Knives, Forks, and Photographs: The Appropriation and Loss of Traditional Laments in the Writings of Palamás, Rítsos, Angheláki-Rooke, and Dimoulá

The parallels between the Epitáfios lament of the Virgin for the dead Christ and folk foments for the dead are exploited by a number of modern Greek writers, but there seems to be a difference between the way men and women make use of this material. Kostís Palamás, in his story "Death of a Brave Lad," presents a village mother's lament for her dying son as both a counterpart to the Epitáfios ceremony taking place in the church and a reflection of the mother's superstitious beliefs. The emotional power of a mother's lament in the Orthodox and folk traditions is appropriated for a political struggle in Yánnis Rítsos' poem Epitáfios. Katerina Angheláki-Rooke and Kikí Dimoulá seem unwilling or unable to use foments in traditional ways. Instead, Angheláki-Rooke inverts the symbolism of the Orthodox Easter to re-invent her mother, while Dimoulá, who seems unable to take comfort from tradition, is left with static images and objects that fail to invoke satisfactorily her dead parents.