The following is a list of collections containing Belarusian folklore (chronological by year of publishing).
17th-18th century +CollectionCollector(s)LocationPublishedNotable content"Polish proverbs"Salomon RysińskiLiubcha area, Nowogródek Voivodeship, Grand Duchy of Lithuania1618Proverbs recorded from Belarusian peasants, published in Polish and Latin
19th century CollectionCollector(s)LocationPublishedNotable contentWedding rituals observed 1800–1802, with songs and musical notationsIgnacy SzydłowskiMinsk Governorate, Borisovsky Uyezd, Gaiensk Parish1819 in the Tyhodnik Vilienski, repr. 1847 in the book by E. Tyszkieviczincludes songs and musical notationsThe Polish People, Their Customs and SuperstitionsŁukasz Gołębiowski1830Includes Szydłowski's wedding ritual and excerpts from Charnoŭskaya's articleGames and Entertainments of Different EstatesŁukasz GołębiowskiChildren's folklore, description of the Kust ritual, Kupala celebrations, two musical examples of Kupala and Rusalka melodiesVillage Songs from the Neman (1/6)Jan CzeczotNadnioman region183799 Belarusian and 1 Ukrainian song in Polish translationEntertainments and Festivities of Village People. KupalaEustachy Tyszkiewicz1837First publication by Tyszkiewicz; dedicated to the Kupala celebrationVillage Songs from the Neman and Dvina (2/6)Jan CzeczotNadzvina and Nadnioman regions183994 Nadzvina and 26 Nadnioman songs (wedding, Kupala, harvest, etc.)Belarus. A Few Words on the Poetry of the Common People...Aliaksandr RypinskiVitsebsk regionParis, 1840Christmas/Kaliada, volachobny, wedding, historical, love, dance songs; funeral laments; first scholarly description of the volachobny ritual; harvest, children's folklore, proverbsVillage Songs from the Neman and Dvina and Some Proverbs and Idioms (6/6)Jan CzeczotNadnioman and Nadzvina regions1846Volachobny, Yuryev, spring, Kupala, Christmas, harvest, wedding, christening, children's, and other songs in original Belarusian; also includes "Krivichy proverbs," a phraseological index, and a glossaryDescription of Borisovsky Uyezd...Eustachy TyszkiewiczBorisovsky Uyezd, Minsk GovernorateVilnius, 1847Wedding ritual with detailed description of the karavai (bread) ceremony, ancestral commemoration rites (Dziady, Radunica), Kaliada festivities, volachobny processions, harvest songs, proverbsFolk Songs of the Pinsk PeopleRamuald Ziankievič (1811–68)Pinsk region, villages on the Pina, Pripiat, and Tsna rivers1851Over 200 works: Christmas songs, wedding, Kust celebration (first thorough description of this holiday), Kupala; wedding songs ordered by ritual stagesBelarusian Folk SongsJelizavieta Paŭloŭskaja (1830-1915)Bykhovsky Uyezd, Moglilev Governorate1853Detailed description of the Belarusian wedding with songs by ritual stages; criticized for publishing Belarusian songs in Russian translation onlyEthnographic View of the Vilna GovernorateAdam KirkorVilna Governorate1858 (in Этнаграфічны зборнік, issue 3)227 songs (many reprinted from Tyszkiewicz and Czeczot); also covers customary law and other ethnographic topicsMaterials for the Geography and Statistics of Russia, Vilna VolumeA. KaravaVilna Governorate1861Songs (largely reprinted from Kirkor,Tyszkiewicz and Czeczot)Materials for the Geography and Statistics of Russia, Smolensk VolumeM. CebrykaŭSmolensk Governorate 1862Mostly previously published Belarusian songsMaterials for the Geography and Statistics of Russia, Grodno VolumePaviel Babroŭski (1832-1905)Grodno Governorate 1863Collection of Monuments of Folk Art in the Northwestern TerritoryPiotr Giltebrand (1840-1905)Grodno, Vilna and Minsk Governorates1867300 songs, 151 proverbs, 93 riddles collected by students of the