The Role of Legends and Traditional Tales in Epic Depiction in Erkin Samandar's Prose
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The article examines the role of legends and traditional tales in the epic depiction of Erkin Samandar’s prose. The writer’s wide use of folklore material is linked to the fact that he was born and grew up in Khorezm, an ancient land rich in legends and traditional tales, and this connection is reflected in the spirit of the folklore works he selects and creatively reworks. Drawing on the views of Uzbek scholars on folklorism in modern Uzbek literature, the study regards legends and traditional tales as one of the oldest and most enduring forms of creative fantasy, which stimulate the writer’s creative thought, permeate the inner fabric of the plot and set it in motion. Although such inserted texts differ sharply from the author’s narrative and do not enter the core of the plot, they raise the ideological and artistic level of the work and strongly affect the reader’s feelings. The tradition of using analytical folklorisms, inherited by modern literature from classical literature, is shown to depend above all on the author’s skill: a writer must select artistically well-crafted, original folklore works, use them appropriately and draw philosophical conclusions from them, otherwise an inserted legend may sit in the plot like a coarse patch on fine cloth. The analysis focuses on two historical novels. In “Traces of the Whirlwind, or Ogahiy”, the legend of the flying horses of the village of Ovshar in the Hazorasp district is introduced through the reverie of the poet Ogahiy during his travels. The legend tells how the villagers caught the horses by cunning, grew rich, became greedy, plundered their neighbours and were finally turned to stone together with their horses. The article shows that the legend, which condemns dishonesty, self-interest and careerism and conveys the moral “as you sow, so shall you reap”, corresponds to Ogahiy’s disillusionment with the unscrupulous people of his own society and to his reflections on the unusually stormy autumn weather. By concluding the legend with the great poet’s reflections, the writer arrives at the philosophical resolution that nature punishes people who lose honesty and conscience. The frequent use of analytical folklorisms in the novel “Sultan Jalal al-Din” is explained by the fact that the lives of its central historical figures, such as Jalal al-Din and Najm al-Din Kubra, are rich in legends and traditional tales. In this novel, the tale of Iskandar Dhul-Qarnayn and the wall against Gog and Magog is told by the vizier Shams al-Mulk to counter the panic spread by the Ghurids about the Mongols. Followed by the vizier’s humorous tall tale and the display of a Mongol captive, the episode shows the soldiers that panic is half of defeat and that the enemy are people like themselves; after it, the Ghurids themselves begin to punish those who spread rumours. The writer’s skill is seen in entrusting the tale to the wise and experienced vizier, a master of the art of preaching, rather than to Jalal al-Din himself. It is concluded that Erkin Samandar selected and polished these legends and traditional tales and wove them into the events of his novels, thereby raising their ideological and artistic level and demonstrating his high artistic skill.
Author: Atajanov Sarvar Samandarovich
Language: English
Subfield: Literature and Literary Theory
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225751505
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: