THE ICHCHI (SPIRITS) IN YAKUT HEROIC EPIC OLONKHO

Abstract

Inthe Yakut language, the notion of “ichchi”, in the broad sense of the word, means “essence”, nature, content of things, phenomena of social realm. It is the nner essence, nature, content of anything that defines all its potential connections and relations with all others things. In the Yakut mythology, this irrational, opinionated, active, ideal essence of a thing is the absolute master, ichchiof all its external visible manifestation. Each living thing has ichchi. Since the notion “ichchitekh” in heYakut language means inner emptiness, absence of ichchi. So, the notion of “ichchi” is a figurative designation, expression of abstract notion of “essence”. In the Yakut mythology and heroic epic Olonkho, some “ichchi” were imagined in the form of anthropomorphical, zoomorphical and others beasts. The beasts had the mind and ability to feel emotions and do actions. The beasts in the Yakut mythology and Olonkho form a special class of beasts that we cannot categorically refer to a class of good or evil beasts. This largely anthropomorphical, zoomorphical beasts in the literature are indicated by the notion “spirits” or “ichchi” of things, phenomena, and some places.

It is important to note that there is no complete and common classification of spirits, ichchi in the literature. There is no a special and detailed research on the issue. In the first place, the author based on works of V. P. Troshchansky, V. M. Ionov, V. L. Seroshevsky, E. K. Pekarsky, P. A. Oyunsky, G. U. Ergis, A. I. Gogolev, N. A. Alexeev, etc. It is widely accepted that the ichchislive only in the Middle World, but in many texts they also live in the Underand Upper Worlds. The author provides specific examples in favourof  this thesis.

The work considers some most important ichchisof nature phenomena, things and places of the Middle World. In particular cases, the comparative analysis of the Yakut Olonkho with some ideas of Khakass and Bashkir epic texts is conducted.

Acknowledgements: The research is financially supported by the Russian Foundation for Humanities, project No. 15-04-00496 (а).

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