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)

Literary Transformations of Olonkho. Translations of Olonkho into the Various Languages of the World

It is worth nothing that the Yakut writers of elder generations were very re spectful to the epic heritage of the nation. Since childhood they were inspired by performances of talented Olonkhohuts and grew up in the epic environment so they were familiar with Olonkho plots and content.

Literature transformation of olonkho began with poetic reproduction of "Nurgun Bootur the Impetuous" popular epic by P.A. Oyunskyi.

Platon Alexeevich Oiunskyi knew Olonkho since he was a child and heard it from prominent Olonkho performers of his time I. Vinokurov-Tabakhyrov, N. Malginov-Keltehe uola, T. Zakharov-Chebij and others. Oiunskyi - the future writer and scholar, while a schoolboy, performed Olonkho. Afterwards he acquainted himself with all published Olonkhos. In 1920-1930 P. A. Oiun skyi, a gifted poet and adept in national epos creatively and masterly reconstructed Olonkho "Djuluruyar Nurgun Bootur" ("Nurgun Bootur the Impetu ous"), consisting of nine songs and 35 thousand lines, using the versions he knew. The first three songs were published in 1930-1931. This monumental work preserves the spirit and style of the national epos. The central character - the warrior Nurgun, defender of his people and all the ill fated, and other characters of Olonkho convey the principal ideals of Olonkho and its complex plot. The person with talents of a narrator, poet and researcher perfects the poetic language of Olonkho. "Djuluruyar Nurgun Bootur" by P.A. Oiunskyi is not just an edited text of Olonkho and collection of existing Olonkho records, but it is a creative reconstruction of one of the best epic poems, which he had heard from many narrators. Olonkho by P.A. Oiunskyi may be considered both as epos, as it preserves the features of the epos content and form and as literary work, as the poet refines its language.

The complete text of P.A. Oiunskyi's Olonkho "Nurgun Bootur the Impet uous" which was published in the seven-volume edition, prepared by the literary critic G.G. Okorokov (P.A. Oiunskyi. Aiymnyylar. 7 vol. -Yakutsk, 1958- 1962). In connection with the 120 th anniversary of P.A. Oiunskyi Olonkho is published in a separate book, prepared by the scientists of the Institute of Humanties S.P. Oiunskaya and P.N. Dmitriyev. 1

The poet V.M. Novikov-Kyunnyuk Urastyrov reproduced Olonkho "Toyon Dyagaryma", the plot of which, as the author admits, was borrowed from the famous Central Yakutia Olonkhohut T.V. Zakharov-Chebij. The poet published his "Toyon Dyagaryma" in 1941 and 1959. 2 Poetical translation of Olonkho was made by the poet A.Romanov and published in Novosibirsk (Moguchii Dyagaryma: Yakutskyi geroicheskyi epos - Olonkho/ Per. A.Romanova. - M., 1990.-270 s.; The same - Novosibirsk , 1984.-415 s.; Yakutsk , 1983.-407 s.).

Olonkhohut-writer Erilik Eristiin during the short period from 1938 till 1940 (he was blind by that time) had dictated four Olonkhos: "Buura Dokh- sun" (19000 verse lines), "Aiyy Dyosyol" (11800 verse lines), "Kharalan Mokhsogol (406 pages), "Warrior Talyy Talba" (extract). These texts are kept in the Archives of the Yakut Scientific Center of the Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Afterwards, the poet I.E. Fedoseyev-Dooso and the literary critic N.N. Toburokov, basing on these texts, prepared Olonkho "Buura Dokhsun" for publication and published it as a separate book.

The famous poet S.S. Vasiliev-Borogonskyi was successful in adapting Olonkhos for children. He is the author of the wonderful texts "Erchimen Bergen", "Kyun Erili", "Yuelen Khardaachy", and "Aiyy Dyuragastai", pub lished several times and translated into Russian. Thanks to the talent of this poet, Yakut children were introduced into the Yakut epic folklore. In the past seven years, the republic held the festival "I am from Olonkho Land", where the young artists perform Olonkhos, including texts by S.S. Vasiliev. Thus, the poet's talent supports preservation of the narrating tradition, its spiritual and moral values. 3

