of age; as consecrated king, he proclaims himself "the Great Lion, Wish-fulfilling Jewel, Subduer of Foes". He also assumes the name Gesar. Mounted on his miraculous steed Kyang Go Karkar, he subsequently wages military campaigns, together with 30 companions, against the frontier countries that represent evil. Horse race and kingship: When he is 12, a horse race is held to determine who will become the king of Ling and who will marry the beautiful daughter, 'Brugmo, of a neighbouring chieftain. Returning to Ling, Gesar wins the race, marries 'Brugmo, and ascends the golden throne. He thenceforth assumes the title "Gesar". The kidnapping of 'Brugmo: His first campaign as king is against Klu btsan, the man-eating demon of the north. While away, his wife is kidnapped by Gurdkar (literally: "white tent"), the King of Hor. On his return, Gesar undertakes a second campaign, and uses magic to infiltrate the king of Hor's palace, kills him and retrieves his wife. Two further campaigns: Gesar wages war against King Sadam of 'Jang (sometimes located in Yunnan), and king Shingkhri of Mon (Mon is often located in the southern Himalayas and remained the term for "barbarian borderlands" until recently). The 18 fortresses (): Gesar sets out to conquer the 18 great forts (). They are listed differently according to singers and texts, but these battles nearly always include Tajiks () and Khache Muslim adversaries. Lhasa: Some versions say that, aged 39, he made a retreat on Red Hill (), where the Potala Palace was later built. Old age: When Gesar reaches his eighties, he briefly descends to Hell as a last episode before he leaves the land of men and ascends once more to his celestial paradise. Mongolian version (1716) Opens with a heavenly prologue, Ge-ser's birth, youth, marriage to Rogmo and his obtaining the kingship of Ling. Geser defeats a black striped tiger. Geser's voyage to China where he marries a Chinese princess. Geser's defeat of the demon king, with the help of the latter's wife. Geser's war against the three kings of Sharaigol (Hor) Geser's defeat of a demon who assumed the guise of a lama. Geser's descent to hell to rescue his mother. There is a 2017 version of this translated into English. Buryat version Buryat versions of the epic focus mainly on Gesar's battles with various demons, rather than on military campaigns. They also contain a detailed and drastically different