OLONKHO
the Yakut Heroic Epos

(Detailed description as it was written in candidate application for the 3rd proclamation of masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of the humanity)

ROOTS OF THE PRESENTED OBJECT IN CULTURAL TRADITION

Olonkho is an epos of ancient origin. It traces its roots from the time when Yakut ancestry lived in the south in the vicinity of other Turk-Mongolian tribes in vast Eurasian steppes. The epos reflects various stages of the people's de velopment, from decay of tribal system to transition to class society, including accompanying religious and spiritual beliefs on the general heroic mytholog ical background. Yakut researchers I.V.Pukhov and G.U. Er-gis have come to conclusion that the epos was created at the time when Yakut ancestors still remembered their hostility to ancient Turks (i.e. 6 - 7th centu-ries). A famous archeologist A.P. Okladnikov presumed such a broad time range of the epos origin that it even preserved the memories of the Bronze Age. He wrote of the earlier times, "Cattle-breeders (1st millennium B.C.), horse nomads with their felt tents, "savage style", and big epic poems, led by rapacious militant aristocracy spread over Eurasian steppes and Altai".

The question of the most ancient beginnings of the epos is connected to the problem of the Yakut people origin, of their cultural, historic, and ethno-ge netic contacts. There is a popular opinion that the Yakuts came first to the middle basin of the Lena river and then spread over the Siberian northeast. This "resettlement" took place step-by-step for a long time. To the time when the Russians came to Lena river (late 1620s) the Yakuts that already were a mature nationality settled down the Middle Lena.

The components of the Yakut ethnic structure, their material and spiri-tual culture were formed by Turk, Mongolian, Tungus, and Paleoasian ele-ments, and from the 17th century - by Europeans (Russians).

This complex process has been reflected in Olonkho. It should be noted that "southern" ties are stronger than "northern" in Olonkho. We do not know when and where the Yakuts were connected by the common tribal and territo rial closeness with Altai-Sayan peoples. In the time immemorial, after that closeness was broken, the peoples no longer had any contacts due to long distances between them. Every people, including the Yakuts, went a long independent way that was reflected in formation and composition of their epos es.

However, these peoples still have something specifically common reflect ed in their epic heritage that could be formed only in extreme antiquity. The Buryats were the last people the Yakuts had some ties (or armed con-flicts) with before their arrival to the North.

The language of Altai-Sayan peoples is close to the Yakut. Vast epic ma terial of Altai-Sayan peoples show common typological details with the Yakut Olonkhos. Khakass, Shor, Altai, Tyva, and Buryat heroic eposes can be com pared with the Yakut epos to reveal their ancient commonness.

Folk poetry was genetically tied to magic ceremonies providing success in war times, in travels, and in common life. Hence Olonkho embraces univer sal belief in word's magic power. It can explain the combination of the roles of a singer, a shaman, and a hero warrior in Olonkho as well as in Turk-Mongolian eposes.

The principle of genealogical cyclization around the first hero warrior of the people who personifies its heroic self-consciousness is characteristic of these eposes. The epic biography of aiyy booturs in Olonkho, its main epi sodes (birth, childhood, matchmaking, hero's marriage, military crusades, peaceful life) are common motifs of these peoples' eposes.

Common are also the motifs of magic birth, giving the name, hero initia tion, hero's magic dream, struggle for a bride, matrimonial contest, characters of maiden warrior, fight of unrecognized brothers, magic immortality, miraculous healing etc., i.e. the elements of epic idealization of a folk heroes. Nevertheless, Olonkho content reflects the most ancient, archaic details of the Turk-Mongolian epos. For instance, major weapons of Olonkho charac ters are spear (palma), sometimes wooden, bow and arrows, hunting and cattle-breeding tools that are mainly made of iron (knives, hammers, palmas, lances, armours etc.). Mythical farriers forging iron weapons and armours for a hero master blacksmith's work. Even negative Olonkho characters - mythi cal abaahy monsters and their horses - are made of iron. The earth in Olonkho is considered common tribal property. In Olonkho there is the only one human tribe of aiyy aymaga ("God's kindred"). Cattle-breeding is a pre-vailing trade; the main and principal friend, helper and advisor of a hero is his horse. Olonkho deifies horses as chief assistant and helpmate.

The tribal society ideology is reflected in Olonkho describing family, matrimonial, and everyday relations. Marriage is purely exogamic, made in three ways: a) bride abduction, b) bargain between elders of the family, c) bride as a loot or prize of a winner in a combat. Olonkho depicts blood feud as a mark of "heroic times".

Patriarchal slavery is frequent (farmyard bondmade Siimekhsin Emeekh-sin, horse-herd boy Soruk Bollur). Also there are slaves taken as a loot.

In Olonkho exclusive is the divine pantheon connected to religious and mythological beliefs of ancient Yakuts. Deities of the Upper World rule fates of the humans of the Middle World living in peace and content with numerous good and kind spirits of itchchii that take part in people's lives and fortunes. Mythical are also evil ghosts and hostiles enemies inhabiting the Lower (an tagonistic) World. Olonkhos' myths reflect complex historic way passed by the Yakut people. They are connected with Mother Earth, hunting, cattle-breed ing, and tribal totems.

Ancient features of pagan cults, beliefs, and tribal ceremonies form the mythological background of the Yakut epos. Among these the most archaic are totem beliefs (physical kinship with animals of some kind), magic shaman ceremonies (fairy invulnerability, shaman initiations, magic killing and re-animation, enchanted transformations etc.).

Magic help is given to Olonkho heroes by a caste of divine udagan (women shamans) taught by ancient wizards. Women deities (Earth's God-dess Aan Alakhchyn Khotun, soul - kut - grantors to humans and cattle Ieyekhsyt and Aiyyhyt) and a caste of divine udagan (aiyy namysyn udagattar) are a reflec tion of matriarchy. Even more vivid traces of matriarchy are seen in abaahy characters. Abaahy warriors reflect mythological beliefs along with real inter relations of Yakuts with neighboring hostile tribes.

Thus, major content of Olonkho covers the period of decay of tribal system and gives materials for determining social relations of the time.

Olonkho is an amalgam of all the best poetry of ancient tribes possessed, it personified their dreams and expectations, world view, customs and traditions, be-liefs and superstitions. Olonkho retained everything imperishable and eter nal that fed spirits of our ancestors and is now nourishing their descendants.

Olonkho has absorbed inner structure and texture of Yakut oral folk art tradi-tion, from extensive elements of myths, legends, stories, fairy-tales, good wishes - algys to proverbs, sayings, omens, incantations and other paremio-logic genres. Olonkho is a kind of encyclopaedia of life and history, descrip tion various archaic cults, rites, religious beliefs and myths.

That is why so plentiful are artistic means of Olonkho performers; e.g. some P. Kolesov from Namskyi ulus had 45 independent texts in his reper toire.

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