Comparative analysis of the plot-compositional structure of the Turkic epics:

the case of the Yakut olonkho and Shor epic

Abstract

This article discusses the heroic epic of the Yakut and Shor peoples. Our goal is to study the plot-compositional structure of the olonkho texts of the northeastern tradition of the Yakuts and Shor epics in a comparative aspect. We studied 14 texts and plots of olonkhos of the Northeast Yakut tradition and 3 texts of the Shor epic from the repertoire of the narrator V. E. Tannagashev. The plot-compositional structure of the Turkic epics mainly consists of the introduction, outpouring, development of the action, climax, denouement, and the final part. The plot of the Yakut olonkho and the Shor epic are divided into three parts: introductory, main and final. In the introductory part of the Yakut and Shor epics, the cosmogonic beginning is not characteristic, which is a feature of archaic texts. The introductory part of the Shor epics is notable for its brevity of descriptions. These texts only mention nature, people and the golden palace where the main character lives. In contrast to the Shor epic, in the introductory part of the olonkho of the northeastern tradition, the dwelling of the protagonist, courtyard buildings, his wealth, nature and the sacred tree Aal Luuk, by weight, are described in detail. The main part of the olonkho of the northeastern tradition consists of a simple, complex and complete plot-compositional structure. In the Shor epic, only a simple and complex plot structure is characteristic. In the final part of the Shor epic, a tragic ending is common. In these plots, the main characters die at the end of the story. In the texts of the olonkho of the northeastern tradition there is a plot where the main character dies. According to olonkhosut, this text is unfinished, therefore this plot has a tragic denouement with an unfinished ending. A comparative analysis of the plot structure allows us to draw the following conclusions: the plots and motifs of the epics of the Yakuts and the Shors are close to each other, but have their own characteristics. These peoples have family ties. It is likely that the epics of kindred peoples arose at the junction of historical and spiritual contacts.

Acknowledgements: This research has been conducted as part of the scientific-research project NEFU “Heroic Eposes of the Turko-Mongolian peoples of Eurasia: Problems and Perspectives of Comparative Study”.

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