Character Image of Battle Hero in Mnong Epic of Vietnam

Abstract

The Mnong epic is one of the cultural heritage that still exists in the Central Highlands cultural region of Vietnam until today. With the image of the hero expressed in the epic, where the highest concentration of aspirations and dreams of the community is highest, helping readers and listeners to understand more about the life of the soul, cultural and social activities of people here. The hero in the Mnong epic with beauty, talent, strength and bravery is the generalization of the ideal aspirations of the entire community of the Central Highlands of Vietnam. In the Mnong epic, the social differentiation is very primitive, there is no concentration of community power on an individual, the personal monopoly role is unclear, and the collective nature is clearly revealed. The social power is divided equally for everyone, without the appearance of the model of military leader and heroes in the epic that really make the soul of the battle. The heroic characters of the battle are recognized and praised for the victories of the talented heroes, but the decisive harmony of the work is always the magnanimous and reverberating mettle of a whole group. The strength of victory in the Mnong epic is the strength of the collective, the community. In the epic, the hero may not be the head of the tribe but their strength, talent, bravery contribute to the general of the community, they represent the strength, aspiration of community and preserve the survival of the community before the enemy.