Artistic Metal in the Context of Epic Tales of the Buryats: The Concept of ‘Silver’

The article is devoted to the study of the multilevel structure of the concept of ‘silver’ based on the materials of Buryat epic tales. The complex method expands the boundaries of the problem field of art studies in the area of traditional art, posing and solving issues from a new perspective. Materials from related sciences were used for comparative analysis. In the artistic practice of the Buryats, the basic colours are white and black, which form the universal foundation of the colour picture of the world. The heroic epic Geser is one of the most important sources of the mythopoeic code of folk culture. The white — black opposition forms the plot of epic tales as the personification of the struggle between Good and Evil. The robes and attributes of the positive and negative characters are symbolically contrasted through iconic materials — ‘white silver’ and ‘black iron’. The concepts of ‘luminosity’ and ‘radiance’ are analogous to the category of Beauty and the characteristics of a precious metal. The article notes the frequency of the use of the epithets ‘silver’ and ‘white-silver’ in the descriptions of nature, palaces, furnishing, and household items, and studies the figurative, plastic, and technological properties of the metal used. The storyline of the epic is interpreted in the context of a symbolic reflection of the history of metalwork by Buryat blacksmiths, who mastered ferrous iron from ancient times, and later — precious metals. The concept of ‘silver’ is a key one in the national culture of the Buryats: it accumulates ideas about artistic metal with unique technical characteristics, colour and light, sound; it embodies nobility and health and expresses ethical and aesthetic categories.