Ancient Images and Plots of the Epic of Manas

The problem of the emergence and development of the Kyrgyz heroic epic of Manas has attracted the attention of scholars since the very beginning of the study of this unique memorial. The first researchers in the 19th century, Kazakh scientist Ch. Ch. Valikhanov and academician V. V. Radlov, pointed to the antiquity of the Kyrgyz epic and expressed their thoughts about its composition and existence. The question of the composition and development of the epic of Manas on the basis of research on its plot, images and ideas was explained by scientists of the 20th century, such as V. M. Zhirmunsky, P. N. Berkov, S. M. Abramzon, R. Z. Kydyrbaeva, etc. However, the question remains relevant today. There is still no consensus among scholars as to the time of the epic’s origin and its main stages of development. The author of this article aims to continue the study of the genesis of the epic of Manas and attempts to establish the historical conditions that gave rise to the heroic epos as a new type of art and determined its further development. The author considers and analyzes the most ancient plots and characters of the epic of Manas, the formation and development of which largely predetermined the nature of epic creativity in subsequent eras. The subject of analysis is mainly the image of the protagonist and the most important themes of the archaic epic: the hero’s struggle with monsters, heroic matchmaking, and the fight against raids. All material, when possible, is considered in a comparative-historical perspective, in comparison with the epic work of Turkic peoples of Southern Siberia and Central Asia.