Motive of Pparthenogenesis: the Uranian Factor and Folklore Tradition

Abstract

The motive of parthenogenesis associated with the significance of the uranian factor in the beliefs of the nomadic societies of Central Asia and in the ideological attitudes of the ruling elite is considered. It is noted that the seal of the celestial origin of the steppe rulers — from the Huns to the Turks and Mongols — acted as the guarantor of the legitimacy and sacralization of their supreme power. A comparative analysis of this phenomenon is carried out using the example of the legends about Tanshihai and Ambagan — the founders of the Xianbei and Khitan powers, as well as about Bodonchar — the ancestor of Genghis Khan. Special attention is paid to the solar myth about Alan-goa, the ancestor of the khan’s clan Borjigin, as well as the legend of the birth of Temujin with a wonderful sign of chosenness, which has analogies in the Turkic-Mongol epic legends. The novelty of the research is seen in the attraction for the analysis of oral genealogical myths of different times and the written version contained in the “Secret Legend of the Mongols” and also revealing folklore sources. It is stated that all these plots related to different eras and ethnic formations are typologically close to each other, united by a similar motive of parthenogenesis. It is concluded that this circumstance testifies to a single Tengrian dominant in the worldview and ethnocultural tradition of the nomads, which determined the relevance of the idea of the celestial genesis of the rulers of the Great Steppe and was reflected in folklore.

Keywords

• motive
• folklore
• genealogical legends
• parthenogenesis
• the cult of the sky
• nomads