From the Literary Heritage of Turikic South-Siberia. Sor Folkloric and Shamanic Texts. Xayindirinmay Bayay-ol. A Tuvan Hero Tales. Translations, Introduction and Notes

Abstract

The autor re-propose in this monography the Sor texts collected by N.P. Dyrenkova between 1925 and 1932, and published by the same scholar in 1940. Given their great importance from both the folkloric/anthropological and religious perspective, and in view of the limited attention granted to them in South-Siberian Turkic studies in general, they are re-presented in this publication. The brief texts which are translated and annotated deal with the concept of the spirit masters of the mountains and rivers; they are etiological representations; they reflect the material culture such as hunting and fishing; tales relating to the history of the Sor people. They are also shamanic prayers, invocations and exorcisms.