Features of the Mordovian heroic epic on the example of the work “Siyazhar”

The article considers an example of the Mordovian heroic epic - the poem “Siyazhar”, whose tales were collected and literary processed by the Mordovian writer Vasily Radaev and translated into Russian by the poet Sergei Podelkov. “Siyazhar” as a Mordovian heroic epic is based on oral narratives of the Mordovian people about the unity of Russians and Mordovians in the fight against the Nogai army. The main character -Siyazhar - becomes an ideal that the Mordovian people embodied in their folklore. He is a mighty hero, who shows his prowess and physical strength to the people in the name of serving the motherland. Such examples of the heroic epic are interesting primarily because they influenced the development of the people, their culture, contributed to the formation of genres, poetics and aesthetics of national literature.