Transformation of Yakut Heroic Epos (by Material of Olonkho of B. A. Alekseyev “Erbechtay Mergen”)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the transformation of the Yakut heroic epos on the example of Olonkho of B. A. Alekseyev “Erbechtay Mergen,” which was recorded by him and the folklorist-collector S. I. Bolo during the Vilyuisk expedition in 1938. The relevance of the work is determined by the increased interest in the transformation processes of the traditional culture of the Yakuts under the influence of the socio-cultural environment. The novelty of the study is that for the first time the local Olonkho text is studied as an object of transformation. Olonkho manuscript and the peculiarities of its recording are given. It is reported that in 2017 the author of the article prepared the Olonkho text for publication. The article establishes fabulous elements, demythologization, the influence of Russian culture as the cause of changes in Olonkho. As the author of the article shows, this Olonkho is characterized by cumulative actions of the characters, as in fairy tales. It is noted that the rivalry and strife of relatives enhance the domestic nature of the relationship between the characters and push the heroic image into the background. It is reported that due to demythologization the mythological motifs and images have become rare in Olonkho of B. A. Alekseyev. The author also points out that under the influence of Russian culture there have been some changes: a lot of words are borrowed from the Russian language, the names of Russian cities, the pantheon of deities began to include Christian images, there is a mixture of the image of Baba Yaga and abaasa women, there are images of Russian girls, etc.