The genre of folk riddles and forms of its application in ashug art of the Lezgins

Abstract

The subject of this article is ashug art, namely improv singers. The object of this research is one of the genre varieties of ashug poetry – the dialogue songs. Roll songs hold a special place in non-ritualistic lyrical songs. With the historical development of the people, the contest songs stand out of the folklore poetry and take the form of riddles and solutions. These songs become a favorite genre of the Lezgin ashugs. Special attention is given to the transformation of the genre of folk riddles in the songs of ashug improvisators. Analysis is conducted on ideological-thematic diversity, as well as artistic distinctness of ashugs’ compositions. It is concluded that the poetic contest and dialogue songs, common in non-ritualistic lyrical songs of the Lezgins, received further development in the works of ashugs and improv singers. In later period, these songs appear in works of the classics of Lezgin poetry. The author's main contribution to this research consists in the analysis of ideological-thematic content and structure of poetic contest, presence of the genre of riddles therein, and as well determination of discrepancies between ashug riddles and folk riddles.