The epic of Alpamysh is an important cultural heritage that helps us understand the worldview and traditions of the Turkic peoples. The relevance of this study lies in the fact that folklore heritage plays a key role in shaping national identity. Researching the transformation of “Alpamysh” allows us to analyze the influence of social and cultural changes on the preservation and adaptation of dastan narratives. This work can contribute to a deeper understanding of the interactions between different cultures and their epic traditions, which is highly relevant in the context of cultural exchange.

The purpose of this article was to examine the stability and change of epic traditions in the context of the Tatar version of the famous Turkic epic, with an emphasis on analyzing the cultural, historical, and artistic aspects that contribute to the preservation and transformation of these traditions in modern society. The article examines the processes of genre inertia and transformation using the “Alpamysh” epic, identifies key factors influencing the formation and development of the dastan, highlights the characteristics of the Tatar version, represented by various variants common in the Volga region and Siberia, and discusses the evolution of the epic work under the influence of geographical, cultural, and historical factors. During the systematization process, the authors analyzed oral and written versions of the dastan. Particular attention was paid to the current state of the epic, confirmed by materials from recent folklore expeditions. The study demonstrated that, despite differences in its forms of expression, the Tatar version of “Alpamysh” retains the basic narrative structure of the Turkic heroic epic, remaining a significant element of national culture.

The novelty of this study lies in its offering a new perspective on the adaptation and evolution of epic traditions in Tatar culture, examining them in the context of contemporary social and historical changes. The analysis allows us to identify key mechanisms for preserving cultural identity and values in the context of globalization.

The study utilized several methods, including textual, comparative historical, structural-typological, hermeneutic, and others, which together allow for a more in-depth exploration of the dynamics of folklore traditions and their significance. The study revealed that the Tatar version of the epic demonstrates certain features that reflect the cultural and historical characteristics of the people, which contributes to the preservation and transformation of their epic traditions. Furthermore, an analysis of various Tatar versions of the dastan demonstrated how epic folklore adapts to modern conditions while maintaining its integrity.

Anthroponyms in epic texts are directly related to the character’s role in the plot. This thesis is particularly relevant in the research of the epic hero’s name, as according to the laws of the genre, the hero’s image contains fundamental features that are characteristic of both a specific epic tradition and the cultural complex of an ethnic group. The aim of this research was to determine the relationship between the name and the plot role of the ancestor-hero in the Evenki epic, which has not been the subject of special attention by folklore specialists. The research objectives included identifying the names of typological images that most clearly reflect the character’s plot function, as well as determining the etymology and cultural genesis of the selected names and images. The research methodology was based on an interdisciplinary approach to the study of folklore, allowing the use of various scholarly fields. The main research method used in the research was the linguo-semiotic analysis of folklore texts. The research was based on texts of the epic genre of the Eastern Evenki people, recorded by G. M. Vasilevich, G. I. Varlamova, A. N. Myreeva, A. V. Romanova, and other scholars in Tungus Studies. The study of the texts of Evenki folklore demonstrated the validity of the thesis about the organic relationship between a character’s name and their role in the plot, which is most clearly evident in the epic genre. The typological image of the hero of the Evenki epic is the first ancestor – a demiurge who is born in the mythological era of creation, invents the first tools, and masters the art of hunting. Despite the diversity of the Evenki epic hero’s anthroponyms, there are some particularly striking and iconic names that most clearly reflect their role in the story. The results of the research allow us to conclude that the name of the typological ancestor-hero reflects the process of the Siberian landscape formation, emphasizes the role of the Evenki ancestor and his status as master of the Middle World. The typology of the archer-hero’s name is originally associated with the mythological image of the first human-hunter and is determined by the crucial role of the bow as a tool and a fundamental element of Proto-Tungus culture. The names and typological images of the Evenki epic heroes are directly related to the plots and images of Tungus-Manchu mythology.

