Academy of Sciences launched a splendid portal of Belarusian fairy tales — one can read and listen to original recordings

Screenshot of the main page of the "Belarusian Folk Tales" portal

Sound, Letter, and Pixel Ornament

The new portal, created within the framework of the project "Belarusian Folk Tales: Plot Diversity, Cataloging, Modern Interpretations," is the result of colossal work carried out during 2023–2025.

As reported by the Telegram channel of the Belarusian National Corpus, the project leader was the famous folklorist Tatiana Volodzina. The main goal is not just to collect and publish fairy tales, but to actualize them as a tool for forming national identity in the modern world.

The result exceeded all expectations. The site impresses from the very first seconds with its visual solution. Designer Elza Belavusava and artist Aksana Navasiolava created a unique minimalist style, dominated by white, contrasted by a limited color palette — black and red. The pages are adorned with graphic inserts that refer to traditional Belarusian culture. Even the headings are made in the Skaryna font — Skaryna 2017 Title, once developed by Aliaksei Koval.

Павялічыць

Each fairy tale on the portal can be read and listened to in its original recording, made by ethnographers and folklorists. Screenshot of the site

However, the main thing on the site is its content. The portal offers not only reading texts but also listening to them. The basis is a collection of audio recordings made by employees of the Institute of Art History, Ethnography, and Folklore from the late 1960s to the 2000s. Each audio recording is a peculiar time capsule, accompanied by a detailed transcription and a passport: who, where, and when told the fairy tale.

From Jan Čečot to "Digital": Continuation of a Great Tradition

The work carried out by the project team is impressive in its scale. This is not just the digitization of old tapes. Scientists conducted extensive research in the archives of Belarus, as well as in Moscow and St. Petersburg, where they managed to find unique manuscripts with records of fairy tales from as early as the 19th century.

This places the project on par with the classics of Belarusian folklore studies — Jan Čečot, Pavel Šejn, Eudakim Ramanau, who, in their time, also saved oral folk art from oblivion.

The result of this work will also be three volumes of the anthology "Belarusian Folk Tales," which are being prepared for print.

Павялічыць

Many Belarusian fairy tales were initially published as Russian or Polish, restoring their true name was a great effort by Belarusian folklorists starting from the 19th century. Screenshot of the site

The historical section of the site shows how difficult the path of Belarusian fairy tales to recognition was. The first records, made by Russian collectors, were published under the title "Russian Folk Tales," while those noted by educated Poles received the label "Polish."

The works of Jan Barščeŭski, Michał Fiedarowski, Aliaksandr Sieržputoŭski, and later Soviet folklorists such as Leŭ Barah, step by step returned its own name to the Belarusian fairy tale. The current project continues this work, but now at a modern technological level.

Scientific System for Fairy Tales

The portal does not dump all fairy tales into one pile. A strict scientific classification is used as the basis, relying on international plot indexes, such as the Aarne-Thompson-Uther (ATU) system and the East Slavic analogue SUS.

Павялічыць

The portal relies on international indexes of fairy tale plots. Screenshot of the site

All fairy tales on the site are divided into six main genre groups.

Here there are animal tales, where the main characters are the cunning fox and the foolish wolf, embodying human behavioral strategies.

There are cumulative tales, built on the chain principle of repetition, like the famous "Kolobok" or "Turnip."

A large section is dedicated to magic tales, where mighty heroes like Pakatsiharoshka fight against serpents and Koshchey the Immortal.

Also collected are legendary tales on religious themes ("God rewards and punishes"), socio-domestic tales about lords and peasants, as well as the unique genre of tall tales (nebylicy), where everything is turned upside down.

Each section is accompanied by a detailed popular-science description, which explains the specifics of the genre. This allows one not only to enjoy the plots but also to understand the deep cultural logic embedded within them.

Павялічыць

The minimalist design of the site uses motifs of traditional Belarusian culture and the Skaryna font for headings. Screenshot of the site

Belarusian philosopher Uladzimir Konan once called the fairy tale "a reminiscence of carnival," where justice triumphs and all social roles are overturned. The new portal provides an opportunity to join this carnival, to hear its living voices from the past.

In an era when many cultural ties are breaking and contexts are distorted, such projects become true anchors of national memory. They allow us to look deep into our own collective unconscious and understand that our fairy tales are not just children's entertainment, but a complex cultural code that has shaped Belarusians over centuries.

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