Myths, Legends and Traditions about the Names of Mountains among the Tuvans
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25178/nit.2026.1.5Keywords:
Tuvans, Tuvan folklore, onomastics, toponym, mountain, oronym, myth, legend, traditionAbstract
The article analyses Tuvan myths, legends and traditions associated with the names of mountain peaks and passes, which are considered as a specific form of fixing collective memory and modelling sacred space. The material consists of texts from published folklore collections as well as field recordings made by one of the authors in various districts of Tuva in 1990–2025, which ensures the representativeness and genre diversity of the corpus. Based on a comprehensive approach that considers data from onomastics, folkloristics, ethnography and religious studies, a classification of oronym plots according to motivational features is proposed.
Four main groups are distinguished: 1) myths and legends about mountains associated with animals (primarily with the bear adyg, referred to by the euphemism khaiyrakan); 2) traditions about names reflecting historical events and figures (the uprising of Aldan-Maadyrlar, the activity of Amyr-Sanaa, etc.); 3) plots conditioned by shamanic and Buddhist ideas and ritual practices (Düngürlüg-Tei, Lama-Khalyyr, etc.); 4) traditions about passes and peaks whose names are connected with disasters, dangerous situations and the overcoming of difficulties (Aatkyysh-tyg-Art, Charyn-Salyr/Charyn-Salbas, etc.).
It is shown that oronyms in Tuvan folklore function as multi-layered signs in which ecological, historical, religious and social meanings intersect. Particular attention is paid to taboo vocabulary and euphemisms, the gender marking of the image of mountains as a “male” principle, as well as to the interaction of shamanic and Buddhist traditions reflected in the names of sacred places.
It is concluded that myths, legends and traditions about the names of mountain peaks represent a most valuable source for the study of Tuvan ethnoculture and worldview, and that their systematisation and analysis contribute to a deeper understanding of the symbolic geography of the region.
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Suvandii N. D. and Nurakhynova A. S. Myths, Legends and Traditions about the Names of Mountains among the Tuvans. New Research of Tuva, 2026, no. 1, pp. 105-117 (In Russ.). DOI: https://doi.org/10.25178/nit.2026.1.5
Author Biographies
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Nadezhda D. Suvandii Tuvan State University
Candidate of Philology, Associate Professor, Leading Researcher, Laboratory of Ethnology and Linguoculturology; Dean, Philological Faculty, Tuvan State University.
Postal address: 9B Mongush Sat St., 667010, Kyzyl, Russian Federation.
E-mail: suvandiin@mail.ru
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Ainur S. Nurakhynova Al-Farabi Kazakh National University; International Information Technology University
Doctoral Student, Department of Russian Philology and World Literature, Faculty of Philology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University;
Senior Lecturer, Department of Languages, Faculty of Business, Media and Management, International Information Technology University.
Postal addresses: 71, Al-Farabi Ave., Almaty, 050000, Kazakhstan; 34/1 Manas St., Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan.
E-mails: a.nurakhynova@iitu.edu.kz; nur_ainura92@mail.ru
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