 |
| Abai Geser |
The heroic epic, or uliger, is the pinnacle of the Buryat poetry. The uligers are the big epic poems (from 5 to 12-13 thousand lines), they reflect the history of the people, relationships with the surrounding tribes. The uligers were created during a long historical period, the epic fund was continually replenished and updated. Hundreds of the heroic epic tales were created over the past centuries. “Abai Geser”, “Erensei”, “Alamzhi Mergen”, “Harasgai Mergen”, “Aidurai Mergen”, “Altan Shagai”, “Sagadai Mergen and Nogodoi Sesen” are the uligers that were widely spread and became well known.
The epic of Geser stands out against a background of the other Buryat heroic tales. “Geser” or “Abai Geser” is a great monument that can be referred to as a pearl of the Buryat epic creativity. It is one of the biggest heroic epic tales. Some of its variants include up to 20-30 thousand lines. They were created on the basis of the Buryat classical epic.
 |
| Epic-teller |
There are as many variants of the “Geser” epic as there are epic-tellers. Some variants depict an earlier period of the development of the Buryat community whereas the others depict a later period. There are not the same variants coinciding with one another. Passing from one generation to another the Geseriade took in some new elements, it took in all that was of significance from each epoch.
Above all, the “Geser” is an ancient, common Mongolian work of the oral people’s activity that was spread throughout the territory inhabited by the Mongolian-speaking peoples. From among the many national versions reflecting the original distinctive features of each nation, the Buryat versions of this unique monument are taken to be most archaic. They narrate of the life and noble deeds of the bogatyr (hero, warrior) and his sons who are charged with a noble mission of the struggle with the evil on the Earth and establishing the peaceful happy life for the people.
The Buryat version having preserved some elements common for all the Mongolian versions at the same time has its own typical features. Thus one can dwell on some elements typical of the Buryat epical genre. They are the following: the brief description of the scenes of battles but a detailed account of the adventures of the main hero in the period before his heroic deeds; making worthless of the weapons and harness of the bogatyr by the servant who intimidated by a mangas; exceptional activity of the representatives of the Upper World.
 |
| The map of spread of the Buryat epic "Geser" |
The “Geser” Buryat version is quite specific. The epic is known among the Buryats inhabiting not only the Buryat Republic but the Irkutsk and Chita regions. The distinctive character of the Buryat epic, its individuality is shown in the fact that neither in the plot nor in the figurative, expressive system, in the poetic elements of the most ancient variants there are no features that are Tibetan by origin, there are neither the like toponyms nor poetical formulas. This is one of the evidences of the ancient nature of the Buryat version of the Buryat “Geser epic”. It is greatly doubtful that the written versions of the epic (both the Mongolian and the Tibetan versions) might precede the oral versions. The epical works of all the peoples and tribes emerged at first in the oral form of verse blocks. And it was not all of a sudden that they were depicted in the written form.
 |
| Land of Geser I |
The Buryat versions preserved the ancient epical plot, they give an archaic mythological picture of the world. These versions have much in common with the Mongolian variant of the epic, foremost in the common plot line. The myths of the Sun, of the Hostess of the Earth (the Ulgen), sky-dwellers (deity, celestial being, divine /heavenly being), monsters, as well as the hunting and picking the grass and berries – all this evidences of the unique roots of the Mongolian and Buryat peoples.
 |
| Land of Geser II |
The numerous variants of the Buryat version of the “Geser” epic are divided into two groups, namely the Unga variants which have much in common with the Mongolian written “Geser” and the Ekhirit-Bulagat variants that are taken to be quite archaic and somewhat independent, original and specific.
 |
| Land of Geser III |
