Altaian Folklore Motifs about Shunu-Batyr
Introduction. The article analyzes folklore motifs of Altaian historical legends associated with the name of the famous historical figure - Shunu-Batyr. The study proves topical enough since texts of historical legends in the Altaian oral tradition tend to reflect actual historical events, and thus are of particular interest. Goals. The article aims to examine texts of Altaian legends about Shunu-Batyr from the perspective of folklore historicism manifested therein. Materials and methods. The paper deals with samples of oral narratives recorded at different times. The employed research methods include the comparative/historical and comparative/descriptive ones. Results. The work reveals that a characteristic feature of the considered legends is a fairly high degree of ‘historicity’ manifested both in the character proper that has a real historical prototype, and in plot episodes associated with certain historical events. The legends of Shunu-Batyr summarize a series of conflicts pertaining to a specific historical event - struggle for power in the Dzungar Khanate. Our analysis reveals that the historicity of Altaian legends proves reliable enough, though events of the past tend to be interpreted in oral texts through traditional views and representations inherent to Altaian folklore.