The woman Gesar bard  is reciting from one of
the most magnificent poems in the world: the heroic epic of King Gesar of Ling.

This national Tibetan epic recounts the legends, richly interwoven with myths and tales of magic, relating to the deeds of the pre-Buddhist hero, King Gesar of Ling. Gifted with supernatural powers, he is able to rescue and protect his people time and again in many various ways. The immense wealth of folklore material contained in this epic has, up until now, scarcely been brought to light.

In their traditional manner the Gesar bards, normally men but occasionally women, would travel the country from one festival to another or simply entertain the people in their nomadic tents, retelling the old myths of the epic poem and sometimes interweaving contemporary events into their song. To this day the Gesar epic is deeply rooted in the tradition of the Tibetans and plays an important part in preserving their identity as a people.

The bard who appears in the film is highly revered in Tibet. The Chinese regard her as a "national treasure" and carefully watch any contacts made with her, so it was particularly fortunate that we were nevertheless able to work with her. Her inexhaustible knowledge of the verses of the Gesar epic (which may be likened to the contents of an encyclopedia of 37 volumes) did not come to her from books or learned instructors, but rather as an inspiration "from Heaven itself" after she had recovered from a serious illness; (this happened when she was a young shepherdess living in the steppes not far from where we made our film). As the Tibetans see it, she thus assumes the position of a female shaman; a mediator between heaven and earth.

Before each recital she performs a secret ritual to establish contact with the gods and become empowered to carry out her recitations and to enter into a state of trance. Of great importance is the fact that a complete set of verses must be recited without interruption, in order that the listeners may receive the full force of power transmitted by the verses and therefore also their healing effect.