Semantics and functions of horse coat colors in Turkic epics: an experience of comparative analysis

The article presents a comparative analysis of the semantics and functions of horse coat colors in Turkic epic traditions, based on the Yakut olonkho “Dyray, Son of a Horse” and the Tatar epic “Idegey”. The research employed a comprehensive methodology combining structural-semiotic, mythopoetic, and comparativetypological approaches. The author systematized coat color terminology according to A. S. Krasnikov’s classification, revealing significant quantitative and qualitative differences between traditions: the elaborate system of Yakut olonkho (14 basic colors, 2 sub-colors, 9 markings) and the reduced system of the Tatar epic (8 basic colors with no sub-colors and minimal markings). A functional analysis demonstrated that the Yakut tradition features a multifunctional model dominated by the comparative function (color as the basis for extended epic similes), while the Tatar tradition exhibits a bifunctional model emphasizing identificational and socialstatus functions. A semantic analysis revealed different codes: in olonkho, the cosmological code dominates, with colors clearly linked to the tripartite structure of the universe (Upper – Middle – Lower worlds); in “Idegey”, the social code prevails, marking estate hierarchy and supplemented by Islamic ethical connotations. A comparativetypological study identified the common Turkic core of color symbolism (white/black opposition, positive marking of white, ambivalence of black, distinctiveness of piebald colors) and traces its transformation in local traditions. The Yakut tradition preserves the archaic mythological type with cosmological semantics and detailed color characteristics; the Tatar tradition demonstrates a transformed historical-heroic type with social marking and categorical color perception. The research contributes to understanding the mechanisms of epic tradition functioning, reveals the dialectics of universal and local elements in Turkic epic, and outlines prospects for further comparative study of color symbolism in folklore texts.

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