Dorvyzhy (Udmurt: Дорвыжы, lit. "homeland roots" or "homeland generation") is the Udmurt literary national epic. It was originally compiled and written in Russian by Mikhail Khudiakov in the 1920s with the title Песнь об удмуртских батырах ("Canto about the Udmurt Bogatyr"). The original was based on the folklore works of N. Pervuhin, G. Potanin, B. Gavrilov, B. Munkácsi, Kuzebay Gerd (K. Chainikov) and A. Spicyn.[1] The structure of the Finnish epic Kalevala was influential in its creation. The epic was later translated into Udmurt in 2004 and given its Udmurt title Дорвыжы by V. M. Vanjushev and then Finnish in 2009 with a Kalevala metre structure by Esa-Jussi Salminen and Jorma Vakkuri.[2]
Dorvyzhy is a mix of myth and history, recounting the deeds of the heroes such as Ozhmeg, Dokja and the son of Dondy. The main gods in the epic are the god of the heavans Inmar, the earth god Kyldyśin and weather god Kuaź. The epic also makes references to the surrounding peoples of the area such as the Tatars and Maris and geographic places such as the Cheptsa, Kilmez River.
Dorvyzhy consists of 10 cantos plus an introduction or beginning words: