Introduction

Abstract

The 13th century work known as the Secret History of the Mongols 1 (Mongqol-un niuca [= ni 'uca] to [b]ca'an) is the earliest and most important literary monument of the Mongol-speaking people, challenged only by the later 17th century chronicle Erdeni-yin tobCi, or Precious Summary, by the Ordos prince Sayang Secen (1604-?). 2 There is no doubt, however, that notwithstanding the literary merits of the latter -and they are many -Sayang's masterpiece is by far outshone by the Secret History, witness the number of translations and versions of this work (over fortyY against the mere eight of the Erdeni-yin tobci. 4 The reason for the great success of the Secret History at home and abroad is, first of all, its subject matter, for the Secret History is the only genuine (not to be confused with reliable) native account of the life and deeds of Cinggis Qan -our Genghis Khan -one of the world's outstanding figures, whereas the Erdeni-yin tobCi is a general history of the Mongols, written under the influence of Tibetan culture and Lamaism. There is no Buddhist influence in the Secret History, its language has not been touched by the literary and historiographical conventions of Tibet, its poetry reflects the pure, unmitigated tradition of the nomadic tribes of Mongolia and of the Turkic-and Mongolian-speaking inhabitants of the vast steppelands of Inner Asia. To be sure, the Turkic element -cultural and linguistic -is present in the Secret History; how could it be otherwise, since Mongolia was the cradle, home and stamping ground of both those peoples, so that they shared from remote times a common way of life, the same spiritual, i.e. shamanistic, background (with related cults and customs), and exchanged words, terms and titles as the occasion arose.Later, the settled and culturally more advanced Turks of Central Asia, the Uighurs in particular, acted as tutors and cultural intermediaries to the Mongols, their greatest gift to them being the