The epic "Ural-Batyr" is one of the most important literary monuments Bashkortostan. The legend was recorded by folklorist Mukhametsha Burangulov in 1910 from the words of folk storytellers, during an ethnographic expedition to remote areas of Bashkortostan. “Ural Batyr” has absorbed a wide range of ancient views, rooted in the depths of the primitive communal system, but despite this are still relevant. The legend is based on eternal story about the struggle between good and evil, about self-sacrifice and heroism for the sake of a higher, good goal. However, debates about the truth of the original source of this work are still raging among ethnography specialists. Among the scientific community there is a fairly popular version that Burangulov himself composed the epic and presented it as a kind of example of ancient legends...

The concept of the epic "Ural-Batyr"

These steppe expanses and forests framing the steep slopes of the Ural Mountains have recently changed their ancient appearance. Oil rigs steel business card republics where more than 15 million tons of oil are currently produced per year. Oil is a symbol of Bashkir treasure. At modern ways production, oil no longer allows it to gush out of the ground so openly. But once upon a time, “black gold” itself came to the surface and in ancient Bashkir legends oil was called “the oil of the earth.” Many thousands of years ago, this “oil of the earth” was formed from the spilled magical blood of a hero whose name was Ural-batyr. But he gave his people more than just the opportunity to enjoy oil wealth. Thanks to the Urals, a whole beautiful world with all its mountains, meadows, rivers and underground treasures. But the main legacy of the epic hero is the rules of life for descendants, the secret of happiness for all people. What made Ural Batyr famous, that even the mountains bear his name? And what do we know now about this national hero?

In 1910, teacher and collector folk tales Mukhametsha Burangulov went on an expedition to the Itkul volost of the Orenburg province. Today this is the Baymaksky district of Bashkortostan. His attention was attracted by the ancient tales of the sesen poets, filled with the spirit of the mystical past and revealing the secrets of the creation of the world.
The Bashkirs have always had great respect for the sesen. These poets not only composed, but also memorized, performed, and passed on ancient tales from generation to generation. And the saesengs accompanied their performances with the abrupt sounds of ancient musical instrument dumbaras. In addition, it was believed that ancient tunes also had a healing effect on listeners, which, of course, only added to the general respect of the saesengs. The tales of the sesen impressed Burangulov so much that he thanked the poets by giving them his horse. He had to walk home, but what did that mean compared to the newfound treasure? It was not only about unique ethnographic material, but also about mysterious information, which took Burangulov more than 10 years to process. At the beginning of the 20s, a written version of the epic about the batyr first appeared, i.e. about the hero Ural and his glorious exploits.

In ancient, ancient times, there lived an old man and an old woman. And they had two sons. The eldest's name was Shulgen and the youngest's was Ural. When they grew up, the father saddled two lions and sent his sons to wander. He asked them to find living water, which would give immortality to man and nature, and destroy death itself. And the brothers left their father's house. Their journey was long. Along the way, dangers and temptations awaited the brothers. Shulgen could not stand all the tests, he betrayed good and went over to the side of evil. Shulgen became the main enemy of his younger brother and one of the main warriors dark forces. But the Urals remained faithful to the behests of their father.

Day and night, year after year, Ural Batyr performed his feats. He defeated the bloodthirsty king Katila, the king of the snakes Kahkahu and finally found living water. He fought with the evil divas and their leader Azraka and finally met his brother in battle. And all this so that people are happy, so that grief and death leave the earth forever.

It would seem that almost every nation has similar epics. But Ural Batyr clearly stands out from his fellow heroes. And the fact that his path is a search for absolute good and the fact that in today's Bashkiria the epic about his exploits is more than just a fairy tale.

In one of the battles, Ural killed the main evil diva Azraka. He cut off his head with a diamond sword and when the diva fell, it seemed that the whole world shook. His huge, terrible body cut the expanse of water in two. In that place a mountain rose. Big Yamantau is the very mountain that, according to legend, arose from dead body Azraki. This is the highest point in Southern Bashkortostan. The name Big Yamantau means Big Bad or Evil Mountain. It has always enjoyed a bad reputation among the local population. It is believed that something strange is constantly happening in her area. The horses never returned from there. Previously, many ferocious bears lived there, and even now no one dares to predict the weather on the slopes of the mountain, and they even say that by climbing Yamantau you can bring trouble upon yourself.

In these places, the Urals performed their last, most heroic feat. Entrance to the mysterious dark cave Shulgan-Tash. There are two underground lakes here - a round lake with stagnant water (aka Dead) and a blue lake (it is considered alive). It is fed by a river whose waters flow deep underground. This river is also called Shulgen. Why do the reserve, the caves, and the river still keep the name of the elder brother Ural? When the Ural fought with Shulgen, he, in order to avoid complete defeat, along with his servants, evil divas and other evil spirits, dived into the local bottomless lake. Then Ural Batyr decided to drink all the water from the lake filled with snakes and demons. Ural drank water for a long time, but even he was unable to cope with this task. In addition, along with the water, the Urals swallowed evil divas. They tore his noble heart from the inside.

According to legend, the batyr had and living water and she could heal him and even give him immortality. But he didn’t keep a single drop for himself when he sprinkled it on nature and said that except for her, no one should live forever. So he revived the land depleted by evil, but he himself fell in the last battle with the enemies of humanity. But why didn’t legend make its hero immortal? Why did the Urals have to perish in the minds of the people?
The life and work of the Urals was continued by his descendants. The children tried to make people's lives even better. The warriors went on long journeys to look for the source of happiness. With their diamond swords they cut through the mountains and where they passed, large rivers formed.

The ancestors of the Bashkirs settled on the banks of four rivers. Later, the rivers were named after the children of Ural Batyr and his nephew: Sakmar, Yaik (Ural), Nugush, Idel (Agidel). This is how the world appeared in which the Bashkirs still live. And all this thanks to the heroic exploits of Ural Batyr.

But the epic itself and the image of the hero have posed many mysteries to researchers, around which there are heated debates. Here is just one of them: when exactly did the first stories about exploits appear? legendary hero?

One of the legends of the epic says that Shulgen, who went over to the side of evil, arranged global flood to destroy humanity. The Urals entered into battle with the evil divas subordinate to Shulgen. While he was fighting, people were fleeing the water by climbing high mountains.

And water covered the whole earth
The land disappeared under it forever
People made boats for themselves
Didn't die, didn't drown in the water
To the mountain rising from the waters
The saved people were chosen.

Isn't it a very familiar story? Of course, this is very similar to the biblical legend of Noah and his ark. And therefore, some researchers believe that the epic Ural Batyr and the Bible arose from a single source. They find parallels in the Bashkir epic with ancient Sumerian myths and claim that these myths are almost the same age. So, let's try to establish when the legends about the most glorious Ural Batyr arose.

