The Epic Image of Manas - Synthetic, Rooted in a Real-Historical Basis
Due to the state of the written sources that have reached us, the name of this leader remains a mystery. In Chinese sources, he appears only under titles, while in the Kyrgyz epic, he is referred to not by a Kyrgyz name - Manas.
Establishing the name of this leader, with whom we associate the political rise of the Kyrgyz, as well as analyzing the name Manas, presents significant difficulties, and we have not yet achieved a satisfying result.
In interpreting the text of one of the ancient Turkic inscriptions, we attempted to see in it the name Yaglakar-khan, which was accepted by a number of Manas scholars, but is rejected by member-correspondent of the USSR Academy of Sciences S. Malov. We do not find sufficient grounds to dismiss our opinion.
Be that as it may, the study of this question does not resolve the issue of the political characteristics of the hero of the epic and the specific historical figure associated with the period of the struggle of the Kyrgyz people for their independence.
This period, especially following the relatively rapid decline of the Kyrgyz state (after the death of this leader in 847), became, evidently, celebrated by the people as a symbol of the past might of the nation. Over time, historical specifics in details were lost, names were replaced by others, the name of one locality was replaced by that of another (one should remember the resettlement of the Kyrgyz to new places, in Tian Shan), but the epic preserved the general contour of historical events, and at the core of the epic portrait of Manas - the specific-historical image of the leader of the Kyrgyz people in 820-847, undoubtedly, supplemented (and complicated) later by vivid strokes of the activities of other prominent figures in more recent times.
The epic image of Manas - synthetic, rooted in a real-historical basis.
What has been said, in addition to other already published works mentioned above, addresses from our point of view two important questions that the Soviet society is rightly posed with.
1. Should we limit our attitude towards the epic "Manas" only as a folk-artistic work, or should we also consider its historical value?
2. Are the ideas of the epic and the personality of the epic Manas - the leader, positive and historically progressive?
In light of all the data we have, we can draw conclusions:
1. The epic "Manas" is not only an outstanding monument of folk artistic creativity but also a unique historical narrative about the struggle for the independence of the Kyrgyz tribes, the ancient stage of which dates back to 820-847.
2. At the core of the epic Manas stands the specific-historical image of the leader of the Kyrgyz people from 820-847, whose struggle had a liberating character.
Undoubtedly, such an outstanding historical figure, whom we consider Yaglakar, could not disappear from the memory of the people. From this, it is possible to suggest that in the grandiose epic "Manas," this period found its reflection, and the personality of the then leader of the Kyrgyz could become a worthy embodiment of the epic hero Manas.
All this gives us reason to search in the epic for echoes of the historical events mentioned above. There is still uncharted territory for research here.
Above, we noted that the epic most fully reflected the events of the 17th and early 19th centuries, representing the second phase of its development. In this article, we allowed ourselves not to dwell on the analysis of these parts of the epic. That said, from our point of view, it is sufficient to conclude the following:
The heroic epic "Manas," in its earliest part, is a reflection of the history of the Kyrgyz people in the epic of the 8th-9th centuries. This epoch is depicted in the section "The Great Campaign," and the figure of the then Kyrgyz leader, whom we identified with the mentioned Yaglakar-khan in the inscription, served as a model for the epic hero Manas.
Evolving over the centuries, the epic further absorbed successive historical events, among which the events of the 17th-19th centuries found the most complete reflection.
Being a living, constantly changing work of folk creativity, the epic "Manas" in contemporary recordings presents itself to us in its Tian Shan version. According to the variant of Sagymbay, the Yenisei-Mongolian circle of events, although reduced to a minimum, is preserved in general outlines, where the historical epic and geographical terminology is given in the representation of the Manaschi, who was born and created in Kyrgyzstan. This should not deny the fact that behind the epic lies a millennia-old antiquity, and behind the epic image of Manas stands a real historical figure.
China's Policy Towards the Kyrgyz