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Ural-batyr or Oral-batır (, pronounced , from Ural Mountains + Turkic language Baghatur 'hero, brave man') is the most famous kubair (epic poetry) of the Bashkirs. It is a telling of heroic deeds and legendary creatures, the formation of natural phenomena, and so on.
The epic was transmitted orally from generation to generation by storytellers – sėsėns. In 1910, Mukhamedsha Burangulov recorded an epic from two kuraist ('musician') and sesens ('poet'), Gabit Argynbaev (≈ 1850–1921) from the аul ('village') of Idris and Khamit Almukhametov (1861–1923) from the village of Malyi Itkul (volost Itkulskaya of the Orenburg province). Researchers believe that M. Burangulov came to sesens more than once, wrote down the epic in parts. Researchers found that both storytellers came from the Burzyan clan. Both sesen knew well the area around the Shulgan-Tash Cave and Lakes Shulgankul, Yylkysykkankul (they are described in the epic). Gabit-sesen's grandfather Argynbay moved from the highlands of Burzyan to the steppe region. Both sesen were in kinship.
There are known other versions of the epic. A fairy tale of the same name in prose was recorded in 1956 by Ismagil Rakhmatullin in the village of Imangul in the Uchalinsky district of Bashkorostan by researcher Akhnaf Kharisov (published by him in the same year). The version, conventionally referred to as an "etiological myth", was recorded in 1984 from Shamsia Safargalina in the village of Gabbas, Zianchurinsky district of Bashkortostan.
In 1968, the epic "Ural-Batyr" was published in the Bashkir language in the journal "Agidel" in 1968 with abbreviations (prepared by B. Bikbai and A. Kharisov). In 1972, the first full publication in the Bashkir language took place — in the first volume of the book series Bashkir Folk Oeuvre.
In 1975, it was published in the first volume of the collection Heroic Epic of the Peoples of the USSR in the series Library of World Literature (translation by A. Kh. Khakimov, I. S. Kychakov, A. S. Mirbadalev), and also in the series The Epos of the Peoples of the USSR (per. A. Kh. Khakimov, N. V. Kidysh-Pokrovskaya, A. S. Mirbadalev) in abbreviated form.
For the first time, the profound originality of the epic "Ural-Batyr" was announced in the works of A. A. Petrosyan. She was the first of the researchers to discover a plot similarity between the Bashkir epic and the Sumerian-Akkadian epic about Gilgamesh. But she came to the conclusion that there are deep differences in the ideological and artistic concepts of these works:
The philosopher Damir Valeyev considered the epos "a source for studying the history of social consciousness and social thought of the Bashkirs".
There are several translations of the epic into Russian, both interlinear and poetic. Translations into Russian were made by several writers and poets. The prose arrangement of the epic was performed by the writer Aidar Khusainov; the poetic translation into Russian was done by the poet Gazim Shafikov.
In 2003, a gift edition of the epos was published in Ufa in three languages (Bashkir original, Russian translation by G. G. Shafikov and English translation by S. G. Shafikov). In 2006, "Ural-Batyr" was published in German, translated by the doctor of philology Aliya Taysina (Germany). Ural-Batir: Das baschkirische Volksepos in der Übersetzung von Alia Taissina mit Illustrationen von Rais Khalilov. Taschenbuch: 108 Seiten, Auflage: 1, Sprache: Deutsch, , )
The epos "Ural-Batyr" has also been translated into other world languages, such as Abkhaz language, Hebrew language, Turkish language, Chuvash language, and French language.
In 2007, the original text of the Ural-Batyr was first published Шакурова Ш. Р. «Башкирский народный эпос «Урал-Батыр». Архивный первоисточник и его текстологический анализ. Уфа: Гилем, 2007.
In 2013, the Ural-Batyr was published in three books, in Bashkir and Russian (translation by A. Kh. Khakimov), in Bashkir and French (translation by R. K. Garipov), in English and Bashkir (translation by Z. A. Rakhimova) languages.
All previous publications of the epic contained distortions. The reasons for the uncritical publication of the epic lie in the Soviet practice of distorting monuments of folk art, in the persecution of Bashkir scholars (Mukhametsha Burangulov was twice arrested and was in prison). The manuscript of the epic is lost.
