Article

Name: The image of an arrow in the Shor heroic epics

Authors: Arbachakova Lyubov Nikitovna

Institute of Philology of the Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation

In the section Study of folklore

Abstract: The paper considers the basic functions of an arrow in Shor heroic legends. As shown by our observations, arrows can be possessed, besides the Alyps of the Middle World, by the heavenly deities Chaiachy, who shoot them to help the Alyp of the Middle World out of trouble or to test the powers of his heroic steed’s endurance during his participation in the equestrian races. The arrow in the Shor epic, in addition to its primary function of hitting the opponents and their horses, is involved in equestrian competitions and heroic battles. The arrow serves as a talisman that holds heroic birth-seed of nine generations, in everyday life it can be used by a warrior-alyp as a hitching post, it is able to yield the spell of his master-warrior. Shor people took care of their arrows, because arrows were of great use to them in everyday life, battles, competitions and hunting.

Keywords: shor heroic epics, warrior-alyp, arrow, role of an arrow, competition, battle

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