Author: Халмирзаева, Саида

Annotation: The hero who leaves his land to fight an enemy returns home after years of seclusion, only to find his family being harassed by traitors. The hero's appearance has changed beyond recognition, which is why no one, not even his loyal servant, can identify him. For a time, the hero observes what has occurred during his absence, finally revealing his identity by stringing his distinctive bow, punishing the traitors, and reuniting with his family. This famous story about the return of Odysseus is widely known around the world. However, motifs such as "the hero returns on the day of his wife's wedding," "the hero returns home in disguise," or "the hero strings his distinctive bow" are not unique to the Odyssey. Dozens of tales with a similar combination of motifs have been collected from different parts of the world. They are grouped into a tale-type known as "The Homecoming Husband" (ATU 974). Thorough comparative research on these tales' historical and cultural backgrounds suggests that regional variants found across Asia—such as the Central Asian Alpamish, the Japanese story about Yuriwaka, and other similar narratives—could have evolved from a common source: an older Asian tale about a returning husband. This paper is part of broader research on the tale-type "The Homecoming Husband." It introduces stories representing this tale-type in Asia—The Epic of King Gesar (Tibet, Mongolia) and The Song of Chunhyang (Korea)—which have been overlooked in Yuriwaka-related research but could be the missing links offering clues about the route of transmission of the returning husband story from the continent to Japan.

Keywords: "Returning Husband," epic, motif, "Odyssey," "Alpamish," Yuriwaka tale, "Gesar," "Chunhyang-jeon," myth.

Pages in journal: 44 - 52