Akbuzat

Every resident of Ufa knows one of famous buildings made of glass and concrete. This is one of the most modern hippodromes. On weekends, serious sporting passions reign here, but now we are not interested in the breeds of horses and the results of races or bets, but in the name of the hippodrome. It's called Akbuzat. And this is not at all accidental.

Akbuzat is the winged horse of Ural Batyr and his faithful friend. According to legend, Akbuzat himself had to agree to leave with the batyr, and Ural had to prove his right to be a rider on a wonderful horse. When our hero got tired, his faithful horse carried him out of the battle. When the batyr gained strength, Akbuzat again rushed into battle with a whirlwind. He did not burn in fire and did not drown in water and blinded everyone with his beauty.

According to legend, all the horses that live on earth today are descendants of Akbuzat. They remember the order of the faithful horse Ural Batyr to always and at all times serve people faithfully and truly. But the life of the legendary horse itself was not easy. The evil brother of the Urals, Shulgen, managed to steal Akbuzat from the hero and hid him at the bottom of the same underground lake where he himself was hiding.

It would seem that this is completely fairy tale story. Well, what can be realistic in a story about a horse being imprisoned under water for many years? Of course, these are all legends and traditions, but...
At the end of the 50s of the last century, the Shulgen-tash cave presented scientists with a real sensation. From it appears the first version of the origin of the Ural Batyr.
Later, historian Vyacheslav Kotov, with the help modern technology explored images in the famous cave that were not visible to the naked eye. He noticed that the focus of primitive artists was the horse. The researcher saw in this the trinity of the universe: the top horse in the picture with a trapezoid on its back is a winged horse - a symbol of the sky and the sun. In another composition, the hero and his horse are seen fighting the dark forces of the underworld.

Another interesting detail is that Ural Batyr and other heroes of the epic travel, from time to time, on a flying lion. This, of course, is also a mythical image, but where did the ancestors of the Bashkirs, who lived in the Volga region and Southern Urals, could they know about lions even if they don’t fly?

IN Bashkir folklore There are two proverbs directly related to the lion. They sound something like this: “If you sit astride a lion, then let your whip be a saber” and “If a lion goes hunting, then he will not return without prey.” But proverbs are not created on empty space.

Research by paleontologists indirectly proves that prehistoric cave lions, which were much larger than their current descendants, could be found not only in Africa, but also in Europe, the Urals and even Siberia. In addition, they could jump further and higher than modern lions. Maybe that’s why ancient people encountered these formidable creatures and came up with the myth of flying lions.

In the epic we may hear echoes of a very distant reality. According to this version, legends about the exploits of the Ural Batyr could have appeared in the Upper Paleolithic era, but there is another version no less sensational. In the archives of Ufimsky scientific center The RAS houses the oldest copy of the epic manuscript. On Bashkir language It was also printed in Latin script about 100 years ago. But how exactly this written text came about is probably the biggest mystery of this whole story. The appearance of the written version of Ural Batyr is a real detective story.

Doubts about authenticity

By official version Ural Batyr was written down in 1910 by Mukhametsha Burangulov, but no one has ever seen its original handwritten recording. It is believed that she got lost during the searches of Burangulov. At Soviet power he was arrested several times as an enemy of the people and a nationalist, for which Burangulov was even arrested for 7 months.

Skeptics object - the records were not lost anywhere because they simply did not exist. And Mukhametsha Burangulov was the real author of the Ural Batyr. So, did he really just invent all the stories about the glorious exploits of the batyr and the image of the main character in general, and all his stories are just a stylization of the ancient Bashkir epic, which the ancestors of the Bashkirs simply did not have.

Journalist and public figure Karim Yaushev suggested that the Ural Batyr epic cannot be considered authentic folk work, but is literary composition writer Burangulov. Or he reworked together all the scattered tales of the southeastern Bashkirs. But why should Burangulov write a poem about the Ural Batyr? Perhaps it was a matter of personal creative ambitions, or perhaps political reasons. One version is that he did this on instructions from the Soviet leadership of Bashkiria, which sought to create new story Bashkir people. True, he later suffered for this same reason - he was declared a nationalist.
Ural Batyr was first published in the Bashkir language in 1968. And in Russian even later – seven years later. Since then, many editions and translations of the epic have been published, but disputes about it do not stop. In general, Ural Batyr is the only one epic heroes around which the spears break with such ferocity with which, probably, the hero himself fought with his enemies.

So did the Ural Batyr exist? There is little specific human information in the legends about him, and there are no ancient images of him. But perhaps his appearance is not so important, because the legend gives the Urals all positive qualities, making his image and life path an example to follow. That is why the presentation of the entire epic from beginning to end was considered by the Bashkirs to be the most important part of the rite of passage. adult life.

Here is an example of respect for other people's lives and nobility even towards defeated enemies. One day, the evil and bloodthirsty king Katilla sent a gigantic bull against the Urals. But it was not there. No matter how the bull puffed and tried, no matter how he struggled, he didn’t try to free himself, he couldn’t find the strength, he sank knee-deep into the ground. But having defeated the bull, Ural Batyr took pity on him and left him alive. Since then, the bulls have crooked horns and hooves cracked into two halves and have not grown. front tooth. All this is the legacy of the lost battle of the distant ancestor Ural Batyr.

Of course, the circumstances of the fight with the bull and the size of the batyr’s horned opponent in the legends are truly mythological in nature. However, this is probably the most realistic of all the exploits of the Ural Batyr. Since ancient times, the strongest men from different nations measured strength with bulls and information about such battles is found not only in myths, but also in Roman historical chronicles. Perhaps a certain brave fighter was one of the prototypes of the heroic Urals, or this myth about fighting a giant bull came to the Bashkirs from other peoples. So, a third version of the origin of our hero appears.

The famous historian Tatishchev cites in his book that the northern Scythians had Uranus as their first sovereign. This suggests that there really was some kind of the most ancient state whose ruler was Uranus or, as we say today, Ural-Batyr. His deification took place, as a result of which he became one of the gods, first here in the Urals and then was transferred to Ancient Greece and as a result became the initial ancient Greek god.

However, perhaps this is too bold a version. It is not shared even by the majority of those scientists who believe that the legend of the Ural Batyr is a genuine epic of the Bashkir people. The prevailing opinion is that the glorious batyr is a purely mythical figure. This also distinguishes him from his colleagues from other legends, say, from the Russian hero Ilya Muromets. Although the Ural Batyr surpassed many in the number and scale of his feats famous heroes, because in fact he created the whole world.

