Mis(s)appropriation. Eglė, Queen of the Grass Snakes, 2017
“Eglė, Queen of the Grass Snakes”* is tale about personal, social and magical transformations. It is a story of losing home, encounters with strangers, love and betrayal, death and ever-green life, which continues with every fir tree (eglė in Lithuanian). The keyword of this mythic tale is transgression. Transgression of social order, human and animal body, sacral and mundane spheres.
Three layers of narrative intertwine in the work by Cooltūristės based on the tale. First is the journey of the tale itself, originating from India and travelling to Lithuania through Kazakhstan and Ukraine. Second is the passages of Eglė – from the land to the sea, from human body to the fir tree. Third is the fatal destiny of Salomėja Nėris**, author of the poem “Eglė, Queen of the Serpents” (1940). The poem could be read as prophetic text about betrayal, war and migration. Cooltūristės also question the portraying of women as traitors and scapegoats both in tale and in history.
Invoking local public monuments and trees culled from fairy tales, virtual and material transformations take place as Eglė’s story intertwines with Salomėja’s exile.
Excerpt from the text “Women’s images. Traitor” by literary critic Solveiga Daugirdaitė
Mythological traitor Drebulė (Lith. – “Asp”). Among main Lithuanian stories there are many versions of the story called “Eglė (Lith. – “fir tree”), Queen of the Grass-Snakes”*. It is a myth which gained a form of a fairy tale. Nowadays it is widely interpreted, e.g. according to Violeta Kelertiene, from a psychoanalytical point of view, the meaning of the grass snake who hid inside the sleeve of Eglė is evident: she was probably raped. According to Vytautas Kavolis, Eglė is acting not as a protector of tradition, but as an innovator, she leaves for an alien world, unknown by her relatives. Her daughter Drebulė is a special character, she betrays her father. Hence, the cowardice of the girl breaks the idyll. It happens much like Eve’s bringing evil to the world. After all, Eglė could have lived on happily, but she wishes to see her home. Because of her whim, her husband Žilvinas died.
Historical traitor - Salomėja Nėris*. She used to have “witch” abilities of foretelling (“Burn me as a witch”). She always acted in a scandalous manner: her affair with a married Catholic Church official was too public; her acknowledgment of the Soviet Regime in 1940 was nearly shocking. She was even a double traitor: in 1931 the celebrity of Catholic journals is transferred to the “Third front” - left wing literature magazine; in 1940 she writes poems about Stalin and sets out to bring Stalin’s sun. (Although she was not the only one was delegated to represent her party in Moscow). Because the behavior of Nėris is not strongly motivated, yet it is difficult to overlook her as a hero of XX c., the interpretations are of utmost interest nowadays. In his books about Salomėja Viktoras Alekna accuses her lovers: she would always overtake the attitude of her contemporary lovers (one of her lovers said: “it is thanks to me that Salomėja Nėris became a socialist”. But it is possible to look at it with a critical eye: from that we can learn more about caprices of the man than about life of the poetess). Salomėja Nėris is an author of a poem “Eglė, Queen of the Grass Snakes”.
*“EGLĖ, QUEEN THE GRASS SNAKES” is Lithuanian fairy tale, the story of girl Eglė (fir tree), who found a grass snake in her shirt and had to promise marry him for making him leave her clothes. Her family were angered but Eglė - has given her word. When Eglė with a wedding escort came to the shore of the sea, there a handsome youth met them and told he is the same grass snake. For many years they happily lived in rich palace in the bottom of the sea. Nine years passed and Eglė had four children - three sons, Oak, Ash, Birch, and a daughter Little Aspen. One day Oak asked his mother where her parents live, but the grass snake didn’t want to hear of visiting them. But Eglė did it and the days flew very quickly visiting parents. In the meantime, her twelve brothers were questioning the children about the secret password for calling the grass snake near the sea in order to kill him. Little Aspen was so threatened that she blurted out the secret. When Eglė with children came back to the sea, she saw the water darkening, with blood-red foam. She heard her husband voice: “It was your twelve brothers that slashed me to death with their scythes, and it was Little Aspen, who betrayed me” Eglė was filled with grief and horror. She turned her children to the tress: Oak, Ash and Birch grew up to be tall, but Aspen trembles at the touch of the lightest breeze.
** Salomėja Nėris (Bačinskaitė-Bučienė, 1904-1945) Lithuanian female poet, alluded to as the Lithuanian nightingale. One of the most controversial personalities of The Twentieth Century. She was a Catholic in her youth, but later became close with the leftists. Following Lithuanian occupation by the Soviet Union in 1940, she wrote a Poem about Stalin, excerpts of which, she read at the Kremlin, in Stalin`s presence, and she also was a member of the pro-soviet delegation who asked that occupied Lithuania be accepted into the USSR. For this reason, she often was, and continues to be considered as a traitor to her nation. Having comprehended the tragic implications of the situation, she experienced difficult, spiritual crisis. During the Soviet era, her party line segment of poetry was made significant, her writings were being published, and monuments were erected to her, collective farms, streets and schools were named in her honor.
About exhibition:
Nida Art Colony
DISTRICT Berlin
Eglė Mikalajūnė: Apie daugiagalvės Hidros ir Eglės žalčių karalienės giminystę: paroda „Žalčio pasaka. Jūros veidrodis“
Mis(s)appropriation. Eglė, Queen of the Grass Snakes, 2017
“Eglė, Queen of the Grass Snakes”* is tale about personal, social and magical transformations. It is a story of losing home, encounters with strangers, love and betrayal, death and ever-green life, which continues with every fir tree (eglė in Lithuanian). The keyword of this mythic tale is transgression. Transgression of social order, human and animal body, sacral and mundane spheres.
