Folk Variant

A variant is one of the equally valid forms in which a folklore work exists, differing from other forms in particular details of text, plot, composition, or melody while preserving a common foundation. Variability is a fundamental feature of folklore, conditioned by the oral character of its transmission: each performance is at once a reproduction and a creation. The totality of variants of a single work forms its 'textual family.' The concept of the variant distinguishes a folklore work from a literary one, which has a fixed authorial text. The study of variants makes it possible to reconstruct the earliest form of a work and trace its historical evolution. The methodology of recording and systematizing variants was developed by Volodymyr Hnatiuk and Filaret Kolessa; Oleksii Dei worked on the variants of Ukrainian ballads.