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.
ETHNOGRAPHICA CALMYCICA
- We have not stolen your livestock, believe us. Announce it and look [further]; and we will do our best to try to find them without hiding them. - The livestock's owner believes them and later he returns home. After a while, one man from the people to whose [camp the traces] led into, 110 1 will come: - I have heard news about your stolen livestock. Well, give me some money! - Then he gets the money and tells clearly all about the theft, how many people came [to steal the livestock], the colour of the horses they rode, and then he leaves. Upon hearing this news the owner of the livestock goes to the court, [the court] summons the thief [or thieves] and forces a confrontation."" 2 [179] The thief [or thieves] are defamed [and argue(s)]: 11 0' - Bring your witnesses! - If the man who informed about the theft agrees 'Yes I will tell you[about what has happened],' it is likely he will be called as a witness. If not or the owner of the livestock says T will not give [his name],' the [thief or thieves] can take an oath:" 0 4 - I will get an oath from one of the thieves. - He says. A ritual object of veneration is put in public view, a candle is lit, and the supposed thief says a severe oath:"" 5 - I have not taken your livestock. - He bows to the Buddha and puts out the candle. There is another kind of oath as well. People who stole something important are supposed to undergo that oath ritual, or those who have polluted something pure must take this oath. For this great oath a black bald ox is killed. The skin and the heart of the slaughtered ox are necessary [for the oath]. At the time of the taking of the oath, someone plays on a stringed instrument (cengelge), UO b a candle is lit, and the wet skin of the ox is spread between the doorjambs. 1111 7 The heart is put close to the burning candle. Between the doorjambs two men stand carrying guns filled with dry gunpowder. The man who will take the oath should take off all his clothes except for his pants and then enters the place."" 8 When he enters all the trumpets and flutes are blown, [the monks] pray and the two persons who are at the door fire their guns. That man goes over the skin, bows to he image of veneration, extinguishes the candle, [takes the heart into his mouth] and without leaving any trace of his teeth must bring it out to the people who are gathered for the oath. [180] If there are some traces of his teeth in the heart, that man [is guilty] and should pay the penalty. One looks at it and if there are no traces of [his] teeth, [he is considered to be innocent]. If he becomes scared before entering [the place] or he leaps on the ox skin, then one pays [for the aggrieved party] according to the loss. 110 1 Bálint orüluksan, Kalm. örül- "to let in" this lexeme refers probably to the traces that were followed before by the livestock's owner(s). 110 2 Bálint nürcefi, Kalm nitre- "Abrede treffen (wegen Schulden u. a.)" (R. 283); "vsteréat'sja na oCnoj stavke s kem-l." (Mun. 390). ""' Bálint gördäd , cf. Kalm. görd- "etwas als Lüge od. Verrat ansehen, leugnen, nicht eingestehen; Ranke schmieden, mit jmdm anbinden" (R. 138); "ne soznavat'sja. otvergat' obvinenije" (Mun. 147). 110 4 Bálint andayarän ögöksen, Kalm. andyrän ögsn "took an oath". The terminology of oath, swearword and vow among the Mongols comprise a variety of different lexemes. In my articles devoted to the "sworn brotherhood" I investigated the root and, its use and its historical and folkloric background Birtalan. Ágnes: A Western-Mongolian Heroic Epic: Ülr) Tiw. A Story About the Sworn Brotherhood. In: CAJ 48.1 (2004) pp. 8-37: Birtalan, Ágnes: Rituals of Sworn Brotherhood (Mong. anda bol-, Oir. and, ax düü bol-) in Mongol Historic and Epic Tradition In: Chronica. Annual of the Institute of History, University Szeged. 7-8. (20072008) Szeged pp 110 5 Bálint tamlaya xaral täbiji, Kalm. tamly xaräl täwj, both expressions denote folklore and shamanic genres and indicate "calling the spirits" (tamly) and "cursing" (xaräl). The use of these words emphasises the solemnity of the ritual. On the shamanic and folklore genres, cf. Birtalan. Ágnes: Mongolian Shamanic Texts. Text Collections and Monographs on Mongolian Shamanic Texts. In: Shamanism. An Encyclopedia of World Beliefs, Practices, and Culture. Ed. Namba Walter, Mariko - Neumann Fridman, Eva Jane. Santa Barbara. California - Denver, Colorado - Oxford, England 2004. pp 586-593. On the Kalmyk curse and cursing ritual, cf. Oéirov. N.: Jorely, haraly i svjazannyj so vtorym obrjad "xar kele utulgan". In: Zivaja starina 11 —111 . (1909) pp 70-78; BordZanova: Magiceskaja poezija kalmykov. pp. 49-64, 99, 151-156; Birtalan - Rákos: Kalmükök, pp. 128-130. 110 6 Bálint cengelge, Kalm. cengglgen "das Saiteninstrument" (R. 427). 110 7 Bálint ilden xorondu delgäd, Kalm. iidn xörnd delgäd, similar action is carried out during the wedding ritual, when a wet sheepskin is put between the doorjambs and the relatives seat the bride on it. In details cf. Pallas II. p. 239. 110 8 Bálint örgö, Kalm. örgä "palace, yurt palace,". Bergman reports about a kind of tent (cf. below). 150
