Körktüülük

Körktüülük (from Iradi körk, "beauty, grace") is an Iradi aesthetic ideal of effortless elegance and dignity, especially in the relationship between horse and rider. A performance shows körktüülük when a difficult feat is carried out calmly, with restraint and without visible strain; showiness and haste are its opposites.^[1]

The concept is applied to horsemanship, falconry, embroidery, music and poetry. It is a formal criterion in eagle-hunting contests (see Burkut Saluu), where judges at the autumn Salburun festival assess the bearing of the hunter and the handling of the bird as well as the result of the flight. Riders in tyin emmei and other horseback games are also praised for it.^[1][2]

References

1. ^ Central Asian Folklore Society (2021). Epic Cycles and Horseback Chants of the Northern Valleys. Talas State University Press, Talas, pp. 135–158.
2. ^ Talas State University Press (2016). Grace and Restraint: Aesthetics of the Iradi Steppe, pp. 9–33.