Alpamysh
For the highest mountain in Uzbekistan, see Alpomish Peak.
Alpamysh, also spelled as Alpamish or Alpamis (
History
Among the
According to Turkish historian Hasan Paksoy, the dastan Alpamysh, like other dastans (e.g., Book of Dede Korkut) were suppressed and otherwise discouraged from studying in the Soviet Union, culminating in the 1950s in what has come to be known as the "Trial of Alpamysh".[6] Despite all the repressions, Alpamysh was printed no less than 55 times between 1899 and 1984.[7] For example, it was published in the Soviet Union in 1939, 1941, and 1949,[8] 1957, 1958 and 1961.[9] The entry in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, second edition (1952), praises the epic as "a national saga of valour, courage and detestation of the enemies", "one of the best examples of Uzbek heroic epos", "rich in aphorisms, expressive metaphors and proof of the wealth of the Uzbek popular poetic language".[10]
In 1999, at the request of Uzbekistan delegation to the UNESCO, the "Thousandth anniversary of the popular epic Alpamysh" was held.[11][12]
Versions
The Alpamys dastan, in its Uzbek variant of
The Kongrat tribe, which is the tribe that Alpamys belongs to, is currently an Uzbek tribe. Belonging to a certain tribe was and remains to be an essential part of nomadic self-identification, which is proven by the fact that the Alpamys poem begins with following words:[clarification needed]
Brief synopsis of the story
Part 1
The first part tells about Alpamys and his bride Barchin (sometimes known as Gulibairsen
Barchin is secretly hoping that the winner will be her beloved Alpamys, after whom she sends several people (ambassadors). One of the Kalmyk pehlivans, Karajan, turns from an opponent and enemy to a friend of the hero. Karajan outruns all the competitors on Alpamysh's horse, Baychibare, despite all the tricks by Kalmyks, who initially tie him in ropes and maim his horse by inserting nails into the horse's hooves. Karajan enters the wrestling competition with Kalmyk pehlivans, after which Alpamysh emerges victorious by beating the strongest of pehlivans, Kokaldash.
Together with Barchin, who is now his wife, they return to
Part 2
In the second part, Alpamysh, finding out about the hardships caused to Baysari by the Taycha-khan, once again travels to the Kalmyk country, and falls captive to his tricky enemies.
He then spends seven years in the dungeon of the Kalmyk khan. He is being fed by a choban (shepherd) Kaykubat, who accidentally discovered his location. The daughter of the Kalmyk khan visits Alpamysh in his cell, falls in love with him and helps to free him from captivity. The freed Alpamysh then confronts Taycha-khan, kills him, and puts shepherd Kaykubat on the throne.
During his seven-year absence, the leader of the Kongrat tribe becomes his youngest brother Ultantaz. The new ruler is persecuting his people, dishonors the old father of Alpamysh, and harasses the young son Yadgar, whilst forcing Barchin to marry him. Alpamysh, by switching clothes with his old shepherd servant Kultay, undetected, comes to the marriage celebration of Ultantaz, frees his wife Barchin and kills Ultantaz. The epic ends with Barchin's father, Baysari, returning from voluntary exile and re-unification of the previously divided Kongrat tribe under the leadership of heroic Alpamysh.
The Siberian Turkic nations' version of the epic can be summarized as follows:
"Alpamis, recounts the story of its hero’s life and the events before his birth with rich description and intriguing stories. Its basic plot, however, can be classified into four parts. First, Alpamis’ parents pray for a son, make a pilgrimage, and experience the miraculous pregnancy of Alpamis’ mother. Alpamis is eventually born and grows up. Second, Alpamis marries the beauty Gulibairsen after a heroic battle. Third, after returning home with his wife, Alpamis fights his enemy Taishik Khan, who has ransacked his herds and property; Alpamis kills him and recovers everything that was lost. Fourth, after returning home again, Alpamis conquers Urtan—a very destructive demon and son of the charwoman of Alpamis’ family—who attempted to possess his wife Gulibairsen."[15]
Sequel
There is also a lesser-known sequel to Alpamish, about the heroic adventures of Yadgar (Yadigar), the son of Alpamish and Barchin (Gulibairsen).[2]
Adaptations
Yerkegali Rakhmadiyev’s national opera Alpamys, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s independence, was named premiere of the year at the Astana Opera in 2021.[16]
See also
- Book of Dede Korkut
- Epic of Köroğlu
References
- ISBN 0-9621379-0-1(pbk.), p. 1
- ^ a b c d "Alpamysh". Great Soviet Encyclopedia (in 30 volumes), in Russian, Third edition, Moscow, 1970
- ISBN 0-9621379-0-1(pbk.), p. 53
- ^ "Rinchindorji. "Mongolian-Turkic Epics: Typological Formation and Development" / Institute of Ethnic Literature, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Trans. by Naran Bilik, Oral Tradition, 16/2, 2001, p. 381" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-12-02. Retrieved 2007-04-05.
- ^ Prof. H.B. Paksoy, "An open letter to the editorial board of Hurriyat (Mustakil Gazeta)", Tashkent, Ozbek Republic, 2 February 2000
- ^ H.B. Paksoy, DASTAN GENRE IN CENTRAL ASIA, Modern Encyclopedia of Religions in Russia and the Soviet Union (Academic International Press, 1995) Vol. V
- ^ Alpamysh entry in Bol'shaya sovetskaya entsiklopediya (the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, second edition)
- ^ Alpamysh entry in Bol'shaya sovetskaya entsiklopediya (the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, third edition) [1]
- ^ Original text: "А.-народное сказание о мужестве, отваге и ненамисти к врагам. ... Вариант, записанный в 1928 со слов знаменитого узбекского сказителя Фазил Юлдаш-оглы (р.1872), - один из лучших образцов узбекского героич. эпоса. Поэма насыщена афоризмами, яркими метафорами и свидетельствует о богатстве узбекского народного поэтического языка."
- ^ "UNESCO, webpage of the Republic of Uzbekistan, accessed April 3, 2007". Archived from the original on 2009-12-25. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
- ^ UNESCO, Celebration of anniversaries with which UNESCO was associated since 1996, accessed April 3, 2007
- ^ a b "Rinchindorji. "Mongolian-Turkic Epics: Typological Formation and Development" / Institute of Ethnic Literature, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Trans. by Naran Bilik, Oral Tradition, 16/2, 2001, p. 387" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-12-02. Retrieved 2007-04-05.
- ISBN 3-447-04423-3. DM 98. Reviewed by Stephanie West, Hertford College, Oxford University
- ^ "Rinchindorji. ibid., p. 387" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-12-02. Retrieved 2007-04-05.
- ^ INFORM.KZ (2021-12-06). "'Alpamys' opera named premiere of the year". Казинформ. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
Further reading
- West, Stephanie. "Some Reflections on Alpamysh". In: Homeric Contexts: Neoanalysis and the Interpretation of Oral Poetry. Edited by Franco Montanari, Antonios Rengakos and Christos C. Tsagalis, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2012. pp. 531-542. .
External links
- "Alpamysh" Archived 2016-10-19 at the Uysal-Walker Archive of Turkish Oral Narrative, Texas Tech University
- Central Asian Identity Under Russian Rule Archived 2020-11-09 at the Wayback Machine
- "Alpamış", a Turkish translation
- Alpamysh response 1993
- Alpamysh: Central Asian Identity under Russian Rule by Hasan Bülent Paksoy