Epic of King Gesar

Gesar, after a more than 170 -year-old case also Gesser Chan, is an epic of Tibetan King, whose exploits in advanced by bard songs, in their entirety Gesar epic called, are described. This epic is considered the largest Central Asian Epenzyklus.

This corpus of narratives containing the basic motif of the struggle between the good ruler Tibetan Gesar, even Kesar and Gezer ( Gesser - Chan), who is born as a human, but has many divine skills against evil in the world. Geser warlike and cunning deeds will be handed down throughout Central Asia from Ladakh to Mongolia, but especially in Eastern Tibet, in the form of songs, so it is usually called Gesar epic. There is, among others, in Tibetan, Mongolian and Turkish. The presenters were and still are in some cases still special Gesar Bards partially texts can memorize the extent of thick books.

The epic is very extensive and has its origin from the origin of the world. It was probably designed for a performance over several days.

Content

The Gesar saga, the great national epic of Central Asia, especially the Mongols and Tibetans, glorifies the struggles Gesar Khan, the second-born ( according to one of the many traditions ) son of Indra, who is sent to earth in order Buddhas to rest and right to provide. A displaced princess of Tibet is chosen as the mother of the gods son, who is growing up as a child of dissuasive ugliness, soon, soon regarded as mentally weak as hell brood but to gain prestige white. At age 13, he wins by List a girl of rare beauty called Aralgo wife. As a second wife he wins the fight a king's daughter, who he reveals himself on the bed in his supernatural form. This concludes the first book.

The following three books sing the overcoming of a dragon and the struggles for a third wife, the daughter of a foreign prince, at whose court Gesar three years bored. Then magically Aralgo by his first wife, notified that his evil uncle Tschotong it would endeavor to destroy, Gesar boards his wonderful brown, the umsaust the whole earth in one minute, and freed his wife to him now to get him to to bind to the potion of forgetfulness enters.

The fifth and most important book of the saga fills the story of the Schiraigolschen war, may have served the real events of the historical document. Cause of wars was the Prince of Schiraigol which Rogmo, Gesar second wife, wants to rob and this Behuf to Tibet makes an incident while Gesar, the process not knowing because of the potion of Aralgo, in this remote bored of Tibet in a magic castle. The Tibetans are at Rogmo and are initially victorious; but when the best of the Tibetan hero is slain, to their general confusion seized. Tschotong, the evil principle in the saga, Rogmo delivers and mounts the throne himself, while he condemns the parents Gesar at the lowest services. Frightened by unusual characters, finally ermannt to Gesar and pulls against Tibet. Anger inflames him as he is the mother by sight with grated load of knitting shoulder; through them he learns everything. With cunning he makes first his uncle Tschotong prisoner; then he examined his wife Rogmo to wrest the Prince of Schiraigol, but this has now given her love. When finally she is back in Gesar possession, they must eat the heart of her paramour as evening food as a punishment for her infidelity; occurs Gesar her way back to Tibet and lives quietly in gods joy.

Reception in Tibet

This epic dates back to pre-Buddhist times (or is about a pre-Buddhist time), and so also the content is not (or only superficially ) is influenced by Buddhism. For monastics, the reading of the poem (at least officially ) is considered useless worldly pastime. In Tibetan layman, however, it is still very popular in all over the country and, for example, offered as an audio book on cassette in local dialects, as no single dialect (such as the Lhasa ) is understood by all Tibetans.

Etymology of the name ' Gesar '

Gesar, King of Ling (Tibetan ) is referred to in some Tibetan sources as ruler of or which is phonetically in some [ p ʰ ɽom ] or [ ʈ ʰ ɽom ] ( depending on the dialect ). This is similar to the Ostpersischen * FROM, HROM, the "Rome" ( Roman Empire, Byzantium ) meant. Also recalls the name " Gesar " to " Caesar " in old Latin pronunciation ( [ Kaesar ], however vlat [ tʃe sare ː ]. ), But a v. Greco- Byzantine [ kaisar ] - only typical Tibetan with monophthongization and Nichtaspiration of Anlauts: [ ke ː sa ( ɽ ) ]. It is therefore widely accepted that the hero of this epic derives its name from Caius Julius Caesar. This, however, the similarity ends with the historic original.

Geser

Gezer is in the novel " Night Watch " by Sergei Lukyanenko the leader of the vigil and the spokesman for the forces of light. However, the novel character to be the mythical Gezer from the Tibetan word, as its Asian origin is indicated again and again.