The Kyrgyz people have the right to be proud of the richness and diversity of oral poetic creativity, the pinnacle of which is the epic “Manas”. Unlike the epics of many other peoples, “Manas” is composed from beginning to end in verse, which indicates the special attitude of the Kirghiz to the art of versification. The epic "Manas" consists of half a million poetic lines and exceeds in volume all known world epics (20 times - "Iliad" and "Odyssey", 5 times - "Shahname", 2.5 times the Indian "Mahabharat"), is the longest epic in the world and is included in the treasury of world culture.
The grandeur of the epic “Manas” is one of the distinctive features of the epic creativity of the Kyrgyz. It is explained by a number of significant circumstances, primarily the unique history of the people. The Kyrgyz, being one of the most ancient peoples of Central Asia, throughout their centuries-old history were attacked by the powerful conquerors of Asia - the Khitans (Kara-Kitai) at the end of the 10th century, the Mongol horde in the 13th century, the Dzungars (Kalmyks) in the 16th-18th centuries. Many state associations and tribal unions fell under their blows, they exterminated entire nations, and their names disappeared from the pages of history. Only the power of resistance, perseverance and heroism could save the Kyrgyz from complete destruction. Each battle was replete with the exploits of the faithful sons and daughters of the people. Courage and heroism became an object of worship, a theme of chanting. Hence the heroic character of Kyrgyz epic poems in general and the epic “Manas” in particular.
As one of the oldest Kyrgyz epics, “Manas” is the most complete and broad artistic reflection of the centuries-old struggle of the Kyrgyz people for their independence and freedom, justice and a happy life. In the absence of a recorded history and the underdevelopment of written literature, the epic as a popular folk work reflected not only centuries-old history, but also the diverse pre-revolutionary life of the Kyrgyz people, its ethnic composition, economy, way of life, customs, morals, aesthetic tastes, ethical standards, judgments about human virtues and vices, ideas about the surrounding nature, religious prejudices, poetics and language.
Manas, the hero of the epic of the same name, united all Kyrgyz people and is a symbol of the unity of the Kyrgyz people.
Seven Testaments of Manas
1) Unity and cohesion of the nation.
2) Interethnic harmony, friendship and cooperation.
3) National honor and patriotism.
4) Through hard work and knowledge - to prosperity and well-being.
5) Humanism, generosity, tolerance.
6) Harmony with nature.
7) Strengthening and protecting Kyrgyz statehood.
Many institutions, organizations, streets, the airport in Bishkek, a university, one of the first Kyrgyz operas, and an asteroid discovered by astronomer Nikolai Chernykh in 1979 are named after Manas in Kyrgyzstan.
Also, the highest award of Kyrgyzstan is named in honor of this epic hero.
In China there is a lake named after Manas.
In 2012, a monument to Manas was opened in Moscow, which is located in Friendship Park; the work belongs to the creative group of Zhoomart Kadyraliev. About 41 million rubles were spent on installation and production.
The duty commanded by God has been fulfilled...
A. S. Pushkin “Boris Godunov”
A century and a half has passed since Russian scientists Chokan Valikhanov and V.V. Radlov informed the world that the “wild stone” Kyrgyz, roaming the foothills of the Tien Shan, have the greatest oral and poetic masterpiece - the heroic epic “Manas”. Episodes of the Kyrgyz legend were recorded, published, and translated into Russian and German.
Many scientific works have been written about the trilogy “Manas”, “Semetey”, “Seytek”, scientific conferences have been held, and in 1993 the 1000th anniversary of the epic was celebrated at the world level.
Years passed, but our valiant hero never reached the broad masses; few people know the content of the epic itself, not only abroad, but also in the homeland of Manas. And the reason, apparently, is that the text of “Manas” is very voluminous and multivariate. It is impossible to translate it into verse, and in a prose translation “Manas” loses half of its artistic merits. Imagine an uncut ruby! “Zhanbashtap zhatyp sonunda” is one thing, that is, lying on your side and admiring nature, listening to a manaschi storyteller, and another thing is reading about all this yourself. But the main reason, perhaps, is that until now, whether in prose or poetry, it was not the artistic content of the epic that was translated, but its execution in the interpretation of one or another storyteller. This is the same as translating not a drama by W. Shakespeare, but his production on stage, or, let’s say, not a novel by A. S. Pushkin, but an opera by P. I. Tchaikovsky “Eugene Onegin”.
So I, like the storytellers of “Manas,” dreamed...
I went to visit my Manas and saw: he came out of the felt yurt and in all his fighting glory was prancing on his white horse around the closed circle of the paddock. People are standing around, admiring the greatness of the Kyrgyz hero. And the guide enthusiastically talks about his glory and past exploits. And Manas himself is already gray-haired, and Ak-Kula has dark streaks around his eyes. I tried to open the gate of the pen, but, alas, my strength was not enough. And I, as always, called for help from my faithful and powerful friend - Great Russian language and sat down to translate, or rather to write a poetic translation of “Manas”.
Historians have proven that the events of the tale took place in the Middle Ages AD, so they had to abandon fantasy and fairy-tale hyperbole, religious and other layers of pan-Turkism and pan-Islamism introduced by storytellers after the tragic events of 1916, when the Kyrgyz people, finding themselves between two great powers: Russia and China, was subjected to brutal genocide.
In 1856, Ch. Valikhanov called the epic “Manas” the steppe “Iliad”. I consider the epic “Manas” to be the Bible of the mountains and steppes, and therefore I tried to preserve biblical motifs, clarify and generalize the parable thoughts of the Great Legend. To the best of his abilities, he tried to preserve the canonical plot of the epic, build the logic of the characters’ behavior and the development of events, and convey the figurative flavor of the Kyrgyz language.
