Genre features of historical legends of the Ingush

Kostoeva Aishat Magometovna Researcher, Ingush Research Institute of Humanities, Magas, Russia 386001, Russia, Republic of Ingushetia, Magas, Malsagova str., 11 a-kostoeva1@mail.ru Other publications by this author

The study of the cultural complex and the history of specific peoples is one of the main and constant tasks of ethnographic science. However, its solution is possible only if there is a wide source base of archaeological and anthropological research materials, a solid array of written sources. Written sources also include oral folk prose, which occupies a special place in this list, since only thanks to it it is possible to record and analyze the stages of development of culture and history of a particular people ^{[1; 2; 3, pp. 176-195; 4; 5]}.

Oral folk prose is a rich source of knowledge about various aspects of the life and culture of the people. It includes a variety of interpretations of historical, religious, mythological and everyday phenomena. Folk prose is an informal history of the people, the primary source of all historical knowledge. Undoubtedly, the works of oral folk prose are primarily works of art ^{[5; 6, pp. 562-564; 7]}. However, their role in the study of the history of the people is also great. Anikin notes that "The field of oral prose is characterized by a combination of historical, everyday, religious (original secular and Christian) and artistic interpretations of life themes" ^{[2, p. 271]}. In oral folk prose, you can find a lot of historical information, which is often lost over time. Many of them simply do not receive proper recognition and are not recorded as historical facts ^{[6, pp. 562-564; 8]}.

Oral folk prose is divided into two main types: fabulous and fabulous. Works of non–fabulous prose, these are oral stories with a focus on authenticity, including myths, legends, legends, epics, fairy tales, fables and memorials, in which there are already archaisms, lexemes - is a significant and meaningful component of folklore ^{[6, pp. 562-564; 8; 9, pp. 26-33; 10, p. 317-322]}.

The nature and degree of historicism of oral narratives are determined in different ways. Some depict authentic historical people and events (historical legends), while others play a key role in depicting the life and way of life of the people in all epochs of its existence (social, everyday and religious traditions). If we talk about the historicism of non-fabulous prose, then, first of all, it is necessary to note the legends. This genre of verbal creativity is recognized by many folklorists as an oral account of authentic events of the past. Sokolova V. K. notes that "traditions satisfy the needs of the people to comprehend their past and present" ^{[7, p. 9]}. The Soviet scientist S. N. Azbelev defines tradition as "an epic prose story created orally, with an attitude to authenticity, the main content of which is a description of real or quite possible facts" ^{[11; 11-12]}.

Defining the specifics of the legends, V. P. Anikin writes the following: "Legends speak about authentic historical events, the deeds of people who really lived, the origin of the names of cities, villages, tracts, mounds, etc. Tradition provides an explanation of events and facts" ^{[2; p. 271]}. Considering the genre features of legends and legends, the folklorist scientist A. O. Malsagov writes that "The people perceive legend and legend as their past epic history" ^{[12, p.16]}.

A historical legend is a story or narrative passed down from generation to generation, which contains information about past events, people and customs, gives an interpretation of certain historical events and the reasons for their occurrence. The main task of historical legends is to convey information, the key place in them is given to actions, events, and persons. The artistic component fades into the background. Another important feature of these legends is the presence of dialogue in them, which gives them liveliness and drama ^{[7; 12, p.16; 13; 14, pp. 67-71]}.

The reason for the emergence of historical legends are specific historical events or persons. They are not based on fictional plots, for example, like fairy tales, but depict the historical past, only later this historicity is lost. The older the legend, the less historical it is, since, being passed down from generation to generation, it loses its original appearance. This is due to the fact that people tend to exaggerate what they have heard, make some adjustments to the plot of the story, as a rule, in order to convince the listener of the truthfulness of what is being told. We often come across the fact that the plot of the legend is completely distorted, i.e. only minor facts remain from the initial version ^{[15, 16]}.

The legend is based on real facts and events, which in each new era undergo changes according to the ideas and needs of the narrators and listeners.

Historical legends, as a genre that tells about the past of a people, are characterized by the use of chronological frames, ethnonyms or indications of the belonging of heroes to a certain group or locality. It is one of the main sources of information about the past and helps to understand how the culture and history of the people developed and formed. Therefore, legends and tales of a historical nature, along with other folklore, ethnographic and historical materials, are a valuable source of information about the peculiarities of the life of our ancestors. Emphasizing the role of folklore in the study of peoples, first of all, it is necessary to talk about epic genres of folklore, in particular, legends related to the history of the people ^[16].

In his monograph "Historical Folklore of the Ingush and Chechens", Dakhkilgov I. A. divided historical works into three types: "works that reflect specific historical characters and events. And, thus, more historical; works in which the historical recedes into the background and the expression of the ideas and aspirations of people who lived in a certain era is put forward; works pseudo-historical in our understanding, but not appearing as such, according to informants" ^{[17, p. 342]}. Dalgat U. B. in the monographic work "The Heroic Epic of Chechens and Ingush", which is the first scientific work on the historical folklore of the Vainakhs, analyzes only some varieties of legends: about local heroes, about the struggle for land and about Tamerlane ^[18]. 

