Altan Uruk golden clan, Chingis Khan's family, the Golden
family which ruled the Mongol Empire
Anda sworn brother in arms
Arban a troop of 10 warriors, in each arban the men elected
their own commander
Argali animal with the body of a sheep and horns bent like a
ram, Asian mountain sheep
Ayil a household camp or a group of such camps
Bagadur (bahadur) hero or commander, a rank equal to a knight in western
chivalry
Bagatur a venomous fighter, when used following a name it means
the Brave, (Yesugei Bagatur = Yesugei the Brave)
Baligh city
Ballista an ancient military siege engine often in the form of
a crossbow used to hurl large missiles, javelins or stones
Baran-gar (barun-gar, baraunghar) the Right Wing of the Mongol army
Battue a hunting style common to the Mongols. The hunters formed
a circle and drove the game into an inner ring where they
were killed
Boghtaq conical headdress decorated with precious stones and
peacock feathers, worn by married women
Bogul (boghul) slaves of Mongols, people taken in raids
Borjigun Blue-eyed Men, ancestors of Genghis Khan
Eke^otuken earth mother
Erlik Khan ruler of the underworld
Everlasting Blue Sky Jenghiz was the Everlasting Blue Sky's
preordained envoy on earth, he and all his clan were favored
by the Everlasting Blue Sky, Chingis believed he had been ordered by the
Sky to govern all peoples, and that he was Khan by the power of the
Eternal Blue Sky (mongke tengri-yin Kuchun-dur)
Ger round felt tent which required large numbers of poles and laths
Gerkeh the inner ring where the game in a great hunt was driven
and where the kill took place
Grut boiled sour milk which was dried in the sun and stored in
leather sacks for winter use
Hoyin-irgen forest hunters
Jagun a squadron of 100 warriors
Jun-gar (Junghar and Jounghar) the Left Wing of the Mongol Army
Kabtaut the night guard, about 80 men, part of the Keshik
Kagan (khaghan, khakhan) emperor
Kanum Kotan the land of evil gods, unseen forces, in northern
Siberia
Kelet (kele) a spirit
guard as well as a corps d'elite, organized on a strictly
autocratic basis, recruited from ..."young men, agile and well
shaped, from the families of noyans, chiliarchs and centurions, as well
as from freemen (Tarkat or Darkhat). The Guard included a picked 1,000
of `braves', bagaturs, later it was increased to 10,000. In battle this
corps was always to be in the front line; in time of peace, it mounted
guard".
Khol (Kul) the Center of the Mongol Army, was probably the Imperial Guard or
Keshik
Kuriltai (Khuriltai or Quriltai) a congress or national gathering of the
Khan's clansmen and of the Mongol Aristocracy that owed obedience to the
Kagan, as the head of the empire ruling by the "power of the Eternal
Sky"
Kuriyen a circle formed by wheeled wagons
Maikhan light traveling tent, round felt tent the Mongols called
Ger
Mangonel a siege engine capable of hurling large projectiles,
usually stones, at the enemy, the Mongols were reported to
have used one with a range of 400 yards; they also had portable
mangonels which they carried on pack animals
Maral doe
Massif a large mountain pass
Minghan (mingghan) a regiment of 1,000 men; the officers were
appointed by the Khan and held the rank of noyan
Mongke Tengri the Everlasting Blue Sky, the sky was God, also
the power that controlled the evil forces of Kanun Kotan
Mongol probably comes from the Mangkhol, one of the leading
tribes of the union
Naccara war drums, kettle drums, carried on the backs of camels
Names most Mongolian names consist of two words, first is the
proper name, second is an epithet or clan identification
Naran sun
Nerkeh a circle to mark the outer boundary of a hunting territory
Nokud warriors who were also free men
Noyan (noyon) a baron, duke, leader, or chief
Nutuk (nutuq) a homeland, orbit of migration, or grazing lands
Omuk clan or tribe
Ordu Mongol word for a camp, also the source of the English
word horde, a command of riders
Pignate earthen pot, carried by warriors and used for cooking meat
Qarachu arad commoners, a pastoral social class
Qara utai tergen wheeled wagon
Qasaq-tergen wheeled wagons
Qumiz (qumys) fermented mare's milk
Shiralgha a hunter may claim a portion of an animal that has been
killed but not yet carved
Taiga (Tayga) dense forest growth of Ibir-Sibir or northern
forest in high Asia
Tarkhan (Turkic title) a warlord of the prairie who protected
his herd with armed followers, the wealthiest of them became
the aristocrats of the steppes, the noyans or princes
Tengri (Tangri) spirits of the upper air that loosed the
whirlwinds and thunder, (Heaven) Tangri is both sky and god
Terracine rice wine (var. terracina which is rice mead
Tuk (tugh, tuq) the standard of the commander, Jenghiz'
standard, the white standard with jagged edge of nine
points (nine yak tails), all his orders were issued under the
tuk
Tulughma a maneuver whereby the light cavalry on the wings
spread round to envelop the enemy while the center was
engaged
Tumen (Tuman, Touman) a division of 10,000 warriors, officers of the tumens
were appointed by the Khan and held the rank of noyan.
Tunghaut day guard (70 men) of the Keshik, they were to protect the khan,
attached to the Army of the Center, probably organized about 1203
Ulus coalition of tribes, small nation or tribe, also later the
Mongol nation
Usun family
Yam (jam) a station of the horse post, the Imperial Postal
Service
Yasun sub-clans or bones
Yeke mongghol ulus the empire of the Great Mongols
Yurt a structure made up of a wooden frame covered by felt,
sometimes the roof was thatched, Mongol armies were housed in
yurts, herdsmen live in them today
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