The first, one might say, trial edition of my “Tale of Manas” was published in 2009 in a small edition and immediately went to the people. The Ministry of Science and Education recommended the book as an additional textbook on the epic “Manas”. In the Russian Academic Theater named after. Ch. Aitmatov carried out a literary and dramatic production of the same name performed by Kyrgyz actors in Russian.
The second edition of “The Legend” is supplemented by a retrospective preface by Academician B. Yu. Yunusaliev, at the end of the book there is a scientific summary by Professor G. N. Khlypenko. Undoubtedly, the works of famous Kyrgyz scientists will complement readers’ knowledge about the outstanding masterpiece of the Kyrgyz people.
I hope that the Russian text of “The Tale of Manas” will become the basis for translating the Kyrgyz epic into other languages and that our legendary hero will rush along the equator of the globe.
Good journey to you, my valiant Manas!
Mar Baydzhiev.
Academician B. M. Yunusaliev
(1913–1970)
KYRGYZ HEROIC EPIC “MANAS”
The Kyrgyz people have the right to be proud of the richness and diversity of oral poetic creativity, the pinnacle of which is the epic “Manas”. Unlike the epics of many other peoples, “Manas” is composed from beginning to end in verse, which once again testifies to the special respect the Kyrgyz people have for the art of versification.
The epic consists of half a million poetic lines and exceeds in volume all known world epics: twenty times the Iliad and the Odyssey, five times the Shahnameh, and more than two times the Mahabharata.
The grandeur of the epic “Manas” is one of the distinctive features of the epic creativity of the Kyrgyz people. It is explained by a number of significant circumstances, and, above all, by the unique history of the people. The Kyrgyz, being one of the most ancient peoples of Central Asia, throughout their centuries-old history were subject to attacks by the powerful conquerors of Asia: the Khitans (Kara-Kitai) at the end of the 10th century, the Mongols in the 13th century, the Dzungars (Kalmyks) in the 16th–18th centuries. Many state associations and tribal unions fell under their blows, they exterminated entire nations, and their names disappeared from the pages of history. Only the power of resistance, perseverance and heroism could save the Kyrgyz from complete destruction. Each battle was replete with exploits. Courage and heroism became an object of worship, a theme of chanting. Hence the heroic character of the Kyrgyz epic poems and the epic “Manas”.
As one of the oldest Kyrgyz epics, “Manas” is the most complete and broad artistic reflection of the centuries-old struggle of the Kyrgyz people for their independence, for justice and a happy life.
In the absence of recorded history and written literature, the epic reflected the life of the Kyrgyz people, their ethnic composition, economy, way of life, customs, mores, aesthetic tastes, ethical standards, their judgments about human virtues and vices, ideas about nature, religious prejudices, and language.
The epic, as the most popular work, gradually attracted independent fairy tales, legends, epics, and poems with similar ideological content. There is reason to assume that such episodes of the epic as “Wake for Koketey”, “The Tale of Almambet” and others once existed as independent works.
Many Central Asian peoples have common epics: the Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Karakalpaks - “Alpamysh”, the Kazakhs, Turkmens, Uzbeks, Tajiks - “Ker-Ogly”, etc. “Manas” exists only among the Kyrgyz. Since the presence or absence of common epics is associated with the commonality or absence of cultural, historical and geographical conditions during the period of the emergence and existence of the epics, we can come to the conclusion that the formation of the epic among the Kyrgyz took place in different geographical and historical conditions than in Central Asia. Events telling about the most ancient periods of the history of the Kyrgyz people confirm this. Thus, the epic traces some characteristic features of the ancient social formation - military democracy (equality of squad members in the distribution of military spoils, election of military commanders-khans, etc.).
The names of localities, names of peoples and tribes, and proper names of people are archaic in nature. The structure of the epic verse is also archaic. By the way, the antiquity of the epic is confirmed in the historical information contained in “Majmu at-Tawarikh” - a written monument of the early 16th century, where the story of the heroic exploits of young Manas is considered in connection with the events of the second half of the 14th century.
It is possible that it was originally created and existed in the form of a short prose tale about the heroic deeds of people who heroically saved the people from extermination. Gradually, talented storytellers turned it into an epic song, which then, through the efforts of each generation, grew into a large poem that included new historical events, new characters, becoming more and more complex in its plot structure.
Uniting the Kyrgyz. “Manas” is included in the list of masterpieces of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO, as well as in the Guinness Book of Records as the most voluminous epic in the world.
Parts and storytellers[ | ]
The epic consists of 5 parts, actually “Manas”, “Semetey”, “Seytek”. The main content of the epic consists of the exploits of Manas.
The versions (1867-1930) and Sayakbay Karalaev (1911-1971) are considered classic. From Sagymbay, researchers recorded in the 1920s only a part about Manas itself (about 19 thousand lines); The entire trilogy (937 thousand lines) was written down from Sayakbai.
In addition, researchers recognize the most significant records of the part about Manas made by the storytellers Togolok Moldo (1860-1942), Moldobasan Musulmankulov (1884-1961), Shapak Rysmendeev (1858-1956), Bagysh Sazanov (1818-1918), Ibraim Abdyrakhmanov ( 1888-1960), Mambeta Chokmorova (1846-1932)
The most famous Xinjiang storyteller Dzyusup Mamai (Kyrgyz.)(Jusup Mamai) - his version of the 8 parts of the epic occupies about 200 thousand lines and was published in 18 volumes in Urumqi (1984-2007).
For a comparative assessment of the volume of epics, it is important to keep in mind the poetic size: basically “Manas” is composed with 7- and 8-syllable syllabic verses, but in Sagymbay Orozbakov’s version there are 4-, 5- and 6-syllable verses, close to rhymed prose, and in Sayakbai Karalaev's version there are also lines from 9-syllable to 12-syllable.
