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
were not able to grab each other. While [wrestling] so, they grabbed each other by their joints, tore up immediately each other's aorta and both died immediately. Both of them were healed by the Buddha 710 and made [sworn] brothers. That other man's name was the eight-year-old hero called Bogd, son of the eight thousand and eight hundred-year-old Nariikhn Shar uncle. 7" Our boy's name was the sevenyear-old hero called Bogd, son of the seven thousand and seven hundred-year-old Dösh Khar uncle. 712 Thereafter the seven-year-old Bogd said: - There are no parents left behind me, let us go to your parents and make them happy! - Thereafter they both went away. The horse of the seven-year-old Bogd galloped, but the other's horse was not able to follow it at such a speed. Thereafter the seven-year-old Bogd became eight years old, the other, [the eight-year-old Bogd] became nine years old [while galloping]. Thereafter the son of the Dösh Khar uncle, the seven-year-old [sic!] 7 1 ' Bogd said: - Well, I became eight years old [because of the delay], what could I do with you? - He put him [i. e. the nine-year-old Bogd] and his horse hither and thither and went playing this way. 71 4 [78] While going playing so, 7' 3 he put [the nine-year-old Bogd] into one of his side bags, 71 6 and his horse into the other side bag and made his horse gallop. When he went close to the territory of the [eight-year-old Bogd's] dependants, took out [the eight-year-old Bogd] and his horse from his side bags and they both went further side by side. They galloped and came to the parents of the nine-year-old [Bogd]. Upon their arrival [the parents] said: - It is a good fortune for you that you became [sworn] brothers with the seven-year-old hero called Bogd, son of the seven thousand and seven hundred-year-old Dösh Khar uncle. - And they embraced and kissed their son. They also embraced and kissed our boy. The both lived there for a while and then said: "Let's go and get to know the world." and left. While they went for long, a fine red dust [cloud] appeared from the south. A young man arrived at them. Upon his arrival they greeted each other. - Young man, from where to where are you going? - Asked [the sworn brothers]. Thereupon that young man said: - Here lives the yellow demon khan, Birmen. 71 7 He said that "Here [must be] the seven-year-old hero called Bogd, son of the seven thousand and seven hundred-year-old Dösh Khar uncle. Where is he?" - Thereupon they both asked: - What are you going to do [with him]? - Thereupon he said: - That yellow demon [khan] Birmen had sent me to catch 71 8 and bring that seven-year-old Bogd to him. - Thereupon they both said: 71 0 It is an incomplete motif here, cf. Healing in Heissig, Walther: Erzählstoffe rezenter mongolischer Heldendichtung I —II. (Asiatische Forschungen 100 ). Wiesbaden, Otto Harrassowitz 1988. passim. " Bálint: Näimen mingyan näimen zün nasuta Närixen äara abayäin köbün näimen nasuta Bogdo; Kalm. Nimn mingyn nämn zun nast Närxn äar awyän köwün nämn nast Bodg. Närxn äar "Slim yellow", Bogd can be interpreted as "saint". 1 2 Bálint: Dolän mingyan dolän zün nasuta Döä xara abayäin köbün dolän nasuta Bogdo: Kalm. Dolän mingyn dolän zün nast Döä xar awyän köwün dolän nast Bodg On the name Döä "anvil", cf. Bitkejeva, G. C.: Social'nyje aspekty nekotoryh imjon u kalmykov. In: Onomastika Kalmykii. Ed. Bardajev, E. C. - Monrajev, M. U. - Oíir-Garjajev, B. E. Elista, Kalmyckij Nauöno-Issledovatel'skij Institut Istorii, Filologii i Ekonomiki 1983. pp. 85-95, on p. 86. 71 3 Concerning his age, here and also further the original epithet of the hero's name appears regularly. 71 4 Bálint möritä hiyetägin '/ ende tendän tabiäd nädädyaboba. 71 5 Bálint näci, i. e. nädji. consonant-assimilation at the juncture (adv. imp.) in the pronunciation 7"' Bálint xaptaya. Kalm. xaptaxa "Tasche, große Seidentasche" (R 167). Due to the peculiarity of the Kalmyk dresses (having no pocket originally) the translation with the meaning "bag. side bag" is preferable. 1 7 Bálint Suluman Sara Birmen gedek xän, Kalm. Sulmän (gen.) äar Birmn (?) gidg xän. For the group of demons called sulm(n) (Kalm ), simnus. sumnus (Mong ), sulam . sulmas (Khal ), solmo, solmos (Bur.) cf. Birtalan: Die Mythologie, p. 1043-1044. Birmen cf. Krueger, John R : Sanskrit Loanwords in Kalmyk. In: Kalmyk-Oirat Symposium. (Kalmyk Monograph Series 2.) Philadelphia, The Society for the Promotion of Kalmyk Culture 1966. pp. 181-189, on p. 184. 71 8 Bálint kele bäriäd asaraji aca. cf. Kalm kein "2. Sklave. Gefangener; (xara kele awxa) Gefangene machen (im Krieg)" (R. 224), cf. Khal. amid xel "prisoner taken for investigation" (Bawden 487). Although this phrase preserved the original expression (Mong. kelen), its primary meaning "to capture somebody for investigation" is blurred and it is used simply for capturing, catching 106
