The Motif of Curse in Bashkir Folklore
The article considers the motif of curse in the Bashkir folklore on the example of the mythological bait Sak-Suk, which is also widespread in the Tatar and Chuvash folklore. In the bait the narration goes about two children because of insignificant pranks maledicted by their mother or father in their anger. The curse has turned the children into birds that are not destined to meet each other and return home. One of the main motifs, which is most often found in variants of the bait is the mother's curse. According to our research we have revealed two types of maternal curse in the bait Sak-Suk: accidental and intentional. The accidental curse is pronounced by mother inadvertently, but the intentional one is strengthened by magical rituals and the time of its pronunciation. In some cases, there are lines about the protective power of mother's milk. According to legends of the Bashkir people, ‘breast milk with which mother fed her child soothes her curse. But the curse of the father has a very strong impact'. In the bait, the mother's milk does not soften her curse, because she pronounces it in the month of Ramadan, it only strengthens its irreversible spells and is fixed by divine powers. The deliberate curse is found in Chuvash versions of the bait. In these texts, mother or stepmother makes an act of cursing with the help of magical rituals. There are texts of the Bashkir bait, where both parents curse the children. The curse of parents overtakes themselves, as they cannot take back their words pronounced against their children. To date, the mythological plot of the bait Sak-Suk is the most vivid example of the use of a curse among folklore works of the Bashkir people.