Once Again on the Existence of Bylinas (Russian Heroic Epics) in the Perm Kama Region

This article analyzes the history of collecting, studying and publishing bylina texts in the Perm Kama Region in the 19th — early 20th century, and the identification and collection of folklore texts with bylina subjects in the second half of the 20th — early 21st century. The history of bylina studies from the region dates back almost two centuries, from the first mention of bylina stories by V. Berkh (1821) to recordings of the beginning of the 21st century. The search for bylinas and collecting activity in the region are associated with the names of the prominent Russian folklorists N.E. Onchukov and A.V. Markov. Despite numerous publications and evidence of the existence of bylinas, very few actual bylinas have been recorded and published. Most of the recording was done by Perm researchers; this is partly due to the fact that because of the characteristically spotty and sporadic presence of bylinas in the Kama Region, their documentation was only possible by long-term purposeful study. There is a significant number of publications that provide information about bylinas, but it is not supported by textual material. In this article, the existing records and references to bylina stories in Komi-Permian folklore are analyzed. It examines the particularities of identifying new bylina texts and subjects in state archival collections and folklore archives. It also considers the work of Permian folklorists in recent decades and their recording of bylina stories. Several texts from archival collections and field recordings are published in the appendix to the article.