Black Horse

The Epic of King Gesar

In short: Explore how tellers bring episodes of King Gesar to life through voice, music and gesture.

The Epic of King Gesar · From prose to song FAIRY TALE ATLAS · № 114 The Epic of King Gesar Explore how tellers bring episodes of King Gesar to life through voice, music and gesture. Origin A shared epic tradition among Tibetan, Mongolian and Tu communities in western and northern China. Atlas record 2009 First appearance Exact date unknown SIGNATURE MOTIF From prose to song Reach¹ 1/10 Suggested age² 8+ Member rating No votes yet 1 records · 1 countries or regions blackhorsestories.com

¹ Based on the number of Atlas countries, capped at 10. ² Editorial suggestion for reading this page. Discover Black Horse’s question

Origin and tradition

A shared epic tradition among Tibetan, Mongolian and Tu communities in western and northern China.

Gesar’s adventures are told in episodes. A teller can move from prose to verse, using gesture or an instrument to change the pace. I’m Black Horse. When comparing performances, notice what each teller uses to draw the audience’s attention.

Dated records and sources

  1. 2009 · China · Tibetan, Mongolian and Tu communities
    UNESCO · Gesar epic tradition · 4.COM 13.14 · Heritage listing

Country pages

Origin
Black Horse. The Epic of King Gesar. https://blackhorsestories.com/en/atlas-tale-gesar/