Birtalan Ágnes: Kalmyk Folklore and Folk Culture in the Mid-19th Century: Philological Studies on the Basis of Gábor Bálint of Szentkatolna’s Kalmyk Texts.
FOLKLORE GENRES
became torn off, grasped the black flesh of their thighs until they tore out black flesh of bowl size and threw it away. The dogs and birds that came in the morning became sated until noon, the dogs and birds that came at noon became sated [with their flesh] until evening.'"" Thereafter Ketstiü Berk said: - Not to torture the livestock that belong to the grass-community,'"' let us compete with our manly bodies. - Thereafter they both dismounted and They hobbled their horses with the best metal, They fastened their horses with the best of the iron, and Tethered them with iron tethers. They rolled up their trousers made of bull skin Until [it pressed] their muscles, They rolled up their trousers Until [it pressed] the hollow of their knees. [128] They jumped as the calves They butted at each other as the bulls,'" 2 They seized each other across mountains They pranced across rivers 9 1 ' They wrestled bang, bang.'" 4 They wrestled for several years. They wrestled beyond measure. Thereafter Ketsüü Berk said: - Since I was born from my mother, I have not seen anybody who [could] stay on [...] hip.'" 5 And he threw him off. - I will kill you! Have you [other] tricks?- Thereupon that one said: - Catch me firmly! 91 6 There are still three good rounds. - Go on with the [next] round. - Said [the other]. He threw him down so many times as there are stars in the sky, But he was still in good condition and did not lose his balance.'" 7 He threw him down so many times as there are blades of grass on the ground, But he was still in good condition and did not lose his energy. He threw him down so many times as there are fish young in the waters, So he became in bad condition and lost his consciousness. They wrestled again bang, bang. 91 8 Sokhor Khar Hero threw [Ketsüü Berkh] behind" 1' seven hills but he came running back looking at [Sokhor Khar Hero). They wrestled again bang, bang. Thereafter 90 9 Bálint täji toryon, read täßn or täßn (genitive ?) Kalm. täß "prince" (?). 911 1 Typical motif in Mongolian epic tradition. 91 1 Bálint öbsön kitä mal, cf. Kalm. öwsn kit ; kl "Stamm, Gemeinde" (R. 234), ki "obäöina" (Mun 298). if the suggested interpretation is correct this expression is an euphemistic designation of horses "the livestock that belong to the grass-community". Bálint bürünägär mekseldäd, buxanayar olildäd, Kalm bürüngär (?) bürügär (?)meksildäd, buxär ol'ldäd. Kalm. meksixe "hüpfen, springen" (R. 260), olixa "mit Hebestange heben (und drehen) mit den Hörnern stoßen (= mörgöxe )" (R 285). 91 1 Bálint üla yacäsu sürüldäd, usun yacäsu degeldäd, Kalm. ül yacäs sürldäd, usn yacäs degldäd; Kalm. yac "die andere Seite. Jenseits" (R. 147), yacs "über, hinüber, durch, hinterher, ül yacs Über den Berg weg" (R. 147). In den vocabularies sür- + -Id- + äd. and deg- + -Id- + äd belong to the terminology connected to various movements of animals, but they are used in this tale in a wider sense. Cf. sürxe "haschen, sich über etwas stürzen (die Raubvögel), in der Luft mit den Krallen festnehmen" (R. 373), Kalm.Ö. degxe "sich ein bisschen auf die Hinterfüße erheben und so zu laufen suchen" (R 85). 91 4 Bálint tas-baS, cf. notes to the Ninth tale. 91 3 Bálint enggel-mönggn Ulsan dérén kümü loklaß, Kalm. enggl-mönggn tasän dér n ' kümn toytj (?), the syntagm is obscure and needs further investigation: the probable meaning is definitely connected to wrestling: taäa > taää (?) "hip", to stay on the opponent's hip while wrestling (?). 9"' For the following passage cf. Bálint Sixth tale: some minor differences appear between the two tales, e. g. Sixth tale: batelji bäriji bäi. Fifteenth tale: batlas geji bäriji bäi. 91 7 Bálint legei säindän, this expression is somewhat obscure, Kalm legs means "straight, plain, even". The suggested interpretation is "the hero still was able to stand and fight without falling down". 91 8 Cf. Ninth and Fourteenth tales. 129
