A rich collection of Tibetan ancient tales, poems, and proverbs, the Epic of King Gesar is considered a window into Tibetan cultural heritage. It describes King Gesar, an ancient hero who vanquished monsters, overthrew powerful people, helped the weak, and unified disparate tribes. Although it remains unconfirmed whether a real person inspired the story, Gesar remains a semi-deity and a revered figure in Tibetan culture. Legendary tales of Gesar's life include inspiring and heroic deeds, romantic stories, and his efforts to conquer hundreds of tribes. He is also credited with uniting the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region. Gesar and his army have been brought into modernity thanks to imaginative versions of the epic. The oldest medieval manuscript found is The Battle Between Vjang Regality and Gling Regality, which is dated to the 14th century. The first Mongolian woodblock version, published in Beijing in 1716, is called Geser Khan, the Lord of the Ten Directions. In the epic of King Gesar, there are 120 volumes, more than a million verses, and more than 20 million words, making it the longest piece of literary work in the world.
It is estimated that over 80 melodies are played in the Gesar epic storytelling tradition. The singers and storytellers perform episodes from the vast oral narrative (known as 'beads on a string') of the entire tale in alternating passages of prose and verse with numerous regional variations. In oral performances, they use a flexible genre called prosimetrum. This consists of concisely worded prose with the lyrical verse in response to various contexts. During performances, they often use various skills, such as gestures, facial expressions, postures, and vocal sounds, to enhance their singing artistry. Traditional music and clothing are often accompanied by instruments such as the "horsehead fiddle" (morin khuur) and the "four-stringed spiked fiddle" (hugur). The hat, bronze mirror, and costumes are shaped in special ways to symbolize traditional cosmology and aesthetics. Besides the two major singing styles, "improvised melodic singing" (holboga) and "musical storytelling" (bensen ulger), oral narratives are also used, which emphasize vocal singing of deep, broad, and melodious sounds skillfully used in various situations.
Gesar's epic performances play an influential role in religious rituals and customs in the communities it is read in. For example, passages of the epic are performed when a child is born and they depict King Gesar entering the world. The epic is also considered the basis of Tibet's native religion, Bon. It discusses beliefs, practices, theology, divination, and so on. In addition, epic singing is often accompanied by ritualized practice, such as smoke offerings, devotion to meditation, and spirit possession. As a result, the epic is an important means of communicating with the hero, gods, ancestors, and members of society, as well as a major part of rural entertainment. Many of the myths, folktales, ballads, and proverbs passed down in the legend are not only a form of entertainment in rural communities, but also provide education for listeners, including history, religion, custom, morality, and science. Many of the tales continue to inspire thangka paintings, Tibetan opera, and other artistic forms, giving audiences a sense of cultural identity and historical continuity.
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