Gulaim

Gulaim is the central heroine of Qırq qız, the most celebrated of the Karakalpak heroic epics. Daughter of Allayar, ruler of the fortress of Sarkop, she refuses to marry at fifteen and instead withdraws to the island stronghold of Miuweli, where she gathers and trains forty like-minded young women in the arts of war. When Sarkop is overrun by the Kalmyk khan Surtaisha and her father is slain, Gulaim leads the forty maidens in a campaign of liberation, defeating the khan in single combat and freeing the captives. Aided by her beloved Aryslan of Khwarazm, she ultimately establishes a joint government among the peoples of the region. The epic runs to some twenty thousand verses and was fixed in writing from the recitation of the jıraw Qurbanbay Tazhibaev.

Parentage

• parent: AllayarDaughter of Allayar, ruler of Sarkop.Qırq qız (Forty Girls), Karakalpak epic. (secondary)

Domains

• war
• sovereignty

Powers

• leads the forty maiden-warriors into battle
• vanquishes the enemy khan in single combat

Epithets

• qırq qızdıń serdarı — commander of the forty maidensQırq qız, Karakalpak epic tradition. (secondary)

Relations

• spouse: AryslanGulaim and Aryslan marry and jointly establish rule over the liberated Khwarazm after the war.Qırq qız (Forty Girls), Karakalpak epic. (secondary)
• enemy: SurtaishaQırq qız (Forty Girls), Karakalpak epic. (secondary)
• parent: AllayarDaughter of Allayar, ruler of Sarkop.Qırq qız (Forty Girls), Karakalpak epic. (secondary)

Sources

• Gulaim is the heroine of the Karakalpak epic Qırq qız (Forty Maidens), daughter of Allayar of Sarkop, who refuses marriage to train forty maidens as warriors and defends the homeland against the Kalmyk khan Surtaisha and the Iranian Nadir Shah.: Qırq qız (Forty Girls), Karakalpak heroic epic, recorded 1939–1940 from Qurbanbay Tazhibaev jıraw; Soviet edition. (secondary); Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Qyrq Qyz (Forty Girls), performance and program materials. (secondary)