ALDAR

ALDAR (from Bashkir – deceiver) is a folklore or Bashkir household fairytale character (“Aldar and Yamar”, “Aldar and sesen”, “Bald Aldar and mullas” etc.). The image is collective, the character is dexterous and cunning, resembles Shombay image. The character embodies living ethnic wisdom, victory over ignorance, stupidity and avarice: in most of the fairytales any meeting of A and a khan (mullah, merchant) ends up with the enemy deceived. A. goes home to take a sack full of tricks and steals a horse or runs away having made his enemy hold a sup­ posedly falling tree so that he escapes punishment (“Khan and Aldar”, “Aldar and merchant’s sons”, “Aldar and shaytan” etc.). Traditionally the fairytales about A. end with an aphoristic conclusion. It is popular among other Turkic peoples too.