Ak Jan and the Frankish Knight
A Book of Kyrgyz legends
The Kyrgyz have a variety of legends but most of the time we only hear of the legendary hero Manas. Just occasionally you’ll come across references to other examples such as Kurmanbek Baatyr, Kojojash, Tolubai or Toshtuk, which are sometimes collectively referred to as the Minor Epics.
They also have a wide variety of legends and folk tales, for example about the legendary origins of the forty tribes. From ancient times the Kyrgyz have honoured the art of story telling. Folk-lore was passed from ayil to ayil (village to village), from bozoi to bozoi (yurt to yurt). Most Kyrgyz can play a musical instrument and know ballads, legends and fairy tales. Story tellers were respected and sometimes called “people’s nightingales” or jomokchu and are welcomed guests in any home.
Many tales illustrate aspects of everyday life. Events usually take place in well-known surroundings.
This is one of my favourite legends. Ironically, I first heard it from a Russian. She taught Tourism in one of the institutes of Higher Education and was preparing a book about Kyrgyz legends from her lecture notes and was looking for a sponsor.
Ak Jan is a snow covered peak in the Sary Djaz range, in the far reaches of the Issyk Kul oblast. According to legend, this 4111m peak is named after a girl … and this is her story …
Several hundred years ago, in the Karakara valley to the East of Lake Issyk Kul, lived a powerful Khan, Kyzmet. As was common at that time, there were many conflicts between the tribes, as well as foreign powers. In the course of one of these wars, Kyzment gathered his army together and they marched to the mouth of the Talas valley – to the city of the Taraz to engage in battle with the army of Kokand. His campaign was successful, he was victorious in battle and his enemies fled over the mountain passes back to the Ferghana valley.
The grateful population showered gifts upon the victorious Khan, and one of these was the girl, Ak Jan.
A girl from an unknown country, she had been travelling in a caravan and was captured in a raid in the Ferghana valley and carried back by the raiders to their home country. She was a beauty, with white and golden hair, aquamarine eyes, ruby lips and pearly white teeth. Of course, the Khan was smitten by her beauty.
Time passed, one or two years, and then a strange warrior appeared in the Issyk Kul valley. He was dressed from head to toe in gleaming armour and the people named him the Iron Soldier – Temir Baatyr.
Eventually, Temir arrived in the Karakara valley. Kyzmet Khan invited him in to his yurt, fed him and asked him what had brought him all this way to these lands from his home in far away foreign lands.
Temir replied that he was a Frank, and had come in search of his bride, Elana. He had been on a campaign away from his home when a terrible disease, the Black Death, had ravaged the city and her relatives had sought to save her by sending her away to her father who was serving as Ambassador to the mighty Khan of Kokand. The caravan had been attaked by nomads and she had been captured and carried off. He had followed the marks left by her tears – and so he had arrived in Karkara.
“They tell me she is here,” he said, “Give me Elena!”
The Khan thought … and promised an answer at a feast to be given in Temir’s honour that evening.
That night the feast began. As the Kumyz flowed, an old akyn began to sing of Kyzmet’s glorious campaign in Talas – and the gift, Ak Jan, who had become the Khan’s favourite wife. An interpreter translated the words of the song to Temir, who in a rage set upon the old man. The Khan’s soldiers, however, intervened and his sword fell t the ground.
When calm had been restored, Kyzmet spoke.
“We will give you Ak Jan, but first you must prove you are worthy and prove your bravery to the people. Climb that mountain, and put my sword on the top.”
So, the next day, the people moved their camp closer to the mountain and Temir took the sword and set off to climb to the summit. The Khan posted lookouts to observe his progress – but soon he was lost from sight. Two days passed, then on the third the lookouts spotted a gleam near the summit of the peak – it was the sun reflected off the knights gleaming armour.
Two more days passed, and the kumyz flowed as the assembled crowd waited for the denouement of the unfolding story. Then the cry went up: “He is coming! He is coming!”
Temir was in a bad state. All that was left of his strange armour was the chain mail and a plain helmet. His fingers, which no longer had nails were bleeding.
“You sword is up there!”, he declared.
“And Ak Jan is in that yurt,” the Khan replied pointing to a white yurt set aside from the rest, “take her.”
As Temir approached the yurt the door opened and Ak Jan emerged – and thrust a dagger into her heart and fell, lifeless, onto the grass.
Astonished by the event, the crowd stood motionless – Except for Temir, who silently turned and ran … as far as he could, as fast as he could, from that terrible place.
It is said that in the 1970′s a team of Soviet mountaineers climbed the peak and 20m from the summit, lodged in a crack in the rocks, they found a sword. It was made of Damask steel, with a golden handle decorated with aquamarines. When it was cleaned, and the inevitable rust which had accumulated over the years was removed, it was discovered that the blade was engraved with the words, in Arabic, “Kyzmet – Khan of the Kyrgyz Nation”. The sword is now in the Regional Museum.
Bishkek