The Yakut heroic epos Olonkho has attracted the attention of researchers long time ago. Thus, 160 years ago, in 1844 during his travel from Yakutsk to the coast of the Okhotsk Sea, the head of the Polar expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences Academician A.F. Middendorf paid his attention to sing ing of an unknown Olonkho performer and improviser. He wrote down the beginning of Olonkho "Eriedel Bergen" in the Latin alphabet in the language of the original (in the Yakut language) on site, and then he gave the summary of Olonkho in Russian. After his return to Saint Petersburg, A. Middendorf published Olonkho in his work "Puteshestviye na Sever i Vostok Sibiri" ("Trip to Northern and Eastern Siberia") (1878), later Olonkho was included in the collection "Obraztsy narodnoi literatury yakutov" ("Samples of the Yakut Folk Literature") under E.K. Pekarsky's edition (1911).

Academician O. Böhtlingk, studying the expedition materials, collected and handed over to him by A.F. Middendorf became interested in the Yakut language. He created the first grammar book of the Yakut language. For the first time the Yakut texts of his book "About the language of the Yakuts", including one Olonkho, on the basis of the new alphabet were published. Na tive of Yakutia Aphanasyi Yakovlevich Uvarovsky prepared the text of Olonkho "Ereideekh- Buruidaakh Er-Sogotokh" for him and O. Böhtlingk made the word-for-word translation of Olonkho into the German language. Thus, for the first time the most complete text of Olonkho was published in the Yakut language in 1851 with the word-for-word translation into the German lan guage in the Materials of the expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences, conducted by A.F. Middendorf.

The first expedition organized by the Siberian branch of the Russian Geo graphical Society was the expedition to the Viluiskyi district of Yakutia (1854- 1855). The traveler collected an enormous unique geographical, geological, meteorological and ethnographic material, however the material on the traditional oral literature of the Yakuts turned out to be rather modest. The results of the expedition were published in the three-volume work "The Viluiskyi Region of Yakutia" (1887) in Saint Petersburg. In the work only three small chapters on the oral literature of the Yakuts and two small-sized and rather satisfactory records of the two Olonkhos "Kenchul Beghe" and "Olonkholoon Oburgu", being the retelling of the incomplete plots of Olonkho translated into Russian are given.

The first Olonkho translated into Russian transmitting the more complete and true notion of the Yakut Olonkho is Olonkho by N.S. Gorokhov "Yuryung Uolan" (the Yakut fairy tale) (Izvestia VSORGO 1884). The author of the publi cation writes: "I have chosen this fairy tale 1) because it seems to me more typical among all the other Yakut fairy tales 2) because, undoubtedly, it is the most popular among the Yakuts, so to speak, the most polished, almost unique one that more or less good storyteller knows and tells almost in the same way as others do, whereas other uncountable fairy tales are severely muddled and mixed up 3) I have chosen this fairy tale because 17 years ago I wrote down it from the words of the remarkably talented and bright storyteller, moreover, I have heard this fairy tale several times and it was engraved in my memory".

N.S. Gorokhov was a good connoisseur of the folklore, the disciple of Ivan Aleksandrovich Khudyakov, exiled in Verkhoyansk from 1867 to 1875. He helped I.A. Khudyakov in his research work, taught him the Yakut language, and helped in collecting, explanation and processing of the folklore material. Later, N.S. Gorokhov became a well-known ethnographer. The above-mentioned allows us to conclude that Olonkho was written down from the words of the remarkable storyteller for the first time in 1867, and probably on I.A. Khudyakov's assignment.

I.A. Khudyakov fixed and translated into Russian four Olonkho texts in cluding one big Olonkho "Khaan Jargystai", narrating about the heroic deeds of three generations of the warriors (farther, son and grandson). In the fifth section of «The Fairy Tale» of "Verkhoyanskyi Sbornik" ("Verkhoyansk Col lection"), retelling of three Olonkhos: «Bert Khara", "The Old Woman and the Old Man", "Bahymnilaan Baatyr" were published, the latter one without a Yakut text. Khudyakov's work "Verkhoyanskyi Sbornik: Yakutskie skazki, pesni, zagadki i poslovitsy" was published in Irkutsk (1890). The work was noticed and appreciated by the scientific community.

