Presently, the study of epic texts is undergoing one of the most significant stages of its development, i.e., a theoretical basis is being created and established. The theoretical category of epic studies is being thoroughly revisited from the point of view of its objectiveness, its ontological and specific nature, as well as its functionality and importance in the field of epic studies in general. Due to the growing interest in the humanities among scholars in the modern academic research society, the 21 st century is unfolding in an essentially new research environment, which needs to be revisited and analyzed. The necessity to study the existing status of the topic under discussion is first of all justified by the fact that it encompasses a process of qualitative changes in the epic text representations, epic texts being a subject of humanitarian, historical and cultural studies; this is one of the key aspects in the epic studies as a whole and in the study of Yakut heroic epic olonkho in particular. In the process of its establishment in the oral folklore tradition, the Yakut heroic epic olonkho underwent a process of transformation from a heroic epic to a philosophical and didactical one. The "multi-layer" content of the Yakut olonkho, which includes in itself the archaic and worldview components of the Yakut peoples' culture, is a unique source for the historic and typological renewal of the various examples of traditional art, which is obliquely depicted in the epic texts. Currently, a large scope of historical and graphical materials, literature on the study of the worldview depicted in the Yakut olonkho is easily accessible. The study of the world creation in the Yakut olonkho about the Middle World, and the native land in particular, where the bogatyr lives, is one of the main categories in theoretical epic studies. The present article describes distinctive features in the depiction of the main character's homeland in Yakut epic olonkho in the context of a comparative study. By distinguishing its unique features in the image depiction of the main character's homeland, the role that the latter plays in the Yakut olonkho, we provide ourselves with an opportunity to reconstruct a traditional world representation, which would allow to achieve a better understanding of the outlook that the Yakut people had about themselves and the world in the ancient times.

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Introduction. The article provides a comparative analysis of artistic expressiveness means inherent to the Yakut Olonkho and Tuvan epics. The point is that poetics of the epic work Nurgun Bootur the Swift by P. A. Oyunsky recreated on the basis of folk tales has actually remained understudied, and this paper fills the gap. Goals. The work — as part of Yakut folklore studies — makes the first attempt to consider poetics and the system of artistic techniques of the Olonkho Nurgun Bootur the Swift in comparison to Tuvan heroic epics. Methods. The study employs a comprehensive approach that includes comparative historical and typological research methods. Results. The comparative analysis concludes that P. Oyunsky’s Nurgun Bootur the Swift is based on the principles of traditional folk epic, and reveals parallels to Tuvan heroic narratives. Special attention is paid to the means of artistic expression — hyperbole and comparison. There are functional semantic dependence and structural unity indicating a typological similarity of the epic works examined. The vivid language of Tuvan epic narratives and that of P. Oyunsky’s Olonkho are explicitly characterized by elements observed in heroic epic proper, and the poetic analysis shows the Yakut text is distinguished by artistic completeness. So, P. Oyunsky revived the Yakut heroic epic, enriched its conceptual/thematic essentials — to strengthen the unique poetic form.

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