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

- Please give me [one]! - [The boy] asked. The old man caught and gave him a castrated fierce ox. The boy stuck again ten prods into the mouth of the ox and ate [it]. Then he left. The old man thought looking at him: "Well

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8 his sitting is [similar] to Ketsüü Berkh's." - He said. - He might have recognised me. - Saying that [the boy] left quicker"'

9 than before. Again he met an old man pasturing a lot of sheep. - Old man, do you live in health? - [The boy] said. - Yes I do. Boy, what are you looking for? -1 spent nine-ten days on the way, now I am hungry. Please give me a sheep! - The old man said: - Ifit was the former Ketsüü Berkh's time, I would give [one] to you! Now it is not possible. - Please give me [one]! - [The boy] asked. [The old man] caught and gave him a sheep. The boy stuck again ten prods into the mouth, stuck ten prods into the rear of the sheep and ate [it]. Then he left. The old man thought to himself, looking at him [137]: "Well, his sitting is [similar] to Ketsüü Berkh's.". - He might have recognised me. - Saying that, he left quicker than before. Thereafter he went further and took on his usual form. While he was going on the other side of a hill [he saw] an old woman who pastured a lot of calves, led a mottled ambler mare, threw '

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0 a lot of sacks '

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1 on the other side [of her horse] and collected dung. While going, the old woman told her horse: - I had a dream that my son whom I had left in the depth of the yellow mottled palace, became a hero-like'

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2 strong man, and as in his baby-age, he sucked my breast. - Thereupon her horse said: - I also had a dream that my foal that 1 had left at the platform of the golden well

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7 ' became a wild black horse and as in its young age, it sucked my milk. - The boy heard it and came galloping from the top [of the hill], - Are you in health? - He said. - Yes I am. - Said [the woman]. - Mother, mother what did you say? - Thereupon [she]: - I have not said anything. - Mother, I am your son. - He said. - Don't humble me, I am collecting dung. - She said. - No, I am really that [son of yours]. - He said. - Don't humble me; [actually he should be] as nice as you are. - [She] said. - Mother, what kind of sign did your son have? - [He] said. Thereupon the old woman said: - When he was born, he had a red birthmark the size of a nail-moon

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4 on his right shoulder. That has supposedly become now the size of the base of an eight-walled yurt. — [She] said. Thereupon the boy dismounted in front of her, took off his clothes and showed [the birthmark]. The old woman lost her consciousness. [138] The boy sucked his mother's breast. Thereafter they left. They arrived at the Artemisia-white meadow and found [their] palace there. His mother turned into her previous form, Namjil Ulaan, who knew [what would happen] in the coming ninety-nine years, and who revealed without making any mistake [about the happenings] of the past eighty years. Thereafter the boy told his mother: %l

i Bálint ca basa, Kalm. cä-was! iä-wasl "Schade! Schande!" (R. 438), "(me2d. vyraiajet ?.alost', soőustvije, soZalenije, otéajanije)" (Mun 644). 96

9 Bálint, Kalm. müyär (instr ). i. e. "in a bad [manner], the expression alludes here to the speed of the hero's moving". 971

1 Bálint alas cokoji, lit. "hit through something", cf. Kalm als xayxa "auf die andere Seite hinwerfen" (R. 8), als "Cerez", als täwx "perevernuf őto-l", als xaix "perekinut' " (Mun. 36). The women probably threw the sacks on the other side of the horse. 9 1 Bálint misik üla

, Kalm.D. miseg "Sack" (R. 263), misg "meSok, kul' " (Mun. 353); a hendiadys expression consisting of a Mongolian lexeme and a Russian loanword (Russ. rnesok). 97

2 Bálint arbas. Kalm. arws (syn. bälr) "Held, anvs kíin (G.) (R. 16.)", "silnyj, ter anvs ädl í

idltä kiin on oíen' silnyj éelovek" (Mun 48). 97

3 Bálint saba alten xudugtn, Kalm. saw altn xudgin (?) lit. "of the vessel-gold well ". 97

4 Bálint xumsun tölln cinén, cf. Kalm. töl "Stem (an der Stirn) (R. 408)", "belője pjatno, zvjozdoíka napr. na Ibu Zivotnyh" (Mun. 513). 135