Ideas about War and Weapons in Altaian Historical Legends
https://doi.org/10.25205/2713-1165-2026-1-57-78
Abstract
The research employs a comparative study methodology to explore ideas of war and weaponry depicted in Altai historical legends. It defines key military concepts within folklore tradition and interprets Altai terms for weapons by utilizing data from weapon science and written sources. The author provides evidence of the widespread availability of various calibers of firearms among the Altaians, including after the fall of the Dzungarian state. Furthermore, the article describes the practice of shooting duels. Through a comprehensive analysis of folklore, historical records, and geological data, the study clarifies the locations and methods related to gunpowder production. Additionally, a new hypothesis regarding the origin of the legend of the “impenetrable armor” is proposed, along with an examination of various fortifications adapted to mountainous terrain. The study also examines different fortifications designed for mountainous regions. Lastly, the study identifies parallels in the status of military personnel in both modern Altai and medieval Tibetan traditions.
About the Author
E. V. Koroleva
Siberian Writer Foundation
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Elena V. Koroleva, Expert-onsultant
Novosibirsk
References
1. Abysova S. V., Oinotkinova N. R. Neskazochnaya proza altaitsev: teoreticheskie aspekty [Non-fabulous Prose of the Altaians: Theoretical Aspects]. Gorno-Altaisk, NII altaistiki im. S. S. Surazakova, 2024, 320 p. (In Russ.).
2. Altaisko-russkii slovar’ [Altai-Russian dictionary] / ed. A. D. Chumakaev. Gorno-Altaisk, NII altaistiki im. S. S. Surazakova, 2018, 936 p. (In Russ.).
3. Assmann J. Kul’turnaya pamyat’: Pis’mo, pamyat’ o proshlom i politicheskaya identichnost’ v vysokikh kul’turakh drevnosti [Cultural Memory and Early Civilization: Writing, Remembrance, and Political Imagination] / trans. from Germ. by M. M. Sokol’skaya. Moscow, Yazyki slavyanskoi kul’tury, 2004, 368 p. (Studia historica). (In Russ.).
4. Bedyurov Ya. T. Jaҥa Todosh jaҥary [The Songs of Janga Todosh]. Gorno-Altaisk, Soloҥy, 2005, 191 p. (in Alt.)
5. Bobrov L. A. Dzhungary — poslednyaya kochevaya imperiya [Dzungars — the Last Nomadic Empire]. In: Kochevye imperii Evrazii: osobennosti istoricheskoi dinamiki [Nomadic Empires of Eurasia: Features of Historical Dynamics]. Moscow, Akademicheskii proekt, Paradigma, 2024, pp. 445–487. (In Russ.).
6. Bobrov L. A., Borisenko A. Yu., Khudyakov Yu. S. Vzaimodeistvie tyurkskikh i mongol’skikh narodov s russkimi v pozdnee Srednevekov’e i Novoye vremya: ucheb. posobie [Interaction of Turkic and Mongolian Peoples with Russians in the Late Middle Ages and Modern Times: Textbook]. Novosibirsk, NGU, 2010, 288 p. (In Russ.).
7. Bobrov L. A., Filippovich Yu. A. Kol’chatyi pantsir’ pokroya «zhilet» iz Kosh-Agachskogo raiona Respubliki Altai [Annulate Armor of Cut “Waistcoat” from Kosh-Agach Area of Altai Republic]. Vestnik NSU. Series: History and Philology, 2012, vol. 11, no. 5: Archaeology and Ethnography, pp. 163–171. (In Russ.).
8. Bobrov L. A., Khudyakov Yu. S. Vooruzheniie i taktika kochevnikov Tsentral’noi Azii i Yuzhnoi Sibiri v epokhu pozdnego Srednevekov’ya i rannego Novogo vremeni (XV – pervaya polovina XVIII v.) [Armament and Tactics of the Nomads of Central Asia and Southern Siberia in the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Times (15th — the First Half of the 18th Century)]. St. Petersburg, Filologicheskii fakul’tet SPbGU, 2008, 776 p. (In Russ.).
9. Bobrov L. A., Ozheredov Yu. I. Unikal’nyi tsentral’noaziatskii dospekh iz sobraniya Muzeya Altaiskogo gornogo okruga [A Unique Central Asian Armor from the Collection of the Altai Mountain District Museum]. In: Voina i oruzhiye. Novye issledovaniya i materialy. Trudy Desyatoi mezhdunarodnoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii (Sankt-Peterburg, 12–14 maya 2021 g.) [War and Weapons. New Research and Materials. Proceedings of the Tenth International Scientific and Practical Conference (St. Petersburg, May 12–14, 2021)]. St. Petersburg, Voennoistoricheskii muzei artillerii, inzhenernykh voisk i voisk svyazi, 2021, vol. 1, pp. 197–208. (In Russ.).
