УДК 398.8 (=512.212)
THE PLOT ABOUT HERO AVENGER IN THE EPIC TRADITION OF THE WESTERN EVENKI
Alexander N. Varlamov
Institute for Humanities Research and Indigenous Studies of the North RAS, Siberian branch, Yakutsk, Russia
Abstract. The article is devoted to the current problem of local traditions of epic genre. The aim of the research is to describe an epic tradition of the western Evenki, the specialists in folklore and Tungus studies have not yet proven the existence of the epic tradition. The research presents for the first time a description of the epic tradition of the western Evenki on the example of a plot about a hero-avenger. The basis of the research methodology is the typological approach in the analysis of the folklore text. This approach focused on assessing the typology of the plot and motif in the epic genre of the archaic Evenki epic. The comparative typological method reveals the similarities and specificity of the folklore traditions of local ethnic groups, which is especially important in relation to the Evenki folklore, historically settled in the vast territory of Siberia and the Far East. Based on the results of the analysis of the thematic plot of the Evenki nimngakan about the hero Unyany, the author demonstrates that the texts belong to the genre of the heroic epic, as evidenced by the typological features of the genre, primarily the heroic nature of the folk tale. According to the author the structure and content of texts based on the typological composition of the nimngakan motifs, leave no doubt that the texts about the hero-avenger Unyany are the folk tales of the epic genre. The motifs of “killing the family (clan) members”, “breaking the taboos”, “magical birth”, “magical growing”, “acquisition of hunting skills”, “learning the martial art”, “blacksmith” etc. are common in the epic texts of the Evenki of different local groups. The epic of some local groups of the western Evenki has a significant impact of the eastern epic tradition. It expresses in the similarity of the images of the hero and the enemy. This specificity appears in the plot about the hero-savior (brothers-saviors). The research is of interest to the specialists in folklore, primarily those who specialize in the research of the typology of the epic genre. The results of the research may be useful for a wide range of specialists interested in the cultural traditions of the Tungus-Manchu peoples.
Keywords: Western Evenki, Evenki epic, nimngakan, hero-avenger, hero-blacksmith, typology of epic.
For citation: Варламов, А. Н. Сюжет о герое-мстителе в эпической традиции западных эвенков / А. Н. Варламов // Северные Архивы и Экспедиции. – 2023. – Т. 7, № 2. – С. 8-14. – EDN EUULLD.
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