SAMRAU

SAMRAU, samrigush is a mythological image, a Bashkir folklore character. Its origin is connected with Iranian Simurg. The “Ural-batyr” epic shows S. as an anthropomorphous creature, the master of the sky and birds. The Sun and the Moon are his wives, Khumay and Aykhylu are his daughters. People live happily in S. kingdom, they do not eat meat, do not drink blood, wolves and sheep, foxes and poultry are friends with each other. Certain fairytales, such as “Kamyr­-batyr and old ubyr woman”, “Ayugolak”, “Akyal-batyr” etc. show S. as a giant bird, which lives underground. She frees the batyr in trouble out of the dungeon as he has saved her nestlings from a snake. She can heal a wound by a flick of her wing. The character is popular in folklore of Turkic­ speaking peoples.