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

On the edge of the Yellow ridge the grey goose

,7 , birds gather. Let the ten young men who rode away as chosen ones come back without any trouble. An ash-cloud appeared, it became the sign of winter. Let the ten men who rode away as companions come back here in health and vigour. The rib [shaped] moon appeared, it became the mark of spring. Let the ten men who rode away together come back home in health and vigour. Ninth song

37

4 On the back of my fair isabelcolored racer

3 3 I have grown up; In the arms of my good-natured

3 6 mother I have grown up. At a racing horse the bit and the reins are the support; In the feeble young age (youth) the mother and the father are the support. At horse fastened for resting's sake the cord and the string are the support; In the jestful

3 7 young age (youth) the mother and the father are the support. The support of a small house (or tent) is the mass of movables and the sofa;

3 v In the age of childhood the support are the parents. The support of a large house (tent) are the laths of roof and the lattice wall;

3 '' In the feeble youth the parents are the support. 37

3 Bálint sangsaba. Kalm. sangsim (galün), sangsimag (galfm

) "irgendeine Gänseart, viell. Graugans" (R. 349), sangsm "seryj (dikij) gus'

" (Mun. 665). 37

4 Manuscript p. 23, Song Nr. 5. in Grammar pp. 194-195. 37

5 Bálint's note in the wordlist added to the present song: "an ambling horse" (Grammar p. 194). 37

6 Bálint öbör dérn 7, Grammar-text öbör déren 7, Kalm. öwr dér n ' lit. "on the breast". 37

7 Bálint ali, Bálint's note in the Grammar "all pron. at a 'jesting, joking, playful" " (p. 195). 37

8 Bálint, Grammar-text barän bakas "barän bags" Bálint added a longer note to explain the ethnographical background of the song: "The reason for the contrast between a bagha ger (a small tent) and an ike ger (a large tent) is that a poor Mongolian has all his goods, consisting of chests, boxes, bags (all these called barän) and sofa or couche, in the same small tent where he lodges too; while a rich Mongolian has separate tent for lodging and a separate one for his stores." (Grammar p. 194). Grammar-text bakas "the head part of a sofa" (Grammar p 195). On barän as a folklore motif cf. Fourth tale. 37

9 Bálint termen, Grammar-text termän. read Kalm term + n ' (demonstrative particle). 62