The Two White Horses of Genghis Khan
Encyclopedia
The Two White Horses of Genghis Khan is a Mongolian epic in alliterative verse
, with a number of different versions. It is one of the oldest Mongolian literary works and supposedly hails from the 13th/14th century.
. The younger one feels their services for the ruler are not being appreciated enough, and tries to convince the older one to move away together. The older one is reluctant, but after the younger one runs away on his own, the older one follows.
The younger horse enjoys his new freedom, but the older one is homesick for their master, their mother and their comrades. He gets thinner and thinner, and in the end the younger one agrees to return home. Meanwhile, Genghis Khan has been missing his two white horses too, and after their return they are duly praised when they perform services for the khan. In the end, strips of silk are bound into their mane
s - a custom still observed today, for example with horses that have won several naadam races
.
) in 1922, and again as part of Če. Damdinsürüngs
Mongghol uran joqiyal-un degeji jaγun bilig in 1959. It has been translated into Russian and German, and - from a different version - into French.
n filmmaker Byambasuren Davaa
, who lives in Germany, made the movie Two Horses of Genghis Khan
about the singer Urna's quest to find the origins of the song.
Alliterative verse
In prosody, alliterative verse is a form of verse that uses alliteration as the principal structuring device to unify lines of poetry, as opposed to other devices such as rhyme. The most commonly studied traditions of alliterative verse are those found in the oldest literature of many Germanic...
, with a number of different versions. It is one of the oldest Mongolian literary works and supposedly hails from the 13th/14th century.
Summary
The epic deals with two white horses owned by Genghis KhanGenghis Khan
Genghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....
. The younger one feels their services for the ruler are not being appreciated enough, and tries to convince the older one to move away together. The older one is reluctant, but after the younger one runs away on his own, the older one follows.
The younger horse enjoys his new freedom, but the older one is homesick for their master, their mother and their comrades. He gets thinner and thinner, and in the end the younger one agrees to return home. Meanwhile, Genghis Khan has been missing his two white horses too, and after their return they are duly praised when they perform services for the khan. In the end, strips of silk are bound into their mane
Mane
- Biology :* mane of a horse, the line of hair along the spine of the neck* mane of a lion, found around the male mammal's neck- Places :* Mane Department, a department in the Sanmatenga Province of Burkina Faso* French communes:...
s - a custom still observed today, for example with horses that have won several naadam races
Naadam
Naadam is a traditional type of festival in Mongolia. The festival is also locally termed "eriin gurvan naadam" "the three games of men". The games are Mongolian wrestling, horse racing and archery and are held throughout the country during the midsummer holidays...
.
Publications
The epic has been published in Niislel Khüree (now UlaanbaatarUlaanbaatar
Ulan Bator or Ulaanbaatar is the capital and largest city of Mongolia. An independent municipality, the city is not part of any province, and its population as of 2008 is over one million....
) in 1922, and again as part of Če. Damdinsürüngs
Tsendiin Damdinsüren
Tsendiin Damdinsüren was a Mongolian writer and linguist. He wrote the text to one version of the national Anthem of Mongolia.- Life :Damdinsüren was born in Mongolia 1908, in what is today the Dornod Aimag ....
Mongghol uran joqiyal-un degeji jaγun bilig in 1959. It has been translated into Russian and German, and - from a different version - into French.
Movie
MongoliaMongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
n filmmaker Byambasuren Davaa
Byambasuren Davaa
Byambasuren Davaa, really Davaagiin Byambasüren , is a Mongolian film maker currently residing in Germany....
, who lives in Germany, made the movie Two Horses of Genghis Khan
Two Horses of Genghis Khan
Two Horses of Genghis Khan is a movie directed by Mongolian filmmaker Byambasuren Davaa about the singer Urna's quest to find the origins of a song related to The Two White Horses of Genghis Khan , a Mongolian epic in alliterative verse.-External links:...
about the singer Urna's quest to find the origins of the song.