Postcard from Bishkek

Some years ago I went on a trip and one of the places where stayed was in a homestay.  On the television that particular evening there happened be a performance by one of the leading manaschi … and our hostess, shamefacedly lowered her voice and almost whispering told me a secret … “I don’t really […]

As well as the epic saga Manas, the Kyrgyz have about 40 other “minor epics” such as Kojojash, Kurmanbek Baatyr, Tolubai and Er Toshtuk.   The name Kurmanbek is a fairly common name among the Kyrgyz and although it will probably be associated for many years to come with the second President of Kyrgyzstan, it has a long and […]

As well as the epic saga Manas, the Kyrgyz have about 40 other “minor epics” such as Kojojash, Kurmanbek Baatyr, Er Toshtuk and Janyl Mirza. Another is that of Tolubai Synchy, a legendary character but one that may be based on a real person that lived in the fourteenth or fifteenth century; a prophet, seer or soothsayer.

As well as the epic saga Manas, the Kyrgyz have about 40 other “minor epics” such as Kojojash, Kurmanbek Baatyr, Tolubai and Er Toshtuk. Most of these have never been translated from the Kyrgyz into other languages – not even Russian.  One of the more interesting epics is that of Janyl Myrza – which roughly translates as […]

There is a long standing and recurring theme in mythology of someone descending into the underworld, often, (but not always), with the purpose of locating a deceased loved one. Classic examples are Orpheus, (the Greek hero whose songs could charm both gods and wild beasts and coax the trees and rocks to dance), who descends to Hades […]

Last week the President signed into law new legislation designed to address the issues of the “preservation, development and popularization” of the Manas trilogy, (the epic poems:  Manas, Semetei and Seitek), which is “a unique intangible heritage of the Kyrgyz people”. We hear a lot about the Manas Epos, the Kyrgyz epic poem which is longer […]

Bearing in mind that there are differences between the various versions of the epic … it is the world’s longest epic with over half a million lines … it is said to take three months, four hours a day, to recite the whole epic from start to finish … it took several years for the […]

“It was a long time ago, and now the eyewitnesses have gone …” With these words the Manaschi begin their songs telling of the exploits of Manas – Legendary hero of the Kyrgyz, and of a world long gone. Traditional central Asian literature took the form of songs, poems and stories performed by itinerant minstrels […]