Тувинские героические сказания: Хунан-Кара. Боктуг-Кириш, Бора-Шэлей. - 1997. (Т. 12.)

Kherel"). A story about them makes up a separate part, a greater part being a story about deeds of the main hero of the younger generation. Despite the typological identity of the heroic tales each of them has a unique national originality. In the series "Folklore Monuments of Siberia and the Far East" efforts have been made to show the thematic, poetic and stylistic peculiarities of the Tuvinian performers’ epic repertoire in the two published books. That is why presented are the two completely different types of tales. Thus, "Khunan-Kara" is characteristic by having the images very close to mytho­ logical sources. It also contains more ancient plots and motifs than the epos "Boktug-Kirish, Bora-Sheeley". In the centre of narration is a hero bogatyr who has to lead a hard struggle against mythical creatures who personify evil natural and social forces. In this struggle he is helped by a stupendous horse who changes either into a mangy foal, or a falcon-hawk with a horse head. He is helped also by a siskin having the power of speech, by the daughter of a Khan having the attire and plumage of a bird, and others. The numerous re-embodiments of the main hero and the personages surrounding him during the whole narration draw the reader’s attention. In the tale "Boktug-Kirish, Bora-Sheeley" unlike the epos "Khunan-Kara" all the events are described realistically. To an old childless couple two children are born, the boy is called Boktug and the girl Bora, from morning till evening they were playing. In this legend the motifs of the miraculous birth of the hero, his fantastically quick growth, the first heroic deed, the ritual of giving names to the hero and the horse are all absent. The theme of the heroic marriage and the struggle with the alien invaders is also solved in different ways in these tales. In "Khunan-Kara" the hero himself finds his bride and in "Boktug-Kirish..." this task is fulfilled by the hero’s sister. The latter is the only heroic tale in Tuvinian folklore in which the main hero is a woman, who performs different manly feats for the sake of saving her brother. Along with the marriage theme a large part of both legends is devoted to the struggle against enemies-invaders. A usual reason for the enemy attack is the desire to capture the hero’s numerous cattle, property and subjects. Bogatyr in these legends is always depicted as a defender and liberator of his own people who suffer captivity. He appears as a conqueror of an enemy who is terribly strong and also as a fighter for justice on the Earth. The artistic and representational means in both legends are typical of the Tuvinian poetry’s epos. This concerns, first of all, the "common" re­ peated places and poetic formulae. They are repeated several times in each