The Legendary and Cultural Traces Connected to the Oral Epic Manas: on the Basis of Jusup Mamay’s Version

Abstract

Manas has been orally transmitted in Kirghiz for more than a thousand years. There are hundreds of variants of Manas in which legendary and cultural traces are on full display. The connection between such legendary traces and the figures’ heroic feats are discussed in this paper, mainly limited to the version of Jüsüp Mamay. The tens of legendary and cultural sites and monuments described in Manas are scattered across a vast area which stretches from West Asia to Central Asia, north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, from southern Siberia through to Northeast China and provide spiritual meaning for later generations. These legendary traces, cultural sites and monuments are divided into two types in this paper. One is comcerned with a number of important places that are mentioned in the texts and have already become organic elements of the epic in the course of the manaschi’s performance, such as the mausoleum of the heroes. The other type comprises mainly man-made traces, including large-size groups of memorial buildings, sculptures of the epic personages and of well-known epic performers, and even the tombs of such performers. All of these legendary traces and cultural sites constitute the most precious treasure in the culture and knowledge system of the Kirghiz people. They come from different historical periods and never cease to bring to life the emotions, experiences, past events, destinies, weal and woes, happiness and sorrows (of the figures to this ethnic group0 of the characters of the Kirghiz epic. Furthermore, these cultural traces also continue to play an important role in modern Kirghiz society (social life). The following discussion is focused on a few typical examples that highlight their cultural significance. The main version discussed Jüsüp Mamay’s variant, one of the classical version recorded in China. Other versions, especially the versions from Kyrgyzstan, will also be referred to.

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