Literature and folklore

Steppe people have always valued a beautiful word pronounced in place. Many Mongolian fairy tales, epics, ritual songs, praises – magtaals, good wishes – erools, preaches – surgaals, sayings and proverbs are rooted in great antiquity. Many of them were attached magical meaning in the ancient times.

The oldest Mongolian literary monument, “The Secret History of the Mongols”, was created in 1240. In this chronicle of Genghis Khan’s family historical facts alternate with epic and mythical legends which date back to earlier times. This first Mongolian chronicle was followed by others, for example, the “Blue Book”. They did not survive until our time but are known from later retelling of the 17th century chronicles such as “Altan tovch”, i.e. “Golden chronicle”, “Shar tuuzh’, i.e. “Yellow narrative” and some other. The genre of chronicles existed in Mongolia until the 19th century.

In the 18th century there appeared literary variations of the eposes about Geser Khan, about Kharangui Khan, etc. Nowadays one can rarely hear national heroic legends – uligers. In connection with the spreading of Buddhism, a lot of Buddhist works appeared in translation (mostly from the Tibetan language). Literature from India, motherland of Buddhism, became very popular in Mongolia, for example fairy-tale series from Panchatantra, a collection of stories “Magical dead man”, admonitions of wise man Nagardjuna, etc. The most popular genres were biographies (namtars), collections of aphorisms and ritual poems.

Among modern well-known Mongolian writers are Ts.Damdinsuren, B.Rinchin, Ch.Lodoidamba and many others.

Xylographic plate for Tibetian texts printing. 19th cent.		Text in Tibetian language. Mongolia. The Mongols. 19th century.		Traditional Uygur-Mongolian writing. Mongolia. Rykin P., 2006.