The dastan “Salsal” as an ivaluable manuscript monument of the tatar people: the variants of M. Yumachikov and G. Ismagilov

This article examines the interaction and mutual influence of folklore and literary traditions through an analysis of the dastan “Salsal”, a subject of significant relevance in modern folkloristics. Focusing on the interplay between oral and written traditions in the national epic, the study highlights the narrator’s role in shaping the dastan’s written form. The relevance of the topic of research is due to insufficient attention paid to this work in philological science. The scientific novelty of the work is that for the first time in the Tatar folklore and literature studies special study of dastan “Salsal” in the aspect of interaction of oral and book epic tradition is carried out. Its primary aim is to situate “Salsal” within folkloristic and ethnoliterary studies, addressing a gap in philological scholarship. The study conducts a comparative analysis of two textual variants: a 19th-century version compiled by M. Yumachikov and a modern variant documented by G. Ismagilov. By delineating their principal differences and shared features, the authors demonstrate the enduring cultural significance of “Salsal” for the Tatar people, emphasizing its synthesis of literary, written, and folklore elements. Key research tasks include tracing the epic’s scholarly history, comparing its protagonist’s traits and overarching narrative qualities, and identifying intersections between centuries-old written culture and Turkic oral epic traditions. This article uses comparative historical, historical-typological, comparative methods of research. The findings affirm that “Salsal”, as a manuscript bridging folklore and literature, represents a book-style Tatar dastan. The study underscores the need for further specialized research, particularly a monograph, to fully explore this understudied epic in Tatar academia.

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