UZAK-TUZAK – THE LAST OF BALABASHNYAK FAMILY

“UZAK-TUZAK – THE LAST OF BALABASHNYAK FAMILY”, monument of Bashkir literature, epic. It has poetic and prose form. It was registered in 1981 in Yunusovo village, Mechetlinskiy District, BASSR by N.D. Shunkarov from R.M. Akhtarov. The epic shows the struggle between Polovtsians and Pechenegs, the defeat of the latter and their resettlement to the Urals. The only Pechenegs that survived in the battle were an old man, Yanuzak, and an old woman, Uralbika (the Balabashnyak family). They beseech fortune to give them twin sons. When one son arrives, they give him two names: Uzak (from Bashkir “partner”, literally) and Tuzak (from Bashkir “tuzzyryu” – to destroy). Uzak-Tuzak is an ideal hero, he rigorously follows all the customs and traditions of his family, he also listens to his father’s advice and follows his orders. Uzak-Tuzak respects nature spirits and so finds their protection. Accomplishing his father’s last will, who has directed him to find Yer-khyu the deity (see. Earth‑Water), the hero understands that a human should exist in harmony with nature. The epic is in the Scientific archive of URC RAS.