Abstract
Introduction. Oirat folklore traditions include typologically different tales that remain vastly understudied. Folklore materials of Xinjiang Oirats used to be printed in Clear Script type up to the late 1980s, but currently those are primarily published in Classical Mongolian, which makes it difficult for Russian folklorists to study them. So, the paper attempts an insight into one folklore genre of Xinjiang Oirats — animal tales. Goals. The article classifies animal tales of XUAR-based Oirats (China) in accordance with the universally accepted comparative approach. Materials. The work examines The White-Collared Sparrow (Betege caγān boqširγo) animal tale collection issued by Xinjiang People’s Publishing House in 1981. Results. The study identifies 24 (of 31) plots in standard world classification systems of folklore and mythological motifs, while 7 samples prove essentially local. Some plots are referred to as etiological myths.
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