History of the epic [ | ]
Tradition traces the origin of the epic to the legendary era, calling the first performer the comrade-in-arms of Manas himself, Yrchi-uul, the son of Yraman, who sang the hero’s exploits at his funeral; the lament songs that existed separately among the people were combined into one epic by the legendary singer Toktogul (the Kirghiz of the first half of the 20th century believed that he lived 500 years ago). Other storytellers are known to tradition, as well as the names of many 19th-century manaschi whose work was not recorded.
Modern scholars have not come to a consensus about the time of the epic. Hypotheses have been put forward that its basis is connected with the events of the history of the Kyrgyz in the 9th century. V. M. Zhirmunsky believed that the historical background of the work as a whole corresponds to the conditions of the 15th-18th centuries, although it contains more ancient ideas.
The first mention of the epic dates back to the 16th century. They are contained in the semi-fantastic work of Majmu at-Tawarikh, where Manas is shown as a historical figure acting together with the real-life Tokhtamysh, Khorezmshah Muhammad, etc.
Manas enters into an unequal battle with the Uighurs and wins. In this battle, the khan of the Kyrgyz tribe of Katagans, Batyr Koshoi, provides him with invaluable assistance. One of the defeated Uyghur rulers, Kayypdan, gives Manas his daughter Karabyoryk, who herself expresses a desire to become the batyr’s wife.
At the suggestion of Koshoy, Manas decides to return to the people the native lands of Ala-Too, captured by the opponents of the Kyrgyz. Gathering an army, he enters the battle and wins. The Kyrgyz decide to migrate from Altai to their ancestral lands. Manas and his clan are located near the sacred black mountains.
The old enemy of the Kyrgyz, the Chinese Khan Alooke, decides to stop the expansion of the Kyrgyz and begins to prepare for the campaign. Having learned about this, Manas urgently sets out on a campaign with his forty warriors. He easily disperses the enemy army and captures the headquarters of Khan Alooka. Seeing the determination and courage of the hero Manas, Alooke decides to make peace with the Kirghiz and, in recognition of his submission, gives Manas his son Booke.
At this time, on the southern borders, the confrontation between the Kyrgyz clans and the Afghan Khan Shoruk intensified. Having gathered an army, Manas enters the battle. The defeated Afghan ruler enters into a diplomatic marriage alliance with the Kyrgyz, marrying his daughter to Manas and sending forty of her servants with her.
A separate plot branch of the epic tells the story of the hero Almambet. It covers events from the moment of his birth to his arrival to Manas. Almambet's father Sooronduk was one of the major Chinese commanders. For a long time he was childless, and, having reached adulthood, finally finds a son. from childhood he comprehends science, masters the art of magic and witchcraft, studies at the school “Dragon Teaching” (in the Kyrgyz language “Azhydaardyn okuusu”), children from noble families study with him, but turns out to be the best among them in learning, and later grows into a brave warrior. Judgment, honesty, courage make him famous. At a young age, Almambet becomes his father's successor, leading all the troops of the Chinese army. One day, while hunting, he meets Khan Kökçö, who calls him to the light and to leave witchcraft. Returning home, Almambet calls on his relatives to convert to a new faith. Neither parents nor relatives even want to listen to Almambet. Sooronduk orders the arrest of his son, who abandoned the “faith of his ancestors.” Having escaped from the Chinese, Almambet finds refuge with Kökçö. Almambet's generosity, rationality and justice contribute to the strengthening of his glory. But the horsemen of Khan Kökçö are jealous of their ruler’s new confidant. They spread a false rumor about the closeness of Almambet and the wife of Khan Kökçö Akerçek. Unable to bear the slander, Almambet leaves Kökçö.
And then the hero accidentally meets Manas, who went hunting with his forty horsemen. Manas has long heard about Almambet and therefore greets him with honors and arranges a feast in his honor. Manas and Almambet become twin cities.
And since Manas married Akylai and Karabyoryk in order to make peace, the hero asks his father Zhakyp to find a wife for him. After a long search, Zhakyp arrives to Khan Atemir in Bukhara, where he has taken a liking to the daughter of Khan Sanirabiga. Zhakyp wooes her, pays a rich ransom, and Manas, according to all the rules, takes Sanirabiga as his wife. The Kirghiz call Manas’s wife the name Kanykey, which means “who married the khan.” Forty horsemen of Manas marry forty girls who arrived with Kanykey. Almambet marries the daughter of the patron saint of wild mountain animals, Aruuke.
Having learned about Manas, relatives who were in exile far to the north decide to return to him. These are the children of Zhakyp’s elder brother, Usen, who lived for many years among foreign people, took wives from the Kalmaks and forgot the customs and morals of their ancestors. Among the Kalmaks they were called Kezkamans.
At this time, Manas is forced to go to the aid of the batyr Koshoy. The Afghan Khan Tyulkyu, taking advantage of Koshoy's absence, raids the Katagan tribe and kills the son of the Kyrgyz hero. But Tyulkyu’s younger brother, Akun, decides to avoid bloodshed and settles the feud that broke out between the Kyrgyz and Afghans. Tyulkyu admits guilt, pays a ransom for the murder of his son Koshoy and cedes his throne to Akun. Manas and Akun enter into a friendship agreement and agree that their children, if they have a boy and a girl, will be engaged. In addition, the son of the Kyrgyz Khan Kökötöy (who settled in Tashkent after the expulsion of Panus), Bokmurun expresses a desire to marry Tyulkyu’s daughter named Kanyshay. On the advice of Manas, Bakai goes to Tyulky for matchmaking and performs all the required rituals.
