Crafting the Epic Victory over Mtao Mxây

CRAFTING THE EPIC VICTORY OVER MTAO MXÂY, MODEL 1

(Excerpt from the Saga of Đăm Săn)

Question 1.

Initially, Đăm Săn challenged Mtao – Mxây to a knife duel, but he refused. It wasn't until Đăm Săn threatened to burn down his house that he finally accepted the challenge.

- In the first round of combat, both sides danced with shields:
+ Mtao - Mxây danced with the shield, the sound echoing like dried gourd
+ Then came Đăm Săn's turn, he danced with the shield, each sway surpassing a hill, another sway overcoming a mountain

Question 2.

- The villagers' words reflect the attitude and sentiments of the Ê – Đê community towards the victories and defeats of the two village chiefs:
+ “We can't go on like this! Our village chief has died, our crops have withered, who are we left with?”
+ “We can't go on like this! Our northern village has grown bear grass, our southern village has grown wild tomatoes, our once wealthy leaders are no more!”
🡪  The villagers' desire is to have a skilled, strong, and courageous village chief to lead them.

- The villagers' actions: hosting celebratory feasts throughout the day and night, rejoicing when Đăm Săn returns victorious.
🡺 The purpose of the war is not senseless killing or destroying the community, but rather, the war serves as a means to unite the community through the battle between the two village chiefs. The chief who is more skilled and powerful will emerge victorious and be cheered and celebrated by the entire village.

Question 3.

The concluding part of the excerpt emphasizes the depiction of the village's jubilant celebration after Đăm Săn's victory. This illustrates the tribal spirit of the Ê – Đê people. Warfare not only inflicts no harm on society but also serves as a bond, uniting the village to form a stronger community.

Question 4.

- Comparative sentences:
+ Mtao - Mxây danced with the shield, the sound echoing like a dried gourd
+ Then came Đăm Săn's turn, he danced with the shield, each sway surpassing a hill, another sway overcoming a mountain
🡪 Creating a contrast between Đăm Săn and Mtao – Mxây.

- Exaggerated sentences:
+ Đăm Săn dances on high, the wind like a storm, dances below, the wind like a whirlwind,…
+ The group of people moves like a flock of birds, dense like a swarm of locusts, surging like ants.

MODEL 2: COMPOSING THE VICTORY OVER MTAO MXÂY

A. FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE

1. Concept of epic poetry

Epic poetry, also known as heroic poetry, is a genre of self-narrative, written in prose or verse. Epics typically have a large scale, spanning thousands of pages like the Indian Mahabharata, comprising hundreds of characters with intriguing and captivating events. Epic prose often employs techniques such as comparison, exaggeration, and idealization of events and characters. As a genre following mythology directly and often using materials from mythology, epics are rich in fantastical and mystical elements. This is a world encompassing both divine beings and humans. However, humans prevail as the appearance of epics is always associated with the dissolution of primitive communities to form democratic and feudal states at the dawn of history.

The inspiration of epics is one of praise and grandeur. Epic storytellers always narrate from a third-person perspective: There is always an absolute distance between them and the events of the epic. This is a distance of reverence, admiration, and reverence. The characters of epics are the ideal heroes of the community and the era. They are the highest embodiment of the aspirations for intelligence, determination, strength, emotion, and morality of the community. Their actions are exemplary of the era. They always view death lightly. They appear in epics with complete backgrounds, weapons,...

The plot of epics is tightly structured, full of drama, always with a specific beginning and end. The space of epics is the battlefield. For earlier works (like Iliad), the narrator does not differentiate between good and evil between the two sides. Both sides are narrated with the same attitude. The heroes' deaths are not because they are weaker than their opponents but because the gods want them to die. Epics often use a narrative style rich in emotional depth, with delayed narrative and minimal deep analysis, detailed descriptions of characters' psychology. Epic characters emerge through action. They are individuals of the community.

