The Journal Volkskunde( 1888-) and FolknarrativeResearch in Flanders

Stefaan Top

Interest in popular culture in Flanders is undeniably linked to Romanticism as anintellectual current. At the same time it was primarily Germany which showed anintense academic interest in oral traditions in the Low Countries. After all, scholars suchas Johann Gottfried Herder, Achim von Arnim, Clemens Brentano, Ludwig Uhland,and the brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm had proved the particular cultural- historicalvalue of songs and narratives from oral tradition. And as Flanders and the Netherlandslargely belonged to the same Germanic language area, systematic research into thoseregions' songs and tales was considered definitely worthwhile. The Grimm brothers,for example, managed to convince two of their outstanding intellectual peers to carryout research in the Low Countries: August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben, whowould devote himself to collecting and studying song material, and Johann WilhelmWolf, who would concentrate on folknarratives. Both scholars carried out their heavyduties successfully. As the fruit of his research Hoffmann von Fallersleben publishedHorae Belgicae( 1830-1862), a series of twelve volumes dedicated to the scholarlypublication of and approach to various philological topics such as ancient literature( tales and theatre), folksongs, the vernacular, etc. In 1842 Wolf established the firstethnological journal in Flanders, viz. Grootmoederken( Little Granny), shortly afterwhich he published two major collections of folknarratives, viz. Niederländische Sagen( Leipzig 1843) and Deutsche Märchen und Sagen( Leipzig 1845). Contrary to whatthese titles might suggest, both of these collections contain primarily Flemish narrative

matter.

In the pursuit of their academic duties Hoffmann von Fallersleben and Wolf werehighly encouraged and actively assisted by Jan Frans Willems, Ferdinand AugustijnSnellaert, Prudens Van Duyse, and many others who belonged to the Flemish culturalelite. As lovers of literature they appreciated the achievements of the two Germans,who themselves contributed to the realisation of one of the main goals of the FlemishMovement, viz. to demonstrate that Belgium also boasted another language than

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