During Manas's absence, the Közkamans arrive. she happily meets her husband's relatives and, according to custom, gifts them with everything necessary for running the household. Returning from a campaign, Manas arranges a feast in honor of his relatives. He gives them land, livestock and various utensils. Despite such a warm welcome, the envious Közkamans plot against Manas. They decide to poison the hero, take the throne and take possession of all the property of Manas. The Kezkamans find a convenient time to lure the batyr and his squad to visit. Returning after another campaign, Manas gladly accepted the invitation. Poison is mixed into the food of the hero and his warriors. The surviving Manas solders off all his warriors and returns to headquarters. The Közkamans are looking for those responsible for the failure, a quarrel breaks out between them, they all use knives and die.
The glorious Kyrgyz Khan Kökötöy, having reached old age, leaves the world. Having left his son Bokmurun a will with instructions on how to perform a burial and how to arrange all posthumous rituals, he also bequeaths to seek advice from Manas. After burying Kökötöy, Bokmurun prepares for three years to organize a funeral feast. Manas takes control of Kökötöy's funeral feast into his hands. Numerous guests from the most distant countries arrive for the funeral feast. Bokmurun offers rich prizes to the winners of various competitions. A number of Kyrgyz elders and khans of individual clans express dissatisfaction with the fact that Manas alone controls the course of the funeral feast. They gather a council and decide to openly express their demands. But the conspirators are pacified by Elder Koshoi. He persuades them not to start a quarrel in front of numerous guests, among whom are old enemies of the Kirghiz, and promises the conspirators to pacify Manas after the funeral feast.
A year later, the conspirators demand from Koshoy that he head their embassy to Manas and help them remove the wayward ruler. Koshoi, citing his age, refuses to follow the lead of the conspirators. Then they decide to send messengers to Manas to inform him that all the noble heads of the Kyrgyz clans are going to visit him as guests. Their plan was to come to Manas in a large group, force him to make some mistake in the ritual of hospitality, start a quarrel and then make demands to renounce the title of khan. Manas agrees to receive noble guests with all their numerous retinue. Arriving guests are greeted by forty warriors and all arrivals are accommodated in their yurts and villages. Having seen such unity of the warriors and having become convinced of the unshakable power of Manas, the Kyrgyz khans understand that they are in an awkward situation. When asked by Manas about the purpose of their arrival, no one dares to answer anything intelligible. Then Manas informs them that news has reached him about a campaign being prepared against the Kirghiz. The Chinese Khan Konurbay, who harbors a grudge for previous defeats, gathers an army of thousands to once again subjugate the Kirghiz. Manas calls on the Kyrgyz khans to forestall the enemy and go on a campaign themselves, with united forces to defeat the enemy on his territory and stop all attempts to conquer the Kyrgyz. The khans are forced to accept Manas's offer. Bakai is elected Khan of all the Kyrgyz for the period of the great campaign, and Almambet becomes the main commander of the Kyrgyz army. He leads them to the Chinese capital Beijing.
After a long and difficult journey, the Kyrgyz army reaches the borders of the Chinese state. Leaving the army at a halt, Almambet, Syrgak, Chubak and Manas go on reconnaissance. Having penetrated deep into enemy territory, they hijack numerous herds. Chinese troops rush in pursuit of the hijackers. A battle ensues, the Kyrgyz manage to defeat and disperse the enemy army of thousands. According to the epic, Manas and his army (Tyumen) capture Beijing (“Beezhin” translated from the Kyrgyz language as “bad mare”) and rule for six months. The Chinese pay them tribute and declare their desire to make peace. Manas generously decides to spare Konurbai and the rest of the Chinese nobles. But Konurbay could not accept defeat and one by one kills the best Kyrgyz warriors. They die, Chubak and... Having secretly penetrated the battle headquarters of Manas, Konurbay inflicts a mortal wound on the hero, hitting him in the back with a spear when the unarmed hero was performing the morning prayer namaz. Returning to his homeland, Manas cannot recover from his wound and dies. buries the hero in. The tragic ending of the first part of the trilogy achieves realistic authenticity. Manas' dying testament speaks of tribal strife and the weakening of the power of the Kyrgyz people united by Manas. The birth of Manas's son, Semetey, already predetermines the future revenge for his father's defeat. This is how the second poem arose, ideologically and plot-related to the first part, dedicated to the biography and exploits of the son of Manas and his associates, who repeat the heroism of their fathers and achieve victory over foreign invaders.
Not even forty days pass after the death of Manas when Zhakyp begins to demand that Kanykey be given as a wife to one of Manas’s half-brothers. Manas is replaced by his half-brother Kobesh, who oppresses and seeks to destroy the baby Semetey. Kanykey is forced to flee with the baby to her relatives. Semetey grows without knowing its origin. Having reached the age of sixteen, he learns that he is the son of Manas and expresses a desire to return to his people. He returns to Talas, where his father's headquarters was located. The enemies of Manas, among whom were the half-brothers Abyke and Kobesh, as well as the warriors who betrayed him, die at the hands of Semetey. Batyr marries Aichurek, to whom he was engaged even before birth, according to the promise of Manas. He raids Chinese territory and kills Konurbay in single combat, taking revenge on him for the death of his father. Semetey is betrayed by Kanchoro, who entered into an agreement with the enemy Kyyas. Having received a mortal wound from Kyyas, Semetey suddenly disappears. His devoted comrade-in-arms Kulchoro is captured, and Aichurek becomes the prey of his enemies. The traitor Kanchoro becomes khan. Aichurek is expecting Semetey’s child, but no one knows about it.
The heroic poem "Semetey" is the most frequently performed cycle of the trilogy. The courageous heroes of the poem also become victims of injustice, but the culprits of their death are not foreign invaders, but internal enemies.