Another political exile Sergey Vasilievich Yastremsky, the active partici pant in Sibiryakov's expedition of 1894-1896, was fruitful in translating the Yakut Olonkho into Russian was very fruitful. He wrote down and translated into Russian five Yakut Olonkhos, published in 1929 in Leningrad in "Samples of the Yakut Folk Literature". According to the author, the expert of the oral literature of the Yakuts A.P. Afanasev rendered great assistance in this work. The section "Bylinas (Olonkho) of "Samples of the Yakut Folk Litera ture" included Olonkhos: "Er Sogotokh" ("The Lonely Man"), "Voronym konyom vladeyushchyi, v oborotnichestve iskusivshiisya Kulun Kullustuur" ("Kulun Kullustuur, the Owning a Black Horse and the Master of Werewolf Craft"), "Groznyi Razyashchii" ("Stern and Striking") and the translation of the two Olonkhos "Bessmertnyi Vityaz" ("Immortal Warrior") and "Shaman- ki Uolumar and Aigyr" ("Shaman Women Uolumar and Aigyr").

The first translations of the Yakut Olonkho into Russian by N.S. Gor- okhov, I.A. Khudyakov, and S.V. Yastremsky reflect the nature and spirit of the original.

The translation of Olonkho by A. Ya. Uvarovsky "Ereidekh-buruidaakh Er Sogotokh" ("The Lonely Man") into English was made by associate professor of Medical College of Arizona University Douglas Linds and was published by Arizona University (1971). M.B. Sidorova in her graduation thesis men tions the translation: "... it was the first attempt to transmit the national origi nality and color of the Yakut Olonkho into the language of the American cul ture, and, so to speak, it was a success" (M.B. Sidorova, "Sposoby dostizheniya ekvivalentnosti pri perevode yakutskogo Olonkho "Er Sogotokh" na angli-iskyi yazyk. - Diplomnaya rabota, 1998, P. 49).

Olonkho "Nurgun Bootur the Impetuous" by P.A. Oiunskyi was translated into Slovak language from the Russian Olonkho edition in Yugoslavia (1984) by Milos Krno, illustrated by Miroslav Kipara.

The translation of Olonkho "Stroptivyi Kulun Kulustuur" ("Obstinate Ku-lun Kulustuur") by I.G. Teploukhov-Timofeev (G.U. Ergis, A.A. Popov and I.V. Pukhov) acquainted the Russian-speaking readers with the Yakut epos (1985).

In 1987, the translator of the Japanese broadcasting corporation "NHK" Îgava Masakuni started translation of Olonkho "Nurgun Bootur the Impetu ous" by P.A. Oiunskyi into Japanese language.

French researcher Jacque Karro translated Olonkho by K.G. Orosin "Nur gun Bootur the Impetuous" written down by E.K. Pekarsky and translated into Russian by G.U.Ergis. In 1990 in Paris Olonkho by K.G. Orosin in Jacque Karro's translation, based on the Russian translation and G.U. Ergis's commentaries was published as a separate book in French, titled "Siberian Legends: The Yakut Heavenly Warrior Nurgun" in 1000 copies. The book was illustrated with the unique photos of A.I. Vinokurov, J. Karro, and the artist T.A. Stepanov.

In 1992, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of P.A. Oiunskyi the first song of Olonkho by P.A. Oiunskyi "Nurgun Bootur the Impetuous" was translated into English by R.Yu. Skrybykin ("Vestnik Respublikanskogo Kolledzha" ¹ 1, seriya «Philologiya», 1995).

In 1994 the Publishing House "Gallimare" published the book, titled "Heav enly Warriors of the Yakut Land (Sakha)" in French, the book included three works by the Yakut authors: "Ellei Bootur" by G.V. Ksenofontov, "Uluu Kudangsa" by P.A. Oiunskyi and Olonkho by K.G. Orosin "Nurgun Bootur the Impetuous".

Olonkho "Nurgun Bootur the Impetuous" by P.A. Oiunskyi was translated into the Even language by the poet Dmitry Vasilievich Krivoshapkin-Nimkalan. It was published by the Publishing House "Bichik" in parts (1996,2000,2003).

Thus, the most widespread patrimonial Yakut Olonkhos such as "Yuryung Uolan" (Bright Young Warrior), "Er-Sogotokh" (The Lonely Man), "Jullu- ruiaar Nurgun Bootur" (Nurgun Warrior the Impetuous), "Kulun Kullustuur" (Obstinate Kulun Kullustuur) and others were translated into Russian and oth er languages. This proves a great interest in the Yakut epos.

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