Epic of Manas
Epic of Manas | |
---|---|
Original title | Манас дастаны |
Written | 18th century |
Language | Kyrgyz |
Subject(s) | The interactions of a Kyrgyz warrior and his progeny with neighboring Turkic, Mongolic, and Chinese people |
Genre(s) | Epic poem |
Lines | Approximately 553,500 |
The Epic of Manas (
The government of Kyrgyzstan celebrated the 1,000th anniversary from the moment it was documented in 1995. The mythic poem has evolved over many centuries, In one of its dozens of iterations, the epic poem consists of approximately 500,000 lines.
Narrative
The epic tells the story of Manas, his descendants, and their exploits against various foes. The Epic of Manas is divided into three books. The first is entitled "Manas", the second episode describes the deeds of his son Semetei, and the third of his grandson Seitek. The epic begins with the destruction and difficulties caused by the invasion of the Oirats. Jakyp reaches maturity in this time as the owner of many herds without a single heir. His prayers are eventually answered, and on the day of his son's birth, he dedicates a colt, Toruchaar, born the same day to his son's service. The son is unique among his peers for his strength, mischief, and generosity. The Oirat learn of this young warrior and warn their leader. A plan is hatched to capture the young Manas. They fail in this task, and Manas is able to rally his people and is eventually elected and proclaimed as khan.
Manas expands his reach to include that of the
The epic continues in various forms, depending on the publication and whim of the manaschi, or reciter of the epic.
History
Scholars have long debated the exact age of the epic, as it was transmitted orally without being recorded. However, historians have doubted the age claimed for it since the turn of the 20th century. The primary reason is that the events portrayed occurred in the 16th and 17th centuries. Central Asian historian Vasily Bartold claimed that Manas was an "absurd gallimaufry of pseudo-history,"[2] and Hatto remarks that Manas was
"compiled to glorify the Sufi sheikhs of Shirkent and Kasan ... [and] circumstances make it highly probable that... [Manas] is a late eighteenth-century interpolation."[3]
Changes were made in the delivery and textual representation[4] particularly the replacement of the tribal background of Manas. In the 19th century versions, Manas is the leader of the Nogay people, while in versions dating after 1920, Manas is a Kyrgyz and a leader of the Kyrgyz.[5] Use of the Manas for nation-building purposes, and the availability of printed historical variants, has similarly had an impact on the performance, content, and appreciation on the epic.[6]
Attempts have been made to connect modern Kyrgyz with the
While Kyrgyz historians consider it to be the longest epic poem in history,[8] the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata and the Tibetan Epic of King Gesar are both longer.[9] The distinction is in number of verses. Manas has more verses, though they are much shorter.
Recitation
Manas is the classic centerpiece of Kyrgyz literature, and parts of it are often recited at Kyrgyz festivities by specialists in the epic, called Manasçı (Kyrgyz: Манасчы). Manasçıs tell the tale in a melodic chant unaccompanied by musical instruments.
Kyrgyzstan has many Manasçıs. Narrators who know all three episodes of the epic (the tales of Manas, of his son Semetey and of his grandson Seytek) can acquire the status of Great Manasçı. Great Manasçıs of the 20th century are Sagımbay Orozbakov, Sayakbay Karalaev, Şaabay Azizov (pictured), Kaba Atabekov, Seydene Moldokova and Yusup Mamay. Contemporary Manasçıs include Rysbek Jumabayev, who has performed at the British Library,[10] Urkaş Mambetaliev, the Manasçı of the Bishkek Philharmonic (also travels through Europe), Talantaaly Bakchiev, who combines recitation with critical study,[11] and Doolot Sydykov, noted for lengthy performances (including a 111 hour recitation over five days).[12] Adil Jumaturdu has provided "A comparative study of performers of the Manas epic."[13]
There are more than 65 written versions of parts of the epic.