The relevance of the research topic is determined by the relevance of studying the formation of compound words, which is one of the main methods in the system of word formation in the modern KarachayBalkar language. For the first time, the article analyzes the structural and semantic features of compound words, which are one of the layers of vocabulary in the Karachay-Balkar Nart epic “Narts”. The purpose of this article is to determine the place of compound words in the epic language and to describe the ways of forming this layer of vocabulary in the studied language. To achieve this goal, the article sets out to identify the full range of compound words as full-fledged lexical units, to analyze the structure of compound nouns and compound adjectives to determine their main structural types and word-formation models. The study is based on descriptive analysis and the use of component and lexico-semantic analysis methods.

As a result of the conducted research, we come to the conclusion that complex nouns and complex adjectives in the Karachay-Balkar Nart epic are formed according to the main models of word composition in the KarachayBalkar language, but there are also those that are formed according to specific individual patterns. It was established that complex nouns and complex adjectives, depending on the nature of the relationship between the components, are determinate composites formed based on the subordinate connection of words. Various parts of speech are involved in the formation of complex nouns and adjectives.

According to the analysis, compound nouns are mostly formed according to the models of the first type of isaphetic constructions, where both components are represented by substantives in the basic form, and the second type, where the dependent component is represented by a substantive in the zero form of the genitive case, and the main component is in the basic form with an affix of possession.

This study has the potential for further scientific and theoretical research on epic texts at an interdisciplinary level, which will allow for a comprehensive understanding of the early stages of the Karachay-Balkar people’s worldview.

The article refers to the epic texts of Dolgan olonkho as a reflection of the cultural, linguistic, as well as ethno-identical features of Dolgans, which are the northernmost and one of the youngest Turkic ethnic groups in the modern world. Dolgan olonkho is considered as a set of ethnic texts of the indigenous smallnumbered people of Siberia and Russia, which are the objects of “near” anthropology and act in the context of a comprehensive cultural turn of the sciences as objects of humanities as a whole, as well as potential objects of ethnic translation. The ethnic texts contain cultural information and memory generated throughout the entire existence of the ethnic group and reflect its the most important real and mythological past, which determines the research relevance.

Culturonyms are recognized as a regular form of cultural information and memory verbalization, which in relation to translating culture turns out to be xenonyms and act as the main units of ethnic translation, which implies the obligatory and most complete reconstruction of “foreign” cultural information in translated texts.

The novelty of the study is determined by the consideration of Dolgan epic texts in the context of ethnic translation – a multifunctional intercultural communicative activity that performs culture preservation, research, language revitalization, educational, pedagogical, and identity constructing tasks, as well as provides access to representatives of other world cultures and researchers to the unique culture of the Russian North.

The purpose of the study was to analyze the existing experience of translating the Yakut olonkho, created by the closely related to Dolgans Sakha ethnic group, in light of the possibility of using it as a “translation benchmarking” tool (as one of the best examples of translation of a Turkic-language epic), which allows for the application of basic strategies, principles, and techniques of translation of ethnic texts that have already proven their effectiveness in Yakut Translation Studies.

The ethnic translation approach to the texts of the Dolgan olonkho is based on the general scientific methodological principle of complementarity, which involves the combined use of methods and ideas from Cultural Studies, Folklore Studies, Linguistics, and Translation Studies, as well as the principles of Hermeneutics, which are used descriptively and prescriptively.

The theoretical and practical significance of the analysis suggests the possibility of using its results to create general and particular theories of ethnic translation, understood as “near” Translation Studies, as well as to develop academic courses on Epic Studies, Siberian Studies, Cross-cultural Communication, Ethnic Linguistics and other sections of modern humanities.

