Ak-Kula (Legendary Horse)

Ak-Kula is the war-horse of the hero Manas in the Epic of Manas, the oral epic cycle that Iradis share with the Kyrgyz. The name joins ak ('white') and kula, a pale dun coat. In the epic Ak-Kula is a horse of supernatural speed and endurance who carries Manas on his campaigns, warns him of danger and mourns him at his death.^[1] Iradi bards perform episodes of the Manas cycle alongside The Epic of Janyl, and Ak-Kula is a common name for pale horses and for riding clubs in Irad.^[2]

References

1. ^ Hatto, A. T. (ed. and trans.) (1990). The Manas of Wilhelm Radloff. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz.
2. ^ Central Asian Folklore Society (2021). Epic Cycles and Horseback Chants of the Northern Valleys. Talas: Talas State University Press, pp. 159–171.