10. Bobrov L. A., Pastukhov A. M. Vooruzheniye i znamena oiratov Dzhungarii serediny XVIII v. po materialam «Tsindin Khuanyuy Siyuy tuchzhi» [Weapons and Banners of Dzungaria’s Oirats, Mid-18th Century: A Case Study of Qinding Huangyu Xiyu Tuzhi]. Oriental Studies, 2021, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 770–796. (In Russ.).
11. Chistov K. V. Russkaya narodnaya utopiya [Russian Folk Utopia]. St. Petersburg, Dmitrii Bulanin, 2003, 540 p. (In Russ.).
12. Danilevskiy I. N. Istoricheskaya tekstologiya: ucheb. posobie [Historical Textology: A Textbook]. Moscow, Izd. dom Vysshei shkoly ekonomiki, 2024, 556 p. (In Russ.).
13. Danilin A. G. Burkhanizm. Iz istorii natsional’no-osvoboditel’nogo dvizheniya [Burkhanism. From the History of the National Liberation Movement]. Gorno-Altaisk, Ak-Chechek, 1993, 203 p. (In Russ.).
14. Doney L. Non-Buddhist Superhuman Beings in Early Tibetan Religious Literature. In: Buddhism in Central Asia III: Impacts of Non-Buddhist Influences, Doctrines / ed. L. Doney, C. Meinert, H. H. Sørensen, Y. Kasai. Leiden; Boston, Brill, 2024, pp. 183–211. (Dynamics in the history of religions, vol. 14).
15. Halbwachs M. Sotsial’nye ramki pamyati [Social Frameworks of Memory]. St. Petersburg, Piter, 2025, 352 p. (In Russ.).
16. Isakov A. V. Fol’klor i literatura buryat o prisoedinenii k Rossii: issledovanie istoricheskoi pamyati. [Buryat Folklore and Literature on the Accession to Russia: A Study of Historical Memory]. Ulan-Ude, Izatel’stvo IMBT SO RAN, 2025, 212 p. (In Russ.).
17. Konev A. Yu. Shertoprivodnye zapisi i prisyagi sibirskikh «inozemtsev» kontsa XVI–XVII vv. [Records of Oath-taking (Shert) and Allegiance of Siberian Indigenous Peoples in the Late 16th and 17th Centuries]. Vestnik Arkheologii, Antropologii i Etnografii, 2006, no. 6, pp. 170– 176. (In Russ.).
18. Konunov A. A. Poetika i stil’ variantov eposa «Altay-Buuchay» [Poetics and Style of the Variants of the “Altai-Buuchay” Epic]. Tyurkologiya, 2016, no. 5, pp. 85–105. (In Russ.).
19. Koroleva E. V. Individual’noe i traditsionnoe v poezii altaitsa-frontovika Yangi Todosha Bedyurova (1907–1961) [Individual and Traditional in the Poetry of the Altai Veteran Yanga Todosh Bedyurov (1907–1961)]. Studies in Theory of Literary Plot and Narratology, 2016, no. 1, pp. 97–101. (In Russ.).
20. Koroleva E. V. «Zony umolchaniya» altaiskikh istoricheskikh predanii: genezis i evolyutsiya vo vremeni [“Zones of Silence” of Altai Historical Legends: Genesis and Evolution in Time]. Languages and Folklore of Indigenous Peoples of Siberia, 2018, no. 1 (35), pp. 58–65. (In Russ.).
21. Koroleva E. V. K voprosu o rannikh srednevekovykh tyurkskikh i tibetskikh parallelyakh v altaiskikh fol’klornykh tekstakh [On the Issue of Early Medieval Turkic and Tibetan Parallels in Altai Folklore Texts]. In: III Sibirskiy forum fol’kloristov: tezisy dokladov (16–20 iyunya 2025 g.) [3rd Siberian Forum of Folklorists: Abstracts (June 16–20, 2025)]. Novosibirsk, IFL SO RAN, 2025, pp. 56–59. (In Russ.).
22. Koroleva E. V. Obraz Oirot-Kaana v istoricheskikh predaniyakh altaitsev [The Image of Oirot-Kaan in Altai Historical Legends]. Humanitarian Sciences in Siberia, 2024, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 33–40. (In Russ.).
