Geser summary. The heroic epic of the Buryats

The significance of the epic "Geser" for the peoples of Central Asia has always been great. For centuries, it remained not only a legendary poetic story, figuratively telling about a distant glorious past, but also a folk religion. Geser himself, in the popular imagination, was not only the most beloved hero, but at the same time a powerful deity who patronized hunters and warriors, and a messiah destined to come to earth at a special hour for last fight with world evil.

Until now, the time and place of the creation of the epic remain a mystery. From numerous scientific assumptions, one can single out the opinion of Yu. N. Roerich, authoritative for us, from his book “On the Paths of Central Asia”. He, quite reasonably, takes the epic to the Bon religious culture of pre-Buddhist Tibet and sees in the images, and in all its structure, echoes of the most ancient cults of the Sun, Moon, Stars and seasons. In addition, the scientist names among the possible historical prototypes of the hero - the legendary ruler Geser, who lived in Tibet in the VIII century.

Historically, the epic has three main areas of distribution: Tibet, Mongolia and Buryatia. Each of them has its own versions of the legend, which differ both in local inconsistencies in the names of characters, places of action, and in numerous additions that arise at the whim of folk performers. According to an ancient tradition, like the epic itself, it was performed both on ordinary days and on holidays, by folk singers (Uligershins in Buryatia), who kept in memory the various exploits of the hero and strictly monitored the observance of an important ritual part of the performance (in fact, they were the only people's servants of Geser's cult). The live performance of this epic was observed by scientists back in the 30s and 40s: you can learn about this from Yu.N. Roerich, who traveled a lot in Mongolia and Tibet, as well as from the Buryat folklorists. In Russia, until recently, the most serious study of the epic was carried out in Buryatia. It was in Buryatia in 1995 that the 1000th anniversary of Geser was celebrated (conditional date). Therefore, it is not surprising that in literary and reader circles the epic is better known as Buryat. The consolidated literary version was published in mass editions twice in translations by Vl. Soloukhin (1968) and S. Lipkin (1973).

The first chapters of the epic offered to the reader are part of the still unpublished translation of the poet A. Prelovsky, who has been successfully working on translations of Siberian folklore for many years. This is the first translation in our history of the story-telling version of the Geseriada, written down from the words of the most talented Buryat folk poet Pyokhon Petrov in the 1940s. The translator strove to find the most true expression of the living folk creation and therefore adhered to many features of the oral Buryat tradition, cared about the poetic form and accuracy of the language. For example, initial rhyme, personal monologues, etc. Our journal publication "Geser", we hope, will help the reader to feel the fabulous spirit of the epic, give a sense of its scale and, perhaps, generate interest in the great culture of the peoples of Central Asia.

Narrative variant of Pyohon Petrov (1866-1943)
Recorded by I.N. Madason (1940-41)
Interlinear translation to the first scientific publication of Uliger (1960) A.I.Ulanova, Dr. philol. Sciences
Literary translation by Anatoly Prelovsky (1997)
Scientific consultation of literary translation by E.N. Kuzmina, Ph.D. philol. Sciences
Illustrations by N.G. Protasov

Chorus

He punished those who started wars,

he tamed those who were arrogant,

he frightened those who bared their teeth,

he beat those who walked like a predator,

living on Mount Sagan Burge

he rode a special horse,

that in running he was like a falcon;

had offspring, very magnificent:

From Esege Mayana is born

like a midwife received many

and brought up many - not one

and calorific Naran Dulaan.

And we would have all the western tengri

there were fifty and five,

when Segan Sabdag would join them,

that lived in the middle of the universe

on the cloud top Sahidag

away from wars, strife, quarrels and fights.

On the east side in the sky

their inhabitants, tengri, were evil.

Teh tengri was led by Atai Ulan,

elder, their ancestor,

and with him - Shusa Ulan, Ukher Bayan

brought a lot of trouble to the living.

Atay Ulan gave birth to three sons:

Sagan Khasar was the eldest, he traveled

on a light gray fast horse;

Shara Khasar was average, he rode

on a long-maned gray horse;

daughter was his favorite.

But Atai Ulan with his power

began to do evil - and so forced

cough and get sick this girl,

and she was ill for three years,

tormented and withered year after year.

If a girl goes to eternity,

then all the tengri of the western sky

will pass to the eastern in submission.

But as Naran Gokhon began to dry,

then Manzan Gourmet revealed

will rise and sing selflessly

will be taken, and on the chest they will shine

silver lettering on the back

at the bird - golden ones will sparkle.

You have to touch him with an arrow,

not to kill, but to capture the living

tip hole - and gently,

without damaging a feather, on the ground

deliver this bird from under the sky.

But if we don't save Naran Gohon,

then all of us, tengri of the western sky,

will have to be subordinate to the eastern

go, and it's kind of uncomfortable,

and it seems like a reproach.”

