"MANAS": Mythology and Fantasy

MYTHOLOGY AND FANTASY

Alongside battle episodes and social-domestic events, the motifs of mythology and fantasy occupy a prominent place in "Manas," which undoubtedly represent the most ancient elements in the epic. We consider it necessary to dwell on them for a while, although a more detailed analysis of this issue should be dedicated to a special work.

In both versions of Manas, many battle episodes and descriptions of social-domestic events intertwine with myths and fairy tales.

For example, both Sagymbay and Sayakbay have saints come to the young Manas, one of whom appears in the form of a wolf and then transforms into a man. In Sayakbay's version, Manas receives weapons and animals from some invisible saints.

In "The Great Campaign," both Manas heroes mention a one-eyed monster - a cyclops, whom Manas and his companions fight. There are also stories about animals - kuldzhy, foxes, and ducks, serving Konurbai, and about the magic of Almambet, who can change the weather, etc.

Sagymbay's variant is richer in myths and fantasy. Separate events in his version are presented in the form of fairy tales, and only the hero's name connects them with the general content of the epic.

For instance, the campaign of Koshoy against Kashgar before the meeting with Manas depicts the struggle of the hero against sorcerers, and Koshoy himself also turns out to be skilled in sorcery. He defeats a sorcerer who takes the form of a boy holding enchanted dolls, a sorcerer in the guise of a woman with a teapot, a sorcerer in the form of a horse, a sorcerer-old man, whose soul is hidden in a secret place, and so on.

A similar fantastic tale is "The Tale of the Genie and the Fairy." In it, it is narrated how the black Manas kills a cannibal - a cyclops. Here, there is also a mention of the people "italy," whose men are dog-like creatures, while the women are normal people, distinguished by extraordinary beauty.

The section on Manas's pilgrimage in Sagymbay's version, as already indicated, also represents a series of fantastic fairy tales.

The struggle of the hero Ailamora with a giant fish and a bear, which has devoured many people, is also something else, as one of the fantastic fairy tales woven by Sagymbay into the description of one of Manas's campaigns. In all campaigns without exception, the storyteller makes the heroes participate as ayar - wizards, who have the ability to influence the elements, change their own appearance, and so on.

In Sayakbay's version, mythology and fantasy are mainly concentrated in "The Great Campaign." Before this, he only mentions the saints' spirits that helped Manas in connection with separate events. Fantastic fairy tales, as special sections, are absent in his version.

(Text taken from an article by K. A. Rakhmatullin, 1940s)

Selection of storytellers of "Manas"