Artistic portrayal of the military art of the Kyrgyz people in the heroic epic Manas

Abstract

The relevance of this article is due to the fact that in the scholarly literature there are virtually no works in which the Manas epic would be used as the main source for the study of military affairs of the Kyrgyz people. The exception is the article by Saul Abramzon “Features of military organization and technology among the Kyrgyz people (according to historical and ethnographic data and materials of the Manas epic)”, in which the author brilliantly considered some aspects of military affairs of the Kyrgyz people. Another work is an essay by Zair Mamytbekov “Reflection of life and struggle of Kyrgyz people in the Manas epic”, which contains sections devoted to the subject of our interest. The works of Viktor Zhirmunsky “Introduction to the study of the Manas epic” and Alexandr Bernshtam “The era of the Manas epic” are also important for us, which analyze separate issues related to military affairs of the Kyrgyz people, such as weapons of Manas, the retinue of Manas, etc. The works of the above-mentioned scientists served as a methodological basis for the work and determined the main methods of research, which were comparative-historical and historical-typological. As is known, the formation of the Manas heroic epic took place over many centuries in two major historical and cultural regions: in Southern Siberia and Central Asia (Saian-Altai) and in the mountains and valleys of Tien-Shan and Central Asia. The Manas epic belongs to the developed, classical forms of heroic tales, the development of the plot of which was dominated by historical events related to the real struggle of the Kyrgyz people against foreign invaders. In accordance with this, materials of the Manas epic become for us one of the most important sources in the study of military affairs of the Kyrgyz people, which can partially supplement the data of written sources and archaeological monuments. This article attempts to establish, as far as possible, certain forms of military organization, armament, characteristic features of the military art of the Kyrgyz people as they are reflected in the Manas heroic epic. The artistic impression of individual aspects of the military affairs of the Kyrgyz people is considered in the article in a comparative-historical plan with the data of written sources and archaeological materials concerning the military art of the nomads of Southern Siberia, Central and Middle Asia. The result of the study was the conclusion that the military art of the Kyrgyz people was at a high level for its time and evolved with the achievements of surrounding peoples and absorbed the richest military experience of the nomads of the Eurasian steppes of the early and developed Middle Ages.

References

1. Yudakhin K. K. Kyrgyz-Russian dictionary: in 2 volumes. Vol. 1. Frunze, Main Editorial Board of the Kyrgyz Soviet Encyclopedia Publ., 1985, 503 p. (In Rus.)
2. Kyrgyz heroic epic: in 4 volumes. Vol. 2. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1988, 686 p. (In Rus.)
3. Moldobaev I. B. “Manas” – historical and cultural monument of the Kyrgyz. Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Publ., 1995, 312 p. (In Rus.)
4. Lipets R. S. Images of batyr and his horse in the Turkic-Mongolian epic. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1984, 263 p. (In Rus.)
5. Great campaign: a Kyrgyz epic. Edited by U. Dzhakishev et al. Moscow, State Publ. House of fine literature, 1946, 403 p. (In Rus.)
6. Khudyakov Yu. S. Armament of Yenisei Kyrgyz of VI–XII centuries. Novosibirsk, Nauka Publ., 1980, 176 p. (In Rus.)
7. Kyrgyz heroic epic: in 4 volumes. Vol. 4. Moscow, Naslediye Publ., 1995, 777 p. (In Rus.)
8. Khazanov A. M. Essays on the military affairs of the Sarmatians. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1971, 171 p. (In Rus.)
9. Kyrgyz heroic epic: in 4 volumes. Vol. 3. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1990, 511 p. (In Rus.)
10. Khudyakov Yu. S. Bagyr saber. Weaponry and military art of the medieval Kyrgyz. Saint Petersburg, Peterburgskoe vostokovedenie ; Moscow, Philomatis Publ., 2003, 192 p. (In Rus.)
11. Soltonov B. From the ancient history of the Kirghiz. Tyurk Dunyasi. 1991, no. 1, pp. 34–37. (In Rus.)
12. Mamytbekov Z. Ch. Reflection of life and struggle of Kyrgyzs in the epic “Manas”. Bishkek, Ilim Publ., 1993, 186 p. (In Rus.)
13. Vladimirtsov B. Ya. Social system of the Mongols. Mongolian nomadic feudalism. Leningrad, USSR Academy of Sciences Publ., 1934, 236 p. (In Rus.)
14. Rerikh Yu. N. History of Central Asia: in 3 volumes. Vol. 1. Moscow, Master-Bank Publ., 2004, 465 p. (In Rus.)
15. Machiavelli N. On the art of war. Moscow, Voenizdat Publ., 1939, 223 p. (In Rus.)
16. Ivanin M. I. On the art of war and conquests of the Mongol-Tatar and Central Asian nations under Chingiskhan and Tamerlan. Saint Petersburg, Obschestvennaya polza Publ., 1875, 148 p. (In Rus.)
17. Abramzon S. M. Features of military organization and technics for Kirghiz (on historical and ethnographic materials and material of the epic “Manas”). In: Proceedings of the Institute of language, literature and history of the Kirghiz branch of the USSR Academy of Science. Iss. I. Frunze, Kyrgyz State Publ. House, 1945, pp. 167–180. (In Rus.)