Platon Oyunsky’s Olonkho Nurgun Bootur the Swift and Tuvan Heroic Epics: Poetics Revisited

Abstract

Introduction. The article provides a comparative analysis of artistic expressiveness means inherent to the Yakut Olonkho and Tuvan epics. The point is that poetics of the epic work Nurgun Bootur the Swift by P. A. Oyunsky recreated on the basis of folk tales has actually remained understudied, and this paper fills the gap. Goals. The work — as part of Yakut folklore studies — makes the first attempt to consider poetics and the system of artistic techniques of the Olonkho Nurgun Bootur the Swift in comparison to Tuvan heroic epics. Methods. The study employs a comprehensive approach that includes comparative historical and typological research methods. Results. The comparative analysis concludes that P. Oyunsky’s Nurgun Bootur the Swift is based on the principles of traditional folk epic, and reveals parallels to Tuvan heroic narratives. Special attention is paid to the means of artistic expression — hyperbole and comparison. There are functional semantic dependence and structural unity indicating a typological similarity of the epic works examined. The vivid language of Tuvan epic narratives and that of P. Oyunsky’s Olonkho are explicitly characterized by elements observed in heroic epic proper, and the poetic analysis shows the Yakut text is distinguished by artistic completeness. So, P. Oyunsky revived the Yakut heroic epic, enriched its conceptual/thematic essentials — to strengthen the unique poetic form.

Keywords

• olonkho
• tuvan tales
• epic traditions
• artistic and visual means
• hyperbole
• comparison