Tag Archives: ballad

Folk Narrative: Ballad Legend – Dance of Zalongo

  1. Text: There is a legendary ballad sung by Greeks across all generations. The ballad is titled Ο Χορός του Ζαλόγγου, or The Dance of Zalongo. Prior to 1821, Greece was still under occupation of the Ottoman Empire. Greek civilians often banded together to rebel against the Ottoman forces, starting small wars from their humble villages against the massive might of the empire. There was an ongoing war between the Ottoman Empire and the region that the small village of Zalongo resided in. During this war effort, all of the male soldiers had to leave the village to fight elsewhere on the offensive. Unfortunately, the village was marched on by Ottoman forces during this time. Left unprotected, the village only contained the women and children who resided there. Knowing their fate was sealed, it is said that the women, along with their children, went to the top of Mount Zalongo, and danced in a circle at its cliff. It is said that the women sang as they danced at the top of the cliff, celebrating as they were chased by the Ottoman forces. Then, one by one, they threw themselves over the edge, committing suicide. The actions of the Zalongo women are percieved as deeply heroic by the Greek people, as the women chose death over slavery. They refused to fall victim to the Ottoman soldiers. Their story is immortalized in the ballad known as The Dance of the Zalongo. Some of its key lyrics include, “The fish cannot live on land, Nor the flower on the sand, And the women of Zalongo Cannot live without freedom.”
  2. Informants Context: My parents raised me on the story of the Zalongo women. As immigrants, my parents had a deep reverence for the history of Greece and its story of independence. Being part of the Greek diaspora, they wanted to keep these stories alive for me and my brother who were being raised in Canada. My father spoke very highly of the legend and my mother was the one who was capable of actually singing the song. I can’t remember the full lyrics, but I know one of the key ones: “Το ψάρι δεν ζει στο νερό, Ούτε το λουλούδι στην άμμο, Και οι γυναίκες του Σουλίου Δεν μπορούν να ζήσουν χωρίς ελευθερία” (“The fish cannot live on land, Nor the flower on the sand, And the women of Zalongo Cannot live without freedom.”) I knew it from a young age and remember being deeply moved, even charged with patriotism every time I heard the song. As a young boy, it made me physically angry when I would hear about how they died. Of course, people can’t say for certain what happened at the top of the cliff. It was a story that was born out of word of mouth between villagers, spreading across Greece. Like all Greeks though, I firmly believe it actually happened as described. I’m sure it wasn’t as straight-forward as the legend makes out, but I believe they danced and sang before the jump. To me, the story epitomizes the Greek spirit of independence, the mantra at the heart of the revolution – freedom over death.
  3. Collectors Interpretation: The ballad of the Dance of Zalongo is a heroic ballad of legend. The strict historical accuracy of the ballad is disputed as there isn’t empirical evidence for what the woman did at the top of the cliff. It is confirmed that they jumped from the cliff and committed suicide. That said, this is what precisely qualifies the story as robust piece of legend. There is dispute about its truth. Since Greeks choose to believe that this legend is true in the face of disputes, it speaks to their values. At the core of the Zalongo ballad is the relationship with death and freedom. Greek people value the concept of personal liberty to so far an extent that they will sacrifice their own lives to maintain it. The culture preaches a disregard for death. Additionally, the fact that the women decided to dance and sing speaks volumes to their own values. It’s a truly non-defeatist attitude. Almost as if to signal to the Ottoman colonizers that they could truly have nothing – not the lives of the women, nor their bodies and by singing, not even their spirits. It’s an act, a story, of deep courageousness and heroism. It reflects the spirit that likely later inspired the 1821 Greek War for Independence, lighting the heart of the nation on fire. As far as I can tell, the Dance of Zalongo represents folklore at its most powerful.

Fields

AGE: 55

Date_of_performance: April 15, 2025/May 9, 2025

Informant Name: (Confidential)

Language: English/Greek

Nationality: Canadian/Greek

Occupation: Lawyer/Entrepreneur

Primary Language: English

Residence: Canada

Arirang

Text:

Arirang is a traditional Korean ballad that is thought to have originated from a folktale–the true origins, however, are unknown. The name of the ballad comes from a legend of a man and a woman who fell in love while picking flowers near a lake called Auraji(아우라지). The name “auraji” comes from the Korean word “eoureojida” (어우러지다) which loosely means “be in harmony” or “to meet”. The man and the woman lived on opposite sides of the Auraji, to longed to be united. In his yearning, the man attempts to cross the Auraji, but drowns. However, while he’s drowning, he sings the song Arirang to his lover in an attempt to console her.

Context:

The informant heard this song simply as she was growing up in Korea. During her childhood, Korea was going through an economic, social, and cultural crisis, and many people were still remembering the ghosts of the Korean War a few decades prior.

Analysis

Today, Arirang typically is seen as a song that represents the people’s wishes to reunite North and South Korea. The lyrics and melody carry the Korean concept of han(although this is a post-modern interpretation of the ballad, as han originates from colonial Korea in the 20th century), which is the concept of a collective feeling of sorrow or resentment, grief, and longing in the face of hardship. This is especially symbolic, as Korea has had a long history of political turmoil, and carries most recently the scars of Japanese colonialism, but still prioritizes unity and perseverance even with these challenges.

Because Arirang is a relatively old ballad–it’s thought to be at least 600 years old–I find it interesting that it is still relevant today, despite there being over a thousand different variations of it. It’s seen as a protest song, an unofficial anthem of resistance over (dictatorial) authority), but its lyrics tell a touching, mournful story. I personally see it as the people telling others that only by uniting and remember their past can they overcome hardship(this goes hand-in-hand to the idea that folklore helps with identity on a national level).