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THE MOTIF OF DREAMS IN KARAKALPAK FOLK EPICS
Kulimbetova Aysholpan Kuatbayevna,
Doctoral candidate at Nukus state pedagogical institute named after Ajiniyaz
aysholpanqulimbetova0@gmail.com
Annotation.
This article analyzes the peculiarities of the emergence and application of the
dream motif in Karakalpak folk epics. The research studies the mythological and historical roots of
the dream motif and reveals its role in the development of the epics’ plot. The research results
demonstrate the unique characteristics of the dream motif in Karakalpak folk epics and its
connection with the worldview and beliefs of the people.
Keywords.
Karakalpak folk epics, dream motif, mythology, folklore, plot, folk oral art
(folklore).
QORAQALPOQ XALQ DOSTONLARIDA TUSH MOTIVI
Kulimbetova Aysholpan Kuatbayevna,
Ajiniyoz nomidagi Nukus davlat pedagogika instituti tayanch doktoranti
Annotatsiya
. Ushbu maqolada Qoraqalpoq xalq dostonlarida tush motivining paydo
bo‘lishi va qo‘llanilishi tahlil qilinadi. Tadqiqotda tush motivining mifologik va tarixiy ildizlari
o‘rganilib, uning dostonlar syujetining rivojlanishidagi o‘rni ochib beriladi. Tadqiqot natijalari
qoraqalpoq xalq dostonlarida tush motivining o‘ziga xos xususiyatlarini hamda xalqning
dunyoqarashi va e’tiqodi bilan bog‘liqligini ko‘rsatadi.
Kalit so‘zlar.
Qoraqalpoq xalq dostonlari, tush motivi, mifologiya, folklor, syujet, xalq
og‘zaki ijodi.
KARAKALPAK HALK DESTANLARINDA RÜŞ MOTIVI
Kulimbetova Aysholpan Kuatbayevna,
Ajiniyaz adına Nukus devlet pedagoji enstitüsü tayan doktorant
Özet.
Bu makalede, Karakalpak halk destanlarında rüya motifinin ortaya çıkışı ve kullanımı
analiz edilecektir. Çalışmada rüya motifinin mitolojik ve tarihsel kökleri incelenmiş ve destanların
olay örgüsünün gelişimindeki yeri ortaya konmuştur. Araştırma sonuçları, Karakalpak halk
destanlarında rüya motifinin kendine özgü özelliklerini ve halkın dünya görüşü ve inançlarıyla
ilişkisini göstermektedir.
Anahtar kelimeler.
Karakalpak halk destanları, rüya motifi, mitoloji, folklor, olay örgüsü,
folklor.
МОТИВ СНА В КАРАКАЛПАКСКОМ НАРОДНОМ ЭПОСЕ
Кулымбетова Айшолпан Куатбайевна,
докторант Нукусского государственного педагогического
института имени Аджинияза
Аннотация
. В данной статье анализируется возникновение и применение мотива
сна в каракалпакских народных эпосах. В исследовании изучаются мифологические и
исторические корни мотива сна, раскрывается его роль в развитии сюжета дастанов.
Результаты исследования показывают особенности мотива сна в каракалпакских народных
эпосах и его связь с мировоззрением и верованиями народа.
Ключевые слова.
Каракалпакские народные эпосы, мотив сна, мифология, фольклор,
сюжет, генезис, устное народное творчество.
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Karakalpak folk epics are one of the important genres of folk oral art (folklore), reflecting
the history, culture, worldview, and beliefs of the people. The dream motif holds a special
significance in these epics. The dream motif has existed in folk oral art since ancient times and has
mythological and historical foundations. It influences the development of the plot in the epics,
acting as a factor that foretells or predicts heroes’ future and upcoming events. A sleeping person
witnesses vivid experiences. The events in dreams are interconnected, somewhat unclear, impactful,
and mythological in appearance. Through the dream motif, the people’s lifestyle, beliefs, and values
are expressed. It often serves the function of warning or guiding heroes, or determining their future
fate. Therefore, studying the place and genesis of the dream motif in epics and revealing its
mythological roots is considered an important scientific problem.