Beligte Manzan Gourmet replied:

"White where is the lark to me

find, if you have not heard of him?

White as a lark to me

to catch him, if you did not see him?

Grandmother Manzan Gourmet said:

“You ask Khan Hirmas about this:

he saw this bird - he knows something

how to get it out of the sky.

Beligte went to Khan Khirmas,

And then the father said to his son:

"When I was strong and young,

often I saw this bird,

yeah, haven't seen anything in a while.

In the west, on the northern edge

holy sky, you will find

winged inspirational singer.

As soon as the sun rises,

that lark starts to sing

and in the sky, near the clouds,

hangs on its own song,

reading golden letters,

what is on his chest, and whistles,

looking into the silver letters,

what's on his back - that's when

you can take this bird without difficulty.”

On my father's bay horse

putting on a saddle and strapping

Once Sengelen was away,

“Mom, you are on your head, I pray,

his starry white hat

Raised her right hand

starry white hat - and right there

from the top of the head Naran Gokhon came out

someone's pure soul and to the sky

rose without leaving a trace.

Holding with right hand

hat - and now from the armpit

someone's right one also slipped out

pure soul and soared to the sky.

Pressed with left hand

hat to his head - and immediately

someone came out of the armpit of the left

pure soul, soaring to the sky.

And then it tickled in the navel -

and from there soon someone came out

pure soul and soared into the sky.

Naran Gohon everything was new.

with renewed vigor someone promised:

“Now, as golden

I am born to fulfill my duty!

It turned out that Naran Gohon

first appeared from the crown

son - Zasa Mergen, and from the armpits

and navel sisters came into the world -

three sisters, intercessors for the brothers.

And later at Naran Gokhon

bones began to ache, began to itch

hair - and just in time was born

Swaddled, carried the child

and at the northern wall of the dwelling

put - the boy the whole clearing,

soiled all the grass near the hut.

On the east side, on the south

the same disgrace repeated itself.

Naran Gokhon asked her husband:

"Take it, put it on the hill!"

Sengalen carried his son up the hill

and left it on the grass under the sun.

The boy there wiggled and cried

so that his children's cry came

to the land of lame unkind spirits.

And then, sobbing, he began

set snares around - and soon

seventy of them, having made, he set,

and left to wait for prey.

I heard the bitter cry of a child,

saw a boy on a hill

black, as tall as a three-year-old bull,

the underground mouse said so:

“Not an ordinary baby is whining -

with a twinkle in the eyes of a child crying,

I should have told him

And came, sniffing out the victim,

but she herself fell into the snare.

And the child took his belt whip,

tamarisk, where eighteen

sharp veins, and began, cutting,

black to punish the villain -

the whole valley in small pieces

that huge mouse he filled.

And he said, "From now on and forever,

mice, you won't get bigger!"

He also said: “However, the first

the enemy is defeated!" - and fell asleep on the hill

in the cradle, golden from tar.

Everything happened again in the morning

everything was as before: all the diapers,

soiled all the grass behind the hut

boy - and him again on the hill

carried, and he arranged the snares

near the hut, and began to cry.

yellow wasp

with the head of a horse then said:

"Not an ordinary child is whining,

I need to visit the baby -

to drink blood from his chest ... "

Arrived, went down to the baby

and got caught in the snares, entangled.

And again with his belt whip

the boy began to cut the villain -

the whole valley in small pieces

filled the yellow bloodsucker.

And he said, "From now on and forever,

wasps, you will remain like this:

never get bigger!"

And he said: “Well, the second

defeated the enemy! - and in the cradle

baby boy sighed

and, forgetting what he had done, fell asleep.

Everything happened again tomorrow

everything was as before: from the dwelling

the boy was taken to the clearing,

so that the house does not get dirty, do not cry, -

and again he set the snares there,

and wept with such force,

that in the land of lame unkind spirits

his cry woke the monsters.

There is a mosquito the size of a horse

so he said: “A lively child whimpers,

I should fly to the baby -

taste the blood from his chest ... "

Arrived and got caught in the snares -

and the kid whip his belt

started looking for a bloodsucker

Crushed the villain and exclaimed:

"Mosquitoes, now and forever

you won't be bigger anymore

than these crumbs!” - and climbed

in the cradle, and slept - did not wake up.

(Continued nextwow)

Note

Abai Geser (“Abai” here, as an appeal to the elder, closest in meaning to “venerable”) is an epic, heroic name. "Geser" in the Buryat language does not have a direct translation. It seems to us that the most approximate interpretation, although controversial, would be - a punishing husband, a warrior. (Here and below, notes by E.N. Kuzmina and A.V. Prelovsky).

