Relevance of the Epic Laws of Folk Narrative in the Manipuri Folktales "Houdong Lamboiba and Pebet" and "Sanarembi and Chaishra"

Manipuri folktales, also called phunga wari (stories told around the hearth) or chak-ngai wari (stories told while waiting for the meal at night), constitute an important part of Manipuri culture. The tales reflect the values and ethics, the beliefs and traditions of the people of Manipur. They are usually narrated by the elder members (mostly grandparents) of the household to the younger ones in order to convey moral wisdom and truth embedded within the tales, while at the same time giving the listeners a joyful experience. Axel Olrik’s essay “Epic Laws of Folk Narrative”, presented at the Historians’ Congress in Berlin in August 1908, is considered one of the fundamental studies of folklore. Olrik delineates some of the principal laws governing the composition of folk narrative. The epic laws, though well received by European folklorists, must be examined in folklores other than those of Europe. Thus, the paper aims to study the relevance of the epic laws in the well-known Manipuri folktales, namely, “Houdong Lamboiba and Pebet” and “Sanarembi and Chaishra”.