THE BIRTH OF MANAS
Such a heavy year had not been known by the brave Kyrgyz for a long time: the state had collapsed, great heroes had laid down their brave heads in distant campaigns, and there was no peace from the enemies. The Chinese and Kalmyks came to Kyrgyz villages as lords. They burned yurts, killed people, and stole livestock. Thousands of captives were taken away by the enemies to foreign lands...
This was more than a thousand years ago. In a foreign land in the Altai mountains lived a Kyrgyz nobleman named Jakyp. He belonged to a very noble lineage and could easily name seven of his ancestors. Jakyp's father was Nogoy, who was born of Kegsy, who called his father Tyubsy, Tyubsy fathered Batyr-khan, Batyr-khan fathered Alancha-khan, the father of Alancha-khan was the famous Oghuz-khan, and the father of Oghuz-khan was the legendary Kara-khan. Such great ancestors were there for the nobleman Jakyp. They were great and strong because in their times the Kyrgyz were united, lived in friendship, and resisted any enemy. But in Jakyp's time, everything was different. The enemies scattered the Kyrgyz in the hottest deserts, the coldest mountains, and the driest steppes. What unity of the whole people could there be to speak of; even Jakyp-batyr himself did not know exactly where his brothers Orozdu, Usen, and Bai lived.
Jakyp was still fortunate. Enemies rarely came to his pastures. He and his wife Chiyrdy managed to accumulate a lot of gold, silver, and precious stones. Their herds and flocks were countless, and the pastures were abundant. But there was no happiness in the rich yurt of the nobleman. Jakyp was already fifty, and Chiyrdy, having become an old woman, had not given birth to a single black-eyed son or a single long-haired daughter. There is no greater sorrow and shame for a nomad than childlessness. Even a young man with barely sprouted fuzz instead of a mustache, sitting his year-old firstborn in front of him on the saddle, looked disdainfully at the childless elder. Only Allah and Umai-ene knew how much ridicule Chiyrdy had to endure when the granddaughters of her peers donned their dresses, and soon already carried out of the yurts into the sun the cradles in which a child, beautiful as a camel calf, but, alas, a stranger's child, stared with wide eyes.
And Jakyp wept bitterly, cursing his fate, and prayed, and worshipped at the holy mazars, but still, there were no children.
Finally, the heavens took pity on the childless elder (others say, on the misfortune of all Kyrgyz) and sent Jakyp a good tidings. The nobleman dreamt that in his yurt, a miraculous hawk with beautiful plumage, a sharp beak, and steel claws appeared from nowhere. There were other signs as well. Experts interpreted them unambiguously: the old Chiyrdy would give birth to a son-hero, a son who would be a terror to all enemies, a son who would unite the Kyrgyz people.
The miracle, as the heavens foretold, happened. The old Chiyrdy became pregnant. After three months, she felt aversion to the most delicious food of the Kyrgyz. She had an irresistible desire to eat the heart of a tiger. One of the herders brought Chiyrdy the heart of that very fierce predator, which at that time was abundant in the reeds along the riverbanks. Chiyrdy cooked it and immediately ate it.
And then the time of childbirth came. It was very difficult; it lasted eight days. Only Umai-ene, the kind protector of all mothers, helped the happy martyr to give birth. And then everyone understood why the intervention of the goddess was needed: the newborn was unusual. By weight and height, he was like a fifteen-year-old teenager, and by strength, like a forty-year-old man. In each fist of the newborn was a large clot of blood.
(This last detail of the Kyrgyz epic takes us deep into antiquity. According to Mongolian tradition, the great conqueror Genghis Khan was born with a clot of blood in his fist. And this child had two! Just imagine what that meant).
At the moment of the birth of the nobleman's son, Jakyp was not at home. He was somewhere in the steppe, like a real veterinarian, helping a stray mare give birth. Thus, at the same time as the hero, his heroic horse Ak-Kula was born.
The nobleman learned of the miraculous birth of the child and galloped home. Here is how his son appeared before him:
A wide forehead, a head shaped like a wedge,
In all his body, there is a sense of power.
Hump-nosed, long eyelashes,
A fearsome look, a piercing gaze,
A large mouth, a break under the eyebrows,
Strong jaws, an elongated chin,
Thick lips, deeply set eyes -
He looks like a brave man....
He looks like a hero. A broad chest,
Broad-shouldered, he has a slender waist,
A stern appearance, fury in his face -
He resembles an elephant.
A tiger-like neck, a strong arm,
A powerful back, a heart of flint,
Smooth eyelids, stars for eyes,
Wolf-like ears, a tiger's chest.
Thus envisioned the appearance of the most beloved national hero by one of the best storytellers of the epic, Sagymbay Orozbakov.
The life of the hero begins only when he is given a name, and the name must be a happy one. Nobleman Jakyp was a stingy host, but on this occasion, he arranged an unprecedented feast in extravagance. However, when the father, according to custom, turned to the guests with a request to give a name to the child, they were at a loss. No ordinary name suited such an extraordinary infant. Then, from nowhere, a holy man appeared and uttered the word "Manas." Since then, this word has been sacred for every Kyrgyz.
Thus, if we believe the manaschi, a great warrior, the support of the people, the unifier of all Kyrgyz lands - Manas the Magnanimous - came into the world.
Myths and Legends