2. Comparison table of two types of folk epics in Vietnam

3. Summary of the Epic of Đăm Săn
a) – Marrying both sisters, Hợ Nhị and Hơ Bhị, Đăm Săn became a wealthy and renowned chief everywhere.
- The chiefs Kên Kên (Mtao Grư) and Sắt (Mtao Mxây) took advantage of Đăm Săn's absence to raid his village, capturing Hơ Nhị to be their wife.
- On both occasions, Đăm Săn fought back and won, saving his wife, merging the enemies' wealth and land, becoming even more famous, and his tribe flourishing.
- Encountering a sycamore tree (a sacred tree next to his wife's house), Đăm Săn exerted all his strength to chop down the tree. Shortly after, both wives died. Đăm Săn sought a way to heaven to ask the Sun Goddess (the daughter of Heaven) to be his wife. Rejected, Đăm Săn angrily left and drowned in the black, murky forest swamp.
- Đăm Săn's soul transformed into a fly flying into his sister Hơ Âng's mouth, causing her to become pregnant and give birth to a son.
- That's Đăm Săn's grandson. When he grows up, he will continue Đăm Săn's heroic path.

b) According to Phan Đăng Nhật (Research on Vietnamese Epics, Social Sciences Publishing House, Hanoi, 2001, pp. 138 – 139), in a rare version collected in 1985 - 1987 in Đắc Lắc province, the Epic of Đăm Săn consists of the following sections:
1. Đăm Săn's lineage
2. Đăm Săn marries Hơ Nhị, Hơ Bhị 3.
Đăm Săn fights Mtao Grữ to reclaim his wife
4. Đăm Săn goes to work in the fields
5. Đăm Săn fights Mtao Mxây to reclaim his wife
6. Đăm Săn chops down a tree
7. Đăm Săn fights Mtao Ak
8. Đăm Săn fights Mtao Tuôr to reclaim his wife
9. Đăm Săn fights Mtao Kuăt to reclaim his wife
10. Đăm Săn fights Mtao Ea to reclaim his wife
11. Đăm Săn captures the Sun Goddess
12. Đăm Săn's grandson replaces Đăm Săn
13. Conclusion.

4. Origin of the Text
- The text Victory over Mtao Mxây is excerpted from the narrative of Đăm Săn's battle against Mtao Mxây to rescue his wife.

5. Form of the Text
- It is a narrative text, with the narrative interspersed with character dialogue in a dramatic dialogue format.
- The text includes the Ê-Đê language (diêng, kliê, êchăm,...), making the language of the text rich and expressive of the Ê-Đê culture.

6. Structure of the Text
The text can be divided into three parts:
a) From the beginning to '... took to the streets': The battle between two chiefs.
b) Then to '... into the village': Đăm Săn persuades and leads Mtao Mxây's village people to follow him.
c) The rest: Đăm Săn celebrates the victory.

7. Characters
- The text features 5 characters, including two prominently represented by the villagers and the servant.
- The other three characters are Đăm Săn, Mtao Mxây, and the God of Heaven.

8. Role of the Character 'God of Heaven'
- The God of Heaven instructs Đăm Săn on how to kill Mtao Mxây, 'Take a dull knife and throw it into his ear' when Đăm Săn couldn't kill Mtao Mxây.
- The epic describes the hero, but always involves the role of the divine in guiding the actions of that hero. Thus, the world of the epic is a mixture of gods and humans. Reverence for the divine is one of the community's cherished moral qualities. On the other hand, a hero assisted by the gods signifies righteous action. Therefore, the role of the God of Heaven to Đăm Săn is merely supportive of the righteous; the act of killing Mtao Mxây lies solely with Đăm Săn.

