LARIN PARASKE (–), the most famous singer of runes and laments, who came from the Orthodox Christian region of Ingria.
Larin Paraske was able to recite from memory over 32,000 lines of verse, more than the total number acquired from many entire provinces. The collection of her recitations, which includes epic and lyrical poems and proverbs, as well as lamentations, is a monument both to herself and to her country. Toward the end of her life this incredibly gifted...