The third part of "Manas" - "Seytek" - is dedicated to the epic narrative of the struggle against internal enemies. It tells the story of the hero Seitek, the grandson of Manas, and is a logical continuation of the previous parts. This part contains the same ideological basis associated with the desire to preserve the unity of the people, get rid of external and internal enemies and achieve a peaceful life. The plot basis of the epic “Seytek” is made up of the following events: the upbringing of Seytek in the camp of the enemies of his father, who does not know about his origin, the maturation of Seytek and the revelation of the secret of his origin, the expulsion of enemies and the return of Semetey to his people, the unification of the people and the onset of peaceful life. The images of Semetey and Seitek reflect the desire of the people to preserve the legends of Manas in the heroic life of his descendants.
Manas studies [ | ]
1000th anniversary of the epic [ | ]
Introduction
The Kyrgyz heroic epic "Manas" - in its ideological content and artistic qualities, occupies a special place among all the genres of oral folk art. There has always been interest in the epic “Manas”, and scientific interest appeared only at the beginning of the 20th century, but we should not forget that representatives of Russian science who visited the territory of Central Asia already in the second half of the 19th century had a certain idea about the epic “Manas” " Since the 30s of the 20th century, the epic “Manas” has become the main material for various theories and areas of science about folk art. The desire of researchers to understand and explain the epic “Manas”, its genesis in the life of the Kyrgyz and world history gave rise to disputes, which sometimes reached the socio-political level in terms of meaning and narrow academic interests.
The Kyrgyz have about forty folk epics. Of these, the most monumental is the heroic epic “Manas”. And it is in relation to “Manas” that all other Kyrgyz epics are conventionally called “small” in Kyrgyz science, although none of them are inferior in content and form to other epics of the peoples of the world.
The creators of the epic “Manas” are Manaschi storytellers who had phenomenal memory (although memory is not the main feature) and a divine gift. They are the keepers of the epic, passing on the text of the epic from generation to generation, from mouth to mouth. Thanks to the storytellers, the epic “Manas” developed and improved.
There are two versions of the origin of the epic. The folk version, where Jaisan is the first manaschi storyteller, and the scientific one, where three hypotheses about the era of the emergence of the epic are intertwined. Let's start with the folk version: according to some data (about the materials of Mariyam Mussa kyzy) and existing folk legends, Jaisan the son of Umet (a member of the military squad, an ascetic of Manas), is the first storyteller and creator of the heroic legend about Manas: “Jaisan from the Usun tribe was born in 682 year, he was 12 years younger than Manas the Magnanimous himself. Jaisan's mother is Karachakh's daughter Janylcha, his father Umet was also a member of the military squad of Manas. During the great campaign, he was seriously wounded and lay unconscious for a long time; waking up from a strange sound, he begins to sing about the heroic deeds of Manas. And from that moment he began to glorify the deeds of Manas. At the age of 54, at the dawn of his creativity, Jaisan was killed (out of envy) by the hands of his own student Yrchy, the son of Yraman, who also served Manas.” According to Maria Musa kyzy: “after the death of Jaisan, his work was continued by Yrchy. But from time to time in the history of the Kyrgyz people new Jaisans appeared, who were its embodiment and there were exactly nine of them.” And it was they and those storytellers whose names were imprinted in the people's memory who were the bearers and keepers of the great legend about Manas.
Science today knows mainly three hypotheses about the era of the epic:
1) According to M.O. Auezov and A.N. Bernshtam, the key events of Manas are associated with the period in the history of the Kyrgyz when they maintained relations with the Uyghurs.
2) B.M. Yunusaliev, based on an analysis of the content of the epic, relying on individual historical facts, as well as ethnographic, linguistic and geographical information, comes to the conclusion that the basis of the epic is connected with the events of the 9th - 11th centuries, when the Kyrgyz fought against the Khitans - punishment of the Chinas.
3) V.M. Zhirmunsky believes that although the content of the epic contains a lot of materials reflecting the ancient ideas of the people, the historical layer of the epic reflects the events of the 15th - 18th centuries (according to S. Musaev).
“The current level of Manas research does not allow us to fully agree with one of the listed hypotheses, rejecting others as untenable. A deep analysis of the content of the epic leads to one indisputable conclusion: the events that make up the content of “Manas” represent many layers, indicating that the work was formed over a long period of time.”
The second period of historical and ethographic consideration of the epic “Manas” covers the period from 1922 to 1991.
The scientific study of the epic “Manas” in the Soviet era began with the works of Professor P.A. Faleva (1888-1922) - “How the Kara-Kyrgyz epic is built”, “About the Kara-Kyrgyz epic”, which were published in the first issue of the journal “Science and Education”, published in Tashkent in 1922. The author based on the recorded and published V.V. Radlov materials analyzes the artistic features of this epic.
B. Soltonoev (1878-1938) is rightfully considered a Kyrgyz historian. writer and poet. He could also be called the first Kyrgyz ethnographer. An assessment has already been made of his poetic and literary heritage, his creative activity in general. B. Soltonoev should be considered the first Kyrgyz scientist who, due to his preparedness, examined the epic “Manas” and some other works, as well as the work of individual manaschi. The main part of his work is devoted to the epic “Manas”. It’s called “Manas”. This study begins with how the Kyrgyz have long been singing and not forgetting such epic poems as “Manas” and “Koshoy”, “Er Toshtuk”. Researchers identify these poems as separate works, while their heroes in complete versions are characters of one epic.
A special place among researchers of the Manas epic belongs to the outstanding Kazakh writer, folklore expert, and prominent Soviet scientist M.O. Auezov, who was actively involved in the epic from the late 20s until the end of his life. He was also in love with the epic “Manas”. His famous work - “The Kyrgyz folk heroic poem “Manas”, which was the result of many years of meticulous research, is one of the fundamental studies about Manas.”