Tengri (tengri, tengeri, tengriy, obsolete. tengerin; from the Turkic-Mongolian "tengri" - Sky, as the supreme masculine principle, deity) - a heavenly anthropomorphic creature of the highest order, a personified deity who enters into communication, as well as into kinship with people ; more simplified - a celestial.

Khan Khirmas (in the original - Khan Khirmas tengri, where Khan is an integral part of the name. Options: Buryat. Khurmast, Khormusta-khan, Khan Khurmas; Tuva. Kurbustu; Manchurian. Khormusda. Goes back to Sogdian. Khurmazta, other Persian. Ahuramazda , phl. Ormazd) is the supreme heavenly deity of the Buryat shamanic pantheon, a thunderer, the head of a clan or an elder of the good western tengri. Omitting part of the name "tengri", here we declare our principle of adapting the compound names of the epic to the Russian verse of the translation.

Ayurova Larisa Dorzhievna

Buryat language teacher

MBOU "SOSOSH №2"

[email protected]

Relevance

Heroic epos "Geser" is a unique monument of the spiritual culture of the Buryat people. This epic is considered their own not only by the Buryats, but also by many other peoples of Central Asia. The epic is widespread among the Tibetans, Mongols, Tuvans, Altaians, Kalmyks, North Tibetan Uighurs.

Geser has become a symbol of the Central Asian community of different cultures and traditions. The epic tale of Gesar is kept alive people's memory up to our time. If the Iliad and the Odyssey written thousands of years ago were no longer performed by storytellers, passed from mouth to mouth, then "Geser" has come down to us in the literary and folklore tradition.

uligers.

In the Buryat folklore, as well as in the folklore of other peoples of the world, there are such genres as fairy tales, legends and legends. But a special place is occupied by the heroic epic. The heroic tales of the Buryats are called uligers.

This is the highest achievement of the oral folk art of the Buryat people. Uligers are an integral part of the epic heritage of the peoples of Siberia. Uligers are somewhat akin to Russian epics.

Uligers were performed only before some important events: a great hunt, a long hike, in the name of healing the sick. It was believed that the performance of heroic poems contributes to the insight of the blind. There were also prohibitions on the performance of uligers: it was impossible to perform them during the day, in the presence of strangers, for the sake of idle curiosity.

In the Buryat heroic epic, as in Russian epics, the main characters were heroes who defend their land, setting off on a journey. Fiction is combined in them with elements real life Buryat people: their main occupations (cattle breeding, hunting), way of life, traditions.

In these wonderful works of oral folk art, the features of the national character, the traditions of the Buryats are clearly expressed, their best qualities: fidelity to duty, love for native land, fearlessness and courage in the fight. The images of epic heroes embody the heroic ideals of the people - the ideals of courage and valor, nobility and self-sacrifice, love for the native land. These qualities have been brought up by the whole course of historical development and by the centuries-old struggle that the people had to wage, protecting their clan, their tribe from enemies.

The heroic epic of the Buryats was created by the people. Its creators and performers were people from the common people.

Uligershins.

The performers of the uligers were called Uligershins. The Uligershins were very respected and revered people. Usually they were planted on white felt, on the very place of honor, under the elbow of the uligershin they put a small pillow-olbok, next to it they put a cup of water. Nothing should have interrupted the performance of the epic. This would mean interrupting the hero's deeds. The narrator, as it were, reincarnated as a hero. The narrator had to have an impeccable memory, so that without omissions and distortions, as required by tradition, he could convey huge epics consisting of thousands of verses. Uliger could not be reduced, remade in its own way. His performance was assessed by listeners who knew the content of the uligers well. The singer had to have a sonorous beautiful voice, musical ear, good command of the word, and most importantly - be able to be inspired. The narrator, as it were, reincarnated as a hero, selflessly surrendering to singing; voice, special intonations, gestures or playing the khur conveyed the features of the events taking place in the epic. Such a state of inspiration came to Uligershin only in front of the audience, Uligers were performed by melodic recitative or sung. The performance of the uliger was accompanied by facial expressions and gestures. And listeners perceived uliger as a story about real events. The most famous uliger performers are: Petrov, Toroev, Imegenov.

Myth logic

"Geser" is a mythological work. The space in which the hero acts is subject to special laws - the laws of myth. In this world there is no division into the fantastic and the real, natural phenomena and the laws of society. The whole world is animated and endowed with human qualities: monsters take on the appearance of people, the sky, mountain, river, fish, grass behave like people. This also applies to celestials.

The idea of ​​the world in the Buryat epic "Geser" was three-dimensional: in the upper, heavenly world lived celestials - tengrii, immortal gods, commanding different elements, personifying the opposing principles - good and evil, light and darkness, so they are divided into good and evil. The gods outwardly look like people, have their own families, herds, do housework, make friends and quarrel, fight among themselves, striving to achieve absolute power, as a result of which Atai Ulan, the head of the evil eastern gods, was defeated, chopped into pieces and thrown to the ground .

