Jibash Kainchin’s “Baaludañ Baalu” (The Most Valuable) Story in the Context of Folkloric History and Literature Relationship

Abstract

One of the most important sources that modern Altai literature draws upon is Altai folklore. During the formation and development of this literature, poets and writers frequently used various types of folklore. One of the most successful examples of adapting folk literature into modern literature is the story “Baaludañ Baalu” (The Most Valuable) by Jibash Kainchin. In this work, Kainchin takes a myth with several variants and presents it in a contemporary style, thus bringing it into modern literature. The motif of the severed head, which is the main motif of the myths that inspired Kainchin’s story, will help establish a connection between these myths and Turkish folklore. Therefore, this article examines the influence of folklore and folkloric history on modern Altai literature in the context of Kainchin’s Baaludañ Baalu story, while also evaluating the myths that inspired this story in the broader context of Turkish folklore. Researchers agree that myths related to the motif of the severed head were first encountered in Anatolia and the Balkans in the 11th century and that these myths were written down in the 14th century. The Altai myths related to the same motif, whose texts are provided in the article, date back to the second half of the 18th century. In that century, following the collapse of the Jungaria, three dominant powers (Russia, Mongolia, and China) struggled for control of the region. Although the situation was resolved with the Altai region’s annexation by Russia in 1756, the continuing wars and chaos contributed to the formation of mythological texts and folkloric history of that period. The essence of this article is formed by these myths and folkloric history, as well as Kainchin’s “Baaludañ Baalu” story, which used them as a source.

Ethical committee approval is not required for this research.

The author declares no conflicts of interest in this study.

This research received no external funding.