Principles for Oral Narrative Research

" . . . Wolf and Jensen's English translation of the entire book puts the famous laws into a very useful perspective . . . " ―Choice

" . . . it is full of clever ideas and observations, and alive with the personality of the writer―lucid, astute and fair." ―British Folklore Studies Forum

Olrik's Grundsætninger sets forth a number of the basic principles for the study of folklore and outlines his "epic laws" of oral narrative. With this long-awaited translation, English readers now have available the "rules" which became the foundation of many folklore programs and the basis for the study of folk narrative.

AXEL OLRIK (1864–1917) was Professor of Folklore at the University of Copenhagen and founder of the Danish Folklore Archives. He specialized in medieval Scandinavian folklore, ballads, legends, and comparative religion. Three of his books have appeared in English: The Heroic Legends of Denmark, Viking Civilization, and A Book of Danish Ballads.