MONGOLIAN POETRY

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INTRODUCTION

Mongolian poetry has a rich and broad heritage. It is rooted in nomadic life, oral storytelling, and a deep spiritual connection to nature and the open steppe, and has a wide range. The two by far the most common forms are Mongol epic poetry (Tuuli) and Folk Long Songs (Urtyn duu).

WHAT IS MONGOLIAN POETRY?

Mongolia has a rich and broad poetic heritage rooted in nomadic life, oral storytelling, and a deep spiritual connection to nature and the open steppe. Its poetry ranges from couplets of two words to epics of 20,000 lines. (2)

FORMS AND TRADITIONS

Mongolian people have a particular concept of poetry based on their traditions. Two forms most commonly found are:

• Mongol epic poetry - Tuuli

• Folk Long Songs - Urtyn duu

MONGOL EPIC POETRY

The Tuuli is a substantial genre of Mongol oral literature, with features reminiscent of Germanic alliterative verse. They are commonly sung with instruments such as the Morin khuur (horse-head fiddle) and the Tovshuur (lute). Most common themes are related to Mongolian history, their ideal worlds and heroes, and the acquisition of new lands. (3)

Up until the 17th century, they were passed down orally. The most well-known epics are the Jangar and the Geser. (3)

During the Second World War, the Soviet Union promoted the Geser as a way to foster patriotism among Buryats, but after the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953, the epic tradition was labeled as "feudal" and anti-Russian. (3)

The Mongolian People's Republic suppressed traditional Mongolian culture, and Mongolia experienced rapid globalization, urbanization, and modernization. However, this decreased popular interest in epics, which they are addressing as we speak. (3)

Chinese scholars of Mongol epics argue that there are three main "epic centers" within the boundaries of China, each with their own epic traditions:

• Bargu Epic Center (centered around the Bargu Mongols in northeastern Inner Mongolia): the focus is on the struggles of herdsmen or hunters against monsters. The poems are short and passed down through amateurs.

• Oirat Epic Center (centered around the Oirat Mongols and Chahar Mongols): poems are more complicated, longer, and reflect the historical situation of the Dzungar Khanate. It is influenced by Buddhism, as well as a more modern view of the relationship between nations, their leaders, and their people, and has professional singers called tuulchi or Jianggarchi. From here originates the Epic of Jangar.

• Horchin Epic Center (centered around the Horchin Mongols): typically includes non-combatant protagonists (sending others to fight the antagonist/monster for them), named monsters, and a more unbalanced power dynamic between the hero and the monster. They also have Buddhist ideas, symbols, and themes. (3)

Three hundred motifs, grouped into fifteen groups, can be found in Mongol epics, with two main patterns: fighting and courtship. (3)

According to Heissig, they can be categorized into six main variations:

• The courting epic: In order to obtain a bride, the hero has to face a monster.

• The epic of recovery of lost possessions: The hero fights to regain what has been stolen from him by monsters.

• The mythicized epic: The hero fights to restore order. This includes the Epic of King Geser.

• The power-delegating epic: Multiple heroes, sent by a ruler to challenge a threat. This includes the Epic of Jangar.

• Composite ritualized epic: Epic sung to ward off a monster. (3)

Epics are normally sung through alliterative verse in a form close to couplets. They are performed on different instruments like the Morin khuur and Tovshuur. (3)

FOLK LONG SONGS

The Urtyn duu are melodic poems with extended, breath-controlled notes. They celebrate the majesty of the land, ancestry, and the legacy of Genghis Khan.

THEMES AND MODERN EXPRESSIONS

The themes and expressions in modern Mongolian poetry gravitate toward different themes, most commonly:

• Nature and Personhood: Contemporary and Inner Mongolian poetry often uses natural elements (mountains, water, and wildlife) as living voices to protest environmental degradation and desertification

• Spiritual Syncretism: Works blend indigenous shamanic cosmology with Buddhist motifs, exploring the mind as a vast, non-territorial realm.

• Identity and Resistance: Poems often serve as cultural callings for younger generations to cherish and return to the pastoral traditions of the grassland.

CONCLUSION

Mongolia has a rich and broad poetic heritage rooted in nomadic life, oral storytelling, and a deep spiritual connection to nature and the open steppe. Mongolian people have a particular concept of poetry based on their traditions. Two forms most commonly found are:

• Mongol epic poetry - Tuuli

• Folk Long Songs - Urtyn duu.

The Tuuli is a substantial genre of Mongol oral literature, with features reminiscent of Germanic alliterative verse. They are commonly sung with instruments such as the Morin khuur (horse-head fiddle) and the Tovshuur (lute).

The Urtyn duu are melodic poems with extended, breath-controlled notes. They celebrate the majesty of the land, ancestry, and the legacy of Genghis Khan.

More modern expressions gravitate toward:

• Nature and Personhood

• Spiritual Syncretism

• Identity and Resistance.

SOURCES

1. Image was created via Canva.com

2. G Mend-Ooyo. Turning through the skies of Mongolian Poetry. June 6th 2007. Available at https://www.mend-ooyo.mn/news/88.html

3. Wikipedia. Mongol Epic Poetry. Available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_epic_poetry