Introduction to the Regisong Podcast

What is Regisong?
Regisong, Regilaul, Runic song, Runo song, and Folk songs in runic verse are synonyms to Estonian folk songs’ oral tradition. These folk songs carry the wisdom and knowledge of thousands of years about the Estonian’s culture and survival strategies. These songs weaved together with people and nature give us a unique artistic vision and understanding of life’s ways. “It (Regisongs) has a quality to work as an incantation or a spell that can heal and regenerate a person” (Lauri Õunapuu – Regilaul: Song of the Ancient Sea). A tremendous amount of work has been done in Estonia to preserve and revive them, to systematize and analyze its lyrics in depth. Due to all these efforts, The Estonian Folklore Archive holds almost a million Regisongs today. The devotion and hard work of the earliest researchers of Regisongs have produced easy access to numerous collections of albums, publications, and resources (hardcopy and online). These works ascertain the importance of Regisongs as a bearer of traditional Estonian culture, providing a sense of security and belonging to many people for years. It embodies that these songs are simple, beautiful, and work as a breath of fresh Estonian air, which provides a sense of home.

With such tenacity, the Regisong Podcast Series has been born. The podcast aims to offer its listeners an opportunity to listen to ancient Estonian Regi songs’ traditional performances. Set within the poetic characteristics, it delves into reinvigorating the vanishing uses of the Regi verse. This podcast series presents ten Regisongs belonging to a different age. The singers who made the performance belongs from various Estonia parts and share a deep and profound relationship with the songs. Further narrated with eloquence and grace by Indrek Koff in his words, adds meaning, introduces the themes in the songs, background stories related to them, and relevance in today’s time.

The Podcast series is accompanied by the unique & soulful voices of:
Peter Volkonski,
Liisi Koikson,
Celia Roose,
Melika Hainsoo,
Priit Pedajas,
Kaido Kama,
Mari Kalkun,
Timu Kalmu,
Ando Kiviberg, &
Lauri Õunapuu
Without the collaboration of few people, the series would not have seen the light of the day. Therefore, the gratitude for the kind courtesy goes to:
Advisor: Janika Oras (Scientist and Custodian of the Sound Collection at the Estonian Folklore Archive)

Narrated by: Indrek Koff, Hasso Krull
Artistic Leader: Lauri Õunapuu (Estonian traditional musician)
Translated by Pirjo Leek
Transcribed by: Kirsika Mersmaa (Assistant of Estonian Traditional Music Centre)
Edited by: Kikee D. Bhutia (Folklorists at University of Tartu)

Estonian Traditional Music Centre
www.folk.ee