If we analyze the legends about historical figures and events, then the most famous here are the narratives about Tamerlane (Timur the lame), Queen Tamara, King Irakli, Imam Shamil, as well as about local historical figures (Utsig Malsag, Zelimkhan, Varya, Sulambek and others).

In folklore texts about historical figures, the national assessment of this character becomes decisive. In this assessment, there is often a discrepancy between the historical fact, the actions of a historical person in their real manifestation and folklore interpretation. The historical event that became the subject of narration in these legends is not considered as an authentic, reliable fact, since the legend telling about an ancient historical event is distorted. 

Historical legends of Ingushetia tell about the many wars that were fought on this land. One of the most famous battles is the battle near the city between the Ingush and the Amirs in the XIV century. According to legend, the Amirs turned to their friendly peoples for help in the battle against the Ingush. However, the Ingush were able to use the terrain in a unique way, and thanks to this they won, repelling the attacks of the Amirs and their allies.

Another famous battle is the Battle of Arshta, which took place in the XVIII century. According to legend, the Ingush lost the advantage during the battle, but thanks to the tactical genius of their leader, they managed to turn the tide of the war in their favor and win.

Traditions that reflect in their narrative the thoughts and desires of people, their moral and ethical values, are also historical. For example: The myth of the construction of the Tsurov Tower. It reads like this:

"Chur and his four children lived in Jerah: Century, Chur, Arshkha. Your fourth brother's name has been forgotten. In ancient times, there were no forests on the hillsides on which Jerah stands. And on the other side of the gorge there was a huge forest. Today, on the contrary, the forest grows on the other side, and where there was a forest, there are large pastures.

Chur went hunting on the slopes of this old forest. In the forest, he saw a man milking a woman. Chur shot at an animal, not a human. The arrow hit the deer, and the man ran off into the woods, throwing his milking mug. Chur took it and saw that it was made of gold.

The brothers agreed to build battle towers. They put the bowl on the ground and began to build a tower over it. They come from your hired builder from Galgaev. He agreed to build the tower for sixty bulls and cows between the ages of three and four. The master, having completed the tower, said that he would not come down to earth until, in addition to the agreed payment, another cow was presented. His request was granted, because, according to custom, in such cases, the owners are responsible for the deaths of people during construction and can take revenge with blood. Having received permission, the owner insisted that everyone move to the other side of the gorge, and the cows allocated to him for work remained on the left side. He complied with the master's request and was allowed to leave quietly."

As we can see, this historical tradition with an obscurely expressed historical basis performs, in addition to informational, cognitive, and educational functions. And, perhaps, the descendants of those people who made history in the past centuries have the right to tell and be proud of them, and pass them on by word of mouth. The analysis of the works of historical legends allows us to find out the nature of the people's assessment of a certain historical event, no matter how contradictory it may be.

Historical traditions also reflect the historical past of the people, but from an ethnographic point of view. They show the national flavor very vividly and figuratively. They tell about people who have become famous in society for their noble or heroic deeds. These include the legend, widely known in Ingush society, about the election of a prince among the Ingush. According to this legend, in ancient times, the Ingush, having decided to elect a prince for themselves, called the most respected people to a council. The elders conferred for a long time, but could not come to an agreement. Then a respected Ingush named Gazd appeared at the gathering, dressed in luxurious silk clothes, belted with a dirty donkey belt. Thus demonstrating that the slave and the prince do not go to the Ingush, as this donkey belt does not go to his clothes. The wisdom and greatness of the people are shown here. It should be noted that in the cycle of legends under consideration, there is an exaggeration of the personal qualities of the heroes, which is done with the aim of exalting the people ^{[19; 20]}.

Thus, we can conclude that the main distinguishing feature of the legends is the depiction of the historical past. Also, a distinctive feature of the genre under consideration is retrospectivity, turning to the past. The attitude towards the past is expressed in different ways. If the older generation admits the truthfulness of the described event, then the youth treats it with some distrust.

Historical legends, like other genres of folklore, include in the sphere of their artistic depiction the historical past of the people, their worldview and spiritual and moral values. They reflect the historical and spiritual life of the people. They are valuable not only for the study of folklore, but also for the study of the history and culture of an ethnic group.  The main provisions, results and conclusions of the dissertation can be used in the development of theoretical materials on the history of Ingush folklore and its genres, in the study of problems of ethnogenesis, history, ethnography, cultural history of the Ingush people.

They can also be used in university lecture courses, school classes, when writing textbooks and compiling programs on oral folk art. The research materials can be useful in the moral and patriotic education of young people.