9. Course of the Battle between Đăm Săn and Mtao Mxây
- Đăm Săn challenges, Mtao Mxây taunts from the rooftop but refuses to come down. Đăm Săn threatens to break the stairs and smoke out Mtao Mxây's house.
- Mtao Mxây agrees to come down on the condition that Đăm Săn doesn't ambush him when he descends the stairs, which Đăm Săn agrees to.
- Mtao Mxây brandishes his shield, Đăm Săn remains unfazed, standing still.
- When it's Đăm Săn's turn to wield the shield, he displays extraordinary bravery and skill. Mtao Mxây's blow misses him.
- Đăm Săn steals a betel nut from Hơ Nhị, increasing his strength significantly.
- When it's Mtao Mxây's turn to flee, Đăm Săn pursues. Đăm Săn aims to stab Mtao Mxây's thigh but doesn't penetrate.
- The God of Heaven instructs Đăm Săn on how to kill Mtao Mxây. Mtao Mxây is knocked down. He begs for mercy, but Đăm Săn recounts his crimes and then kills Mtao Mxây.

10. Mtao Mxây's Attitude Before Đăm Săn's Challenge
- Initially, Mtao Mxây displays arrogance and pride.
- However, Mtao Mxây later shows fear in the face of Đăm Săn's courage: afraid of being ambushed, fully equipped but still hesitant and doubtful.
- This demonstrates the storyteller's understanding of the character's psychology. Wrongdoers always feel apprehensive in front of the righteous.

11. Four Rounds of the Battle between Đăm Săn and Mtao Mxây
- Round one: Mtao Mxây dances with his shield, Đăm Săn calmly observes.
- Round two: Đăm Săn dances with his shield, Mtao Mxây panics and flees, attempting to strike Đăm Săn but misses.
- Round three: Đăm Săn pursues Mtao Mxây with his shield but fails to penetrate his skin.
- Round four: With divine guidance, Đăm Săn finally kills Mtao Mxây.

12. Comparison of Shield Dancing between Đăm Săn and Mtao Mxây

- The author describes Mtao Mxây very briefly (one sentence). This indicates his lackluster performance in dancing.
- The comparison of shield sounds 'rustling like a dried pumpkin' further highlights his incompetence compared to Đăm Săn.
- In contrast, Đăm Săn is described in three sentences, showcasing his magnificence: overcoming hills, surpassing obstacles...
13. Comparison of Đăm Săn's Two Shield Dances
Image 3
- Đăm Săn's second shield dance is more magnificent than the first.
- Expression: In the first dance, Đăm Săn merely overcomes obstacles, but in the second dance, he wreaks havoc on various objects...

14. Analysis of How the Narrator Describes Đăm Săn's Shield Dances Three Times
- This is a common feature in epics, where heroes demonstrate their qualities through a repeated action.
- It poses a challenge for the narrator because repetition can lead to redundancy and boredom.
- It also serves the purpose of 'epic delay' by repeating the description of the shield dance three times.

15. Progression of Đăm Săn Knocking on Mtao Mxây's Village Doors Three Times
- First knock: One house.
- Second knock: All houses.
- Third knock: Each house in the village.
- After three knocks, Đăm Săn calls on all the villagers of Mtao Mxây to follow him.
- The significance of this call is to build a larger community, a better life.

16. Dialogue between Đăm Săn and Mtao Mxây
 - Đăm Săn's challenge: 'I challenge your house to a duel with me.'
- Đăm Săn threatens: 'I'll break your floors, smoke you out.'
- Đăm Săn taunts, humiliates:
+ Even the house pig doesn't bother.
+ Even the house buffalo doesn't bother.
- These words depict Đăm Săn's heroic spirit and martial prowess.

17. Dialogue between Mtao Mxây and Đăm Săn Shows:
- Provocation: Busy embracing our wives.
- Fearfulness. Mentioned fear of ambush twice.
- Swaggering:
+ I'm like a newly hatched village rooster.
+ I learned from a dragon.
- Pleading: + I'll perform a blessing ceremony for a buffalo.
- It's clear Mtao Mxây's character cannot match Đăm Săn's, hence his defeat under Đăm Săn's hands is inevitable.