The artistic function of the hunting motif in Bashkir epic (based on “Ural-Batyr”, “Akbuzat”, “Zayatulyak and Khyuhylu”)

Abstract

   Hunting has always been an important craft in the life of our ancestors, as the quality of human nutrition, their lives and activities, depended on the skill and accuracy shown during the hunt. The ancient epic is the source that gives an idea of this craft in terms of its ideological, artistic and aesthetic perception. The varieties of its functions are found in different epics, depending on the period of their creation by the sesens-storytellers. Thus, in the archaic epic “Ural-Batyr” a more ancient form of hunting is represented, when, instead of tools and hunting tackle, the heroes used land predatory animals for amphibians and predatory fish for underwater animals. In the epic “Akbuzat”, the hunt takes on more distinct outlines, and the heroes use a flintlock. In “Zayatulyak and Khyukhylu”, this craft is perceived as a ritual of initiation and entertainment for young heroes. In all cases, it performs an important plot-forming, artistic and aesthetic function: the heroes find their personal happiness by marrying girls whom they met in the course of hunting.