About Some Plot Types of Xinjiang Khoshut Magic Tales

Abstract

The classification and systematization of some magic tales of the Khoshuts of the Xinjiang-Uigur Autonomous Region of China for the first time is presented on the basis of the Aarne-Thompson-Uther catalog and the “Comparative Index of Plots: East Slavic Tales”. In the “Comparative Index of Plots” the names of thematic sections from the Aarne-Thompson catalog and numbering are stored. For plots that do not have parallels in the Catalog, the authors introduced new numbers. The material for the study was the texts of Khoshut fairy tales published in the Collection of Folklore Works of Khoshut County on the Oirat script “Todo Bichig”. For comparison, the texts of Kalmyk tales published in the collections “Kalmyk Tales”, “Tales of Sanji Butaev” and “Keeper of the Wisdom of People’s Shan Boktaev”, as well as personal field materials of the authors were used. Comparison of fairy tale plots with indicators contributed to the classification and systematization of certain plot types of Xinjiang Khoshut magic tales: “A wonderful spouse (spouse or other relative)” (400-459), “A wonderful task” (460-499), “A wonderful assistant” (500-559), “A wonderful item” (560-649). It is noted that the similarity of plots with Kalmyk tales indicates a single national folklore fund. As a result of the analysis, interpretations and differentiating elements of some plots of Xinjiang Khoshut magic tales related to their local tradition were established.

Keywords

• khoshuts
• oirats
• kalmyks
• xinjiang
• oirat script “todo bichig”
• fairy tales
• plots
• systematization
• index