V.V.Bartold (1869-1930) is one of the first researchers closely involved in developing the history of the Kyrgyz people, both in pre-Soviet and Soviet times. He was familiar with various genres of Kyrgyz oral folk art. In his works, “Manas” is used as a source on various issues of the history and culture of the Kyrgyz people. V.V. Bartold is critical of the fact that in the epic “Manas” the struggle of the Kyrgyz people is depicted as a religious war, although he believed that the Kyrgyz in the 19th century, as in the 16th century, were almost completely unfamiliar with the tenets and rituals of Islam .
The merit of S.M. Abramzon (1905-1977) is well known in the study of the ethnography of the Kyrgyz people. It is perhaps difficult to name those aspects of the history and culture of the Kyrgyz that he did not touch upon. But most of all the scientist pays attention to the epic “Manas”. In his article “The Kyrgyz heroic epic “Manas””, he expresses fair dissatisfaction with the fact that “Manas” continues to remain extremely poorly studied material in ethnographic terms.
A.N. Bernshtam (1910-1959) - a prominent Soviet archaeologist, historian, ethnographer. He was one of the first among scientists to turn to the origins of Kyrgyz culture and began to draw on epic materials. In all of A.N. Bernshtam’s works on the epic “Manas”, and there are more than ten of them, the epic is considered, first of all, as a historical source.
He made the following specific conclusions:
1. This is a historical story about the struggle for independence of the Kyrgyz tribes, the oldest stage that dates back to 820-847;
2. The epic Manas is based on a specific historical image of the leader of the Kyrgyz people - 820-847, whose struggle was of a liberation nature.
Academician B. Dzhamgirchinov (1911-1982) is one of the first Kyrgyz professional scientists who began to use the data of Kyrgyz oral folk art in scientific developments in Soviet times.
Among Kyrgyz scientists, a special place in the study of the Manas epic belongs to professors: in the field of history B.M. Yunusaliev, in the field of folklore to R. Kadyrbaeva, E. Abdylbaev, R. Sarypbekov, S. Begaliev, Zh. Orozobekova, in the field of ethnography to I. Moldobaev, in the field of art criticism to B. Alagushev, K. Dyushaliev, A. Kaibyldaev, in the field of literary criticism K. Asanaliev and others.
B.M. Yunusaliev (1913-1970) is the author of several serious works devoted to various problems of Manas; he was one of the active initiators of the publication of the epic. As the editor-in-chief of the Kyrgyz text prepared for publication in the series “Epics of the Peoples of the USSR,” B. Yunusaliev, until the last days of his life, helped resolve many issues related to the preparation of texts for publication. Such complex and responsible work as textual criticism was carried out mainly with his direct participation and under his leadership.
The famous philologist, expert on the epic creativity of the peoples of the world V.M. subjected a complex analysis to the epic “Manas”. Zhirmunsky (1891-1971). He also touched upon the question of the time of composition of the Kyrgyz epic. The scientist attributes the composition and development of the epic “Manas” to a fairly wide range of time – VI–XIX centuries, dividing this time into three periods.
The work of the storytellers of “Manas” is compared with the ancient Greek aeds in the works of the English scientist J. Thomson. The facts of the Kyrgyz epic are widely used by foreign authors on general theoretical problems of literary criticism. In 1966, at the Kyrgyzfilm film studio, on the initiative of the prominent Kyrgyz film director M. Ubukeev (1935-1996), an experimental film (“Sayakbay”) was shot based on the second part of the epic “Manas”, already on audio tape. The recording was organized by the Academy of Sciences of the Kirghiz SSR.
Conclusion
During the Soviet era, about sixty versions of the epic “Manas” were recorded from various storytellers. I would like to note the efforts of those researchers who did this, because never before in the history of Manas studies has so much work been done on recording versions of the epic as was done during this period; perhaps in the future there will not be a similar case, even if there are those who want to repeat past, but it is unlikely that there will be such storytellers from whom new versions could be recorded. Of course, even in those times there were problems and shortcomings. But still, a huge amount of work has been done, which will certainly become an inexhaustible source for future scientific storytellers.
Epic "Manas"
Myths and legends of Kyrgyzstan. Folklore
After the death of the powerful, wise and brave Kyrgyz Khan Nogoya the old enemies of the Kyrgyz, the Chinese, taking advantage of the indecisiveness of his successors, seize the lands of the Kyrgyz and oust them from Ala-Too. Nogoi's descendants are expelled to distant lands. Those who remain fall under the cruel yoke of the invaders and become slaves. Nogoy's youngest son Zhakyp expelled to Altai, and for many years forced to serve the Altai Kalmaks. By farming and working in gold mines, he manages to get rich. In adulthood, Zhakyp becomes the owner of an incalculable amount of livestock, but his soul is gnawed by resentment that fate has not given a single heir. He grieves and prays to the Almighty for pity, visits holy places and makes sacrifices. Finally, after a wonderful dream, his eldest wife conceived a child. Nine months later she gave birth to a boy. On the same day, Zhakypa is born into the herd foal, which he intends for his newborn son. To celebrate, Zhakyp throws a big feast and names the boy Manas. From childhood, unusual qualities manifest themselves in him; he differs from all his peers in his extraordinary physical strength, mischief and generosity. His fame spreads far beyond Altai. Kalmaks living in Altai rush to inform the Chinese Khan Esenkanu news that the rebellious Kyrgyz have acquired hero, who, while he has not yet matured, should be captured and destroyed. Esenkan sends his spies, disguised as traders, to the Kyrgyz and gives the task of capturing Manas. They catch the young hero playing ordo and try to capture him. Manas, together with his peers, captures the spies and distributes all the goods of the caravan to the common people.