Maladziechna Teachers' Seminary and others; criticized for including non-folk and falsified textsCollection of Belarusian ProverbsIvan Nosovich18673,500 proverb texts in alphabetical order with detailed commentary; considered a landmark in Belarusian folkloristicsCollection of Songs, Fairy Tales, Rituals and Customs of the Northwestern TerritoryMikhail Dmitriev (1832–73)Grodno, Vilna and Minsk Governorates (?)Vilna, 1869Mixed quality; criticized for errors, distortions, and inclusion of Polish and Russian songsWorks of the Ethnographic-Statistical Expedition to the Western Russian Territory (4 Volumes)Pavlo ChubinskyiMozyrsky and Pinsk uyezds of the Minsk Governorate; Brest, Kobrin and Slonim uyezds of the Grodno Governorate1872-78 (vols. 1–4)c. 400 songs, 25 fairy tales, 5 wedding ritual descriptions, 40+ calendar-ritual song texts; noted for dialect accuracyBelarusian Folk SongsPavel Shejnmostly Vitsebsk Governorate1873 (in Запіскі РГТ, vol. 5), 1874Over 1,000 texts (400 recorded by Shein personally); songs of various genres, fairy tales, legends, anecdotes, omens; awarded the small gold medal of the RGSA Collection of Little Russian and White Russian Songs of the Gomelsky Uyezd, Recorded for Voice with Piano AccompanimentZinaida Radčanka (1839-1916)Gomelsky Uezd188130 songs with piano accompaniment; awarded silver medal of the IRGSBelarusian PolesieAdam KirkorPolesia1882 (in Маляўнічая Расія, vol. 3, pt. 2)Focus on traces of the past and pagan elements in folklore; extensive mythology galleryAn Essay Describing Mogilev Governorate... (3 vols.)Aliaksandr Dambaviecki (1840-c.1918)Homel and Mahilou regions in the Mogilev Governorate1882-84Vol. 1 includes 509 Belarusian songs (316 wedding); praised for accuracy of notation and partial passportizationMaterials for the Study of Life and Language of the Russian Population of the Northwestern Territory (Vols. 1–3)Pavel Shejn1887-1893Vol. 1, pt. 1: 789 songs (ritual, convivial, domestic, humorous) + beliefs, notes for 18 songs; Vol. 1, pt. 2: wedding rituals from different regions, 911 songs, funeral rites and laments; Vol. 2: prose folklore — fairy tales, legends, proverbs; Vol. 3: ethnographic materials, wedding descriptions from Slutsk/Mozyr/Navahrudak, children's games
Vol. 2: prose folklore — fairy tales, legends, proverbs;
Vol. 3: ethnographic materials, wedding descriptions from Slutsk/Mozyr/Navahrudak, children's gamesBelarusian Songs...Pyotr Bessonov181 texts (based on the Kireyevsky archive): Volachobny, Yuryev, Kust, Kupala, Christmas, Maslenitsa songs; interpreted through the mythological schoolThe Malorossian Wedding in the Karnitsa Parish...Nikolai IanchukKonstantynów Uyezd, Siedlce Governorate1886Wedding songs with full dialect preservation and musical notationBelarusian Collection, Vol.1-2Ieudakim RamanauKiev, 1886 (vols. 1–2)diverse folklore (criticized for inconsistent classification)Belarusian Collection, Vol.3Ieudakim Ramanau1887prose works (animal epics, mythical, domestic tales)The Belarusian Wedding and Wedding SongsMitrafan Dovnar-ZapolskiKiev, 1888Detailed study of the wedding ritual and its poetryGomel Folk SongsZinaida Radčanka (1839-1916)Diatlovskaia Volost, Gomelsky Uyezd1888676 songs, 84 proverbs; spring, Kupala, harvest, Christmas songs; ~300 non-ritual songs; introduction on Belarusian work customs and singing styleAcross Minsk GovernorateNikolai Ianchuk Minsk Governorate1889158 songs: wedding, christening, Kaliada, Maslenitsa, spring, Kupala, harvest, historical, and other types; notes on variants in earlier collectionsThe Pinsk PeopleDmitrii Bulgakovskii (1843-after 1918)Pinsk regionSt. Petersburg, 1890Calendar-ritual songs (Christmas, spring, summer), wedding