Shurale — character of bashkir demonology

Abstract

The article is devoted to analysis of historical roots of origin one of spread character Bashkir demonology — shurale. In the article from critical positions the point of view of researchers from Tatarstan on a problem of origin this demonological character is considered. Chuvash, Udmurts, Kazakhs have similar characters to Shurale. As a research methodology, a typological comparative, integration approach was used. Attracting a wide range of folklore and ethnographic materials made it possible for author to prove that idea about this mythological character spread around whole Bashkir range. Besides the Tatars and Bashkirs, Shurale is also known among the peoples of the Pamirs and the neighboring Gindikush in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The author correlates the origin image of the shurale with Indo-Iranian substrate roots in traditional Bashkir culture. Ethnogonic legends and traditions are peculiar only to the peoples who have preserved the archaic culture of their ancestors.