The decisions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party on the Bashkir party organization banned a number of folklore monuments. However, despite the persecution of folklore collectors, the epic survived. After his returning from prison M. Burangulov fought for the right to be creative and defended the works of Bashkir folklore.
The original in a typewritten copy in Latin script (verses with prosaic inserts) with several handwritten corrections (probably by M. Burangulov himself) is stored in the Scientific Archive of the Ufa Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Scientists continue to study the epic "Ural-Batyr" in-depth at the intersection of archeology, ethnography, linguistic folkloristics. Along with folklorists, the Bashkir archaeologists, linguists, philosophers, and ethnographers also studied the epic "Ural-Batyr" (G.B. Khusainov, D.Zh. Valeev, Z.Ya. Rakhmatullina, A. Kh. Davletkulov, Z.G. Aminev, F. B. Sanyarov, G. Kh. Bukharova, V. G. Kotov).
In 2011, the bibliographic index "Bashkir National Cubair (Epic) 'Ural-Batyr'" was released, which presents a list of materials reflecting the results of a comprehensive study of the epic (publications from the publication of its text in a journal version in 1968 to our time).
In Bashkortostan, much is being done to popularize the epic. The performance Ural-Batyr was staged at the Bashkir Academic Drama Theater named after M. Gafuri, the popular science film In Search of Akbuzat was created, and the tourist project "The Golden Ring of Bashkortostan: the roads of the epic 'Ural-Batyr'" was developed. Every year, a contest is held for the best reciters of the epic in Bashkir and other languages. Performances based on the epic are included in the repertoire of the Bashkir State Puppet Theater (in Bashkir and Russian).
In 2010, by order of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the director and screenwriter A. Lukichev shot the animated film Ural-Batyr based on the Bashkir epic (14.01 min., Moscow).
The epic "Ural-Batyr" is one of the Seven Wonders of Bashkortostan. The epic is included in the TURKSOY List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Ural and Shulgen personify two opposing principles – good and evil – which lead an irreconcilable struggle between themselves. Before going hunting, both parents drink the blood of animals, which gives them strength. They forbid the children to do so until they become yigits (adults).
Yanberdi and Yanbeke return from hunting. Ural finds out that there is Death. But in these places Death does not appear. There is no power that can kill a person.
Yanbirde is terribly angry with his sons when he learns that one of them had tasted blood.
Ural delivers a speech in front of animals and birds. He offers to stop offending the weak and to stop eating each other's meat. Then Death will remain alone and it can be destroyed. The crow is not afraid of Death. It offers the weak themselves to hide in a safe place.
But the old man and his sons do not know the way to the Living Spring. Yanberdi gives his sons powerful lions and sends them to look for the way to the Living Spring. If they meet Death on the way, they must cut off its head and bring her home. (There are many mineral springs, water, in the Urals.)
In the legend there is no scene of the struggle of Ural with the Padishah Katil. Ural fights one on one with its huge bull, and then with the four strongest heroes of the padishah.
In a duel with a bull, Ural bends its horns, and they remain forever bent; the hero knocks out the upper tooth of the bull, and it will never grow back; he tears the hooves of the animal, and they never grow together (an etiological motive). The hero says that now the bull and his tribe will become slaves of man.
Katil and his guard scatter in an unknown direction. The people ask Ural to marry the daughter of Katil and become their padishah.
Schulgen opens his heart to evil and meets Zarkum
Schulgen meets the handsome young man again. But it is Zarkum, who ran away from Ural Batyr. He tricks Shulgen into going into the kingdom of Azraka, the king of divas and fantastic giants.
Zarkum agrees with Azraka secretly from Shulgen on how to kill Ural. To do this, the winged horse Akbuzat must be captured. The divas who try to bring Akbuzat to Azraka's palace are thrown by the horse high into the sky, creating the constellation Yetegan (the Big Dipper). If the daughter of the king of birds, Samrau, falls in love with Shulgen, then she will give him Akbuzat and a magic sword. The divas need them to destroy Ural, the worst enemy of the divas.