In the average, earthly world, ordinary mortal people live, hunt, breed cattle, and they do not care about the celestials. According to the epic legend, it is the celestial gods who are responsible for all the troubles that have befallen people: from the pieces of the body of Atai-Ulan thrown to the ground, monsters are born - Mangadhai, and evil comes to the earth.

The lower, underground world is ruled by the evil Erlik. Albino devils live here.

Exploits of Gesar

In time immemorial, it happened that unprecedented diseases, famine and pestilence began to spread on the earth, wars broke out, misfortunes and misfortunes began to come to people.

The celestials, seeing this, decided to send Buhe Beligte, the middle son of Khan Khurmusta, the great-grandson of the divine Manzan Gurme, to earth. Buhe Beligte was supposed to be born on earth as a person, and not come to people in the guise of a celestial.

The future hero was born in the family of a seventy-year old man and his sixty-year-old wife, who was actually the daughter of the sun, and received the name Zurgay.

It was an ugly child: snotty and mangy, but already in early childhood magical abilities this extraordinary baby. His earthly relatives began to guess about the great destiny of the future hero.

Even at the time when Zurgay was lying in the cradle, an evil shaman was sent to him, who was supposed to destroy the hero. The baby easily copes with the shaman. Soon Zurgai himself makes a bow for himself and makes a horse out of tree bark, on which he goes to fight the evil demons albins. He brings brides to the house: first, the khan's daughter, and after a while, another girl, the rich man's daughter, wins the competition. Thanks to these girls, Abai Geser appeared to people in his real form as a hero - the liberator of the earth from evil demons. It happened like this. The girls who lived in his house decide to find out where Zurgay leaves them in the morning. Following him, they see him on the mountain in the guise of a celestial among the great wizards and magicians. The girls understand that this is not just Zurgay, but Abay Geser.

The celestials send Geser a magic horse to help him, which will be his faithful assistant in dangerous battles and campaigns. The first feat of Geser is the battle with the giant Lobsogolda-mangadhai. The evil charms of this giant's wife turn Geser into a donkey. But the celestials help him to regain the former appearance of Abai Geser. The battle with a powerful enemy lasted six months, and the celestials did not remain indifferent to this battle. Manzan Gurme helps Geser, and her sister Mayas Khara helps his opponent. At the end of a long and stubborn battle, Geser manages to defeat the Mangadhai.

Another feat of Geser was the battle with a monster with great magical power, Gal-Durme Khan.

The hero cannot defeat the villain in a fair duel, because Gal-Durme Khan can die an infinite number of times and be reborn again.

But exhausted by the battle, he promises not to do evil to people in the future and retires to the eastern edge of the earth.

In the battle with Kharaabal Mergen, Geser dies, struck down by formidable black forces that came from the east. These powers were called forth by the magic spells of Kharaabal Mergen. The prophetic horse Geser informs the wives and sons of his master about his death and helps them find a magical remedy that brings Geser back to life. Geser accomplished many other feats. He cleansed the world of monsters and made it more suitable for human existence.

When Geser destroys all the enemies of mankind, his father orders him to return to heaven, but Geser refuses: he forever fell in love with the earth and its people.

Then his father got angry with him, and together with his heroes, Geser was punished: they were turned into dumb humanoid rocks. The Buryat people have a legend that even today these names adorn the Sayan mountain range and remind people of their great intercessor, who was born in heaven to punish untruth on earth, to destroy the bestial law of devouring the weak by the strong.

Conclusion:

• Geser was born on earth with a definite, clearly defined mission: he is the eradicator of evil. He destroys the monstrous Mangadhays, who sow diseases, evil, misfortunes on the earth, devouring people and livestock. Having destroyed the Mangadhays, insidious khans and evil shamans, Geser establishes peace and prosperity on earth.

All his actions are aimed at protecting his native land, his tribe and clan from alien enemies, from foreign invasions. We can talk about a kind of mythological role of the hero: regardless of the plot twists, regardless of the peculiarities of national epic traditions, he always opposes chaos, demonic forces, always restores the harmonious order in the world.

The poem glorifies fidelity to duty, stigmatizes treason and betrayal. "Geser" is a hymn of love for one's land.

The poem glorifies fidelity to duty, stigmatizes treason and betrayal. "Geser" is a hymn of love for one's land.

Description of the presentation on individual slides:

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Geser Geser Ochirova Tatyana Nikolaevna, teacher of Russian language and literature, MHC MAOU secondary school No. 49, Ulan-Ude, Buryatia

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Geser The poem glorifies fidelity to duty, stigmatizes treason and betrayal. "Geser" is a hymn of love for one's land. “Do not allow the enemy to your native land, do not wait for him, but go out to meet him, there he will be defeated” - this is one of the most important motives of this epic tale.