songs, non-ritual songs, riddles, proverbs, ritual descriptions, divination; includes a dialect glossary Belarusian Collection, Vols.4-5Ieudakim Ramanau1891Vol. 4: prose; Vol. 5: spells, batleika texts, spiritual versesSmolensk Ethnographic Collection, Vols. 1-3Uladzimir Dabravoĺski (1856-1920)Smolensk Governorate1891-1903(Russian and Belarusian material) Vol. 1: prose — tales, legends, fairy tales, spells (first to include memoir-narratives); Vol. 2: family-ritual poetry — 18 christening songs, 680 wedding songs, 14 funeral laments; Vol. 3: proverbial lore organized by key words; Vol. 4: calendar-ritual songs of all seasons, children's songs, historical songs, spiritual versesSongs of the Pinsk PeopleMitrafan Dovnar-ZapolskiPinsk, Mozyr, Rechitsa and Bobruisk districts; also Lakhva/Mozyr and Lashany/GrodnoKiev, 1895561 songs (+ 40 in appendix); ritual and lyrical songs; dialect glossary; commentary with variants; noted for recording from live performanceThe Belarusian People in Lithuanian Rus', Vol.1Michał Federowski1897beliefs, superstitions, mythical beings, folk medicine
20th century CollectionCollector(s)LocationPublishedNotable contentThe Belarusian People in Lithuanian Rus', Vol.2Michał Federowski1901410 fairy tales and legendsBelarusian Collection, Vol.6Ieudakim Ramanau1901fairy talesLitvins — Belarusians of Chernigov Governorate, Their Life and SongsMariia Kosych (1850-1911)Mglinsky Uyezd, Chernigov Governorate1901 (in Живая старина, issue 2)Calendar rituals by month, wedding and christening rituals, social-domestic, love, family, round-dance songs; regional specifics of Belarusian song traditions in Chernigov areaMaterials for the Study of Life and Language of the Russian Population of the Northwestern Territory (Vol. 4)Pavel Shejn1902 (posthumous)The Belarusian People in Lithuanian Rus', Vol.3Michał Federowski1903legends, tales, anecdotesMaterials on Belarusian Literature and LanguageJaŭhien Liacki (1868-1942)1904 (in Известия ОРЯС ИАН, no. 9)Lullabies, christening, harvest, humorous, satirical, love, orphan, wedding, convivial songs; criticized for incomplete passportizationBelarusian Collection, Vol.7Ieudakim Ramanaubetween 1901 and 1912songs and chastushki with 50 musical notations by ChurkinMaterials on the Ethnography of Grodno Governorate, Vol. 1Ieudakim RamanauGrodno Governorate Vilna, 1911Christmas, volachobny, Yuryev, Kust, Kupala, Petrov, harvest, wedding songs + chastushkiTales and Stories of Belarusian PoleshchuksAliaksandr Sieržputoŭski (1864-1940)Polesia1911Socially sharp tales, psychologically nuanced domestic fairy tales; prominent mythological characters (devil, fate, personified sun, star)[Untitled 1911 song collection]Zinaida Radčanka (1839-1916)Gomelsky Uyezd1911180 songs with melodies; extended preface on performance style and melodyMaterials on the Ethnography of Grodno Governorate, Vol. 2Ieudakim RamanauGrodno Governorate Vilna, 1912non-ritual wedding songs, spiritual verses, legends, fairy tales, chastushkiBelarusian Collection, Vols.8-9Ieudakim RamanauVilna, 1912Vol. 8: 1,200+ songs with calendar and family ritual descriptions; Vol. 9: folk speech samplesTales and Stories of the Belarusians of Slutsk DistrictAliaksandr Sieržputoŭski (1864-1940) in 1890-1923Slutsky uezd1926Fairy tales and stories recorded mainly in villages Chudzin and Vialiki RozhynMaterials for the Study of Folklore and Language of Vitebsk Region (in 2 parts)Aliaksandr Šliubski (1897-1942)Vitsebsk region1927-28Songs by genre and type: Christmas, Maslenitsa, spring, Rusalka, Kupala, work, christening, wedding songs, chastushki, funeral laments; detailed wedding ritual descriptionsEastern PolesieEastern Polesia,