The present article examines the epic structures in the ethno-genetic, pagan and medieval Armenian epics, as well as in the Ossetic Nart sagas. The purpose of this work is to explore the common folkloric and mythological features in the mentioned epic traditions of the region. The research is based on the published texts of the four mentioned epics. In some cases other folkloric and historical sources were also used. In our study we apply descriptive, comparative-historical, and constructive methods of analysis. The comparative study of these four epics reveals that a genealogical tree spanning five generations of heroes and narrative framework divided into four branches are present in all of them. The corresponding subsections of the article provide a mythological description of the main character(s) of each generation and his (their) epic embodiment in the said epics: ethnogenetic epic “Haykian” (the Haykids) [I], pagan epic “Ergk‘ Vipasanac‘” (The sagas of epic-tellers) [II], medieval epic “Sasna Tsrer” (Daredevils of Sassoun) [III], and Nart epic [IV]. The main characters of these four epics are grouped under the following names: a) Thunderstorm proto-character, b) Twin brothers / triplets, c) Hero defending justice, d) Dragon-slayer protagonist, e) Dying-and-resurrecting hero. The first branches of each epic tradition include two main characters (a-b), while the other branches present respectively one main character (c, d, e). Thus the formulated conclusion is that these epics share the following four-branched structures: I. a-b)

Hayk, Aramanyak-Aramayis, c) Amasia / Gelam / Harma, d) Aram, e) Ara Gelec‘ik (Ara the Beautiful); II. a-b) Tsovinar, Tigran, c) Sanatruk, d) Artashes, e) Artawazd; III. a-b) Tsovinar, Sanasar-Baldasar, c) Great Mher, d) Davit, e) Little Mher; IV. a-b) Varkhag, Akhshar-Akhshartag, c) Wyryzmag, d) Batradz, e) Soslan. Further research may reveal similar patterns in other epics of the region.

The Altaic epic contains a wide range of general concepts typical of the entire repertoire of heroic tales. The code epic definitions include competitions based on folk traditions: ok-jaa adysh – archery; kuresh – traditional wrestling; kedyurge tash – lifting a stone; kamchy sogush – knocking down with a whip and others. In this regard, the subject of research is an analysis of a number of folk competitions reflected in epic and other folklore works. The relevance of the article lies in the study of the spiritual, ideological and mythological origins of folk competitions, which are widespread in modern ethnic cultures. The purpose of the research in the article is to clarify the role of folk competitions in the Altai epic interpretation. To achieve this goal, the task was solved to identify plot episodes in epic works related to folk competitions. The research material included publications of the Altai epic, myths and legends. The research methods were descriptive, comparative and comparative. The scholarly novelty of the research lies in the complexity of the approach to a previously unexplored topic with the identification of individual folk competitions from the context of folklore heritage. The result of the article is that information about the spiritual and ideological origins of modern traditional competitions will complement knowledge about their ancient roots. Conclusion. In the future, the study will allow us to complement the characteristics and ideological context of other national competitions.

Despite the obvious borrowed nature, the epic song about Pedor Kiron has no analogues in Russian folklore. With the name of the hero obviously going back to the name of the Christian saint Fyodor Tyrone, the plot of the song does not intersect in any way with either the everyday plot about the saint or the spiritual verse about Fyodor Tyrone. The song existed only in one narrow-local tradition, but at the same time the recorded options cannot be reduced to a single invariant or at least a plot cycle. The search for answers to these two textological questions determines the relevance of this study. The purpose of the work was to study all available variants of the epic song and identify the invariant components of the plot. Tasks: to conduct a comparative analysis of the texts, to consider the emerging parallels of the epic plot with works of other genres of Komi and Russian folklore, to identify the sources of the characters reflected in the song. The authors drew on new archival material, as well as data obtained during field research, building an overall picture of the epic song in the context of both Komi tradition proper and Russian folklore. Methods of comparative and structural semantic analysis were used to study folklore texts and a wide range of folklore, historical and ethnographic information. Two components of the epic plot were identified, one of which goes back to a contaminated version of a soldier’s song about the death of a warrior in a foreign land, and the second can be defined as the original plot about Pedor Kiron. Examining the image of the mother of the hero of Temryukovna, the authors suggest that the epic song may reflect the images of three saints Fyodor Tyron, Fyodor Stratelates, and the son of Ivan the Terrible, Fyodor, canonized as the Venerable Fyodor I Ioanovich, Tsar of Moscow. Further research on the Komi epic plot may be aimed at finding analogies with the Russian heroic epic.