The Kalmak hero's army of thousands is sent against the Kyrgyz Nescara. Having united all neighboring peoples and tribes, Manas opposes Neskara and wins a brilliant victory. Having appreciated the merits of the young hero, seeing him as their protector, many Kyrgyz clans, as well as neighboring tribes of Manchus and Kalmaks, decide to unite under his leadership. Manas is elected khan.
Manas enters into an unequal battle with Uighurs and wins. In this battle, he receives invaluable assistance from the khan of the Kyrgyz tribe of Katagans, Batyr. Koshoi. One of the defeated Uyghur rulers Kayypdan gives his daughter to Manas Karaberk, who herself expresses a desire to become the batyr’s wife.
At the suggestion of Koshoy, Manas decides to return to the people the native lands of Ala-Too, captured by the enemies of the Kyrgyz. Gathering an army, he enters the battle and wins. The Kyrgyz decide to migrate from Altai to their ancestral lands. Manas and his clan are located near the sacred black mountains Aziret.
The old enemy of the Kyrgyz is the Chinese Khan Alooke, decides to stop the expansion of the Kyrgyz and begins to prepare for the campaign. Having learned about this, Manas urgently sets out on a campaign with his forty warriors. He easily disperses the enemy army and captures the headquarters of Khan Alooka. Seeing the determination and courage of the hero Manas, Alooke decides to make peace with the Kyrgyz and, in recognition of his submission, gives his son to Manas Booke.
At this time, the confrontation between the Kyrgyz clans and the Afghan Khan Shoruk intensified on the southern borders. Having gathered an army, Manas enters the battle. The defeated Afghan ruler enters into a diplomatic marriage alliance with the Kyrgyz, giving away his daughter Akylai for Manas and sending forty of her servants with her.
A separate plot branch of the epic tells the story of the hero Almanbeta. It covers events from the moment of his birth to his arrival to Manas. Almanbet's father Sooronduk was one of the major Chinese commanders. For a long time he was childless, and, having reached adulthood, finally finds a son. From childhood, Almanbet comprehends science, masters the art of magic and witchcraft and becomes a brave warrior. Judgment, honesty, courage make him famous. At a young age, Almanbet becomes his father's successor, leading all the troops of the Chinese army. One day, while hunting, he meets the Kazakh Khan Kökçö, who initiates him into the secrets of Islamic doctrine. Almanbet recognizes the benefits of this faith and decides to accept Islam. Returning home, Almanbet calls on his relatives to convert to a new faith. Neither parents nor relatives want to listen to Almanbet. Sooronduk orders the arrest of his son, who abandoned the faith of his ancestors. Having escaped from the Chinese, Almanbet finds refuge with Kökçö and remains to live with the Kazakhs. Almanbet's generosity, rationality and justice contribute to the strengthening of his glory. But horsemen Khan Kökçö are jealous of the new close associate of their ruler. They spread a false rumor about the closeness of Almanbet and the wife of Khan Kökçö Akerçek. Unable to bear the slander, Almanbet leaves Kökçö.
And then the hero accidentally meets Manas, who went hunting with his forty horsemen. Manas has long heard about Almanbet and therefore greets him with honors and arranges a feast in his honor. Manas and Almanbet become twin cities.
Since Manas’s previous wives, Akylai and Karaberk, were not taken by him according to the ritual, the hero demands that his father Zhakyp fulfill his fatherly duty and find a suitable wife for him. After a long search, Zhakyp arrives at Khan Atemir in Khiva, where he liked the daughter of Khan Sanirabiga. Zhakyp wooes her, pays a rich ransom, and Manas, according to all the rules, marries Sanirabiga. The Kyrgyz name Manas's wife Kanykey, which means "married to the khan." Forty horsemen of Manas marry forty girls who arrived with Kanykey. Almanbet marries the daughter of the patron of wild mountain animals, a sorceress Aruuke.
Having learned about Manas, relatives who were in exile far to the north decide to return to him. These are the children of Zhakyp’s older brother - Usena who lived for many years among foreign people, took wives from the Kalmaks and forgot the customs and morals of their ancestors. Among the Kalmaks they were called Kezkamans.
At this time, Manas is forced to go to the aid of the batyr Koshoy. Afghan Khan Tyulkyu, taking advantage of Koshoy's absence, raids the Katagan tribe and kills the son of a Kyrgyz hero. But Tyulkyu’s younger brother, Akun, decides to avoid bloodshed and settles the feud that broke out between the Kyrgyz and Afghans. Tyulkyu admits guilt, pays a ransom for the murder of his son Koshoy and cedes his throne to Akun. Manas and Akun enter into a friendship agreement and agree that their children, if they have a boy and a girl, will be engaged. In addition, the son of the Kyrgyz Khan Kökötöya(settled in Tashkent after the expulsion of Panus), Bokmurun expresses a desire to marry Tyulkya’s daughter named Kanyshay. On the advice of Manas, Bakai goes to Tyulky for matchmaking and performs all the required rituals.
During Manas's absence, the Közkamans arrive. Kanykei happily greets her husband's relatives and, according to custom, gifts them with everything necessary for running the household. Returning from a campaign, Manas arranges a feast in honor of his relatives. He gives them land, livestock and various utensils. Despite such a warm welcome, the envious Közkamans plot against Manas. They decide to poison the hero, take the throne and take possession of all the property of Manas. The Kezkamans find a convenient time to lure the batyr and his squad to visit. Returning after another campaign, Manas gladly accepted the invitation. Poison is mixed into the food of the hero and his warriors. Manas is saved from death patron holy spirits, who take him away from his treacherous relatives. The surviving Manas solders off all his warriors and returns to headquarters. The Közkamans are looking for those responsible for the failure, a quarrel breaks out between them, they all use knives and die.