This article analyzes the emergence of the dream motif in Karakalpak folk epics, the
peculiarities of its application, and its role in the plot. The research will identify how the dream
motifs in the epics contribute to the disclosure of the hero‘s image, the developing the plot, and
enriching its artistic quality. The main goal of the research is to reveal how the dream motif is
manifested in Karakalpak folk epics, its function in folklore, and its connection with the people’s
worldview.
In Karakalpak folk epics, dream and dream interpretations occur within the plot, revealing
the hero‘s uniqueness, their extraordinary nature, and that they are not like everyone else. The motif
of the birth of a future hero through the favor of miraculous saints serves as an auxiliary function
within the birth motif. Furthermore, the influence of the dream motif is very significant in the
disclosure of the hero‘s character. We can find numerous examples of such ideas with clear
evidence in the scientific researches of all folklorist scholars. As we all know, folk oral literature
reflects the identity of our people, their deeply ingrained national customs and traditions, and their
living conditions. According to scientific sources, the motif of dreaming is revealed to be connected
with mythology and religious beliefs. According to the Uzbek literary folklorist scholar J. Eshonqul,
it is skillfully stated that in most of our fairy tales and epics, concepts related to dreaming have been
very well preserved and have artistically influenced their compositional structure. For example, in
the epic “Alpamis”, it is mentioned that the birth of Baybori and Baysari’s children is revealed in a
dream, and it is particularly emphasized that the depiction of dreaming and dream interpretation in
folkloric works is also related to ancient religious beliefs. [5,134 b] The dream motif, relying on the
national values of the people, also occupies a place as an artistic and aesthetic taste. Our people
have long believed that events in dreams warn of future events and give signs about the correctness
or incorrectness of their actions. This belief fully persists in the inner world of our people even
today. In this regard, the famous Kazakh folklorist scholar R. Berdibaev says: “Generally, believing
in dreams is a very ancient manifestation of understanding in Turkic-Mongolian folklore. We see
that its ancient roots lead to ancient animistic beliefs. They rejoiced when they had a good dream
and were apprehensive when they had a nightmare. Belief in the influence of supernatural forces
existed among us until yesterday”. [2,169 b] The interpretation of dreams that foretell the birth of
heroes in epics and what kind of offspring they will be determines the place of the dream motif in
the epic. It is appropriate to mention here that in any epic we examine, the existence of a hero with
unimaginable power is natural. There are many episodes such as the presence of supporting guides
(pirs) and these pirs revealing future events to the hero in their dreams. Based on the words of the
scholars mentioned above, we can clearly see that the image of pirs in Karakalpak folk epics is
related to the characters of gods in ancient Greek mythology.
