BASHKIR EPOS “URAL-BATYR” AND ITS SIMILARITIES TO THE EPICS OF THE TURKIC-MONGOLIAN PEOPLES (using the example of Bashkir, Yakut and Buryat material)

The article is devoted to the comparative study of the Bashkir epos-kubair Ural-Batyr and the epics of related Turk-Mongol peoples. The author believes that the epos Ural-Batyr, studied in comparison with such epic monuments as Gilgamesh, Avesta, Mahabharata in historical and typological terms, is marked as containing identical components in the plot and characters, and can be studied more in this direction, in particular, in comparison with the Yakut heroic epos olonkho Er Sogotokh the Mighty and the Buryat epos Geser. The purpose of this article is to compare the Bashkir epos Ural-Batyr with the Yakut epos, and then with the Buryat epic Geser in order to identify similarities between them with the use of historical-comparative, historical-typological, and textual research methods.

The comparative study of the epics of the Bashkirs and Yakut people showed that they belong to the early types of the archaic epic, and the events in them take place in the mythological time. The similarities in the epics of the two peoples are most obvious on the level of motifs and images: the information about the land surrounded by water from all sides, about the first people, who did not know of the disease, the birth of a hero, human sacrifices, the image of the sacred birds, the unusual sword, etc. There are quite a lot of them, whereas a comparison with the Buryat epic shows similarities in just a few significant parts such as heroes – fighters for the happiness of the people, both the epics have three enemy khanates, polygamy and a brother-traitor.

After the comparative study of the Bashkir epos Ural-Batyr with the Yakut epos olonkho Er Sogotokh the Mighty and then the Buryat epic Geser individually, the author finds interesting typological similarities (all the three epics “proclaim the good and justice, creative labour and peaceful coexistence of different tribes”); however, besides to the physical strength of the hero, there are no common motifs revealed.

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