Glorious kyrgyz khan Kökötöy, having reached old age, leaves the world. Having left his son Bokmurun a will with instructions on how to perform a burial and how to arrange all posthumous rituals, he also bequeaths to seek advice from Manas. After burying Kökötöy, Bokmurun prepares for three years to organize a funeral feast. Manas takes control of Kökötöy's funeral feast into his hands. Numerous guests from the most distant countries arrive for the funeral feast. Bokmurun offers rich prizes to the winners of various competitions. A number of Kyrgyz elders and khans of certain clans express dissatisfaction with the fact that Manas alone controls the process of the funeral feast. They gather a council and decide to openly express their demands. But the conspirators are pacified by Elder Koshoi. He persuades them not to start a quarrel in front of numerous guests, among whom are old enemies of the Kyrgyz, and promises the conspirators to pacify Manas after the funeral.
A year later, the conspirators demand from Koshoy that he head their embassy to Manas and help them remove the wayward ruler. Koshoi, citing his age, refuses to follow the lead of the conspirators. Then they decide to send messengers to Manas to inform him that all the noble heads of the Kyrgyz clans are going to visit him as guests. Their plan was to come to Manas in a large group, force him to make some mistake in the ritual of hospitality, start a quarrel and then make demands to renounce the title of khan. Manas agrees to receive noble guests with all their numerous retinue. Arriving guests are greeted by forty warriors and all arrivals are accommodated in their yurts and villages. Having seen such unity of the warriors and having become convinced of the unshakable power of Manas, the Kyrgyz khans understand that they are in an awkward situation. When asked by Manas about the purpose of their arrival, no one dares to answer anything intelligible. Then Manas tells them that news has reached him about a campaign being prepared against the Kyrgyz. Chinese Khan Konurbay, harboring a grudge for previous defeats, gathers an army of thousands to once again subjugate the Kyrgyz. Manas calls on the Kyrgyz khans to forestall the enemy and go on a campaign themselves, with united forces to defeat the enemy on his territory and stop all attempts to conquer the Kyrgyz. The khans are forced to accept Manas's offer. Bakai is elected Khan of all Kyrgyz for the period of the great campaign, and Almanbet becomes the main commander of the Kyrgyz army. He leads them to the Chinese capital Beijing.
Having walked a long and difficult path, Kyrgyz army reaches the borders of the Chinese state. Leaving the army at a halt, Almanbet, Syrgak, Chubak and Manas go on reconnaissance. Having penetrated deep into enemy territory, they hijack numerous herds. Chinese troops rush in pursuit of the hijackers. A battle ensues, the Kyrgyz manage to defeat and disperse the enemy army of thousands. The Chinese pay them tribute and declare their desire to make peace. Manas generously decides to spare Konurbay and other Chinese nobles. But Konurbay could not accept defeat and one by one kills the best Kyrgyz warriors. Almanbet, Chubak and Syrgak die. Having secretly penetrated the battle headquarters of Manas, Konurbay inflicts a mortal wound on the hero, hitting him in the back with a spear when the unarmed hero was performing the ritual of morning prayer. Returning to his homeland, Manas cannot recover from his wound and dies. Kanykei buries the hero in gumbeze. The tragic ending of the first part of the trilogy achieves realistic authenticity. Manas' dying testament speaks of tribal strife and the weakening of the power of the Kyrgyz people united by Manas. Birth of son Manas - Semetey already predetermines revenge for the defeat of his father in the future. This is how the second poem arose, ideologically and plot-related to the first part, dedicated to the biography and exploits of the son of Manas Semetey and his associates, who repeat the heroism of their fathers and achieve victory over foreign invaders.
Not even forty days pass after the death of Manas when Zhakyp begins to demand that Kanykey be given as a wife to one of Manas’s half-brothers. Manas is replaced by his half-brother Kobesh, who oppresses Kanykei and seeks to destroy the baby Semetey. Kanykey is forced to flee with the baby to her relatives. Semetey grows up unaware of its origin. Having reached the age of sixteen, he learns that he is the son of Manas and expresses a desire to return to his people. He returns to Talas, where his father’s headquarters was located. The enemies of Manas, among whom were the half-brothers Abyke and Kobesh, as well as the warriors who betrayed him, die at the hands of Semetey. Batyr marries Aichurek, to whom he was engaged even before birth, according to the promise of Manas. He raids Chinese territory and kills Konurbay in single combat, taking revenge on him for the death of his father. Semetey betrays Kanchoro, who entered into a conspiracy with the enemy Kyyas. Having received a mortal wound from Kyyas, Semetey suddenly disappears. His devoted companion Kulchoro is captured, and Aichurek becomes the prey of his enemies. The traitor Kanchoro becomes khan. Aichurek is expecting Semetey’s child, but no one knows about it.
Heroic poem "Semetey"- the most frequently performed cycle of the trilogy. The courageous heroes of the poem also become victims of injustice, but the culprits of their death are not foreign invaders, but internal enemies.
The third part of "Manas" is dedicated to the epic story of the struggle against internal enemies - "Seytek". It tells about the hero Seitek, grandson of Manas and is a logical continuation of the previous parts. This part contains the same ideological basis associated with the desire to preserve the unity of the people, get rid of external and internal enemies and achieve a peaceful life. The plot basis of the epic "Seytek" is the following events: the upbringing of Seytek in the camp of the enemies of his father, who does not know about his origin, the maturation of Seytek and the revelation of the secret of his origin, the expulsion of enemies and the return of Semetey to his people, the unification of the people and the onset of peaceful life. The images of Semetey and Seitek reflect the desire of the people to preserve the legends of Manas in the heroic life of his descendants.