Ural falls in love with Homay and finds the bird
Homay joyfully meets Ural. Ural-Batyr does not recognize her. He asks to show him the way to the Living Spring. Homay asks to find an unusual bird, promising to give him the horse Akbuzat and a magic sword.
Ural goes in search of the unusual bird and finds it. She turns into a fish, then a bird, then a girl. This is Aihylu. She tells her story, promising the hero her horse Harisay (Yellow). Ural brings Aihilu to the palace of her father, King Samrau. Samrau sends Aihylu to her mother Ai (Moon, Selene) so that the divas do not find her.
Ural-Batyr recognizes the swan saved by him in the mistress of the palace. He asks Homay to fulfill his promise. Homay goes to his father. Padishah Samrau allows his daughter to give Ural the horse Akbuzat and the damask sword. He wants to marry Ural to his daughter Homay. She must give birth to a hero like the Urals. Samrau asks to release Schulgen on the occasion of the wedding of Ural and Homay.
Homay and Aihylu are endowed with the properties of peri – traditional female images in Turkic mythology.
Ural entrusts his magic staff to Shulgen
Shulgen asks Ural to give him the magic staff, then striking the staff on the ground, disappears. Water pours from the bowls and floods everything around. Zarkum turns into a huge fish and swallows Homay. The sun (Homay's mother) ceases to shine without Homay. Akbuzat blocks the way to a turbulent stream, Zarkum releases Homay from his mouth. Ural-Batyr learns that his brother has become an enemy. The sun is shining again because Homay is saved.
From all sides divas attack the earth. There is water all around and the sky is completely aflame. Ural says goodbye to Homay, jumps on Akbuzat, picks up his magic sword and goes to war with the padishah of divas to save life on earth.
Ural-Batyr fights for a long time with the padishah of divas, Azraka. The faithful horse Akbuzat repeatedly saves the hero during the battle. Ural-Batyr strikes with a damask sword and cuts Azraka in two. Azraka screams and his body falls into the sea. At this point Mount Yaman-tau (the Terrible Mountain) grows. Where Ural rides, the water recedes, and a mountain rises. People who miraculously escaped during the flood begin to settle here.
Young men call the names of their mothers. Ural-Batyr hugs his sons: Nugush (Gulistan's son), Yaik (son of the daughter of Katil), and Idel (son of Homay). With them was the son of Shulgen and Aihylu: Hakmar. The sons tell Ural how they learned about their father. Nugush destroys Zarkum himself, the son of the serpent king. Aihylu sends her son (riding on the horse Harysay) along with Idel. Ural is glad that he had assistants in the fight against Death and Evil.
Shulgen leads the army of divas and snakes. He has Kahkaha's magic staff in his hand. But Ural-Batyr dodges, hits the staff with a damask sword; the staff explodes and the magic sea immediately disappears. The divas hide in fright. Ural-Batyr seizes Shulgen and binds him. Hakmar (Shulgen's son) wants to chop off Shulgen’s head, but the Urals do not allow him to.
Everyone rejoices in victory. The Ural-Batyr invites everyone to defeat Death, collecting water from the Living Spring and distributing it. But an old man appears who had drunk water from the Living Spring and is forced to live forever. He is suffering greatly. The old man says that people do not need to drink living water; only Good can be eternal.
The great meaning of life is revealed to Ural. With one mighty sip of water he collects water from the Living Spring and does not drink it, but irrigates lifeless land. Suddenly everything turns green and flowers bloom. "May our land shine, may our country be worthy of love," says Ural-Batyr.
"Do not shun Good, do not give in to Evil!" says Ural-Batyr and dies. At that moment, a star fell from the sky and Homay learns that her husband is no longer alive. She flies in the image of a swan to say goodbye to her beloved. Homay decides not to take off her bird outfit anymore; she promises to lay an egg every year, which will become a white bird.
Katil led his herd to the Urals and submitted to people. Akbuzat leads herds of horses. And a glow appears on the grave of Ural-Batyr – the hero's ashes turn to gold. Since then, gold has appeared in the Urals.
The hero died, but with him, divas, snakes and monsters died. A good deed committed by Ural-Batyr is immortal.
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Text of the Epic:
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