in the Mythology of the Altaians
The paper analyzes the plots and motives of Altai myths about the creation of the earth and
man with the use of comparative material from the folklore of peoples with which the Altai people had close contacts in the past, in particular from Russian and Buryat-Mongolian
folklore. The motives characteristic of these versions are considered: diving behind the earth;
creation of the earth; the creation of man; the dog protects the human body; desecration of the
human body; spilled elixir of immortality; lost heaven; the overthrow of the devil from
heaven; competition of deities for primacy in the rule of the world. In the Altai folk tradition,
two versions of the myth of the creation of the world and man are distinguished: the first is
dualistic (pagan) and the second is “Buddhist”. In the dualistic version of the myth, the main
characters are two deities – Ulgen and Erlik. In the plot of the “Buddhist” version of the myth,
unlike the dualistic one, 4 deity brothers participate in the act of creation: Yuch-Kurbustan
(Three Kurbustan) and Erlik. This story is joined by a Buddhist legend about how
bodhisattvas competed in order for the victor to become the ruler of the world.
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