Among typological problems, the historical perspective of folklore traditions in modern realities is particularly relevant, necessitating a return to the origins of these traditions and the mechanisms by which they evolve. This article explores the structural, semantic, and thematic features of the multi-stage epic text, closely linked to the relationship between myth and history, myth and epic. To date, Yakut folklore studies have not specifically explored the mechanism for structuring different types of plots within a single epic text, nor the nature of their interrelations that shape epic integrity. This constitutes the novelty of this work. The purpose of this article is to update the ideological and thematic focus, identify the structural and substantive essence, and then explicate the process of structuring the multi-stage epic formations of the olonkho text “Yolbet Bergen” (1886). Achieving this goal requires solving the following problems: analyzing the structural, semantic, and thematic levels of the narrative about the first-generation hero Ogo Tulaaiah; analyzing the structural, semantic, and thematic levels of the narrative about the second-generation hero Yolbet Bergen; identifying the features of the plot within the ideological and thematic spectrum of the Yolbet Bergen olonkho. The study utilizes systemic and stage-typological approaches, structural-semantic and functional analyses, and contextual analysis and generalization methods.

The analysis revealed that the underdeveloped introduction creates a “temporal” discrepancy with the main body of the olonkho, and this discrepancy in time (mythological and historical) contributes to the emergence of multiple themes. The multifaceted nature of the overall plot is established through the simultaneous, parallel and linear development of three types of plot lines, forming contaminations. The coherence of the olonkho’s compositional structure, which tells the story of three heroes (mother, father, and their son), is ensured by a single, overarching macrotheme of heroic matchmaking. The dynamics of epic genre formation are documented, from the earliest stage of folk epic evolution (the heroic tale), reflecting matriarchal-clan relations, to the stage of the formation of the epic tradition (the tale of the ancestor), demonstrating patriarchal-clan relations, and then to the period of the emerging heroic epic with a marked increase in the degree of heroization. The ancient topic of inhabiting the Middle World in olonkho is reduced. The unique plot-forming role of the abaahy’s image and actions in the interplay of multi-stage narratives is noted. The author concludes that the mechanism for the development of the heroic epic reflects the genetic inheritance of the traditions of the heroic tale, in which the narrative of the tribe’s defender builds on the thematic composition and structural organization established by the earlier narrative of the tribe’s founder. In future, we plan a systemic analysis of other earlier type olonkho pieces from narrator N. T. Abramov.

The article examines the expression, functioning, and characteristics of comparisons in the epic tales of the Even people. The relevance of this work is due to the lack of research on comparisons in Even Studies.

The novelty of the research lies in the fact that it provides the first analysis and systematization of Even comparisons. The aim of the work was to describe comparisons within the framework of Even epic tales. To achieve this aim, the following tasks were set: to identify, systematize, and characterize Even comparisons. The primary method used was description, employing techniques of observation, generalization, and interpretation. The theoretical foundation of the research was based on the works of Russian scholars such as V. V. Vinogradov, S. I. Ozhegov, E. V. Gulyga, E. I. Shendels, A. Wierzbicka, A. V. Vaganov, E. V. Kyrzhinakova, and V. I. Kharabaeva. The material included epic narratives from published sources. The study identified the ways of expressing Even comparisons: comparisons expressed morphologically (by adding the suffix -gchin), lexically (using postpositions such as uréchin ‘1. similar, alike; 2. similarly, as, equally, in the same way, just like’ and urémekén ‘alike’, dyn ‘size, magnitude’); and syntactically (with noun constructions). The functions of comparisons in Even tales include depicting the appearance of characters, their actions, describing locations, and conveying quantities and sizes. The benchmarks in Even comparisons are images from the surrounding reality: celestial bodies, natural phenomena, objects of nature, animals, birds, insects, household items, and more. In Even epic tales, comparisons frequently appear in the description of the appearance of negative characters, heroic figures, and their actions. Comparisons are used to highlight key details and add vividness to the narrative. In the future, it seems pertinent to identify and analyze the full potential of linguistic means used to express comparative relationships in the Even language. A comprehensive study of implicit comparisons will make a significant contribution to Even Studies.

