Boktu-Kirish is the hero of one of the best-known Tuvan heroic epics, transmitted under the paired title 'Boktug-Kirish, Bora-Sheelei' and preserved in some seventeen recorded variants. A warrior of the open steppe, he distinguishes himself in the martial games, wrestling and mounted combat that fill the maadyrlyg tool tradition, and rides the wise, speaking horse that is a hallmark of Siberian-Turkic epic. The narrative turns on his death: slain by his enemies, he is sought out and brought back to life by his resourceful sister Bora-Sheelei, whose quest forms the heart of the tale. Performed by master singers such as Shoydak-ool Khovalyg, the epic remains a living monument of Tuvan oral literature.