К вопросу об отождествлении Гэсэра и Чингис-хана. Часть 1. Контаминация образов в фольклоре и исторической памяти народов Сибири и Внутренней Азии
Authors:   Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies, Siberian Branch of the RAS (6, Sakhyanova St., 670047 Ulan-Ude, Russian Federation), Nikolaeva Natalia N. , Nolev Evgenii V. ,   Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies, Siberian Branch of the RAS (6, Sakhyanova St., 670047 Ulan-Ude, Russian Federation)
Published: December 2024

Introduction. The epic hero Geser (Abai Geser Bogdo Khan, Geser, Gesar) and the founder of the Mongol Empire Genghis Khan are most remarkable and iconic characters in folklore traditions of Inner Asia. The involvedness of Siberia’s peoples ― including Buryat clans and tribes (despite their largely peripheral locations) ― in general Mongolian historical events led to the two characters became equally popular, widespread, and somewhat sacral folklore images. It is interesting and topical enough to consider Genghis Khan and Geser in one semantic field from the perspectives of their misidentification (or even suggested sameness), historical memory, and mythologization of personality in ethnic consciousness. Goals. The article aims to identify, classify and explore plots that tend to identify, articulate kinship and typological proximity of Geser and Genghis Khan in folklore and historical memories of Inner Asian peoples. The concept of G. Potanin ― an earliest Russian historiographer to have pointed out the contamination and attempted to analyze its mythological basis ― shall be examined in detail. Materials and methods. The addressed principles of historicism and objectivity make it possible to reconstruct the concept of [mis]identifying Geser and Genghis Khan examined in G. Potanin’s works. Methods of comparative analysis ― the comparative/genetic and historical/typological ones ― have proven instrumental in tracing common images and plots of Turko-Mongolian folklore narratives, and considering the latter both within related origins and typological proximities arising from actual historical conditions. Contextual analysis tools have revealed certain meanings of narrative situations and semantics of images articulated in those situations. The study focuses on folklore patterns of Siberia and Inner Asia’s groups, archival materials housed by the Center of Oriental Manuscripts and Xylographs (IMBT SB RAS). Results. The paper delineates key clusters of folklore plots that identify Geser and Genghis Khan, namely: merger of the two images into one, genealogical succession, mythical kinship, identical semantic functions of the culture heroes. Conclusions. The image of demiurge Geser-Genghis is characteristic of South Siberian Turkic mythologies, while the Mongolic oral traditions distinguish between the images but tend to view them as ones with pronounced ties, and basically deify the characters. In Buryat mythical/epic space, Genghis Khan and Geser act as relatives ― heavenly divine brother-progenitors of not Mongols at large but specifically Buryat tribes. In addition, both of the heroes are represented as creators of some certain elements included in the ethnic cultural code.