THE SHORT MAN
Description: Ioannis Spyridis' narrative is about a short man who buys a watch at the market without knowing what it is. The ancestors of the narrator come from Argyroupolis (today Gümüșhane, Turkey). In his family and generally among the older generation of his Greek hometown Anatoliko (Eordaia Province, Western Macedonia) the local variation of Pontic Greek from Argyroupolis has been well preserved.
Cite as: O pilitsánon – The short man; performer: Ioannis Spyridis, camera/ interview: Thede Kahl, Andreea Pascaru, transcription/ translation: Thede Kahl, Savvas Mavridis, Sotirios Rousiakis, editor: Ani Antonova, retrieved from www.oeaw.ac.at/VLACH, ID-number: pont1253GRV0001a.
THE LITTLE BEARS
Description: Ioannis Amarantidis is a Pontic Greek speaker whose ancestors originated from Matsuka (today Maçka, Turkey). After their expulsion from the mountainous back country of Trabzon in the Pontos (Black Sea) region, his grandparents established themselves in Western Macedonia (Greece). Ioannis Amarantidis' language shows influences of written Modern Greek. He tells us anecdotes about his youth in the region he grew up in by bringing to light the most diverse cultural influences and the beliefs and superstitions resulting from the co-existence of different ethnic groups. In this video, Ioannis recalls a story about his grandfather from the times he was a youngster and was spending his summers on the pastures of the Black Sea herding the sheep. The story tells that one day, the teenager came across bear cubs wanting to play. The appearance of the worried mother bear leads to a series of misadventures that the grandchild, the video's narrator, will never forget.
Cite as: Ta arkupáðaχa – The little bears; performer: Ioannis Amarantidis, camera/ interview/scientific advisor: Thede Kahl, transcription: Thede Kahl, Sotirios Rousiakis, translation: Sotirios Rousiakis, project coordinator: Andreea Pascaru, editor: Antonio Fichera, retrieved from www.oeaw.ac.at/VLACH, ID-number: pont1253GRV0007a.
THE VAMPIRES
Description: Ioannis Amarantidis is a Pontic Greek speaker whose ancestors originated from Matsuka (today Maçka, Turkey). After their expulsion from the mountainous back country of Trabzon in the Pontos (Black Sea) region, his grandparents established themselves in Western Macedonia (Greece). Ioannis Amarantidis' language shows influences of written Modern Greek. He tells us anecdotes about his youth in the region he grew up in by bringing to light the most diverse cultural influences and the beliefs and superstitions resulting from the co-existence of different ethnic groups.This video shows how the superstition of vampires was exploited by the Greek population of the Pontos area and used as a bogeyman for children against the Turks, telling them that only those without baptism could become vampires.
Cite as:Xotlák – The vampires; performer: Ioannis Amarantidis, camera/ interview/scientific advisor: Thede Kahl, transcription: Thede Kahl, Sotirios Rousiakis, translation: Sotirios Rousiakis, project coordinator: Andreea Pascaru, editor: Antonio Fichera, retrieved from www.oeaw.ac.at/VLACH, ID-number: pont1253GRV0008a.
THE WITCHES
Description: Ioannis Amarantidis is a Pontic Greek speaker whose ancestors originated from Matsuka (today Maçka, Turkey). After their expulsion from the mountainous back country of Trabzon in the Pontos (Black Sea) region, his grandparents established themselves in Western Macedonia (Greece). Ioannis Amarantidis' language shows influences of written Modern Greek. He tells us anecdotes about his youth in the region he grew up in by bringing to light the most diverse cultural influences and the beliefs and superstitions resulting from the co-existence of different ethnic groups. Here we see how the belief in witches was so deeply rooted in the society of the time that Ioannis ‘ grandfather thought he came across a witches' gathering when, at night in the forest, he heard music and a woman's voice coming from nowhere, which pushed him to quickly flee home.
Cite as: Máises – The witches; performer: Ioannis Amarantidis, camera/ interview/scientific advisor: Andreea Pascaru, transcription: Thede Kahl, Sotirios Rousiakis, translation: Sotirios Rousiakis, project coordinator: Thede Kahl, editor: Antonio Fichera, retrieved from www.oeaw.ac.at/VLACH, ID-number: pont1253GRV0009a.