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Archetypes of Legendary Characters and “Evil Playfulness” in the Oral Literature of Madagascar
Cross-Cultural Studies
2020,
61(), pp.101-132
DOI : 10.21049/ccs.2020.61..101
Publisher : Center for Cross Culture Studies
Research Area : Literature
DOI : 10.21049/ccs.2020.61..101
Publisher : Center for Cross Culture Studies
Research Area : Literature
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The purpose of this study is to examine the main characters and their “evil playfulness” in Contes Populaires Malgaches (1893), a collection of oral stories from Madagascar published in France in the 19thcentury. We will focus on the evil playfulness of Kotofetsy and Mahaka, characters in in the story of the Merinas (also known as Imerinas) who are one of Madagascar’s main peoples. Kotofetsy and Mahaka are tricksters, or tricky villains. They deceive, conspire, or brag to transmute evil into “fun,” through impressive, but sly and even cruel exploits. The oral stories in which they are protagonists reveal their brutal playfulness and Madagascar's unique oral literature and cultural traditions. More importantly, however, Kotofetsy and Mahaka are figures that embody the universal archetypes of many cultures.
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