Repetition+in+Oral+Tradition

=Like a Broken Record=


 * //Gilgamesh traveled from east to west as the sun travels each day. When he had walked three miles, so thick was the darkness that he could see nothing ahead of him and nothing behind him, for there was no light. When he had walked nine miles, so thick was the darkness that he could see nothing ahead of him and nothing behind him, for there was no light. When he had walked eighteen miles, so thick was the darkness that he could see nothing ahead of him and nothing behind him, for there was no light.// page 45

Repetition enforces a point. One that a listener might miss otherwise if it had not been grounded into their head so firmly by the monotonous repeating of a single phrase. Repetition loses its charm in modern literature, but it gains emphasis when spoken. The passage above, from the Middle Eastern myth //Gilgamesh//, does not enthrall a reader. But when recited, one might "feel" the darkness of the tunnel because the point that the tunnel may drive one mad with its darkness has been repeated thrice.

Even though repetition exists in modern day literature, music, and entertainment its existence cannot compare to the overwhelming echoes that live within ancient mythology. In every story read so far, repetition has been present in some way or another. It may annoy or pester but it gets the point across. |||| All of these points came across crystal clear by characters saying them in a different way (or the same way) every time the subject comes up. Not only does repetition exist in these few stories, but in all mythology. Since mythology consists of tales of massive, epic proportions, points of specific significance must be repeated so the listener understands and remembers the point. In oral tradition, repetition adds that extra drama and emphasis needed to capture the audience. Repetition serves the same purpose as transitions, binding everything together. Repetition quite literally makes ordinary stories much more like poetry. Such famous ancient poems like //The Odyssey// also contain repetition, not unexpected due to the fact that //The Odyssey// fills the categories of poems and mythology. Repetition creates the charm of oral tradition and oral myths. It makes stories more engaging and interesting.
 * Dark tunnel
 * Ninsun gave birth
 * Goshtap asks deed
 * Nut cursed
 * Heroic Marduk

//You will not give birth to the child that is within you in any month of the year! Re has cursed me so that I cannot give birth in any month of the year!// page 15 Obviously, this point holds some importance for the explanation of a later storyline. Further on in the tale this phrase needs remembrance in the tricky scheme played out by Nut's brother, Thoth. One might wish to refer back to the reason for this scheme and find that the repetition has helped them remember about the curse! Another repeated phrase contains information which may or may not help the storyline. //Re was the father of Osiris, who was born on the first day.// page 16 This line repeats multiple times with the names and days switched around. This helps reinforce when the children were born, but does it help the storyline? Not exactly. Of course, when one reads this passage aloud the excitement of the births and the loophole in the curse allows for a more interesting story.||
 * [[image:star2.gif]]||In the myth of //Osiris, Isis, and Horus//, the repetition comes and goes. Its presence refuses to stay in the shadow, and it does reinforce certain points within the story. The first repeating phrase describes Nut's curse:

In the myth of //Gilgamesh//, the listener first hears of the grand city of Uruk. An excessive and large explanation provides the setting of the epic. Within the last pages of the story the same speech explaining the city of Uruk appears. The listener understands that the formidable city of Uruk contains too much power within the story for an easy dismissal as unimportant. //Notice the strong walls of our city of Uruk!...Gaze upon one man's supreme achievement!// page 28 The epic of //Gilgamesh// leaves uncertainty as to who is the biological mother of Gilgamesh. Although ambiguity exists, Gilgamesh's certainty of his family tree comes across loud and clear. When speaking with Humbaba, Gilgamesh repeats this phrase over and over: //...Ninsun, who gave birth to me.// page 39 Now the story clears up; Ninsun gave birth to Gilgamesh and listeners should not think otherwise. The repetition in Gilgamesh clears up ambiguity of ancesty, and the description of Uruk emphasizes the importance of the city.

In the myth of //Esfandyar, the Prince who would be King//, the repetition comes in chunks. The basic formula: Goshtap asks a favor of Esfandyar in exchange for kingship, Esfandyar agrees and completes the task, Esfandyar returns to Goshtap to receive kingship, Goshtap asks another favor and //this// time Esfandyar will //really// get kingship. //Father, I have defeated Arjasp and his Demon-warriors// (etc.) //Now give me your crown and your throne. And make me king of Persia as you have promised! My son, it is true that you are a valiant hero who has just won a great victory. However, one great victory does not entitle a prince to rule a kingdom!...Do this [next task] and I promise that I will give you my crown and my throne and make you king of Persia!// page 64 Esfandyar also retells word for word what tasks he has completed to gain his throne. He states the tasks exactly how his father, Goshtap, stated them when Goshtap proposed them. The emphasis and purpose of these phrases shows the monotonous, rigorous, and frustrating path Esfandyar must follow to gain his rightful throne. The repetition in each of these stories has a common thread: to make the listener remember a single, important fact. Any of these phrases would not stay lodged in the listener's head unless it's presence becomes apparent through repetition. If anything is repeated enough times, it will be remembered.

Further Thinking

 * How often do you notice repetition in modern-day literature, music, or entertainment?
 * What are some repeated phrases from the reading you remember?
 * What is the significance of these phrases?
 * What qualifies a phrase for repeating?
 * How different is repetition in a written phrase versus a spoken phrase?
 * How often is repetition used?