ABSTRACT
This scene, evoking the setting for the performance of heroic epic poetry among the Tuvinians, is typical of other Turkic peoples as well: the people gather in a yurt, at night, with a singer in their midst; they have come to listen to his tale, to let themselves be entertained all night; as the silence sets in, the singer begins his epic tale, declaiming or chanting in a way peculiar to each tradition, captivating his listeners’ attention and casting a spell on his audience. L. V. Grebnev continues his description by mentioning the belief among the Tuvinians that one had to listen attentively to the singer, because the life of a person who fell asleep during the performance of an epic tale was in danger of being curtailed. The singer is clearly more than an entertainer and his tale more than entertainment: the spell he casts on his audience is real enough, a spiritual force wielding power over the life of his listeners.
