Küeldshut – The Heroic Tales of the Selkups: Narrative Features and Central Plot Points

This article is devoted to the analysis of eleven folklore Selkup texts, four of which can actually be called heroic tales. They were recorded in the middle of the XIX century (1845) by the linguist M. A. Castren in the Middle Ob; another text from the XIX century was recorded in the 1870s by N. P. Grigorovsky. In the course of the study, the main plot scheme was revealed, in which the main motifs are courtship or bride kidnapping by a hero, the hunt for the hero by her brothers and former grooms, and fights between the heroes. The other six texts analyzed are from the twentieth century and also show a similar plot development, but their recording is more concise, and the plot is laid out as a “short retelling”. In the course of the study, the difference in motifs between the texts was noted, and several plot variations were identified in which form this plot exists – a ‘male’ version where the main character is a male hero and a ‘female’ version where the plot revolves around a bride who is courted or abducted by a hero (but then the woman is the main character as the narrative focuses on her and begins from her perspective). There is also a significant difference in the use of narrative within the text.

Selkup folklore, heroic songs, plot, narrative style