Time, Sense and Meaning in Three Votic Songs (with Reference to Estonian and Setu Additions)

The article investigates Votic, Estonian and Setu Kalevala-metric folk songs, which describe a dialogue between a living person and his or her deceased relative. The analysis centres on religious truth in poetic texts, relying on corresponding approaches by ülo Valk and Aado Lintrop. As the observed texts are no longer mytho-epic stories or laments, the question about the meaning in lyro-epic discourse is discussed and particular attention is paid to the changes in concepts of time, the plot and characters of the songs. The author introduces the key concept ‘epiphany’ as a tool constructing meaning and merging the actual situation, the song text and personal emotions into a creative whole for the singer and/ or the audience.