When Ural died, having accomplished his last feat, people were overcome with grief. But then they decided to preserve his memory forever. The people buried Ural at the highest point with great respect. Each of the people brought a handful of earth to his grave. This is how a huge mountain grew. Over time, she shone like the sun - the body of the Urals turned into gold and gems, and blood into the oil of the earth - oil. Well, the mountains began to be called in his honor - the Urals.

For many centuries, in any school in the world, during geography lessons, children have learned that the border between Europe and Asia runs along the huge Ural ridge. So the name ancient hero becomes known to billions of inhabitants of our planet. These mighty peaks are an eternal monument to the exploits of the Ural Batyr, who forever gave the Bashkir land and people incredible beauty of nature, inexhaustible wealth of mineral resources and great history.

Ural-batyr
Bashkir fairy tale short summary

• The plot of the epic Ural Batyr
  The plot basis of this epic is a description of the heroic struggle of the Ural Batyr for the well-being of other people. The main character's opponents are invaders from other lands, who are helped by evil otherworldly forces. The characters in the story are ordinary inhabitants of the earth who defend their right to happiness.

  The plot includes mythical creatures– heavenly king Samrau and the spirits of nature. Each part of the epic describes the life of one of the three heroes, who are the children and grandchildren of the old man Yanbirde. The first part of the epic tells about the old man himself and his wife Yanbika.

  By the evil will of fate, they are forced to live in deserted territories. Elderly married couple hunts wild animals, as this is the only way to get food for himself. In a woman’s declining years, the heavenly king gives her two sons, Ural and Shulgen.

  Old man Yanbirde told his children about the existence evil force Ulema, which destroys all life on earth. At the time of the conversation, a swan swam up to the people and said that there was an immortal spring of life on the planet, Yanshishma. The guys, impressed by the stories of their father and the swan, decide to find a life-giving spring, and thereby destroy Ulem.

  However, during their journey, Shulgen goes over to the side of evil and in every possible way prevents his brother, Ural batyr, carry out his mission. Evil mythical creatures come to the aid of Shulgen and attack the Ural Batyr, but the courageous young man manages to defeat them.

  According to Bashkir legends, from the bodies of killed enemies, the Ural Batyr created mountains (Ural Mountains). At the end of the second part, the Ural batyr dies, but leaves behind worthy heirs of his children, who, like their father, become as courageous and brave.

  The third part of the epic is the legend about the settlement of the Bashkir people Ural land. The children of the Ural Batyr were able to continue their father’s work and found a source of prosperity, which allowed them to live happily on fertile lands at the foot of the mountains erected by their parent.
  Sorry, it was a bit long...

These steppe expanses and forests framing the steep slopes of the Ural Mountains have recently changed their ancient appearance. Oil derricks have become the hallmark of the republic, where more than 15 million tons of oil are now produced per year. Oil is a symbol of Bashkir treasure. With modern extraction methods, oil no longer allows oil to gush out of the ground so openly. But once upon a time, “black gold” itself came to the surface and in ancient Bashkir legends oil was called “the oil of the earth.”

Many thousands of years ago, this “oil of the earth” was formed from the spilled magical blood of a hero whose name was Ural-batyr. But he gave his people more than just the opportunity to enjoy oil wealth. Thanks to the Urals, a whole beautiful world arose with all its mountains, meadows, rivers and underground treasures. But the main legacy of the epic hero is the rules of life for descendants, the secret of happiness for all people. What made Ural Batyr famous, that even the mountains bear his name? And what do we know now about this national hero?

In 1910, the teacher and collector of folk tales Mukhametsha Burangulov went on an expedition to the Itkul volost of the Orenburg province. Today this is the Baymaksky district of Bashkortostan. His attention was attracted by the ancient tales of the Sesen poets, filled with the spirit of the mystical past and revealing the secrets of the creation of the world.

The Bashkirs have always had great respect for the sesen. These poets not only composed, but also memorized, performed, and passed on ancient tales from generation to generation. And the sesens accompanied their performances with the abrupt sounds of the ancient musical instrument dumbara. In addition, it was believed that ancient tunes also had a healing effect on listeners, which, of course, only added to the general respect of the saesengs.

The tales of the sesen impressed Burangulov so much that he thanked the poets by giving them his horse. He had to walk home, but what did that mean compared to the newfound treasure? It was not only about unique ethnographic material, but also about mysterious information, which took Burangulov more than 10 years to process. At the beginning of the 20s, a written version of the epic about the batyr first appeared, i.e. about the hero Ural and his glorious exploits.

In ancient, ancient times, there lived an old man and an old woman. And they had two sons. The eldest's name was Shulgen and the youngest's was Ural. When they grew up, the father saddled two lions and sent his sons to wander. He asked them to find living water, which would give immortality to man and nature, and destroy death itself. And the brothers left their father's house. Their journey was long. Along the way, dangers and temptations awaited the brothers. Shulgen could not stand all the tests, he betrayed good and went over to the side of evil. Shulgen became the main enemy of his younger brother and one of the main warriors of the dark forces. But the Urals remained faithful to the behests of their father.

Day and night, year after year, Ural Batyr performed his feats. He defeated the bloodthirsty king Katila, the king of the snakes Kahkahu and finally found living water. He fought with the evil divas and their leader Azraka and finally met his brother in battle. And all this so that people are happy, so that grief and death leave the earth forever.

It would seem that almost every nation has similar epics. But Ural Batyr clearly stands out from his fellow heroes. And the fact that his path is a search for absolute good and the fact that in today's Bashkiria the epic about his exploits is more than just a fairy tale.

In one of the battles, Ural killed the main evil diva Azraka. He cut off his head with a diamond sword and when the diva fell, it seemed that the whole world shook. His huge, terrible body cut the expanse of water in two. In that place a mountain rose. Big Yamantau is the very mountain that, according to legend, arose from the dead body of Azraki. This is the highest point in Southern Bashkortostan. The name Big Yamantau means Big Bad or Evil Mountain. It has always enjoyed a bad reputation among the local population. It is believed that something strange is constantly happening in her area. The horses never returned from there. Previously, many ferocious bears lived there, and even now no one dares to predict the weather on the slopes of the mountain, and they even say that by climbing Yamantau you can bring trouble upon yourself.

In these places, the Urals performed their last, most heroic feat. Entrance to the mysterious dark cave Shulgan-Tash. There are two underground lakes here - a round lake with stagnant water (aka Dead) and a blue lake (it is considered alive). It is fed by a river whose waters flow deep underground. This river is also called Shulgen. Why does the reserve, the caves, and the river still preserve the name of the older brother of the Urals?

