Surtaisha

Surtaisha is the Kalmyk (Oirat) khan who serves as the principal antagonist of Qırq qız. His invasion of Sarkop, the killing of Allayar, and the enslavement of the Karakalpak people set in motion Gulaim's war of deliverance. He is ultimately overthrown by the heroine, in some recitations in single combat, and compelled to make restitution. Surtaisha personifies the recurrent steppe menace of the Kalmyk raids that shape much of the Karakalpak and wider Central Asian epic imagination.

Domains

• war

Powers

• raids the steppe and carries off captives

Relations

• enemy: Gulaim
• enemy: Allayar

Sources

• Qırq qız (Forty Girls), Karakalpak heroic epic.
• The Multicolored Diary, 'G is for Gulaim and her Warrior Maidens'.