Manas (epic)

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Kyrgyz Manastschi

The Manas epic ( Kyrgyz Манас дастаны ) is about the fight of the mythical Kyrgyz folk hero Manas and his companions and descendants in the 9th century against the Uyghurs and is the most important work of classical Kyrgyz literature as well as one of the most important works of the Turkic peoples .

The work comprises almost 500,000 verses, which is twenty times as long as Homer's Odyssey and Iliad combined. The epic was first made known in Germany in 1885 by Wilhelm Radloff , who had recorded versions of various singers, and later by Manaschi Sagymbai Orozbakow (1867 ), passed down orally for many generations by Manastschis , highly respected folk singers similar to the Turkish Aşıklar , in melodic oratory –1930) recorded in writing. Some 10,000 verses are recited each time.

Origin and development of the work

There are different views on the origins of the epic : some literary scholars assume the 6th to 10th centuries (the time of the emergence of the khanates and the Central Asian military democracies ), others from the 11th and 12th (the time of the Qarakhanids ), and again others only from the 15th to the 18th century. The description of some archaic rituals suggests an early date of origin. Otherwise, the conceptual world of the epic is not very different from that of the Iliad or Odyssey. Viktor Maximowitsch Schirmunski traces its origins back to the non-literate time of nomadic society; but all later important events in Kyrgyz history are also dealt with in the following.

During the Russian and especially the Soviet period of rule over Kyrgyzstan, there were various attempts by both the Kyrgyz and the Soviet side to adapt the epic to the respective political conditions: For example, the hero used the support of the "White Tsar" in Moscow at times, to defeat the Uighurs. In contrast, the fight for independence of the Kyrgyz people was downplayed. After 1949 Manas' fight against the Chinese was kept silent. The epic was also criticized for containing reactionary and patriarchal ideas. After 1991 the epic became a national symbol again.

Today at least 65 different printed versions of the work or parts of it exist. A new translation of the entire work into English by Walter May was published in 1995 for the supposed thousandth anniversary of the birth of Manas and reprinted in two volumes in 2004.

Parts of the epic are now often recited by manastschis on festive occasions, usually accompanied by one or more komus , a plucked three-stringed long-necked lute that the musicians handle with great virtuosity.

Jusufu Mamayi (Jüsüp Mamai), sometimes referred to as the 'living Homer', only combined different parts of the epic (Manas, Semetey and Seytek) into a single work in the 20th century, which has still not been completed. Along with Semetey and Seytek was Manas as "Kyrgyz epic trilogy" in 2013 in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO added.

The Kökötoy epic is closely related to the Manas epic . It is about Bok-murun's preparations, organizing lambs for a giant festival and covering a long route with the still weak young animals.

In Turkey, the Turkish-language epic has been adapted to Turkish and is taught in all schools. In the period since the founding of the republic, elements of the epic have been used again and again. Even before that, during the Ottoman Empire, the Manas epic had an impact on literature. There are parallels to the Oğuz Kağan epic (also written down by Wilhelm Radloff in 1891 with the Kutadgu Billig ), Dede Korkut and Köroğlu . Often the characters and / or certain actions are very similar.

Content of the work

The central figure of the epic poem is rich in figures, Manas, a batyr (Tatar / Kyrgyz / Kazakh for hero, (Turkey-) Turkish: Batur ), who excelled in the creation of a united state of the Kyrgyz people. Forty brave knights were under his leadership. Already nine years protecting Manas his people from Kalmyk invaders and defeated Alooke, the Khan of Kara-Kitais . Almambet, the prince of the Kara-Kitais, left his ruler Er Kökchö, converted to Islam, followed Manas and became his general. Manas' military victories meant that he was able to unite the Kyrgyz scattered across Central Asia and was elected Khan. Manas married Princess Kanikej, remained khan for 42 years and carried out further campaigns against the neighboring peoples who had attacked the Kyrgyz people until he was ambushed to death. After the death of Manas, his cousin, the wise General Bakaj, became the teacher of Semetej, Manas' son. The epic tells of new wars, attacks and counter-attacks to conquer new pastureland and cattle.

memorial

The hero Manas is said to have been born in the Ala-Too Mountains in the Talas region in northwest Kyrgyzstan. A mausoleum a few kilometers east of the city of Talas is said to contain his remains and is a popular excursion and festival site, where impressive Kyrgyz equestrian games have been staged since 1995. However, one of the facade inscriptions states that the mausoleum is dedicated to “the most glorious of women, Kenizek-Khatun, the daughter of the Emir Abuka”. Legend has it that Kanikey, the widow of Manas, ordered this inscription in order to mislead her husband's enemies and prevent a desecration of the grave. The building, known as "Manastin Khumbuzu" or "The Ghumbez des Manas", was probably built in 1334. Nearby is a museum dedicated to Manas and his legend.

literature

Manas epic on a Soviet postage stamp (1990)
  • Wilhelm Radloff (translator): Samples of the popular literature of the Turkish tribes. V. Theil: The dialect of the Kara-Kirghiz. St. Petersburg 1885, I. Manas , pp. 1–371 ( at Wikimedia Commons )
  • Manas. Translated by Walter May. Rarity, Bishkek 2004, ISBN 9967-424-17-6 .
  • Theodore Levin: Where the Rivers and Mountains Sing. The Spirit of Manas. Indiana University Press, Bloomington 2006, ISBN 0-253-34715-7 .
  • Manas 1000th Theses of the international scientific symposium devoted to the 'Manas' epos Millennial Anniversary . Bishkek 1995, ISBN 5-655-01027-5 .
  • S. Mussayev: The Epic Manas . Bishkek 1994, ISBN 5-7499-0002-9 .
  • AT Hatto (Ed.): Traditions of Heroic and Epic Poetry (2 volumes), The Modern Humanities Research Association, London 1980, Volume 1: ISBN 0-900547-72-3 , Volume 2: ISBN 0-947623-19-1 .

Discography

  • Heroic Songs of Manas. Performed by Sajakbai Karalajew (1894–1971), recorded in 1969. Ethnic Series PAN 2054, CD produced in 2007

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Nora K. Chadwick, Victor Zhirmunsky: Oral Epics of Central Asia. Cambridge University Press, 1969.
  2. ↑ Manas , in: Derek Jones (ed.): Censorship: A World Encyclopedia. Routledge, 2002, p. 1593.
  3. ↑ unesco.org
  4. ↑ MANAS DESTANI - TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi. Retrieved May 12, 2020 (English).
  5. ↑ Sevcan Yıldız, Engin Derman: Manas Destanı, Oğuz Kağan Destanı ve Dede Korkut hikayelerindeki yer alan benzerlikler (The similarities of the Manas epic, Oğuz Kağan epic and the Dede Korkut stories). Retrieved May 12, 2020 (Turkish).
  6. ↑ https://www.novastan.org/de/kirgistan/die-helden-des-manas-epos/ Directory of persons on www.novastan.de