23. Moiseev V. A. Tsinskaya imperiya i narody Sayano-Altaya v XVIII v. [The Qing Empire and the Peoples of the Sayan-Altai in the 18th Century]. Moscow, Nauka, 1983, 149 p. (In Russ.).
24. Neklyudov S. Yu. Epos v mirovoi literature [Epic in World Literature]. Shagi / Steps, 2015, no. 1 (2), pp. 7–22. (In Russ.).
25. Oirotsko-russkii slovar’ [Oirot-Russian Dictionary] / сomp. N. A. Baskakov, T. M. Toshchakova. 2nd ed. Gorno-Altaysk, Ak Chechek, 2005, 316 p. (In Russ.).
26. Pastukhov A. M. Svyashchennaya voinstvennost’: istoriya voin imperii Tsin. Period Tsyan’lun 1735–1796 gg. [Sacred Militancy: A History of the Qing Empire Wars. The Qianlong Period, 1735–1796]. Moscow, G.V.R.T., 2025, 670 p. (In Russ.).
27. Potanin G. N. Ocherki Severo-Zapadnoi Mongolii: Rezul’taty puteshestviya, ispolnennogo v 1879–1880 gg. po porucheniyu imperatorskogo Russkogo geograficheskogo obshchestva [Essays on Northwestern Mongolia: Results of a Journey Undertaken in 1879–1880 on Behalf of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society]. Iss. 4. 2nd ed. (Reprint. ed. 1883 g.). GornoAltaisk, Ak Chechek, 2005, 1025 p. (In Russ.).
28. Propp V. Ya. Fol’klor i deistvitel’nost’: izbrannye stat’i [Folklore and Reality: Selected Articles]. Moscow, Nauka, 1976, 326 p. (In Russ.).
29. Sherstova L. I. Etnokul’turnye obshchnosti Gornogo Altaya v XVII–XVIII vv.: etnicheskaya identichnost’ v istoricheskom kontekste [Ethnocultural Communities of Gorny Altai in the 17th-18th Centuries: Ethnic Identity in a Historical Context]. Vestnik TSU, 2015, no. 395, pp. 142–146. (In Russ.).
30. Soyonov V. I. Obzor vooruzheniya i voennoi taktiki kochevnikov Altaya v XIII–XVIII vv. po materialam geroicheskogo eposa [Overview of Armament and Military Tactics of Altai Nomads in the 13th-18th Centuries Based on Materials of the Heroic Epic]. In: Arkheologicheskie i fol’klornye istochniki po istorii Gornogo Altaya [Archaeological and Folklore Sources on the History of Gorny Altai]. Gorno-Altaisk, Gorno-Altaiskii nauchno-issledovatel’skii institut istorii, yazyka i literatury, 1994, pp. 176–187. (In Russ.).
31. Sun Guijuan. Epos «Geseriada» i ego kul’turnyi geroi [The epic “Geseriada” and Its Cultural Hero]. Vestnik MGUKI, 2010, no. 2 (34), pp. 81–85. (In Russ.).
32. Surazakov S. S. Altaiskii geroicheskii epos [Altai Heroic Epic]. Moscow, Nauka, 1985, 242 p. (In Russ.).
33. Svetlova V. A. Mestorozhdenie Taldydyurgun — energeticheskaya baza yuga Respubliki Altai [The Taldydyurgun Deposit as the Energy Base of the South of the Altai Republic]. In: Mineral’no-syr’evaya baza Respubliki Altai: sostoyanie i perspektivy razvitiya: materialy regional’nogo soveshchaniya [Mineral Resources of the Altai Republic: Current State and Developmental Prospects: Proceedings of the Regional Meeting]. Gorno-Altaisk, GAGU, RIO «Univer-Print», 1998, pp. 64–67. (In Russ.).
34. Verbitskiy V. I. Altaiskie inorodtsy: sbornik etnograficheskikh statei i issledovanii altaiskogo missionera, protoiereya V. I. Verbitskogo [Altai Indigenous Peoples: A Collection of Ethnographic Articles and Research by the Altai Missionary, Archpriest V. I. Verbitsky] / ed. A. A. Ivanovskiy. Moscow, 1893, 221 p. (In Russ.).
Review
For citations:
Koroleva E. . Ideas about War and Weapons in Altaian Historical Legends. Universum Humanitarium. 2026;(1):57-78. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.25205/2713-1165-2026-1-57-78
Views:
248
JATS XML
Email this article 