The research results showed that the dream motif in Karakalpak folk epics performs
significant artistic and semantic functions. According to the analysis, the dream motif performs
three main functions: prediction and warning, influencing the heroes’ decision-making, and
connection with mythological and religious beliefs. The events in folk epics are also created in a
new form, based on the plot of world folklore. For example, in the epic “Qoblan”, the hero‘s birth
occurs in a powerful, miraculous manner. The hero‘s father was given four types of livestock and
inexhaustible wealth, but no children. So, there might be a case here as well. Because a person
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cannot be completely ideal; everyone has their own shortcomings. If everything is complete and
eternal, its value may quickly fade. Therefore, situations where wealthy people are childless are
frequently encountered in epics. To help heroes achieve their goals, they were given various trials
and encountered spiritual guides (pirs). For example, here it is mentioned that the childlessness of
the epic hero is interpreted in a dream, and it is revealed that they will have two children. This is
conveyed by the lines: “May this be a gift for you, you will see your only daughter”. The epic’s
plot, encompassing the hero‘s wandering due to childlessness, their overnight stays at what they
consider miraculous shrines, overcoming all challenges that come their way, and the dream serving
as the main bridge in their becoming parents, is significant. It is also worth mentioning here that the
child eagerly awaited by the epic hero is born through the grace of spiritual guides and pirs. These
are narrated through symbolic expressions in the hero‘s dream. A son is often depicted in the form
of tools, while a daughter in the form of household items. Thus, a child born as a result of such
miraculous and long-awaited pleas will naturally be different from others. In any epic we study, the
creation of future heroes is unique, further enriching the epic’s artistry. Such a situation is also
encountered in the epic “Bozuglan”. In the plot of the “Bozuglan” epic, fairytale and mythological
descriptions, as well as religious beliefs, occupy a certain place. Supernatural, divine power, the
spiritual guides (gayip eren), are always guiding the heroes. The traditional depiction of pleading to
Allah for a child, commemorating the deceased, spending several days at the shrines of famous
spiritual guides, and seeing the symbol of a child in a dream is interestingly presented in the
“Bozuglan” epic. Then, the childless Darwishali and Aqpan took their wives with them and walked
for forty days, spending the night at the sanctuary called Gumbezi qubıra in the desert. For example:
“There, aiming for the shrine, they spent seven nights, the desire for a child intensified, their lament
reached Allah. Their tears were accepted, news came from the “pirs” (spiritual guides). On the
morning of the eighth day, in a dream, a wondrous old man with a white beard and yellow teeth
threw a white spear in front of him, saying, “Why did not you stopped following me, you have put
my head in trouble”. Then, he threw a surprising battle-axe with chains and strong handle. The old
man raised his hand in prayer and disappeared from sight”. Here, the “white spear” is a sign of a
son, and the “battle-axe” of a daughter. In the oral poet, Qaypnazar’s variant of the epic, it is
revealed in a dream that they will have a son and a daughter. However, Darwishali and his wife are
warned that their children’s lives will be taken when they reach the age of seven. This divine
punishment comes true, and the children are born miraculously. If we encounter the motif of the
miraculous creation of heroes in the old plot of epics in this way, through the custom of dreaming
and interpreting dreams, we also witness pirs (spiritual guides) predicting future events to another
hero in their dream. That is, we know that the development of the epic's plot begins with the hero
receiving news that will pave the way for their emergence. In that case, dreaming and its
interpretation are also used. In this regard, the famous Kazakh folklorist scholar Sh. Ibraev stated:
“The plot connection is mainly related to the hero receiving news that has decisive significance for
their future fate. Such news can be in the form of a letter, greeting, monologue, dialogue, and
directs the hero to action. The form of receiving the news is also various: hearing from someone,
dreaming, fortune-telling, etc”.[3] Indeed, in epics, news indicating future events is given in this
form and has influenced its poetics.
To conclude, the dream motif in epics performs mythological, symbolic, psychological,
philosophical, informative, and other artistic functions. Especially the dream motif that describes
the hero‘s inner world, their turmoil, emotional experiences in various situations, and emotional-
sensory phenomena also enriches the epic’s core ideological content and the uniqueness of its
narration. Based on folk epics, it can be freely stated that the dream motif is built upon the advocacy
of humanity and honesty. In the epics discussed in this article, it was determined that the dream
motif is used to reveal the author’s idea and to more broadly expose the hero‘s inner world.
Moreover, this motif in epics tries to show the existence of a supernatural world beyond our
imagination, this world, and creation, and it shows the attempt of that mystical power to protect
people from difficult situations and evil in many cases through the dream motif. The use of such
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mystical motifs in epics puts heroes in unexpected situations and thereby reveals their character.
The frequent occurrence of the dream motif in epics shows the result of an increased interest in real
life and the aspirations to determine what lies beyond one’s own intellect and wisdom.
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Бердiбай Р. “Манас” жане казак эпикалык дастури. Алматы:Рауан, 1995.-165-214-б.
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