Ay Yola has released a new version of their song “Homay” featuring Dima Bilan, incorporating verses in both Russian and Kabardian. The song expands on the group’s established theme of drawing inspiration from national epics.

Dima Bilan’s contribution includes a verse dedicated to Sosruko, a hero from the Nart epic known across the Caucasus, also referred to as Soslan. The verse aims to connect Sosruko’s qualities of male courage, valor, and honor with Homay’s symbolism of female wisdom and strength in Bashkir mythology.

Anzor Apshev, a musician and poet, authored the Kabardian verse. He sought to integrate seamlessly into Ay Yola’s concept by highlighting parallels between Bashkir and Caucasian heroic figures.

Sosruko is depicted as a hero with varied portrayals across different national myths. He is known as the son of a shepherd who fell in love with a woman born in the realm of the dead.

Like the Greek hero Achilles, Sosruko has a vulnerability. Legend states that Sosruko was tempered on coals and dipped in wolf’s milk, leaving his legs vulnerable, a weakness exploited by his killer.

Ay Yola is continuing to release new songs from their album, with “Yola” being the next installment of Bashkir epic.