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 an Associate Professor of Estonian and Comparative Folklore at the University of Tartu.
The translator of the book is Federico Ellade Peruzzotti.