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³ Karmay, S. G., ‘The origin myths of the first king of Tibet as revealed in the Can-lnga’, in Kvaerne, P. (ed.), Tibetan studies, vol. 1, Proceedings of the sixth seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies in Fagernes (Norway), 21–28 August 1992 (Oslo, 1994), 410–11.Google Scholar

⁴ cf. Shar-rdza bKra-shis rgyal-mtshan (1859–1935), Legs-bshad-mdzod (Karmay, S. G., The treasury of good sayings: a Tibetan history of Bon, London Oriental Series, vol. 26, London: Oxford University Press, 1972, 69–70).Google Scholar

⁵ On this theme, see Levine, N. E., The dynamics of polyandry (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988).Google Scholar

⁶ cf. lHa-gling gab-tse dgu-skor, Kan-su'u mi-rigs dpe-skrun-khang, 1982, 94Google Scholar (Stein, R. A., L'épopée tibétaine de Gesar dans la version lamaïque [hereafter Version lamaïque], Paris: Presses universitaires de France, 1956, 197).Google Scholar

⁷ rTa-rgyugs dpyid-kyi nyi-ma (hereafter dPyid-nyi), mTsho-sngon mi-rigs dpe-skrun-khang, 1981, 10.

⁸ Gling ge-sar rgyal-po'i sgrung 'khrungs-skor (hereafter 'Khrungs-skor), Kansu'u mi-rigs dpe-skrun-khang, 1981, 17. This text, under the title of 'Khrungs-gling, is studied by Stein, R. A., Version lamaïque, 221Google Scholar; dPyid-nyi, 10, 46.Google Scholar

⁹ cf. Shan-'dan stag-seng kha-sprod (hereafter Shan-'dan), Si-khron mi-rigs dpe-skrun-khang, 1982, 15Google Scholar; Bod-rgya shan-sbyar-gyi ge-sar tshig-mdzod (hereafter Bod-rgya), Si-khron mi-rigs dpe-skrun-khang, 1989, 41.Google Scholar

¹⁰ cf. Hamayon, R., ‘The one in the middle: unwelcome third as a brother, irreplaceable mediator as a son’, in Heissig, W. (ed.), Fragen der mongolischen Heldendichtung, III (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1985), 373–409.Google Scholar

¹¹ In 'Khrungs-skor (p. 5)Google Scholar, these three women, however, appear as wives of one man, cf. flg. 2.

¹² dPyid-nyi, 6–7.Google Scholar

¹³ e.g. Shan-'dan, 5–7, 10, 157, 161–2, 166–7.Google Scholar

¹⁴ yab-rgyud-ni ri-nas chad-pa, ywn-rgyid mtsho-nas chad-pa (dPyid-nyi, 4).

¹⁵ cf. Karmay, S., Sagant, Ph., ‘La place du rang dans la maison sharwa’, in Blamont, D., Toffin, G., (ed.), Architecture, milieu et société en Himalaya: Etudes himalayennes (Paris: Editions du CNRS, 1987), 247–50.Google Scholar

¹⁶ 'Khrungs-skor, 1981, 143–44Google Scholar (Version lamaïque, 265).Google Scholar

¹⁷ Shan-'dan, 144, 149Google Scholar; Bod-rgya, 223–4.Google Scholar

¹⁸ cf. Bod-rgya, 41.Google Scholar

¹⁹ dPyid-nyi, 9–10.Google Scholar

²⁰ Hor-lis, f. 214Google Scholar, manuscript in the David-Neel Collection, Musée Guitnet, Paris. The translation into French of this episode with two others is in the process of publication.

²¹ phu-nu mi-drug ('Khrungs-skor, 144Google Scholar; Version lamaïque, 265).Google Scholar

²² gling chos-'phan nag-po tshun-chad nas/ dgra byung-na mdimg-mo mnyam-'dzin yin/ zas sder-nang gcig-tu mnyam-za yin/ skyid gdan-thog gcig-tu mnyam-'dug yin/('Khrungs-skor, 7Google Scholar; Version lamaïque, 218).Google Scholar

²³ thob go-sa'i che-chung ma-yin-te/… de-phyin pha-rus gcig-pa yin/ ('Khrungs-skor, 9Google Scholar; Version lamaïque, 219).Google Scholar

²⁴ 'Khrungs-skor, 104–5Google Scholar (Version lamaïque, 250–55).Google Scholar

²⁵ In this context the following terms are often used: khu-tshan nang-'gal, ‘conflict between uncle and cousin’; phu-nu nang-dme, ‘murder with kinsmen’. Cf. Shan-'dan, 141.Google Scholar

²⁶ phu-nu 'brel-thag bcad-le yin/ (Shan-'dan, 137Google Scholar); Hor-lis, f. 5a.

²⁷ phu-nu sum-cu ('Khrungs-skor, 155Google Scholar; Version lamaïque, 81).Google Scholar

²⁸ ‘… il ne s'agit pas de liens de parenté par le sang.’ (Version lamaïque, 40, n. 2).Google Scholar

²⁹ 'Khrungs-skor, 93Google Scholar; Version lamaïque, 246.Google Scholar

³⁰ 'Khrungs-skor, 98Google Scholar; Version lamaïque, 64, 248.Google Scholar

³¹ Bacot, J., Thomas, F. W., Toussaint, Ch., Documents de Touen-houang relatifs à l'histoire du Tibet (Paris, 1940, 110, 146).Google Scholar This same document also attests the existence of the term phu-ma-nu which J. Bacot translates as ‘garçons ou filles’. In my view it simply means ‘kinsman’.

³² Richardson, H. E., A corpus of Early Tibetan inscriptions (London: Royal Asiatic Society, 1985), 20, 24.Google Scholar

³³ Sakaki, , Mahävyutpatti (Kyoto, 1916–1926).Google Scholar

³⁴ sMan-lis, manuscript in the David-Neel Collection, Musée Guimet, f. 164, 169, 174, 181 (see n. 20); Shan-'dan, 180–81.Google Scholar