Monumenta Serica Journal of Oriental Studies ISSN: 0254-9948 (Print) 2057-1690 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ymon20 Mongol Altan “Gold” = “Imperial” Henry Serruys To cite this article: Henry Serruys (1962) Mongol Altan “Gold” = “Imperial”, Monumenta Serica, 21:1, 357-378, DOI: 10.1080/02549948.1962.11731026 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02549948.1962.11731026 Published online: 27 Apr 2016. Submit your article to this journal View related articles Citing articles: 1 View citing articles Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=ymon20 Download by: [Florida State University] Date: 12 November 2017, At: 03:55 Mongol Altαn "Gold" Downloaded by [Florida State University] at 03:55 12 November 2017 HENRY SERRUYS " 1mperial " C. I. C. M. In my paper "Notes on a Chinese Inscription of 1606 in a Lamaist Temple in Mai-ta-chao , Suiyüan , ,,' 1 have translated the four characters Tα -Ming Ch仰而 uo 大明金圄 as " Golden Country of the Great Ming , " meaning : "Golden Country within the Ming Empire ," and in note 24 1 wrote : " The name Chin-kuo ls not the resumption of the dynastic title of the Chin Dynasty (1115-1234) destroyed by the Mongols. Chin ‘ Gold , Golden' here is nothing but a translation of the name Altan (qaran). However , this is the only instance 1 know of where the name of Altan-qaran in its Chinese translation is being used as a sort of dynastic name. . • The name of the Altan-qaran (1507-1582) spelled An-tα-hα title rather than a name -_ appears at the beginning of the 1606 inscription , set .up by his grandson's widow , and 1 was under the impression that it was the element altα饥" gold " in this title that had been adopted by his successors and relatives in its Chinese equivalent as a sort of dynastic title. On second thought , however , it seems improbable that a personal name or title should give rise to a dynastic title or to a collective name designating the ruling family. Although ch切 in the aforementioned expression in fact is the exact equivalent of Mongol altα饵, and Ch切 -kuo "Golden Kingdom" of the 1606 inscription no doubt designates the region ruled by the qaran's sons and relatives , the name chiη=α ltα饥 is not deri ved from the qaran's name. 俺答啥,一 a Altα饥" gold " has the second meaning of " imperial" and Ch切 kuo , as 1 hope to show in the following pages , should be rendered as "imperial country , empire." The Mongol custom of calling " golden" everything connected with the emperor , especially 1) JAOS 78 , No. 2, 1958 , pp. 101-113. 357 Downloaded by [Florida State University] at 03:55 12 November 2017 358 HENRY SERRUYS C. I. C.M. Cinggis-qan , goes back to Yüan , and even pre-Yüan , times. We find several instances of this employ of the word altα饵 in the Secγet History , where everything belonging to Cinggis , to his own person , his household or his government , etc. , is called "golden." For example:α ltαn bosoqα"golden doorsill , "2α ltα n αγqamji " golden leash , .i. e. imperial government , "3α ltαn jilo' α" golden rein , i. e. imperial government , "4α ltα饥 αmin "golden , i. e. the emperor Cinggis' , life. 川 In the Sino-Mongol inscription of 1362 from Kansu , we find the expressions α ltαn beye "golden body , i. e. imperial person ," and α ltα饥 éiγαi "golden face , i. e. imperial presence ,时 both referring to Cinggis-qan. After Cinggis' death , his body was called αltαn beye " Golden Body" and α ltαn kegüγ"Golden Corpse; m and the Yüα饵-shih 2) Yüa饵 -ch'ao pi-shih ~ 137: 4.23b; ~ 203: 8.28b. Ant. Mostaert , "Sur le Culte de Sarang Secen et de son bisaieul Quturtai Secen chez les Ordos," HJAS 20 , 1957 , p. 556 , note 82 , quotes the following text: Altan bosoraη -u alta饵 büse t仿 köbeg位 d-i baγ ar u 饵 tegegüγ sögödkenem bile. altan tomor ι -tu be γîyed-i Jeg锐饵 tegegür sögödkenem bile: "Les fils du s e.uil d'or (=les fils du qaran ) , à la ceinture d'or , nous les faisons agenouiller du côté droit. Les brus à la couronne d'or , nous les faisons agenouiller du côté gauche." 3) Yü四n-ch'ao pi-shih ~ 254: Supp l. 1.20a; ~ 256: Supp l. 1.35a. 4) Op. cit. , ~ 256: Supp l. 1.36a; ~ 275: Supp l. 2.29a. 5) Op. cit. , ~ 233: 10.7a. Ant. Mostaert , S 阳• quelques Passages de l' Histoire Sec 吟 te des Mongols. 1953. pp. [242]. (153) (HJ_4S 14. 1951. pp. 392. 