This article is devoted to the linguistic analysis of lexemes denoting the concept of suol (road, path) as one of the obligatory components of epic space. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to examine lexemes nominating suol using contexts extracted using a continuous sampling method from the Yakut epic “Nurgun Botur the Swift” by Platon Oyunsky. The purpose of the proposed study was to actualize the functional and semantic properties of lexemes verbalizing the concept of suol in the olonkho text using certain parameters (spatial, metaphorical) for their description. Furthermore, structural and semantic analysis, the method of analyzing dictionary definitions, and methods of description and general interpretation were used. To achieve this goal, the following tasks were solved: to determine the ratio of concepts realized by the meaning of suol; to analyze the lexical and semantic means involved in modeling suol in the epic space; to establish the features of the relationship between the use of lexemes and culturally significant elements. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that for the first time the lexemes nominating the concept of suol in the epic text were systematized; an attempt was made to linguistically analyze the road designations based on certain parameters. The study revealed that of the set of lexemes (suol, aartyk, yllyk, yyr, chuos, orokh) denoting the concept of suol, most frequently suol and aartyk were included in the structure of descriptions of spatial objects in the epic narrative, with the latter acquiring the image of a dangerous, difficult-to-pass, and hostile passageway between worlds. In many cases, the names of passes with negatively charged components, corresponding to the ascribed characteristics of the loci they inhabit, are highly significant and informative. In the context of this topic, it seems relevant to study the semantics of pass names as loci not only within a single epic space but also in comparison with other folklore traditions.

A less common element in the interpretation of the situation with a folkloric road is the lexeme yllyk (path, footpath). Future work could benefit from a more detailed study of this problem using epic works from related languages.

The article is devoted to the study of motifs in the olonkho text “Alaatyyr Ala Tuygun” by narrator N. I. Stepanov – Nooroy. Despite the fact that the main plot-forming motifs in olonkho are traditional in nature, the problem of studying the motifs of a particular olonkho and identifying their features remains relevant, since motifs largely determine the variability of plots, enriching it with new micro-plots.

The purpose of the work ois to study the motifs in the olonkho “Alaatyyr Ala Tuygun” by N. I. Stepanov – Nooroy. The novelty lies in the fact that for the first time an attempt was made to study the entire complex of motifs in the plot-compositional structure of our chosen olonkho based on the material of two versions of the text. To achieve the goal, the following tasks were set: to identify motifs characteristic of specific elements of the olonkho plot, to identify the main plot-forming and secondary motifs, their functions and meanings, to establish stable, traditional, and also unique motifs among them, to determine their role in the plot structure by comparing the plot-compositional structure of the two variants of the chosen olonkho. The methodological basis of the research was comparative typological and structural methods. The study used the works of A. N. Veselovsky, E. M. Meletinsky, V. Ya. Propp, B. N. Putilov, N. V. Emelyanov, G. U. Ergis, I. V. Pukhov and other researchers. In the course of the study, the main plot-forming motifs and their character within the plot-compositional structure were identified: the main motifs of the introduction, exposition, climax, denouement, among which a number of stable motifs were established, such as the description of the creation of the world, the description of the hero, the matchmaking of the hero abaahy on the girl Ayii, the battle of the protagonist with the enemy, the hero’s victory over the enemy, heroic matchmaking, establishing peace in the Middle World. A number of unique plotforming motifs were also identified, such as the hidden matchmaking of the hero, the campaign of the bogatyrka for heroic armor and a horse for the hero, the destruction of the enemy. Secondary motifs were identified that are characteristic of complementing the main plot, the abundance and variations of which enrich the text, thereby the same olonkho may have a different volume, as well as their stability and uniqueness. By comparing the set of motifs within the texts of the two versions of the olonkho “Alaatyyr Ala Tuigun”, the conclusion was drawn: the core of the olonkho plot in the two texts does not differ, the main plot-forming motifs are identical, the large volume of the second version of the text is due to the addition of mostly secondary motifs to the fabric of the plot.

