Traditional Themes in the Epic Repertoire of Jangarchi Teltya Lidzhiev

Introduction. The article examines traditional themes in the epic repertoire of jangarchi Teltya Lidzhiev, a most talented and original jangarchi, and a performer of songs of the 20th-century prominent rhapsode Eelyan Ovla. Materials. The recordings of Kalmyk folklore made by associates of the Kalmyk Research Institute of Language, Literature and History (present-day KalmSC RAS) during field expeditions in the 1960s – 1990s contain one by the famous jangarchi Teltya Lidzhiev. The recording was made by N. Ts. Bitkeev during a folklore research trip across districts of Kalmykia in the summer of 1970. Goals. At present, thanks to the preserved records of the epic repertoire of jangarchi Teltya Lidzhiev, there is an opportunity to explore the late tradition of the Jangar which existed in the second half of the 20th century. Results. The epic repertoire of Teltya Lidzhiev who was representing Eelyan Ovla’s school consists of an introductory part, a prologue (Kalm. orshl) and ten songs. Teltya Lidzhiev undoubtedly possessed a formulaic language, traditional compositional techniques that ensured the consistency of his narration. The storyteller had carefully elaborated all the stages of each theme and adopted the technique of drawing up formulaic turns and the formulas themselves, as well as compositional ones, to acquire a certain structured basis to build his narrative on. Teltya Lidzhiev’s songs comprise traditional themes of epic narration, such as selection of a hero, saddling of a horse, munitioning of the hero, departure, adversities of the path, arrival in borderlands, entering of the palace, searches, heroic duel, capture and branding, healing of the hero, return, feast. The examination of Teltya Lidzhiev’s songs shows that the traditional epic themes were firmly preserved in the jangarchi’s memory. But at the same time, it should be noted that each performance is unique: a jangarchi constructs his epic text and chooses one or another way of retransmission, the speed of clustering poems during a performance prompted the use of certain traditional formulas but one would certainly build his narrative according to a definite plan of his own. Thus, jangarchi is both a bearer of the tradition and an individual singer.

1. Sources

2. Jangar: A Heroic Epic of the Kalmyks. Texts of 25 Epic Songs. A. Kichikov (comp.); G. Mikhaylov (ed.). Vol. 1. Moscow: Nauka, GRVL, 1978. 441 p. (In Kalm.)

3. Kalmyk Scientific Center of the RAS, Scientific Archives. Coll. 16. Cat. 1. Audio recordings of epic songs from Teltya Lidzhiev’s repertoire (Cassettes no. 97–98). (In Kalm.)

4. References

5. Basangova T. G. Storytelling of Kalmyks. Vestnik of North-Eastern Federal University. Series ‘Epic Studies’. 2018. No. 2 (10). Pp. 31–39. (In Russ.)

6. Bitkeev N. Ts. Poetic style of the jangarchi: ‘school’ of Eelyan Ovla. In: Epic Poetry of Mongolic Peoples. Studies of Epic Traditions. Elista, 1982. Pp. 95–105. (In Russ.)

7. Bitkeev N. Ts. The Jangarchi. Elista: Dzhangar, 2001. 448 p. (In Russ.)

8. Gatsak V. M. Epic rhapsode and his text. In: Textual Studies of Epic. Moscow: Nauka, 1971. Pp. 7–46. (In Russ.)

9. Grintser P. A. Stylistic development of a theme in the Sanskrit epic. In: Printed Epic Monuments. Style and Typological Features. Moscow: Nauka, GRVL, 1978. Pp. 16–48. (In Russ.)

10. Kichikov A. Sh. Heroic Epic of Jangar: A Comparative Typological Study of the Monument. Moscow: Nauka, Vostochnaya Literatura, 1992. 320 p. (In Russ.)

11. Lord A. B. The Taleteller. Moscow: Vostochnaya Literatura, 1994. 368 p. (In Russ.)

12. Mandzhieva B. B. Integrity of one “Dzhangar” epic song across time: the text of the ‘rhapsode teacher’ and that of his ‘rhapsode student’ revisited. The New Philological Bulletin. 2019. No. 51. Pp. 82–97. (In Russ.)

13. Mandzhieva B. B. Textology of the prologue to the “Dzhangar” epic: a comparative analysis of multi-temporal recordings from the dzhangarchis – Eelyan Ovla and Teltya Lidzhiev. The New Philological Bulletin. 2019. No. 49. Pp. 51–64. (In Russ.)

14. Mikhaylov G. I., Dzhambinova R. A. (eds.) History of Kalmyk Literature. In 2 vols. Vol. 1: Pre-October Period. Elista: Kalmyk Book Publ., 1981. 336 p. (In Russ.)

15. Onega Bylinas Recorded by A. F. Hilferding in the Summer of 1871. In 3 vols. Vol. 1. Moscow, Leningrad: USSR Academy of Sciences, 1949. 669 p. (In Russ.)

16. Parry M. Studies in the epic technique of oral verse-making. In: Parry M. Homer and Homeric Style. Harvard Studies in Classical Philology. 1930. Vol. 41. Pp. 80–84. (In Eng.)

17. Ukhov P. D. Russian bylinas: loci communes as a passportization means. In: Russian Folklore. Materials and Studies. Moscow, Leningrad: USSR Academy of Sciences, 1957. Vol. 2. Pp. 129–154. (In Russ.)