When the Urals fought with Shulgen, he, in order to avoid complete defeat, along with his servants, evil divas and other evil spirits, dived into the local bottomless lake. Then Ural Batyr decided to drink all the water from the lake filled with snakes and demons. Ural drank water for a long time, but even he was unable to cope with this task. In addition, along with the water, the Urals swallowed evil divas. They tore his noble heart from the inside.

According to legend, the batyr also had living water and it could heal him and even give him immortality. But he didn’t keep a single drop for himself when he sprinkled it on nature and said that except for her, no one should live forever. So he revived the land depleted by evil, but he himself fell in the last battle with the enemies of humanity. But why didn’t legend make its hero immortal? Why did the Urals have to perish in the minds of the people?

The life and work of the Urals was continued by his descendants. The children tried to make people's lives even better. The warriors went on long journeys to look for the source of happiness. With their diamond swords they cut through the mountains and where they passed, large rivers formed.

The ancestors of the Bashkirs settled on the banks of four rivers. Later, the rivers were named after the children of Ural Batyr and his nephew: Sakmar, Yaik (Ural), Nugush, Idel (Agidel). This is how the world appeared in which the Bashkirs still live. And all this thanks to the heroic exploits of Ural Batyr.

But the epic itself and the image of the hero have posed many mysteries to researchers, around which there are heated debates. Here is just one of them: when exactly did the first stories about the exploits of the legendary hero appear?

One of the legends of the epic says that Shulgen, who went over to the side of evil, caused a global flood to destroy humanity. The Urals entered into battle with the evil divas subordinate to Shulgen. While he was fighting, people were fleeing the water by climbing high mountains.

And water covered the whole earth
The land disappeared under it forever
People made boats for themselves
Didn't die, didn't drown in the water
To the mountain rising from the waters
The saved people were chosen.

Isn't it a very familiar story? Of course, this is very similar to the biblical legend of Noah and his ark. And therefore, some researchers believe that the epic Ural Batyr and the Bible arose from a single source. They find parallels in the Bashkir epic with ancient Sumerian myths and claim that these myths are almost the same age. So, let's try to establish when the legends about the most glorious Ural Batyr arose.

Every resident of Ufa knows one of the famous structures made of glass and concrete. This is one of the most modern hippodromes. On weekends, serious sporting passions reign here, but now we are not interested in the breeds of horses and the results of races or bets, but in the name of the hippodrome. It's called Akbuzat. And this is not at all accidental.

Akbuzat is the winged horse of Ural Batyr and his faithful friend. According to legend, Akbuzat himself had to agree to leave with the batyr, and Ural had to prove his right to be a rider on a wonderful horse. When our hero got tired, his faithful horse carried him out of the battle. When the batyr gained strength, Akbuzat again rushed into battle with a whirlwind. He did not burn in fire and did not drown in water and blinded everyone with his beauty.

According to legend, all the horses that live on earth today are descendants of Akbuzat. They remember the order of the faithful horse Ural Batyr to always and at all times serve people faithfully and truly. But the life of the legendary horse itself was not easy. The evil brother of the Urals, Shulgen, managed to steal Akbuzat from the hero and hid him at the bottom of the same underground lake where he himself was hiding.

It would seem that this is a completely fairy-tale story. Well, what can be realistic in a story about a horse being imprisoned under water for many years? Of course, these are all legends and traditions, but...

At the end of the 50s of the last century, the Shulgen-tash cave presented scientists with a real sensation. From it appears the first version of the origin of the Ural Batyr.

Later, historian Vyacheslav Kotov, using modern technology, examined images in the famous cave that were not visible to the naked eye. He noticed that the focus of primitive artists was the horse. The researcher saw in this the trinity of the universe: the top horse in the picture with a trapezoid on its back is a winged horse - a symbol of the sky and the sun. In another composition, the hero and his horse are seen fighting the dark forces of the underworld.

Another interesting detail is that Ural Batyr and other heroes of the epic travel, from time to time, on a flying lion. This, of course, is also a mythical image, but how could the ancestors of the Bashkirs, who lived in the Volga region and Southern Urals, know about lions, even if they weren’t flying?

In Bashkir folklore there are two proverbs directly related to the lion. They sound something like this: “If you sit astride a lion, then let your whip be a saber” and “If a lion goes hunting, then he will not return without prey.” But proverbs are not created out of nowhere.

Research by paleontologists indirectly proves that prehistoric cave lions, which were much larger than their current descendants, could be found not only in Africa, but also in Europe, the Urals and even Siberia. In addition, they could jump further and higher than modern lions. Maybe that’s why ancient people encountered these formidable creatures and came up with the myth of flying lions.

The archives of the Ufa Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences contain the oldest copy of the epic manuscript. It was printed in the Bashkir language in Latin script about 100 years ago. But how exactly this written text came about is probably the biggest mystery of this whole story. The appearance of the written version of Ural Batyr is a real detective story.

According to the official version, Ural Batyr was recorded in 1910 by Mukhametsha Burangulov, but no one has ever seen its original handwritten recording. It is believed that she got lost during the searches of Burangulov. Under Soviet rule, he was arrested several times as an enemy of the people.

Skeptics object - the records were not lost anywhere because they simply did not exist. And Mukhametsha Burangulov was the real author of the Ural Batyr. So, did he really just make up all the stories about the glorious exploits of the batyr and the image of the main character in general, and all his stories are just a stylization of the ancient Bashkir epic, which the ancestors of the Bashkirs simply did not have.

Journalist and public figure Karim Yaushev suggested that the Ural Batyr epic cannot be considered a truly folk work, but is a literary work of the writer Burangulov. Or he reworked together all the scattered tales of the southeastern Bashkirs. But why should Burangulov write a poem about the Ural Batyr? Perhaps it was a matter of personal creative ambitions, or perhaps political reasons. One version is that he did this on the instructions of the Soviet leadership of Bashkiria, which sought to create a new history of the Bashkir people. True, he later suffered for this same reason - he was declared a nationalist.

Ural Batyr was first published in the Bashkir language in 1968. And in Russian even later – seven years later. Since then, many editions and translations of the epic have been published, but disputes about it do not stop. In general, Ural Batyr is the only epic hero around whom spears break with such ferocity as, probably, the hero himself fought with his enemies.

So did the Ural Batyr exist? There is little specific human information in the legends about him, and there are no ancient images of him. But perhaps his appearance is not so important, because the legend endows the Urals with all the positive qualities, making his image and life path an example to follow. That is why the presentation of the entire epic from beginning to end was considered by the Bashkirs to be the most important part of the rite of passage into adulthood.

