ZAYATULYAK  AND  KHYUKHYLU

“ZAYATULYAK  AND  KHYUKHYLU” (Zayatulyak menen Khyukhylu), a monumental epic work of Bashkir literature. Written in a combined poetic and prosaic form. Was first recorded by V.I. Dal at the beginning of the 19th century. It was printed in the Russian language under the title Bashkir Mermaid in the Moskvityanin magazine. (1843, No.1). Various versions  of  the  epic  poem  were  published  by R.G. Ignatiev (1875; The Tale of the Son of Ab­ drakhman Khara Sahip), and S.G. Sultanov (1902; Zaya­Tulyak and Su­Sulu), M. Gafuri (1910; Zayatulyak and Susylu in the Tatar lan­ guage), etc. Other versions are also known un­ der the title Zayatulyak, Tulyak, Balkantau, et al.  These  were  recorded  by  Kirey  Mergen, F.A. Nadrshina, M.M. Sagitov et al. The epic poem reflects the process of disintegration of tribal relations. The basis of the theme is the creation of a family and the struggle for personal happiness of a person. The main character of the work, Zayatulyak, leaves his home due to a conflict with his older brothers. On the shore of the lake Asylykul, he meets Khyukhylu, the daughter of the underwater king, and falls in love with her. In order not to part with his lover, Zayatulyak renounces his parents, his closest friends (his horse and falcon) and goes to live in the underwater kingdom where Khyukhylu re­ sides. Over time, the main character realizes that he cannot live far from his native land and, having received the blessing of the underwater king and his wife’s dowry, which was a huge troop of horses, he returns home accompanied by Khyukhylu. Having settled on the shore of the lake, Zayatulyak and Khyukhylu live richly and happily until they receive news of the un­ rest in their father’s town. Zayatulyak rushes to help solve the family problems and leaves his wife, promising to return as soon as possible. Having arrived to his father’s place and undertaken the community affairs, Zayatulyak fails to return to his wife at the agreed time, and she dies missing her beloved. Seeing no reason to live without her, Zayatulyak takes his own life. Mount Balkantau, where, according to a legend, the ashes of Zayatulyak and Khyukhylu rest, is revered as a sacred place. Various musical ren­ ditions  were  recorded  by  K.F.  Akhmetov, K.Y. Rakhimov, and P.G. Rybakov. About 30 versions have been recorded in the RB, Oren­ burg and other regions and are stored in the Sci­ entific Archive of the UFSRC RAS. Based on this epic, the play The Secret of the Magic Lake (Zayatlyak and Khyukhylu) was presented in the Bashkir Drama Theatre in 1999 by S.R. Su­ rina, playwright (R.M. Nazarov, director, I.D. Ba­ kirov, set designer, and I.M. Khalilov, composer).