Ultan, commonly Ultantaz, is the antagonist of the return half of the Alpamıs epic. The half-brother of the hero, born of a slave-woman and marked by the epithet taz ('scald-head'), he exploits Alpamys's long absence in Kalmyk captivity to seize power over the tribe and to press the faithful Barshyn into marriage against her will. His tyranny sets the stage for the hero's disguised homecoming and the restoration of legitimate order. As the base-born usurper, Ultan embodies the disorder that the returning champion must undo.