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
15. On the bridge 204 There are five geese. What is it? (the five fingers) 16. Behind five mountains There is a hunting dog's litter. What is it? (the palm) 17. On the anvil There are four geese. What is it? (the four teats of the cow) 18. The sack made of thin leather 20 5 sticks out (?) 206 The beautiful girl is majestic (?) 207 What is it? (tears) 19. It is no dog, but it smells [so] It is no bird, but it has wings. What is it? (the burrowing dung beetle) 20 8 20. Even if one eats the tail of the white lamb It is not eaten up. What is it? (the snow) [11] 21. On the lumpy tree Hang buds. 20 9 What are they? (the earrings) 2 1" 20 4 Bálint takta, Kalm takt "Brücke: Laufbretter; Balkon" (R. 375), tagt "most" (Mun. 472), "burm , most" (Monran 146), W.Oir taqta "Brücke, Damm" (Zwick 277), Munijev quotes the same riddle: tagt dér town yalun "na mostu pjat' gusej" yarin town xuryn "pjat" pal'cev ruki". 20 5 Bálint särisun, Kalm sär'srt "haarlose Haut, gegerbte od. ungegerbte weiche Haut, dünnes Leder" (R 319), "I. ovéina (obrabotannaja), 2. ko2a (tonkaja)" (Mun. 446). 20 6 Bálint sert geji, an ideophonic expression. Kalm. sert "onom. für das Aufrechtstehen der Ohren od das Lauschen; sert gej äxa die Ohren spitzen und scheu werden" (R. 326), cf. sertäx "vystupat', toriat"; ottopyrivat'sja (ob uSah)" (Mun. 451). 2"' Bálint melt geji. an ideophonic expression, cf. sert geji in above note. Cf Kalm meltger, Kalm.D. meltyar "schweigend, feierlich, majestätisch" (R 261), however the stem melt- might also be considered in the interpretation (e. g. Khal. meltger, meltix, meltrex, meltgenex) that means the "brimming, glistering (eyes); to shimmer, to glimmer; to well up, to brim, to be full to overflowing" (Bawden 223) and in Kalm. meltxr "polnyj, napolnennyj, perepolnennyj; meltxr mil 'msla niidn " (Mun. 349). 2,1 8 Lat. Geotrupidae, cf. Kalm. cokc xorxä "Mistkäfer" (R. 429), cogc xorxa "navonyj 2uk" (Mun. 635). 20 9 Bálint börö ölgätä read bör ölgätä, lit. "a kidney is hung up", cf. Kalm. modna bör "poőki na derevje" (Mun. 1 15). Structurally and semantically similar riddle: Segrkä modndJ/Semjn ölgätä. Utan. ur. (BukSan - Macga: Xal 'mg ülgürmiid. p. 262) "Nad redkim lesom visit sal'nik. Dym." (Mun. 446.). 42