The subject of the analysis of the proposed article is the ballad poem by A. K. Tolstoy “Ilya Muromets”, published in the journal “Russian Herald” in 1871. The poem is examined in a historical and literary context. The article examines the process of transformation of the traditional image of the Russian epic hero Ilya Muromets in the poem of the same name by A. K. Tolstoy. The work is based on a comparative analysis of significant works of the Russian epic related to the Kiev cycle of epics about the rebellion against Prince Vladimir (“Ilya Muromets and the tavern boys”, “Nikita Zaoleshanin”, “The quarrel between Ilya Muromets and Prince Vladimir”, etc.); the study of specific poetic techniques used by the author to illustrate a different interpretation of traditional images and motifs of the folk epic. The poem is based on traditional epic motifs, but Tolstoy uses innovative techniques to emphasize the inner feelings of the main character and to reveal the transformation of an authentic spirit. The poet rejects the simple adaptation of folk texts, creating a deep psychological portrait of Ilya Muromets, who possesses a number of personal qualities of an ordinary person: freedom loving, straightforward, with a sense of self-respect, and unwilling to accept injustice. The image of the hero becomes an impetus for the author to address the crucial theme of the conflict between the government and the people, which intensified during the period when the poem was written. The theme of the relationship between government and the people is one of the key and constantly emerging themes in the works of Russian classics. The Tolstoy’s poem indirectly traces the autobiographical motifs that manifest themselves in the author’s attitude to the main theme and the main characters of the work. The main leitmotif reflects the public views and moods formed during the era of crisis and aggravation of social contradictions in Russia in the second half of the 19^th century. The purpose of the study was to analyze the artistic methods of Tolstoy, which made it possible, using the spirit of traditional oral epic poetry, to reflect changes in the perception of the folk hero within the cultural context of the 19^th century. The article provides a detailed illustration of how Tolstoy’s creative approach characterizes the understanding of the role of the folk hero in modern society. Tolstoy, being influenced by historical time and the peculiarities of the era, transforms traditional epic images and motifs, filling them with new meanings relevant and significant for his time.

In the context of global processes, the language of works of art becomes a unique carrier of linguistic and cultural information, capable of strengthening the connection of a generation with historical memory and traditions. The relevance of studying dialect words in the olonkho language is determined by the need to preserve the cultural and historical heritage, recording archaic linguistic phenomena lost in the processes of globalization and digitalization. The aim of this study was a comprehensive analysis of the functions and specifics of the use of phonetic and lexical dialect words in the lyrics of the olonkho songs “Nurgun Botur the Swift” by Platon Oyunsky as markers of ethnocultural identity. The objectives of the work included: identifying and systematizing phonetic and lexical dialect words in the text under study; determining their dialectal attribution based on the existing classifications of Yakut dialects; analysis of the functions of dialect words in the artistic structure of the epic (creation of color, rhythmic and melodic organization, speech characteristics); Interpretation of dialect words from the Oyunsky’s olonkho as an element of linguistic and cultural identity in the formation of the Yakut literary language.

The study’s material is the texts of the first three songs of the Oyunsky’s olonkho “Nurgun Botur the Swift.” The methodology included a comprehensive linguistic analysis using descriptive and comparative methods, as well as elements of diachronic analysis to identify phonetic and lexical dialect words. Main results: a system of phonetic dialect words characteristic of the central (with akanje) dialect of the Yakut language was identified: the phenomenon of akanje (‘land, country’: dialectism dajdy vs. standard dojdu), the correspondence of bilabial consonants b~m (‘to burn’: dialect word ubaj vs. standard umai), the use of diphthongs instead of long vowels in verb stems (dialect word törüöbüt vs. standard törööbüt), as well as consonant alternations. Lexical dialect words were isolated, which indicates the author’s conscious focus on regional usage. It was established that dialect words play a multifunctional role in olonkho texts: they serve as a means of creating an authentic epic flavor, provide rhythmic and melodic organization for the verse, and act as a marker of linguistic and cultural identity during the formation of the Yakut literary language. The language of folklore serves as the foundation for the development of artistic language, ensuring the preservation of ethnic identity, enrichment of literary vocabulary, and the continuity of cultural codes. This dialectic of mutual influence confirms the thesis of the unity of verbal art, where folklore and the language of artistic works form an inseparable link between times and generations.