from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Cruelties are an integral part of these vernacular tales. In many folktale collections, such elements have been edited out, but not in this book. The horrible deeds have their place in the stories and are no less important than the others; in fact, they help to open a door to the unconscious parts of our psyche. In this way, the folktale fulfils its deeper purpose: it gives us the chance to face and understand the hidden truths our conscious mind usually keeps out of sight.

This collection is meant for all of us who love to dive into the human psyche in search of the mystery that surrounds our origins.

We will be peasants, princesses, kings, queens, witches, children, and devils. We will live through long and unexpected stories or short and brutal ones. But through all of them, we will come to understand a little more about ourselves.

Merili Metsvahi was a Professor of Estonian and Comparative Folklore at the University of Tartu.

Her research explored witch trials, werewolf legends, family history, marriage traditions, and the relationship with nature in pre-modern Estonia. Today, she also leads folktale and heritage tours along Estonia’s nature trails.

Translated by Federico Ellade Peruzzotti, who has lived in Estonia for more than 10 years. From the very beginning, he was fascinated by Estonian fairytales and wanted to explore them in depth. When he learned about Merili’s collection Sõsara sõrmeluud, he proposed translating it into English so that international readers could also discover these unique stories.

Originaalis ilmunud esmakordselt eesti keeles aastal 2018 "Sõsara sõrmeluud. Naised eesti muinasjuttudes".