On the issue of introducing authentic records of folklore samples (based on Baga Dorbet cycle of the Jangar epic)

The article discusses the Oirat manuscript containing three Baga Dorbet cycle songs of the Jangar epic. It was brought to St. Petersburg in 1862 by K.F. Golstunsky and nowadays is kept at the manuscript fund of the Oriental Faculty’s Library of St. Petersburg State University. Despite the fact that the manuscript is unique in content and early time of record, it has not yet been the subject of research. Meanwhile, transliteration of the text and analysis of the manuscript in terms of source studies are of great importance as stages of comprehensive study of one of biggest and earliest cycles of the epic. Lack of interest to the original source resulted in misunderstanding that the manuscript contains only one epic song. Due to this songs 2 and 3 remained unknown to academic researchers for over a century. An analysis of the manuscript leads us to proposal that there are at least three different manners of handwriting in two books of the manuscript: the first one - through all first book and at the beginning of the second book till f. 38v; the second - ff. 39r-43v and the third - ff. 44r-67v of the second book. The third manner of handwriting, in our opinion, resembles one of K.F. Golstunsky. This, in turn, leads us to the assumption that he could be directly involved in the process of fixation of epic in written form. Interestingly, the songs in the manuscript are arranged not in logical composition, but, possibly, according to their value for researchers. Many corrections and notes lead us to the assumption that the manuscript was edited by K.F. Golstunsky and could be used as a material in his tutorial and research activities. The description of different marks used by the editor is given, the meaning of some of them remains unclear. Based on this analysis we tried to emphasize the necessity of deep study of authentic records of folklore texts and outline a range of problems which remain unnoticed until the original source is referred to.