EPIC

EPIC B a s h k i r, folklore is a heroic narrative about the past. It tells about the whole picture of ethnic life and harmonious unity of the world and heroes. The main sources for the E. formation are myths, stories about the first ancestors (see also Cultural hero). Epics were classified by Kirey Mergen, M.M. Sagitov, S.A. Galin. Modern folklorists follow the latest classification and consider mythological E. (“Ural-batyr”, “Akbuzat”, “Zayatulyak and Khyukhylu”, “Miney-batyr and Tsar Shulgen”), historical E. (“Idukay and Muradym”, “Yulay and Salavat”, etc.), household E. (“Alpamysha and Barsynkhylu”, “Kuziykurpyas and Mayankhylu”, etc.) They were formed as a result of harmonious combination of poetic speech and prose.

M.Kh. Idelbayev, G.R. Khusainova