Article

Name: Epic opening formulas in the heroic tales of Tyulyush Baazanay within the context of Tuvan epic traditions

Authors: M. V. Ondar

K. B. Ondar Center for the Development of Tuvan Traditional Culture and Crafts, Kyzyl, Russia

In the section Эпосоведение

Abstract:

This study explores the opening formulas or zachiny in Tuvan heroic epics performed by Tyulyush Baazanay from the Ulug-Khem district. The research material includes a corpus of six texts: Boraadai-Mergen, Dalai-Baybin-Khaan, Kongar-Baadai, Naigy-Maigy Maadyr, Khaan-Toguldur, and Khookuy-Kara, pub-lished in the 1994 collection Dalai-Baybyŋ Khaan. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, the work utilizes systemic-functional, typological, and contextual methods to conduct a structural and semantic analysis of the storyteller’s repertoire. The results reveal that Baazanay’s epic opening formulas deviate significantly from traditional Tuvan models. The storyteller consistently omits standardized formulas and traditional clichés, leading to a marked reduction in the overall volume of the prologues. Consequently, Baazanay’s performance serves as a primary indicator of the transformation and gradual “fading” of epic traditions, a process driven by the mid-20th-century transition from a nomadic to a sedentary lifestyle. The presence of modern literary terms (e.g., chaa, düzhümet, albaty) and detailed kinship enumerations indicates “late-stage layers” within the texts. This abbreviated structure suggests that the epic tradition is adapting to new sociocultural realities, moving away from archaic monumentality toward more concise, realistic narratives.

Keywords: Tuvan folklore, Tuvan epic, epic introduction, epic traditions, text structure

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