The Elderly in Proverbs

Comparative Analysis of Estonian and Slovene Proverbs

Abstract

From a methodological and folkloristic perspective, the article explores attitudes toward older people and aging in Slovene and Estonian proverbs based on archival paremiological material collected from the second half of the 19^th century to the present day.

Various aspects of old age and ageing are also reflected in the rich tradition of proverbs. As can be seen from the examined material, proverbs related to the elderly and to ageing reflect established cultural stereotypes or attitudes that are full of controversy and ambivalence. On the one hand, there are many negative stereotypes that emphasize the vulnerability and needs of the elderlz and portray them as a passive group in need of help. This stereotype is extremely common in proverbs, where young people are portrayed as capable of learning and adapting to change, while the elderly are not. On the other hand, some proverbs reflect a highly positive attitude towards older people, suggesting that they deserve respect and are to be regarded as full members of society. The other extreme approach is active ageing, which suggests that the solution lies in older people acting young. The proverbs analysed stem from two different languages (Estonian and Slovene), two different language families (Uralic and Indo-European), and two different regions of Europe (northern and southern), but their embedded stereotypes and messages are similar – emphasizing physical decline, wisdom, mental decline, grey hair, walking canes as well asrespect. If the understanding of universal signs and stereotypes of old age in proverbs often varies across cultures, it can also be argued that it is often actually rather similar, especially in countries that were historically connected to and influenced by the same “centre,” i.e., the historical area of German culture in the case of Estonian and Slovene.