Part 3
Kanykey becomes a mother, raising her son. The name of the mother is sacred, her milk is miraculous. Kanykey is not just a mother. She is primarily the educator of the national hero. Raising and providing the right upbringing for the national hero is a very responsible task.
Before his death, Manas, on behalf of his people, entrusts this duty to Kanykey and commands her to go with Semetey to her father. Kanykey was in deep sorrow when Manas and his loyal companions perished at the hands of treacherous enemies.
At the moment of the ritual farewell of the people to their leader in the funeral lament - koshok, Kanykey mourns not only her personal loss and family grief but also evaluates all of Manas's activities and calls on his brothers — kinfolk to continue his work, ensuring that the achievements he made are not squandered and that the united Kyrgyz people and their land are not defiled by enemies:
To prevent war and for the Kyrgyz to live in peace, engaging in creative labor, in happiness and prosperity, Kanykey thought, a hero like Manas is needed. She dedicates her entire life to ensuring that her son grows up to be a worthy successor to his father. This is how Kanykey understands her life's purpose after becoming a widow.
But reason compelled her to cope with irreparable grief. She took the lead in the state.
In Manas, she primarily saw a support for the people, so she managed to suppress her sorrow and, in a difficult moment, finds the strength to think about tomorrow. She buries Manas secretly so that enemies do not mock his remains, erects a monument-mausoleum to the hero, and strives to maintain the unity of the people and their heroes.
According to levirate law, with the blessing of Jakyp, Manas's brothers demand that Kanykey marry one of them. This hasty step by Manas's relatives is perceived by Kanykey as sacrilege, as disrespect for the memory of the hero, and she decides to flee to her father. She raises and educates the future khan Semetey and must return him to Manas's homeland when he reaches twelve years of age. For the future of Semetey as the continuer of his father's sacred work - Manas, Kanykey endures hardships and need. In the understanding of the epic, she is a model of service to the people, fighting for the people's cause.
When, in Kanykey's opinion, Semetey reaches adulthood, she releases the horse Tayturu in the races to draw his attention to his valiant ancestors. Semetey, still unaware of his true parents and believing himself to be the son of Ismail (Kanykey's brother), must, by his order, prevent the horse Tayturu from coming in first in the races and kill his "aunt," the horse's owner. Kanykey learns of this order, thanks to her miraculous strength. Anxiety overwhelms her, tears of despair cloud her vision.
Drawing strength from her maternal devotion to her son, Kanykey calms herself, wipes away her tears, and decides: if Tayturu does not come in first, she will kill herself before Semetey comes to her. Regaining her composure, she pleads with her horse, calling upon the spirit of Manas, his protector.
Tayturu, as if gaining wings, comes in first. After the races, without haste, in detail, starting from the days of her happy marriage and up to her forced flight to Bukhara, Kanykey tells Semetey about the necessity of giving him to Ismail for the sake of preserving his life, about Manas's testament.
Thus, at last, the patient heart of the mother finds her son, and along with him — the homeland and her people.
Through the theme of mother and child, the image of Kanykey rises to the heights of national recognition in the epic. Having raised her son far from his homeland, she managed to instill in him a sense of love for his land and people, without which it is unimaginable to picture him as a defender and an ideal leader.
This sense of homeland was earned by the heroine, who remained faithful to the teachings of Manas and managed to find the strength within herself to overcome all obstacles.
Thanks to the maternal selflessness of Kanykey, her devotion to her husband's ideals, the Kyrgyz people in the epic tale once again finds a worthy leader, Semetey, the continuer of the deeds and traditions of the great hero. The epic glorifies the glory of the woman-mother, creating a majestic image of Kanykey, whose maternal and social duty has found harmonious unity in the perception of the people and has been forever polished into a concise and meaningful epic formula: "Mother of the people - Kanykey."
Kanykey — queen, wife of Manas. Part - 2