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Geser (Geser, Geser Khan) - a character in Tibetan mythology (Gesar, Kesar) and the mythology of the Mongolian peoples, including the Buryats (Abay Geser khubүүn); The Tibetan prince Gosylo, Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great could serve as a prototype of Geser, and the etymology of his Tibetan name Kesar, possibly goes back to Caesar / Caesar. He is the son of the supreme god Hormusta (Khurmasty) who was born on earth in order to defeat the monsters that appeared from the pieces of the body of Atai Ulan.

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In the center of the legend are the exploits of the hero Geser, a celestial who descended to earth and is reborn in a poor shepherd's hut, for only a "human child" born in a poor family can, according to the creators of the epic, understand the aspirations of the people, "female and male tears ..." And when the forces of evil are defeated, Geser refuses to return to heaven and remains a man forever.

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The main character of the epic is the figure of Geser, the son of a heavenly deity sent into the world to fight the forces of evil. In the course of this struggle, Geser accomplished numerous feats. The plot of the epic is very entertaining and full of events. Now there are three main versions of "Geser": Buryat, Tibetan and Mongolian. The epic "Geser" reflects the people's dreams of an ideal kingdom and a just ruler. Sampilov Ts.S. Sketches for the epic Geser

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Geser is not only the central hero of the Buryat heroic epic, but also the most popular character in the Buryat folklore. In his image, the best human traits and qualities are brought together. The creators of the epic saw in Geser a hero with an exalted soul and good thoughts, Geser goes towards fate, full of faith in the justice of his destiny. He does not change his decisions and invariably achieves his goal. Geser is faithful in friendship, but adamant in the fight against enemies. According to the customary law of the tribal society, Geser buries the defeated enemy according to ancient custom with military honors. At the same time, the hero says: “I should not boast that I suppressed the mighty enemy,” since he understands that the struggle is not yet over. Since the circle of his loved ones remains behind the defeated opponent, they can try to take revenge on the winner.

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The heroic epic "Geser" has existed for at least a millennium. It is rightfully considered one of the most significant works of the world heroic epic, calling it the "Iliad of Central Asia". The territory of residence of the Buryat tribes was an integral part of the Mongolian world in ancient times, in the Middle Ages, and in modern times. The epic vividly embodied the ideal of a folk hero, a champion of truth and justice. Geser is the most popular character in the entire folklore of the Buryats, who named children after heroes, organized sports games in honor of glorious bathers, and worshiped reserved places. That is why Geser became the national hero of Buryatia.

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The Buryat "Geser" has preserved to this day the greatest originality and poetry. The storytellers, called gesershins, told the story to the Buryats gathered in the yurt only at night, one "branch" (part) per night, interrupting at the most interesting place. All this went on for 10 nights in a row. The Gesershins not only told stories, but there were elements of narration, recitation and, most of all, singing. The storytellers had a phenomenal memory, memorized thousands of poetic lines and thus brought to us an artistic treasure to this day. All Uligershins possessed genealogical information, shamanic traditions, were masters of all tunes, for example, Manshut Imegeev performed 10 thousand 590 lines for nine days.

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Buryat playwright N.G. Baldano, after 15 years of hard work, created the basis for the heroic epic of the Buryats to become the property of the peoples of Russia. In the poetic translations of the writers S. Lipkin and V. Soloukhin, it was repeatedly published in two volumes in Russian. The ballet "Son of the Earth" by Zh. Batuev, cycles of illustrations by A. Sakharovskaya, Ch. Shonkhorov, D. Purbuev, "Epic Poem" by composer B. Yampilov - this is an incomplete list of works created by artists and literature on the basis of "Geser".

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As a child, the boy shows miraculous abilities, destroys various demons, wins the equestrian competition for the possession of the beautiful Drugmo (Rogmo-goa, Urmai-goohon), the throne and treasures of Lin. Then he receives a wonderful horse from the sky, acquires his true majestic appearance and the name Geser (in the Mongolian versions - Geser-Khan, usually referred to as "the lord of 10 countries of the world, the eradicator of 10 evils in 10 countries of the world"). The most ancient core of the image of Geser is a cultural hero sent down by heaven, purifying the earth from monsters. In the oral Mongolian tradition (and in the Buryat version of the epic), Geser gained a reputation as a slayer of demons and monsters (mangus).