Here is an example of respect for other people's lives and nobility even towards defeated enemies. One day, the evil and bloodthirsty king Katilla sent a gigantic bull against the Urals. But it was not there. No matter how the bull puffed and tried, no matter how he struggled, he didn’t try to free himself, he couldn’t find the strength, he sank knee-deep into the ground. But having defeated the bull, Ural Batyr took pity on him and left him alive. Since then, the bulls have crooked horns and hooves cracked in two halves and their front teeth do not grow. All this is the legacy of the lost battle of the distant ancestor Ural Batyr.

Of course, the circumstances of the fight with the bull and the size of the batyr’s horned opponent in the legends are truly mythological in nature. However, this is probably the most realistic of all the exploits of the Ural Batyr. Since ancient times, the strongest men from different nations measured their strength with bulls, and information about such battles is found not only in myths, but also in Roman historical chronicles. Perhaps a certain brave fighter was one of the prototypes of the heroic Urals, or this myth about fighting a giant bull came to the Bashkirs from other peoples. So, a third version of the origin of our hero appears.

The famous historian Tatishchev cites in his book that the northern Scythians had Uranus as their first sovereign. This suggests that there really was some ancient state whose ruler was Uranus, or as we say today Ural-Batyr. His deification took place, as a result of which he became one of the gods, first here in the Urals and then was transferred to Ancient Greece and as a result became the initial ancient Greek god.

However, perhaps this is too bold a version. It is not shared even by the majority of those scientists who believe that the legend of the Ural Batyr is a genuine epic of the Bashkir people. The prevailing opinion is that the glorious batyr is a purely mythical figure. This also distinguishes him from his colleagues from other legends, say, from the Russian hero Ilya Muromets. Although in terms of the number and scale of his exploits, Ural Batyr surpassed many famous heroes, because in fact he created an entire world.

When Ural died, having accomplished his last feat, people were overcome with grief. But then they decided to preserve his memory forever. The people buried Ural at the highest point with great respect. Each of the people brought a handful of earth to his grave. This is how a huge mountain grew. Over time, it shone like the sun - the body of the Urals turned into gold and precious stones, and the blood into the oil of the earth - oil. Well, the mountains began to be called in his honor - the Urals.

For many centuries, in any school in the world, during geography lessons, children have learned that the border between Europe and Asia runs along the huge Ural ridge. This is how the name of the ancient hero becomes known to billions of inhabitants of our planet. These mighty peaks are an eternal monument to the exploits of the Ural Batyr, who forever gave the Bashkir land and people incredible beauty of nature, inexhaustible wealth of mineral resources and great history.

A long time ago, when there were no Ural Mountains yet, there lived an old man and an old woman. And they had a son named Ural. When Ural grew up and became a real hero, he began to take care of his parents - go hunting, get food. That's how they lived.

During the day, Ural killed birds and animals in the forest, and in the evening he brought the prey home and lit a fire. While the meat for dinner was being cooked in the cauldron, the batyr sat by the fire and cut a pipe - kurai - from a dry stem. Then he brought the pipe to his lips and extracted wonderful sounds from it, similar either to the murmur of a stream or to a distant forest echo. A wondrous melody filled the air - and the birds in the forest fell silent, the leaves on the trees froze, the rivers stopped running. The native land was falling into sleep.
But one day the Urals went hunting and saw that the mighty trees began to dry out, tall grass turn yellow and droop, fast rivers dry. Even the air became so heavy that it was difficult to breathe. Everyone in the area was slowly dying - animals, birds, and people. No one could do anything against Death.
The Urals thought: how to continue to live? And he decided to fight Death and defeat it forever. He put a crust of bread, a handful of salt and his magic pipe in a canvas bag. He asked his father for a diamond sword, which struck lightning with every swing. Handing over the weapon, the father warned:
- No one on earth can resist this sword! But the trouble is - he is powerless before Death. Death can be destroyed by immersing it entirely in the spring of living water, which is located behind the dark forests, behind the wide fields, behind the rocky deserts. But you have no other choice.
The Ural set off. On the third day I found myself at the crossroads of three roads. There I met a gray-bearded old man.
“Grandfather,” Ural turned to the old man, “which way to go to the spring of living water?”
- Why do you need a spring?
- I want to defeat Death, but without living water this is impossible.
“I’ve been standing here for forty years, showing travelers the way to the spring for forty years,” the old man shook his head. “But no one has come back yet.”
- I still dare!
- Then I'll tell you what. You will walk along this road and you will see a herd. There will be only one white horse in the herd. Try to ride him, and he will serve you well.
Indeed, the Urals had not walked along the road even seven miles when he saw a herd in a field. Among the bay and black horses stood a tall horse - dazzlingly white as snow. He was so handsome that the hero could not take his eyes off him. Ural crept up to the stallion and quickly jumped onto him. The horse became furious, hit with one hoof - the earth shook, hit with the other hoof - a column of dust rose. The horse reared up and threw the rider to the ground. “Proud horse caught! - Ural decided. “I’ll try to tame him not by force, but by affection.”
He took out a piece of bread from a canvas bag, salted it heavily and handed it to the stallion - the horse gratefully accepted the bread and offered his mighty back to the hero. Ural sat down on the stallion and lightly pressed his heels on his sides. The horse rushed across wide fields, through rocky deserts, like a white blizzard.

