Serbian Oral Poetry 14th - 20th Century

The aim of this study is twofold. First, it demonstrates how, in each example, an oral poet juxtaposes the three systems of honor: patriotic, patriarchal, and religious; how he places them in conflict, and finally, how he seeks the ways to reconcile them. Second, it shows that the concepts of honor, tensions between them, and modes of resolution, expressed throughout the oral tradition remain a constant in the written epic creations of the twentieth century. The epic poet's role is not to record the past as a verifiable fact. His role is to interpret past events or actions according to the values inherent in the tradition and culture of his people. His further role is to commemorate the lives of ancestors in the idealizing ways, typical of oral epic, as he celebrates their deeds and laments their misdeeds, promoting national unity, endurance, stoicism, and heroic resistance.