title: Zayatulak and Hyuhylu
text: # Zayatulak and Hyuhylu
  
  Zayatulak and Hyuhylu (Bashkir: Заятүләк менән Һыуhылыу, Tatar: Заятүләк белән Сусылу, Түләк, Түләк китабы) is a part-prose, part-poetry epic of the Tatar and Bashkir people who live in Russia. It is one of the first Bashkir and Tatar epics.
  
  The main characters are Zayatulak and Hyuhylu.
  
  ## Summary
  
  At the start of the epic, Zayatulak dives in a lake, where a mermaid named Hyuhylu lives there. The epic is completed with the death of Hyuhylu while she was waiting Zayatulak, while Zayatulak was riding a tulpar. He was needing one more day to reach Hyuhylu. Shortly after Zayatulak commits suicide in the tomb of Hyuhylu.
  
  ## Geographical places named in the epic
  
  The epic takes place in the following places in Davlekanovsky district, Bashkortostan:
  
  * Mount Balkan-Tau (Zayatulaktau)
  * Lake Kandrykul
  * Lake Aslikul
  