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Gesar Khan in the creative heritage of the Roerich family. The image of Gesar Khan, the legendary hero of the epics of the Asian peoples, occupies a special place not only in the artistic heritage, but also in the essays, books of Nikolai Konstantinovich, in the scientific works of Yuri Nikolaevich, in the works of Elena Ivanovna, in the work of Svyatoslav Nikolaevich Roerichs. Castle of Geser Khan. 1929. Call. 1944

Geser ( Geser, Gecap, Kecap) is a character in Tibetan myths and myths of the Mongolian peoples, including ( Abay Geser hubun), as well as a number of Turkic (Salars, yellow Uighurs, Tuvans, Altaians) and Tibeto-Burmese peoples.

Geser - a character of the myths of the peoples of the East

Geser is the hero of epic tales and poems, the object of a developed religious and mythological cult. The original core of the legend, apparently, took shape in northeastern Tibet. According to the legends about Geser, one of the three sons of the heavenly ruler was sent to the Lin state, which had no ruler. He is reborn in Lina in the family of one of the princes as an ugly, snotty child named Joru. He is pursued by his paternal uncle Tkhotun (Mong. and Kalm. Tsoton, Choton, . Sotoy, Hara Zutan). As a child, the boy shows miraculous abilities, destroys various demons, wins the equestrian competition for the possession of the beautiful Drugmo (Rogmo-goa, Urmai-gokhon), the throne and treasures of Lin. Then he receives a wonderful horse from the sky, acquires his true majestic appearance and the name Geser. Geser defeats the demon of the north, the ogre Lubsan with the help of the wife of the demon Meza Bumjid (mong. Tumen Jargalan, according to some versions, including mong., she - ex-wife Geser, kidnapped by a demon). Meza Bumjid offers the hero a "drink of oblivion", after drinking which he remains in the north.

In Ling, Thotun, who harassed Drugmo in vain, commits a betrayal, as a result, Ling is attacked from a neighboring state by choirs (mong. sharai-goals, Buryat, Sharablin khans), capture Drugmo, and she becomes the wife of one of the Khor rulers - Gurkar (Mong. Tsagan Hertu Khan, "White Yurt Khan"). Having thrown off the delusion due to heavenly intervention, Geser hurries to his homeland. In the guise of a bad boy (mong. Oljibay) he penetrates to the choirs, kills Gurkar in a magical way and, subjugating his state, returns to Lin together with Drugmo. According to a number of stories, Geser goes to China, where, with the help of miraculous means, he gets himself a princess, rescues his earthly mother from hell; destroys the demonic rulers of neighboring countries (in the north, south, east and west), subordinating their subjects to his power. In Mongolian legends, Geser revives the heroes who fell in the war with the Sharaygols.

The most ancient core of the image of Geser is a cultural hero sent down by heaven, purifying the earth from monsters (cf. the Indian Rama). In the oral Mongolian tradition (and in the Buryat version of the epic), Geser gained a reputation as a slayer of demons and monsters (mangus). As the chosen ruler and even the first person who descended from heaven, Geser goes back to the pre-Buddhist, Bon tradition. In a number of variants of the epic, the earthly father of Geser is a mountain spirit. Given the connection with the deity of the sacred mountain, as well as with the world mountain, Geser is perceived as the ruler of the “center”, opposed to the rulers of the outskirts, the struggle against which is essentially adequate to the civilizing activity of the cultural hero. Sometimes Geser himself is the ruler of one of the four countries of the world - the north. But, apparently, the most ancient localization of Geser is Kroi (possibly from Rum - the Iranian name of Byzantium). Under the influence of Indian and Buddhist mythologies, Geser's father is Brahma or - in the Ladakh (Western Tibetan) version and in all Mongolian ones - Indra (Mong. Hormusta; among the Western Buryats, his place is sometimes taken by a shamanic deity Esege Malan-tengri). By the similarity of functions or appearance, the incarnations of Geser (or his wonderful horse) are close to a number of characters of the lamaist pantheon; as the deity of war Geser (Tib. Dalha, mong. Daysuntengri or Daichin Tengri) is sometimes identified with Jamsaran. Later (from the end of the 18th century) is the identification of Geser with the god of war in Chinese mythology - Guan-di.

In cult practice, Geser, as a universal protective deity (like most deities), acts as the patron of warriors, the protector of herds, the conqueror of demons, the giver of a happy fate (including hunting luck). In shamanic invocations, Geser is sometimes referred to as Burkhan or Tengri, he is called the son of the sky, who lives on top of a high white mountain peak in a house of clouds and fogs. Unlike Tibet, where many associates and opponents of Geser are also deified, among the Mongolian peoples, only Geser is the object of cult worship.