And the Ural grabbed his mane so tightly that he couldn’t tear it off. In the end, the horse stopped in the middle of the dark deep forest and says:
- Ahead is a cave where a monster lives - a nine-headed deva. He guards the road to the spring. You, Ural, will have to fight him. Pluck three hairs from my mane. As soon as I am needed, they will fall, and I will immediately appear before you.
The hero pulled out three hairs from his mane - the horse took off under the clouds and disappeared into the dark thicket. Before the dust had time to settle from under the hooves, a shadow similar to ebony. The hero took a closer look - it was a beautiful girl walking, bent over, dragging a sack.
- Hello beauty! - Ural smiled. - What is your name? Where are you going, what are you carrying?
- My name is Karagash. A few days ago, a nine-headed deva kidnapped me and made me his slave. Now, for his amusement, I carry river pebbles to the cave from morning to night.
- Drop the bag, beauty, and show me where the monster lives!
“Dev lives behind that mountain where the sun rises,” Karagash waved her hand. - But don’t even think about approaching him. He will destroy you!
“You wait for me here,” said Ural. - I will leave you my pipe - kurai. If everything goes well with me, milk will drip from the kurai. And if I feel bad, blood will drip.
The hero said goodbye to the girl and went on his way.
When Ural finally approached the cave, he saw that a nine-headed deva was lying right in front of the cave, and human bones were lying around him.
“Hey, Dev,” the batyr shouted. - Get out of the way, I'm going to the living water.
But the monster didn’t even move. Ural shouted again. Then the dev with one breath pulled Ural to him. But Ural was not afraid and shouted to the deva:
- Shall we fight or fight?
“I don’t care,” the deva opened his mouth. - The death you want to die is the one you will die.
They climbed a high mountain and began to fight. The sun is already approaching noon, and they are all struggling. And so the dev tore Ural off the ground and threw him. The batyr went waist-deep into the ground. Dev pulled it out and threw it again. The batyr entered the ground up to his neck. Dev pulled Ural out again, and they continued to fight. And the day is already approaching evening.
And then the deva, already feeling the closeness of victory, relaxed for a moment. At that moment, the Urals threw the deva so that he entered the ground up to his waist. The batyr pulled out the dev and threw him again. Dev went into the ground up to his neck, and only nine of his heads remained sticking out.
Ural pulled Dev out again and this time threw him with such force that the Dev fell into the ground forever.
The next day, poor Karagash climbed the mountain to bury the heroic remains. But when she saw that the hero was alive, she cried with joy. And then she asked:
- Where did the dev go?
“And I put the deva under this mountain,” said Ural.
And suddenly clouds of smoke began to emerge from under the mountain. It was the defeated deva who was burning underground. Since that time, people have called this mountain Yangan-tau - Burning Mountain.
The Urals did not stay on Burning Mountain for long. Having pulled out three hairs, he set them on fire, and immediately a White horse. Having seated Karagash in front of him, the batyr rode on.
They drove through wide fields and deep gorges. Finally, the white horse stopped and said to the Urals:
- We are already close to the spring of living water. He is guarded by a twelve-headed deva. You'll have to fight him. Take three hairs from my mane. When you need me, fire them up and I’ll come right away.
The Ural pulled out three hairs from its mane - the horse took off under the clouds and disappeared behind a rock.
The batyr ordered the girl to stay in place, occasionally look to see what would drip from the magic pipe kurai - blood or milk, and he himself went to the place where the twelve-headed deva lay.
And now a spring of living water flashed ahead, and one could hear healing water flowing from the rock, one drop of which could heal the sick and immortalize healthy person. But this water was guarded by a twelve-headed deva.
“Hey, Dev,” the batyr shouted. - Get out of the way, I came for living water!
Dev didn’t even raise an eyebrow at Ural’s voice. Batyr shouted again. Then the deva opened his eyes and with his breath began to attract the hero to himself. But the Urals were not afraid and issued a challenge:
- Shall we fight or fight?
“I don’t care,” Dev opened his mouth. - The death you want to die is the one you will die.
“Okay,” said the warrior and waved his diamond sword in front of Dev’s eyes. The deva almost went blind from the flashing lightning.
- I will finish you off with this sword! - Ural shouted and began to cut off Dev's heads - one after another, one after another.
Here, hearing the desperate roar of the elder deva, small devas began to run to his aid from all sides. As soon as the batyr dealt with them, a great variety of small evil spirits appeared. She leaned so heavily on Ural that blood dripped from the kurai that remained with Karagash.
Seeing the blood, the girl became worried. Without thinking twice, she put the pipe to her lips and began to play a melody that she had once heard in the cave of the nine-headed deva.
Hearing their native tune, the little evil spirits began to dance. The Urals took advantage of the respite and defeated this entire pack. And in the place where the pile of hacked devas remained, the high mountain Yaman-tau - the Bad Mountain - appeared. Until now, nothing grows on this mountain and there are no animals or birds.
Having finished with the evil spirits, the batyr went to the spring. Alas, there was not a drop of living water left in the spring - the devas drank it. No matter how much Ural sat in front of the dry spring, he did not wait for a single drop.
And yet the victory of the Urals over evil spirits bore fruit. The forests turned green, the birds began to sing in them, nature came to life, and smiles appeared on people’s faces. And Death began to come to these lands less often, because he was afraid of the hero’s sword.

And the Ural, having mounted Karagash in front of him on his faithful horse, rushed home. They got married and began to live in peace and love. And they had three sons - Idel, Yaik and Sakmar. And the people were grateful to the Urals for raising such glorious heroes.
But the Urals, completing one hundred and first year of life, did not have long to live. Death had been waiting for a long time for the hero to weaken. And here Ural lies on his deathbed. People gathered from all sides to say goodbye to their beloved hero.
Then one young man approached the Urals and handed him a horn of water:
- Our dear hero! On the day when you lay down on your bed, I went to the spring. It turned out that there was still some living water left there. I sat at the spring for seven days and collected its remains drop by drop. I ask you, drink this water and live forever for the joy of everyone.
Ural slowly stood up, gratefully accepted the horn, sprinkled living water all around and said:
- Let not me, but our native land be immortal. And may people live happily on this earth.

Ural batyr

Ural batyr

Bashkir fairy tale

In ancient, very ancient times, when there were neither the Ural Mountains nor the beautiful Agidel, an old man and his old woman lived in the middle of a dark dense forest. Long life they lived together, but one day the old woman died. The old man remained with two sons, the eldest of whom was called Shulgen, and the youngest - Ural. The old man went hunting, and Shulgen and Ural remained at home at that time. The old man was very strong and a very skilled hunter. It didn't cost him anything to drag a bear or a wolf alive. And all because before each hunt the old man drank a spoonful of the blood of some predator, and to on our own The old man's strength was increased by the beast whose blood he drank. And you could only drink the blood of an animal that a person killed himself. Therefore, the old man kept warning his sons: “You are still small, and don’t even think about drinking blood from a tursuk. Don’t even come close to the tursuk, otherwise you will die.”

One day, when my father went hunting, and Shulgen and Ural were sitting at home, a very beautiful woman came to them and asked:

Why are you sitting at home instead of going hunting with your father?

We would go, but my father doesn’t allow us. He says that we haven’t grown enough for this yet,” Ural and Shulgen answered.

Is it possible to grow up while sitting at home?” the woman laughed.

What should we do?

“You need to drink the blood from that tursuk,” said the woman. “It’s enough to drink just one spoonful of blood, and you will become real warriors and be strong like a lion.”

Father forbade us to even come close to this tursuk. He said if we drink blood, we will die. “We will not violate our father’s ban,” the boys answered.

It turns out that you are really small, and therefore you believe everything that your father tells you,” the woman laughed. “If you drink blood, you will become strong and brave, and you yourself will go to the beast, and your father will have to sit and protect you instead.” home and grow old quietly. This is what he is afraid of and that is why he forbids you to touch the tursuk with blood. But I’ve already said everything, and the rest is up to you to decide.

With these words, the woman disappeared as suddenly as she had appeared.

Believing the words of this woman, Shulgen tried the blood from the tursuk, and Ural firmly decided to keep his word to his father, and did not even come close to the tursuk.

Shulgen drank a spoonful of blood and immediately turned into a bear. Then this woman appeared again and laughed:

Do you see what a strong man your brother has become? And now I'll make a wolf out of him.