Three layers of narrative intertwine in the work by Cooltūristės based on the tale. First is the journey of the tale itself, originating from India and travelling to Lithuania through Kazakhstan and Ukraine. Second is the passages of Eglė – from the land to the sea, from human body to the fir tree. Third is the fatal destiny of Salomėja Nėris**, author of the poem “Eglė, Queen of the Serpents” (1940). The poem could be read as prophetic text about betrayal, war and migration. Cooltūristės also question the portraying of women as traitors and scapegoats both in tale and in history.
Invoking local public monuments and trees culled from fairy tales, virtual and material transformations take place as Eglė’s story intertwines with Salomėja’s exile.
Excerpt from the text “Women’s images. Traitor” by literary critic Solveiga Daugirdaitė
Mythological traitor Drebulė (Lith. – “Asp”). Among main Lithuanian stories there are many versions of the story called “Eglė (Lith. – “fir tree”), Queen of the Grass-Snakes”*. It is a myth which gained a form of a fairy tale. Nowadays it is widely interpreted, e.g. according to Violeta Kelertiene, from a psychoanalytical point of view, the meaning of the grass snake who hid inside the sleeve of Eglė is evident: she was probably raped. According to Vytautas Kavolis, Eglė is acting not as a protector of tradition, but as an innovator, she leaves for an alien world, unknown by her relatives. Her daughter Drebulė is a special character, she betrays her father. Hence, the cowardice of the girl breaks the idyll. It happens much like Eve’s bringing evil to the world. After all, Eglė could have lived on happily, but she wishes to see her home. Because of her whim, her husband Žilvinas died.
Historical traitor - Salomėja Nėris*. She used to have “witch” abilities of foretelling (“Burn me as a witch”). She always acted in a scandalous manner: her affair with a married Catholic Church official was too public; her acknowledgment of the Soviet Regime in 1940 was nearly shocking. She was even a double traitor: in 1931 the celebrity of Catholic journals is transferred to the “Third front” - left wing literature magazine; in 1940 she writes poems about Stalin and sets out to bring Stalin’s sun. (Although she was not the only one was delegated to represent her party in Moscow). Because the behavior of Nėris is not strongly motivated, yet it is difficult to overlook her as a hero of XX c., the interpretations are of utmost interest nowadays. In his books about Salomėja Viktoras Alekna accuses her lovers: she would always overtake the attitude of her contemporary lovers (one of her lovers said: “it is thanks to me that Salomėja Nėris became a socialist”. But it is possible to look at it with a critical eye: from that we can learn more about caprices of the man than about life of the poetess). Salomėja Nėris is an author of a poem “Eglė, Queen of the Grass Snakes”.
*“EGLĖ, QUEEN THE GRASS SNAKES” is Lithuanian fairy tale, the story of girl Eglė (fir tree), who found a grass snake in her shirt and had to promise marry him for making him leave her clothes. Her family were angered but Eglė - has given her word. When Eglė with a wedding escort came to the shore of the sea, there a handsome youth met them and told he is the same grass snake. For many years they happily lived in rich palace in the bottom of the sea. Nine years passed and Eglė had four children - three sons, Oak, Ash, Birch, and a daughter Little Aspen. One day Oak asked his mother where her parents live, but the grass snake didn’t want to hear of visiting them. But Eglė did it and the days flew very quickly visiting parents. In the meantime, her twelve brothers were questioning the children about the secret password for calling the grass snake near the sea in order to kill him. Little Aspen was so threatened that she blurted out the secret. When Eglė with children came back to the sea, she saw the water darkening, with blood-red foam. She heard her husband voice: “It was your twelve brothers that slashed me to death with their scythes, and it was Little Aspen, who betrayed me” Eglė was filled with grief and horror. She turned her children to the tress: Oak, Ash and Birch grew up to be tall, but Aspen trembles at the touch of the lightest breeze.
** Salomėja Nėris (Bačinskaitė-Bučienė, 1904-1945) Lithuanian female poet, alluded to as the Lithuanian nightingale. One of the most controversial personalities of The Twentieth Century. She was a Catholic in her youth, but later became close with the leftists. Following Lithuanian occupation by the Soviet Union in 1940, she wrote a Poem about Stalin, excerpts of which, she read at the Kremlin, in Stalin`s presence, and she also was a member of the pro-soviet delegation who asked that occupied Lithuania be accepted into the USSR. For this reason, she often was, and continues to be considered as a traitor to her nation. Having comprehended the tragic implications of the situation, she experienced difficult, spiritual crisis. During the Soviet era, her party line segment of poetry was made significant, her writings were being published, and monuments were erected to her, collective farms, streets and schools were named in her honor.
About exhibition:
Nida Art Colony
DISTRICT Berlin
Eglė Mikalajūnė: Apie daugiagalvės Hidros ir Eglės žalčių karalienės giminystę: paroda „Žalčio pasaka. Jūros veidrodis“
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Video starts in the head of poet Salomėja Nėris, author of the poem “Eglė Queen of the Grass Snakes” (1940), based on an archaic fairy tale. In this virtual dance of sculptures a story of losing home, encounter with strangers, love and betrayal unfolds. The keyword of this mythic tale is transgression. Transgression of social order, human and animal body, sacral and mundane spheres.
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Performative excursion with virtual elements
Photography: Emma Haugh