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Literature

1. Abay Geser. Enter. Art., preparation of the text, trans. and comm. A.I. Ulanova. - Ulan-Ude, 1960.
2. Vladimirtsov B.Ya. Mongolian literature // Literature of the East. - Issue. 2. Pb., 1920.
3. Damdinsuren C. Historical roots of the Hesariad / Kozin S.A. (translation, introductory article and comments). - M., 1957.
4. Heseriad. The legend of the merciful Geser Mergen Khan, the eradicator of ten evils in ten countries of the world. - M.-L., 1935.
5. Neklyudov S.Yu. Heroic epic of the Mongolian peoples. - M., 1984.
6. Neklyudov S.Yu. The Tale of Geser in the Eastern Mongolian Epic Tradition // Olon Ulsyn Mongolch Erdemtniy III Ikh Khural. II pain. - Ulaanbaatar, 1977.
7. Neklyudov S.Yu. Transformation of the mythological theme in the oral Eastern Mongolian versions of the Heseriad.
8. Rinchinsambuu G.(comp.) Mongol ardyn baatarlag tuuls. - Ulaanbaatar, 1960 (Studia folclorica, Ulaanbaatar, V.1, Fasc.1)
9. Homonov M.P. Mongolian Heseriad. - Buryat book publishing house.

(archetypal picture)

Now there are three main versions of "Geser": Buryat, Tibetan and Mongolian. The most archaic features of the common Central Asian myth have been preserved in the Buryat variants.
The epic "Geser" reflects the people's dreams of an ideal kingdom and a just ruler. In the first seven songs of the Buryat version, anti-Lamaist motifs are found.This epic contains extensive data on shamanistic cosmogony.

In the epic “Geser” the representations of people who lived in society at the stage of transition from gathering and hunting to cattle breeding, from matriarchy to patriarchy were reflected in an allegorical form. The poem glorifies fidelity to duty, stigmatizes treason and betrayal."Geser" is a hymn of love for one's land. “Do not allow the enemy to your native land, do not wait for him, but go out to meet him, there he will be defeated” - this is one of the most important motives of this epic tale.

The epic tells that in ancient times it happened that unprecedented diseases, famine and pestilence began to spread on the earth, wars broke out, misfortunes and troubles began to come to people, the Celestials, seeing this, decided to send Buhe Beligge to the earth, which should was born on earth as a man, and not come to people in the guise of a celestial. The future hero was born in the family of a seventy-year old man and his sixty-year-old wife, who was actually the daughter of the sun, and received the name Zurgay.

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It was an ugly child: snotty and mangy, but already in early childhood, the magical abilities of this extraordinary baby appeared. His earthly relatives began to guess about the great destiny of the future hero. Even at the time when Zurgay was lying in the cradle, an evil shaman was sent to him by heaven, who was supposed to destroy the hero. The baby easily copes with the shaman. Soon Zurgai himself makes a bow for himself and makes a horse out of tree bark, on which he goes to fight the evil demons albins. He brings brides to the house: first, the khan's daughter, and after a while, another girl, the rich man's daughter, wins the competition. Thanks to these girls, Abai Geser appeared to people in his true form: a hero - the liberator of the earth from evil demons. The celestials send Geser a magic horse to help him, which will be his faithful assistant in dangerous battles and campaigns. The first feat of Geser is the battle with the giant Lobsogoldoy-Mangadhai. The evil charms of this giant's wife turn Geser into a donkey. But the celestials help him to regain the former appearance of Abai Geser. The battle with a powerful enemy lasted six months, and the celestials did not remain indifferent to this battle. In the end, Geser manages to win. Another feat of Geser was the battle with a monster with great magical power, Gal-Durmekhan. The hero cannot defeat the villain in a fair duel, because Gal-Durme Khan can die an infinite number of times and be reborn again. But exhausted by the battle, he promises not to do evil to people in the future and retires to the eastern edge of the earth. In the battle with Kharaabal Mergen, Geser dies, struck down by formidable black forces that came from the east. These powers were called forth by the magic spells of Kharaabal Mergen. The prophetic horse Geser informs the wives and sons of his master about his death and helps them find a magical remedy that brings Geser back to life. Gzzr accomplished many more other feats. He cleansed the world of monsters, established peace, harmony and prosperity on earth, made it more suitable for human life.

The epic about Geser has preserved ancient folklore motifs. In the language of the legend, there are many words and idiomatic expressions that have long gone out of use. This gives linguists material for studying the history of the Buryat language.

Many peoples who know the epic legend about Geser worship Geser as a celestial, deity, great spirit. Geser patronizes warriors, protects herds, he is the vanquisher of demons and the giver of a happy fate (including hunting luck). In shamanic invocations, Geser is called Burkhan or Tengri, the son of the sky, who lives above a high white mountain peak, in the house of clouds and fogs. Unlike Tibet, where many associates and opponents of Geser are deified, among the Mongolian peoples, only Geser is the subject of cult veneration. There are legends among the Buryats that songs about Geser protect from the ghosts of the dead and demons. There were special magical talismans of Geser, which were supposed to save their owner from the machinations of evil spirits.