The woman clicked her finger on the bear's forehead, and it turned into a wolf. Clicked again - he turned into a lion. Then the woman mounted the lion and rode away.

It turns out that this woman was a juha. And because Shulgen believed the sweet speeches of this yukha in the guise beautiful woman and violated his father's ban, he forever lost his human appearance. Shulgen wandered through the forests for a long time, now in the guise of a bear, now in the guise of a wolf, until he finally drowned in a deep lake. The lake in which Ural's brother drowned was later called Lake Shulgen.

And Ural grew up and became a hero, who had no equal in strength and courage. When he, like his father, began to go hunting, everything around him began to die. Rivers and lakes dried up, grass withered, leaves turned yellow and fell off the trees. Even the air became so heavy that it became difficult for all living things to breathe. People and animals died, and no one could do anything against Death. Seeing all this, the Urals began to think about seizing Death and destroying it. His father gave him his sword. This was a special sword. With each swing, this sword released striking arrows of lightning. And the father said to Ural:

With this sword you can crush anyone and anything. There is no force in the world that can resist this sword. He is powerless only against Death. But take it anyway, it will come in handy. And Death can be destroyed only by throwing it into the waters of the Living Spring. But this spring is very far from here. But there is no other way to defeat Death.

With these words, the father of the Urals saw off his son on a long and dangerous journey.

The Ural walked for a long time until it reached the crossroads of seven roads. There he met a gray-haired old man and addressed him with these words:

Long years to you, venerable elder! Can you show me which of these roads leads to the Living Spring?

The old man showed the Urals one of the roads.

“How far is it still from this spring?” asked Ural.

“But I can’t tell you this, son,” answered the old man. “For forty years I have been standing at this crossroads and showing travelers the way to the Living Spring.” But in all this time there has not been a single person who has walked back along this road.

Son, walk along this road a little and you will see a herd. There is only one white tulpar in this herd - Akbuzat. If you can, try to ride him.

Ural thanked the old man and walked along the road indicated by the old man. He walked through the Urals a little and saw the herd that the old man was talking about, and in this herd he saw Akbuzat. Ural looked at the white tulpar in fascination for some time, and then slowly approached the horse. Akbuzat did not show the slightest concern. Ural quietly stroked the horse and quickly jumped onto its back. Akbuzat got angry and threw the batyr off with such force that the Urals went into the ground up to his waist. Ural, using all his strength, crawled out of the ground and jumped on his horse again. Akbuzat dropped Ural again. This time the hero went into the ground up to his knees. Ural climbed out again, jumped onto the tulpar, and clung to it so much that Akbuzat, no matter how hard he tried, was unable to throw him off. After this, Akbuzat, together with the Urals, rushed along the road to the Living Spring. In the blink of an eye, Akbuzat rushed through wide fields, rocky deserts and cliffs, and stopped in the middle of a dark forest. And Akbuzat said to the Urals in human language:

We arrived at a cave in which a nine-headed deva lies and guards the road to the Living Spring. You'll have to fight him. Take three hairs from my mane. As soon as you need me, these three hairs will fall, and I will immediately appear in front of you.

Ural took three hairs from the horse’s mane, and Akbuzat immediately disappeared from sight.

While the Urals were wondering where to go, a very beautiful girl, who, bent over, carried a huge sack on her back. Ural stopped the girl and asked:

Wait, beauty. Where are you going and what's so heavy in your bag?

The girl stopped, put the bag on the ground, and with tears in her eyes told Ural her story:

My name is Karagash. Until recently, I grew up with my parents, free, like a forest deer, and was never denied anything. But a few days ago I was kidnapped by a nine-headed deva for the amusement of his nine cubs. And now, from morning to night, I carry them river pebbles in bags so that they can play with these pebbles.

Let me, beauty, I’ll carry this bag myself,” said Ural.

No, no, hey, don’t even think about following me,” Karagash whispered in fear. “As soon as Dev sees you, he will immediately destroy you.”

But Ural insisted on his own and carried the bag of stones to the cubs of the nine-headed deva. As soon as Ural dumped pebbles in front of the deva cubs, they began their games, throwing and throwing pebbles at each other. And while these cubs were busy with their game, Ural took a stone the size of a horse's head, hung it on a rope on the nearest tree, and quietly walked to the cave, in front of which lay the nine-headed deva himself.

The deva's children very quickly ran out of all the stones. And then they saw a large stone suspended from a tree. One of them, becoming interested, hit the stone. He swayed and hit the cub on the head. The deva cub got angry and hit the stone again with all his might. But this time the stone hit him with such force that the cub's head split open like an eggshell. His brother, seeing this, decided to take revenge, and also hit the stone out of anger. But he too suffered the same fate. And just like that, one after another, all nine children of the nine-headed deva died.

When Ural approached the cave, he saw that a nine-headed deva was lying right on the road in front of the cave, and everything around was strewn with human bones. Ural shouted from afar:

Hey, Dev, give way, I'm going to the Living Spring.

But the dev didn’t even move and continued to lie there. Ural shouted again. Then the dev with one breath pulled Ural to him. But Ural was not afraid and shouted to the deva:

Will we fight or fight!?

Dev had already seen a lot of brave guys and therefore was not very surprised.

“I don’t care,” he said. “Whatever death you want to die, that’s how you’ll die.”

They climbed to the highest place and began to fight. They fight, they fight, now the sun is approaching noon, and they are still fighting. And so the dev tore Ural off the ground and threw him. The Urals sunk waist-deep into the ground. Dev pulled him out and started fighting again. Here the dev again raised and threw the Urals. The Ural went into the ground up to the neck. Dev pulled Ural out by the ears and they continued to fight. And the day is already approaching evening. It’s already twilight, and the Ural and the dev are still fighting.

And then the dev, who had already believed in his invincibility, relaxed for a moment, and in that moment the Urals threw the dev so hard that he entered the ground up to his waist. Ural pulled out the dev and threw him again. Dev went into the ground up to his neck and only nine of his heads remained sticking out above the ground. Ural pulled the dev out again and this time threw him so hard that the entire dev went underground. Thus came the end of the evil deva.

The next day, poor Karagash decided to at least collect and bury the bones of the Urals and climbed the mountain. But when she saw that the hero was alive, she cried with joy. And then she asked in surprise:

Where did the dev go?

“And I put the deva under this mountain,” said Ural.

And then, three steps away from them, clouds of hot smoke suddenly began to emerge from under the mountain.

“What is this?” Karagash asked in surprise.

“In this very place I drove the deva into the ground,” answered Ural. “Apparently the earth itself disdains to keep this reptile inside itself.” Therefore, this deva is burning right there, inside the earth, and the smoke is coming out.

