Mechanisms of Cultural Memory: the Battle of Molodi (1572) in Russian Historical Songs of the 16th–17th Centuries

The representation of the Battle of Molodi (1572) in Russian historical songs of the 16th–17th centuries is analyzed through the lens of cultural memory theory. Based on the songs “Ivan the Terrible near Serpukhov” and “The Raid of the Crimean Khan,” key mechanisms of folk memory are identified, including selection, typification, ideologization, and actualization. It is shown that folklore texts preserved not so much historical facts as symbolically enriched images shaped by genre conventions and the current needs of collective identity. The songs are interpreted as tools for interpreting the past, in which the historical event undergoes complex transformation for integration into the system of cultural meanings.

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