Тувинские сказания о Джангаре и Хонгоре: обзор источников и исследований

Introduction. The Oirat epic landscape is defined by the Jangar and Gesar epics. Alongside these, cycles of tales, individual legends, and stories about Jangar and Khongor have also been documented among the Turko-Mongolic peoples of Siberia. Goals. The article aims to provide an overview of sources and a study into Tuvan epic materials featuring Jangar and Khongor. The study draws upon specific examples of tales and epic narratives about Jangar and Khongor recorded among the Tuvan people. Results. Records, data, research, and analysis of Tuvan folklore narratives dealing with Jangar and Khongor indicate that short, individual tales about these heroes had circulated among the population. Furthermore, there is a precise date for the recording of the Tale of Natsyn-Kogen Kongar, the earliest documented Tuvan version of the Jangar-and-Khongor story: it was recorded by N. F. Katanov on 8 August 1889, though it was not introduced into scholarly discourse until 2011. A second example have enjoyed greater popularity: the Tale of Khan Bogdo Changar was recorded in 1957 by the researcher D. S. Kuular from the storyteller Bayan Uzunovich Balbyr to be translated into Russian and published by the former. S. Badraa subsequently translated it from Russian into Mongolian, and it was published by U. Zagdsuren in the journal Aman Zokhiol Sudlal (‘Folklore Studies’). This Mongolian translation would later be transliterated into the traditional Mongolian script (‘khudam bichig’) and published in 2010 in Hohhot, China. Regarding the third specimen, Khongor Maadyr there is unfortunately only a mention by D. S. Kuular, who wrote of its existence; it evidently also belongs to the Jangar cycle and requires introduction into scholarly discourse and further study.