Since that time, this mountain has not stopped burning. And the people called this mountain Yangantau - Burning Mountain.

After dealing with the deva, Ural did not remain on the mountain for long. Having pulled out three hairs, he set them on fire, and Akbuzat immediately appeared in front of him. Having planted Karagash in front of him, Ural drove further along the road to the Living Spring.

They drove through wide fields and deep gorges, through rocks and impassable swamps, and finally Akbuzat stopped and said to the Urals:

We are already very close to the Living Spring. But on the way to the spring lies a twelve-headed deva. You'll have to fight him. Take three hairs from my mane. When you need me, fire them up and I’ll come right away.

Ural took three hairs from the tulpar's mane, and Akbuzat immediately disappeared from sight.

Wait for me here,” said Ural Karagash. “I will leave you my kurai.” If everything goes well with me, milk will drip from the kurai. And if I feel bad, blood will drip.

Ural said goodbye to the girl and went to the place where the dev lay.

And now the Living Spring is already babbling ahead, flowing out of the rock and immediately gurgling into the ground. And around the spring human bones turn white. And this water, which can heal the hopelessly ill and make the healthy immortal, lies and is guarded by the eldest twelve-headed deva.

Ural, seeing the deva, shouted:

Hey, Dev, I came for living water. Let me pass!

This Dev has already seen many brave warriors, but none of them have yet been able to defeat him. That’s why the dev didn’t even raise an eyebrow at Ural’s voice. Ural shouted again, this time even louder. Then the deva opened his eyes and with his breath began to attract the Urals to himself. Ural didn’t even have time to blink an eye when he found himself in front of the deva. But the Urals were not afraid and challenged the deva:

Shall we fight or fight?

“I don’t care,” answered the dev. “Whatever death you want to die, that’s how you’ll die.”

Well, then hold on! - said Ural, pulled out his lightning sword and waved it several times in front of the deva’s eyes. The devas even went blind for a few moments from the lightning that rained down from the sword.

Well, hold on! - Ural shouted again and began to cut off the deva’s heads one by one with his sword.

And Karagash at this time, without taking her eyes off, looked at the kurai that the Urals had left her. She saw milk dripping from the kurai and was very happy.

Here, hearing the desperate roar of the twelve-headed deva, all the smaller devas began to come running to his aid. But the sword in the hands of the Urals continued to cut right and left, and the hand of the Urals did not know fatigue. As soon as he crushed this entire pack of devas into pieces, a great variety of various small evil spirits appeared - genies, goblins, ghouls. They pressed their whole crowd on the Urals so much that blood dripped from the kurai that remained with Karagash.

Karagash, seeing the blood, became worried. And then, without thinking twice, she took the kurai and began to play some unpleasant to the ear melody, which she heard while in slavery to the nine-headed deva. And it turns out that that’s all that little evil spirits need. Having heard their native tune, they, forgetting about everything in the world, began to dance. The Urals, taking advantage of this respite, defeated this entire pack and went to the Living Spring to draw its water. But when he approached the spring, he saw that the spring had dried up and there was not a drop of water left in it. All these devas and other evil spirits drank all the water from the spring so that this water would never reach people. The Urals sat for a long time in front of the dry spring, but no matter how much he waited, not a single drop of water leaked out of the rock.

The Urals were very upset. But still, the fact that the Urals defeated all these devas bore fruit. Immediately the forests turned green, birds began to sing, nature came to life, smiles and joy appeared on people’s faces.

And Ural put Karagash on Akbuzat in front of him and rushed along the way back. And in the place where the Urals left a pile of the bodies of the devas, chopped up by him, a high mountain appeared. People named this mountain Yamantau. And to this day nothing grows on this mountain, and there are no animals or birds.

Ural married Karagash, and they began to live in peace and harmony. And three sons were born to them - Idel, Yaik and Sakmar.

And Death now rarely came to these lands, because she was afraid of the lightning sword of the Urals. And so there soon became so many people in these parts that they no longer had enough water. Ural, seeing this, pulled out his all-crushing sword from its sheath, waved it three times above his head and hit the rock with all his strength.

“There will be the beginning of big water here,” said Ural.

Then Ural called his eldest son, Idel, and told him:

Go, son, wherever your eyes look, walk among people. But don't turn back until you come to a deep river.

And Idel went south, leaving deep traces behind him. And Ural saw his son off with his eyes full of tears, because Ural knew that his son would never come back.

Idel walks forward, walks, and then he turns right and goes west. Idel walked for months and years and finally saw a large river in front of him. Idel turned back and saw that a wide river was flowing in his footsteps and began to flow into the river to which Idel had come. This is how the beautiful river Agidel, glorified in songs, arose.

On the same day when Idel set off on his long journey, Ural sent the rest of his sons on the road with the same condition. But younger sons The Urals turned out to be less patient. They did not have the endurance to go the whole way alone, and they decided to go together. But, be that as it may, the people remained forever grateful not only to Idel, but also to Yaik and Sakmar, and wished for long years life to the Urals for raising such glorious sons.

But the Urals, already completing the one hundred and first year of its life, did not have long to live. Death, which had long been waiting for the Urals to completely weaken, approached very close to it. And now the Ural lies on its deathbed. People gathered from all sides to say goodbye to their beloved hero. And then a middle-aged man appeared among the people, walked to the Urals and said:

You, our father and our dear hero! On the same day when you lay down on your bed, at the request of the people I went to the Living Spring. It turned out that it was not completely dry yet, and there was still some living water left there. For seven days and seven nights I sat at the Living Spring and collected the remnants of its water drop by drop. And so I managed to collect this horn of living water. We all ask you, our dear hero, drink this water without a trace and live forever, without knowing death, for the happiness of all the people.

With these words, he handed the horn to the Urals.

Drink every last drop, Ural hero! - people around asked.

Ural slowly rose to his feet, took right hand horn with living water and, bowing his head, expressed his gratitude to the people. Then he sprinkled this water all around and said:

I am alone, there are many of you. Not me, but our native land should be immortal. And may people live happily on this earth.

And everything around came to life. Various birds and animals appeared, everything around blossomed, and unprecedented berries and fruits filled in, numerous streams and rivers came out of the ground and began to flow into Agidel, Yaik and Sakmar.

While people looked around in surprise and admiration, the Urals died.

The people buried the Urals with great respect on the most elevated place. And each person brought a handful of earth to his grave. And so, on the site of his grave, a high mountain grew, and people named this mountain in honor of their hero - Uraltau. And in the depths of this mountain the sacred bones of the Ural Batyr are still kept. All the countless treasures of this mountain are the precious bones of the Urals. And what we call oil today is the never-drying blood of a hero.