All about history book of myths and legends. ( PDFDrive )

The Mongol people of Central Asia – especially

the group of tribes known as the Khalkha –

developed a way of life that was hard but well

adapted to the grasslands of their home. Many

of their myths feature creatures that the

Mongolians found around them, such as the

swan, or that explain their specific attributes,

such as the buzz of a wasp. Others draw on

the animals that were useful in daily life, such

as the cow, which was crucial to the Mongols’

food supply, and the horse, which played a

vital role in everyday life and in warfare.

Animal Myths of Mongolia

CENTRAL ASIA AND ARABIA

Saddle fitting

A good leather saddle, harness,

and other horse fittings were

essential for the Mongol people,

who were often on the move.

Kubera

Kubera, originally belonging to the Hindu

pantheon, was seen by the Mongols as

a deity of wealth and good fortune, and

was often portrayed as a horseman.

Khalkha dress

The traditional dress

has projections that

resemble the shoulder

blades or horns of

cattle. Married women

wear their hair parted,

combed upwards, and

stiffened like horns.

HORSES AND MEN

Horses, especially white ones, feature in numerous Mongolian

myths, with most of the tengri

One of the most powerful among them was a sky spirit

called the White Lightning Tengri. He was said to ride a

white horse because lightning appears to be white when it

strikes in the night sky. Shamans also rode white horses and

believed in “spirit horses”, mythical creatures that could

take them on journeys through the world of spirits. When

a shaman speaks of his spirit horse, he is talking about flying

across the sky at high speed

and with great power, like

White Lightning Tengri.

SACRED COW

The Khalkha people make up a group of

tribes that occupy much of Mongolia. They

are cattle-herders, moving from one place to

the next in search of the best pastures. Their

belief system involves nature spirits, and

shamanism lies at the heart of Khalkha

communities. The importance of both cattle

and nature spirits in the lives of the Khalkha

is related to their origin myth, which explains

how one of the spirits fell in love with a

primal cow. The result of their love was the

first Khalkha family, which was brought

up by the cow. She fed the

people with her milk,

and was responsible

for inspiring them

to take up cattle-

herding as a

way of life.

appearing on horseback.

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