Identity In Beowulf

National identities are some of the must fundamental tools in the build-up of countries, and can be created from a number of possibilities, ranging from outside military threats to the feeling of belonging in society. This is best seen in countries like England, where the epic poem Beowulf plays a large role in the country’s identity, and the United States, where George Washington’s life story plays an important factor in the forming of its national identity. Serving as major symbols for later generations, these stories/figures have become everlasting, and continue to impact the regions to this very day. However, the inclusion of a country that Westerners are less than familiar with, Kyrgyzstan for example, changes the discussion almost entirely because of its small stature and almost inefficient role in geopolitics. Kyrgyzstan is

unique because it forces people to wonder if lesser-known countries are also capable of nationalism becoming a determining factor in the country’s future. While Kyrgyzstan is both feeble and goes unrecognized from a global perspective, the country exhibits effective nationalism though the revitalization of an ancient nationalist figure, known as Manas, whose integration into the culture of the country has become significant to the Kyrgyz people.

A Brief Background on the Epic of Manas
Manas is the primary hero in what is referred to as the Epic of Manas, a collection of epic tales that tell of the formation, life, struggles and triumphs of the Kyrgyz people and represent part of the culture of Central Asia.1 The Epic of Manas is distinctive as an individual tale because it wasn’t written down, but rather told out loud. This says a lot about how the epic was easily passed along and easily remembered, thus solidifying the tale in the country. Considered to be one of the most treasured expressions of the national heritage of the Kyrgyz people, 2 the epic is half a million lines and has been written down over sixty different times, thus creating something entirely new every time.3 Despite large numbers of people having never heard of the tale, its reputation proudly stands tall as the longest epic in the history of oral literature.4 It was not until the 19th century that its original, oral form was first recorded in writing by famous scholars.5
Having explained a bit of information behind the tale, the issue concerning the telling of Manas’s life is difficult to recite over the course of this essay for two reasons. Explaining the epic can be problematic for those who are not fluent in the poem’s original language and style, which are what the Manaschi, the traditional narrators of Manas and his stories, 6 are for. In addition, the epic itself is so incredibly long that it is almost required to describe the epos (a number of poems that treat an epic theme but are not formally united) 7 in a quick and thorough fashion, so that the focus of the essay can be devoted to describing the effects that the story has on the country. For purposes of informing the reader without confusing him/her, the epic itself will briefly be summarized, and was not translated by myself, but rather by Elmira Köçümkulkïzï (Ph.D. Candidate in Near and Middle Eastern Studies8), in the writing of this essay.
The legend of Manas is a trilogy: the first part tells the story of Manas who was a composite heroic figure credited with fighting valiantly from the age of twelve to the end of the oppression of the Kyrgyz who succeeded in establishing their homeland.9 The second section of the epos tells about Manas’s son – Semetei, his childhood and struggle against his enemies, and the third and final part is a narration about Manas’s grandson – Seitek.10 For the purposes of this essay we will focus on the first part, concerning Manas, as his actions have been the most pertinent to events that relate to Kyrgyzstan’s culture and nationalism.
The Manaschi, as defined above, are a necessity when it comes to talking about the epos itself. Due to the extreme length of the epic, reciting this million-line verse takes around three days, so only a person with a rich inner spirit can have the talent to narrate Manas to his people.11 Reciting the epos requires and demands special talents, and even more than that it requires personal inspiration rooted in either the nomadic tradition itself or in Islam.12 If a Manaschi were at a loss of inspiration, he (cannot motivate himself to invest that type of energy and commitment that is required for the recreation of the repetitive, albeit necessary, art.13 A skilled Manaschi must have a phenomenal memory, poetic feeling, skill to maintain the rhythm and movement in recital, and artistry of telling the structural parts with gestures and mimicry, and finally, he will need vigor to perform the poem for many hours.14
Manaschi traditionally start the epos by detailing the various legends and stories of the clans of the Kyrgyz people when the Kyrgyz moved to the Altai territory whilst Chinese warriors expelled them from their native Kyrgyz lands.15 It was here, in the Altai territory, where Manas was born.

The epos begins with the ancestry and history of the hero of the epic by describing his father’s desperate need for an heir. He visits a holy place, prays for a son, and after a while his wife becomes pregnant.16 Manas’s father takes specific actions to appease his wife while keeping the birth of his infant son a secret from the Uighers, indicating its significance to the Kyrgyz.17 When Manas was born, he landed straight on his feet, and in his right hand, khan Manas, came out holding a clot of black blood.18 This description of Manas’s hand holding a clot of blood not only serves as a prototype of Chingiz Khan, 19 the Mongol khan who initiated the devastating Mongol invasions of Eurasia, but also goes to show that Manas was ready to fight as soon as he is born (a sign of future comings that people would continue to describe in their oral

stories).
As his fame grew, Manas, at the age of fifteen, when the majority of boys were trained for professions such as sheep herding, formed bands of warriors and trained them in the ways of war.20 It was even said that Manas possessed incredible physical strength, and was able to push boulders down the Tien Shan Mountains at his enemies.21 Manas’s bravery and skill proved noteworthy with the unification of many Kyrgyz tribes, and is elected leader of the tribe.22 The tribe leader’s marriage to Kanikei, the daughter of the ruler of Bukhara, a neighboring Kyrgyz province, created a profitable alliance, which ended the feuds between countless tribes and brought independence to the Kyrgyz.23 This resulted in Manas’s fame spreading beyond the Altai and into China, where the Chinese emperor, who had grown aware of the young leader, sent troops of warriors to kill him.24 Manas, able to hold off his Chinese enemies, united the Kyrgyz and regained their native lands.25 Thus, Manas for the Kyrgyz people stands as a legendary figure from their history that united all tribes and gave them back their homes.26 Sadly, though, Manas is killed in a final conflict when a Kyrgyz bogatir (a medieval Russian hero) and a Chinese champion assault Manas. It is the attack from the Chinese warrior, an arrow lodged in the right cheek of Manas, which seals the ancient Kyrgyz hero’s death. The burial of his corpse is assumed to be in a secret location that many people believe to be in the Talas River Region.27