Eurasian Mythology in the Tibetan Epic of Ge-sar

Ge-sar is the most extraordinary Tibetan legendary figure and remains, despite various unsuccessful attempts to tie him down into a context of historical reality, a great mythological character. The figure of Ge-sar has served as a repository of traditions that, through the corridor of the Eurasian steppe belt, reach back into the world of Germanic and Greek legends and into Megalithic religious beliefs. The hero Ge-sar, sent down from heaven and returned thereto, has indicated in the course of his eventful journey on earth how on the occasion of his return the hope for a reign of justice and peace and the striving for salvation and liberation will be fulfilled. Thus ge-sar is both hero and saviour at once. Utilizing the Tibetan versions of the epic, Professor Hummel provides us with a wealth of mythological, legendary and folkloric motifs which over the course of centuries sedimented around the initial crystallization kernel. He thus manages to bring to life one of the most fascinating legends of world literature.