On the characteristics of the Heroic Bow in Epic Tales

Abstract

The epic heritage of the Altai people reflects the historical and cultural realities in the context of the legends of the Turkic-Mongolian peoples. The article analyzes the Altai legends, which present the role of the heroic bow as the most common type of remote combat weapons. In archaic cultures, the problem of epic reflection of historical realities is interpreted through artistic development, giving them scale and hyperbolization. The purpose of this work is to clarify the utilitarian functions and magical and mythological characteristics of the Bogatyr bow in the Altai epic. This goal requires the identification of mechanisms that ensure the vital activity of the folklore tradition, the mechanism of selection, preservation and decoding of certain fragments from the plots of legends. To solve the tasks set, the combination of traditional methods of epic research with the involvement of an interdisciplinary approach becomes important. The systematic approach used in the development of this issue served as the methodological basis of the work. It involves conducting research in several aspects: studying the connections that determined the system — forming foundations of the phenomenon; functional analysis — identifying the mechanisms of vital activity, in particular, in interaction: with historical and archaeological facts — a study of the evolution of the constituent elements of epic creativity ideological ideas about heroic equipment. When working on the article, the author relied on the methodology of comparative and interdisciplinary studies of famous archaeologists, ethnographers and folklorists — Y. S. Khudyakov, V. V. Kubarev, V. I. Soenov, L. P. Potapov, S. S. Surazakov, etc. The relevance of the article is determined by the fact that the onion plays an important role in modern national culture as one of the revered artifacts. In this regard, it is necessary to clarify its characteristics and role in the epic repertoire. The Altai epic is based on ideological aspects with the preservation of the historical and ethnographic factology of the historical existence of the people at different stages. At the same time, the system of the ethno-epic complex of the Altai people includes the concept of sacralization of heroic attributes, including, military equipment, as gifts of the deities. It is important that the respectful attitude towards the bow as a sacred artifact remains to this day.