Legacy
Manas is said to have been buried in the
The reception of the poem in the USSR was problematic. Politician and government official Kasym Tynystanov tried to get the poem published in 1925, but this was prevented by the growing influence of Stalinism. The first extract of the poem to be published in the USSR appeared in Moscow in 1946, and efforts to nominate the poem for the Stalin Prize in 1946 were unsuccessful. Ideologist Andrei Zhdanov, Stalin's "propagandist in chief", prevented this, calling the poem an example of "bourgeois cosmopolitanism". The struggle continued inside Kyrgyzstan, with different newspapers and authors taking different sides; one of its supporters was Tugelbay Sydykbekov. By 1952 the poem was called anti-Soviet and anti-Chinese and condemned as pan-Islamic. Chinghiz Aitmatov, in the 1980s, picked up the cause for the poem again, and in 1985 finally a statue for the hero was erected.[17]
In 2023, the manuscript version of the epic was included by international organization UNESCO in the Memory of the World Programme.[18]
Influence
- Liz Williams' Nine Layers of Sky (2003) writes a modern day account of Manas as a nemesis of the Bogatyr Ilya Muromets.
- University of Manas - the name of university in the city of Bishkek.
- The main international airport of Kyrgyzstan, Manas International Airport in Bishkek, was named after the epic.
- A Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh in 1979.[19]
- The highest award in Kyrgyzstan is the Order of Manas.
- Manas - opera, composed by Abdylas Maldybaev
Translations
Manas has been translated into 20 languages. The
See also
References
- ^ Terbish, Baanjarav (February 2021). "The Sart Kalmaks in Kyrgyzstan: people in transition". Central Asian Survey. 40 (3): 313–329.
- ^ a b Tagirdzhanov, A. T. 1960. "Sobranie istorij". Majmu at-tavarikh, Leningrad.
- ^ Akiner, Shirin & Sims-Williams, Nicholas. Languages and Scripts of Central Asia. 1997, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. p. 99
- ^ Notes on the Cultural History of the Kirghiz Epic Tradition. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 2000.
- ^ Akiner, Shirin & Sims-Williams, Nicholas. Languages and Scripts of Central Asia. 1997, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. p. 104
- ISBN 978-2-503-59050-9.
- ^ 1980. 'Kirghiz. Mid-nineteenth century' in [Traditions of heroic and epic poetry I], edited by A. T. Hatto, London, 300-27.
- ISBN 5-89750-028-2
- ^ Amartya Sen, The Argumentative Indian. Writings on Indian Culture, History and Identity, London: Penguin Books, 2005.
- ISBN 9781906876104.
- ^ Plumtree, James (2019). "A Kyrgyz Singer Of Tales: Formulas in Three Performances of the Birth of Manas by Talantaaly Bakchiev". Доклады Национальной академии наук Кыргызской Республики: 125–133.
- ^ Калыков, Мундузбек (6 September 2021). "Манасчы Доолот Сыдыков установил рекорд — он читал эпос «Манас» пять суток". kloop.kg (in Russian).
- S2CID 163241388.
- ISBN 9780197135938.
- ISBN 9783447030106.
- ISBN 9780241544211.
- ISBN 9781498515177.
- ^ "The Manas epic manuscripts are included in the Memory of the World". UNESCO. June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
- ISBN 9783662066157.
- ^ "Mirtemir (In Uzbek)". Ziyouz. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
External literature
- Manas. Translated by Walter May. Rarity, ISBN 9967-424-17-6
- Levin, Theodore. Where the Rivers and Mountains Sing: sound, music, and nomadism in Tuva and beyond. Section "The Spirit of Manas", pp. 188–198. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2006
- Manas 1000. Theses of the international scientific symposium devoted to the 'Manas' epos Millenial [sic] Anniversary. Bishkek, 1995.
- S. Mussayev. The Epos Manas. Bishkek, 1994
- Traditions of Heroic and Epic Poetry (2 vols.), under the general editorship of A. T. Hatto, The Modern Humanities Research Association, London, 1980.
- The Memorial Feast for Kokotoy-Khan, A. T. Hatto, 1977, Oxford University Press
- The Manas of Wilhelm Radloff, A. T. Hatto, 1990, Otto Harrassowitz
- Spirited Performance. The Manas Epic and Society in Kyrgyzstan. N. van der Heide, Amsterdam, 2008.
External links
- [1] at the Manas University, Kyrgyz Turkish Manas University
- Manas Archived 2012-01-05 at the Uysal-Walker Archive of Turkish Oral Narrative, Texas Tech University
- In-depth site on Manas with translated sections of the epic
- Manas at China.org.cn
- "Manas: The Kyrgyz Odysseys, Moses, and Washington", article examining the place of Manas in Kyrgyz mythology and national identity
- Epos "Manas" Text of epic poems "Manas", "Semetey" and "Seytek", others kyrgyz epic poems.
- Video of Manas Epic recitations