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

- The astrologer told me to make [the girl] bow. [81]- And he got up. Thereafter the boy grasped with one hand the monster's gorge and got the girl bowed with the other hand; he himself bowed and did not let the yellow monster bow. Thereafter the yellow monster said: - [Hey] boy, why have you done it? - Thereupon the boy said: - This is the way of bowing as the astrologer said. - Thereafter his elder [sworn] brother sitting at the door

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7 said: - His [...] like a hat, throw him firmly!

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8 - Thereupon the seven-year-old Bogd said: - I will know the throwing, you should know the seizing.

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9 - Saying so, he caught the yellow monster and threw him towards the door.

7'" The eighth-year-old Bogd sitting at the door seized [the monster] and tied him firmly to the door.

7,

1 - Punch him when he gets into [the yurt] and punch him when he gets outside. - He said. [They] punched him when he got into [the yurt], and hit him when he got outside [the yurt] until he died. His bones were smashed and scattered.

7'

2 Thereafter both [sworn] brothers took the girl to their home and lived in health

7" and joy. TENTH TALE (Bálint 10. Utu tüli)

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4 Once

7,

5 there lived

7'

6 a rich man called Oirats' Richman.

7'

7 That rich [man] had goods of nine elbows size,

7,

8 his livestock filled his land. [But] he did not have any sound of a crying child.

7 '

9 Thereafter the old man [sic!] went to the fate spirit.

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0 Arriving at his fate spirit, he said: - You have blessed us with such a lot of goods and livestock. Now, bless us with the sound of a crying child, please! - Thereupon the fate spirit said: - Although I could bless you with a child, but no son

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1 will stay [alive]; that is why I do not have anything to bless you with.

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2 - Thereupon the old man said: - If it is true that the Oirats' Richman will have a child, grant [him] the pleasure and bless [him] [with a child].

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3 72

7 Bálint üdn xorondun 7, cf. Kalm. iidn xörnd n

'. 72

8 Bálint Kündiikün maxala kebtä batelji xaya

! This expression needs further investigation. It refers supposedly to a kind of ball game; the heroes play by throwing the monster's body through the yurt's door (cf. below). Kündükün can be analysed probably as word stem künd(ü)k + -n (demonstrative particle). The meaning of the word kilndük is not clear. 72

9 A possible allusion to a certain ball game. 7,(

1 Bálint üdünädü, cf. Kalm. üdnäd"at the door" (double declension). 71 Bálint üdüntä lak kedküldd orkoba. Kalm üdnd tagged küldd okw. 73

2 The smashing and scattering of the bones prevent a living being's rebirth and reviving. This is a usual practice with the bones of the fox, considered to be a harmful creature and appears in heroic epics and folk tales as a motif of annihilation of enemies. Cf. Birtalan, Ágnes: A Survey of the Fox in Mongolian Folklore and Folk Belief. In: Der Fuchs in Kultur. Religion und Folklore Zentral- und Ostasiens. I. Ed. Walravens, Hartmut. Wiesbaden, Harrassowitz Verlag 2001. pp. 35-58: Birtalan. Ágnes: Ritualistic Use of Livestock Bones in the Mongolian Belief System and Customs. In: Altaica Budapestinensia MMII. Proceedings of the 45

:h Permanent International Conference Budapest. Hungary. June 23-28. 2002. Ed. Sárközi. Alice - Rákos, Attila. Budapest. Research Group for Altaic Studies HAS - Department of Inner Asian Studies, Eötvös Loránd University 2003. pp 34-62. 7,

3 The closing formula: säixen mende säinjiryäd bäibe, Kalm. säxn mend sän jiryäd bäw. 73

4 Manuscript pp. 82-88. 73

5 Bálint kezänä; the initial formula is shorter than in other tales of the Manuscript. 73

<' Bálint bäidek sänji bolna "there have lived". Bálint Űrdin bayin, Kalm. Ördln bayn. '

8 Bálint Yisen toxa tursu edtä. main 'i yazarär düriing sänji bolna. Kalm. Yisn toxä turs edtä. mal n

' yazrär düng sänj boln. Epic formula expressing the richness of the hero; however the epithet yisn toxä turs "nine elbows long" is somewhat unusual. 73

9 Typical formula in Kalmyk talcs. 741

1 Bálint zayäci, cf. the notes of the Third tale. 74

1 Bálint köbün küküd. Kalm. köwün kükd refers to the male children and not for both sexes, cf. köwün kükn "sons and daughters". ,4

2 Bálint zayadik min 7 ügä. Kalm. zayädg min

' ugä "1 do not have anything to bless you with". 74

3 Bálint Öirdln bayanyäsu köbün yarba gekü neren boltoya zayaton. Kalm. Ördln bayngäs köwün yanv gex nern boltxä zayätn! The lexeme nern "name" is ambiguous in the sentence; read probably nern (?) "in fact, in truth". 108