SHULGAN

SHULGAN, is Bashkir mythological image. He is the elder son of Yanbirde and Yanbike in the “Ural-batyr” epic (see First ancestor), the brother antagonist of Ural-batyr. These people used to be immortal as were the Gods of upper world Samrau, Koyash (the Sun), Ay (the Moon), Khumay. There was a sacred rite in the middle world: Yanbirde and Yanbika would eat the head of the male-predator killed at hunting; they used to stab a leech in the hunted herbivore and the blood was used to cook the drink which was kept in a shell. The blood gave the ancient hunter the mystical power of animals-totems (see Totemism). However only people after a certain age could undergo special ritual and only then touch the drink (it was forbidden for those who did non undergo the initiation rite). S. broke the taboo and the world of the first people fell into chaos, people became mortal and the soul of S. began to darken as evil powers took control over it. Yanbirde sent his sons mounted on lions to search for the source of internal life called Yanshima (from Bashkir, literally – living spring) and kill Death. The brothers went on a long journey and had to join the fight of two opposite powers which they had to embody (dualism, twin myth): Ural embodied the good powers, S. – the dark evil power. Kakhkakha and Azraka tsars of dark kingdoms were afraid that a batyr could appear, conquer the heart of Khumay and receive as a dowry the damask sword and Akbuzat the heaven tulpar, because it could make the good powers even stronger. They persuaded S. to ask Ural-batyr to give him Khumay, who guessed his real self and denied him. S. took Ural-batyr’s magic staff and flooded the sky kingdom of Samrau. The battle of dark and light began. Azraka died and S. took his place to hide with diyus from batyrs in the lake which Bashkir people started to call Shulgan. S. appears as a tsar of Underwater in other Bashkir epics (“Akbuzat”, “Akkhak-kola”, Kara-yurga”, “Kungyr-buga”); he has priceless horses and cattle. According to legend, all cattle appeared from the Shulgan lake, that is why it has its second name “Yilkysykkan” (from Bashkir yilky – a horse, mare and sykkan – came). S. also appears in “Miney-batyr and tsar Shulgen” epic.

Sh. R. Shakurova