The historical origin of the legend about Gzser is lost in the distant past of the great nomadic empires Central Asia. It is still not known who is the real prototype of epic heroes. The century-old history of the study of the epic has given rise to many theories and hypotheses.

Representatives of the Buddhist Gelukpa school believe that the epic has no historical basis. Representatives of other traditions believe that King Kesar (Geser) was the leader of the nomadic tribes of Central Asia, who were at enmity with Tibet. The basis for the hypothesis that Geser lived in the 11th-12th centuries AD was the biography of Padmasambhava, which mentions the name of Geser. Albert Grünwedel expressed the opinion that the name Kesar represented the Mongolian-Tibetan translation of the Roman title Caesar (Caesar). In the Manchu tradition, King Geser is identified with Guan-di, the popular hero of the famous Chinese novel The Three Kingdoms. Guan-di was the commander of the founder of the Wuhan dynasty. There is a hypothesis that Gesariada sings of the folk hero Genghis Khan. However, studies of the Buryat version of the epic have shown that this is not so, since the legend of Geser was compiled among the people long before the birth of Genghis Khan. Europeans learned about "Geser" from the message of the famous traveler, naturalist and historian Peter Simon Pallas. In 1772, traveling through Eastern Siberia, he visited the city of Maimachen (now Altan-Bulak) on the border of Mongolia, where the temple of Geser was located. Pallas described the temple in detail and reported on the existence of the epic. In addition to the only description of this temple, Pallas wrote down the prayer to Geser read here, as well as oral tradition, according to which the Dalai Lama is the incarnation of Geser. After the expedition of Pallas, a lot of evidence was collected about the veneration of Geser and the temples erected to him. Temples of Geser were built until the 30s of the 19th century. In the middle of the 19th century in Urga (now Ulaanbaatar) a statue of Geser was consecrated in the form of a Buddhist monk. One of the datsans of Urga (Dishi - samdanlin-datsan) received a two-volume Geser-un choinkhor (Geser's Prayer Drum) - a collection of prayers and spells to drive out evil spirits in the name of Geser. It is known that during the Japanese-Chinese war of 1894, a new statue of Geser the Militant was erected in the hallway of one of the Mongolian temples of Geser the Good. The lamas and the laity believed that the old Geser-Monk would not have dared to kill the Manchu Emperor, but Geser the Warlike would be able to do it. In 1921, Baron Ungern, having taken possession of Urga, announced in the courtyard of the Geser temple that he had come to protect the religion of Buddha and the throne of the great Manchu emperors from the Reds and atheists. Baron Ungern was proclaimed the incarnation of Gesar the Militant. The lamas argued that the bullets of the Red Russians and the Black Chinese could not harm the incarnation of Geser, and only a Mongol bullet could defeat him. In 1932, a new temple of Geser was built near the Gandan Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, where believers were attracted by a soothsayer who predicts the future.

The epic has 22 thousand lines. The first literary edition of the Mongolian version of the epic was published in Mongolian in Beijing in 1716. The epic has been translated into many languages ​​of the world. Mongolian scholar B. Laufer, who believed that the epic has Mongolian roots, wrote: “The legend of Geser Khan ... is, without a doubt, the most interesting work of all Mongolian literature, in which heroism, humor and poetry are mixed with oddities and trivial.” In 1930 - 1931. under the editorship of Academician B..Ya. Vladimirtsov published a grandiose epic of the Buryat people, written down by Ts.Zh. Zhamtsarano according to Manshud Emegeev, one of the great Buryat storytellers-Uligershins. Vladimirtsov highly appreciated the Buryat version of Geser and put it on a par with the masterpieces of world literature. He called it "a colossal Buryat epic, far surpassing the Iliad."

In 1931 the French traveler Alexandra David-Néel, long time who lived in Tibet, published on French a brief retelling of the Tibetan version of "Geser". She came to the conclusion that the legends about Gesar rest on a historical basis. The great military leader, a truly historical figure, whose life is hidden in the mythological narrative, in her opinion, lived between the 11th and 12th centuries. She called the Gesariad the "Iliad" of Central Asia" and believed that the epic about Gesar "by its national significance should be considered along with the Iliad, the Aeneid, the Nibelungs and Roland."

Many places are associated with the name of Geser in Buryatia and other countries. It is believed that the high mountains of the Sayan were the birthplace of Geser, and the throne of Geser was the most high peak- Mount Munku-Sardyk (Eternal white char), located on the border of Mongolia and Buryatia. Near the city of Ulan-Ude, an architectural complex was created, which is called the "Parking of Geser", where, according to the myth, the hero of the epic stopped to rest and tied his horse to the hitching post before moving on. The millennium of the epic “Geser” was solemnly celebrated in Buryatia in 1995.