403). The expression altan amin .. golden , imperial life." appears also twice in Sarangsecen's chronicle Erdcni-yi饵 tobci , once in reference to Cinggis-qan , and once to Altan-qaran (E. Haenisch. Eine Urga-Handschrift , 35v , 79v; Script ι Mon golica II. part 2. pp. 90 , 224; part 3. pp. 80. 206; part 4, pp. 93. 218. J. I. Schmidt. Geschichte de γ Ost-Mongole饵, pp. 84. 242). The Chinese authors of the Mengku y议皿饵 -1印 (chien-cheng) 蒙 l汀源流(姿在) rendered altan am切 in the first passage as 至等之身 (3.19b) .. most respectable person." and in the second passage (7.8a) as 大言" great longevity." 6) Fr. W. Cleaves , "The Sino-Mong. Inscription of 1362 in Memory of Prince Hindu." HJAS 12. 1949 , pp. 62 [41. 邸. and 67 (45) , 91. 7) Erdeni-yin tobci. Haenisch. Urga-H,白白 dschrift. 42r; Scripta Mong. II , part 2, p. 110; part 3, pp. 97-98; part 4. pp. 111; Schmidt. Geschichte. p. 108. In the Meng-ku yüan-l 印 4.8ab we read 金身 "Golden Body." but instead of translating altan kegür literally the Chinese text adopts a freer version:'" estab!i shed funeral mound and chamber ..." Note that here chin shen = altan be归 refers to the dead emperor. whereas in the 1362 inscription (note 6) the same expression means the person of the living emperor. As we shall see below. Yang Ming (note 45). too. uses the same expression in two different meanings. MONGOL ALT AN "GOLD" = "IMPERIAL" 359 Downloaded by [Florida State University] at 03:55 12 November 2017 in the description of the imperia1 buria1 ceremonies calls the horse 1ed by a fema1e Mongo1 shaman and destined to become the deceased ru1er's grave-escort: "Horse of the Go1den 80u1 ,川" Go1den 80u1" referring , of course , to the sou1 of the 1ate emperor. In Mongo1 literature , the imperia1 government , apart from leαsh and 何仰, is a1so compared to a golden yoke. In the Carαn teüke 9 we read: kündü qαrαn-u jasαrα ltαn borolra metü ebderesiügei : "the government of the respectab1e emperor is as a golden yoke and indestructib1e ," and the same expression appears in two patent-1etters dating from 1725 and 1736 granted by the 8ecen-qan of the Qa1qas to the 1ama Lubsang-bayidub. IO Cinggis' throne inherited by his descendants is called in the co10phon of the Mongo1 trans1ation of the Pγαinãpã俨αmitα sut俨α " golden throne " : bordα cinggis qαrα饥-u α ltα倪志αbcα ng-duγsα ruju ele... buyαntu dα切n secen qαrαn-u ene éα r- du 俨 "when Bu~antu Daiön 8e己en qaran sat on the Go1den Throne of the 8aintly Cinggis qaran , at that time... >>1 1 During the Ch'ing period , in a survey of the history of the printed Mongo1 Ganjur , the Manchus adopted a similar expression and called the Manchu imperial throne:α yul-ügei αγslα n-tu α ltα饵 siγege饥" the golden throne with fearless lions. '>12 Cinggis-qan's own family and his numerous descendants are collective1y known asα ltα低 uγur "the golden , i. e. imperial , family or clan. >>1 3 There exist 1iterally count1ess instances of the 8) y,侃侃 -8hih 77.17b; Cho-ke叼 lu 辍耕辈革 30.7b 8a. P. Pelliot , Notes on Mω 'co Polo 1, 1959, p. 332. 9) Caran teüke , facsimile in W. Heissig , Die Familien- und K仿chenge8chichts8chreibung der Mo饵 gole饵 1 , 1959 , 3v; the same text on p_ llr with törö instead of 5ωαr. 10) 巳 Zamtsarano ," Zalovannaya gramota Seèen-xana , dannaya lame LubsangBaidubu ," in S. F. Ol'denburgu k pyatide8yatileti百 u 悦。uc饵 o-obsce8t ψen饵 oi deyatel'nosti , 1882-1932: Sbor悦 ik Statei , Leningrad 1934 , pp_ 185-194. Line 22 on both facsimiles. Zamtsarano's" 1752" is a misprint for 1725. 11) L. Ligeti , Catalogue du KanJur Mo 忧 gol imp 叫 mé 1, 1942 , Nr. 746 , p. 167. 12) Ligeti , Op. cit_ , pp_ 334 , 336. 13) B. Y. Vladimirtsov , Obscest 何呢nyi St 俨oi Mo饵 golov. Mo饵 gol' ski i kocevoi ltwdalizm , Leningrad 1934, p_ 99 (French trs l., M_ Carsow , Le Régime 80子。 1 de8 Mo饥 gols. Le Féodali8饥 e 悦 omade , 1948, p_ 127) says that "the power of Cinggisqan's family over his people is manifest from the fact that one of the members HENRY 8ERRUY8 C. I. C.M. 360 of the alta饵 uγ ur w i11 become emperor , qan ," and in a note he explains the term Downloaded by [Florida State University] at 03:55 12 November 2017 alta饵饥俨ur: "the golden family; this is what they caIIed the fam iI y of Cinggis- qan." In the same note Vladimirtsov refers to Ra吕 id-ad-Din's Chronicles in Berezin's translation (" Istoriya Mongolov. Vvedenie: 0 Turetskix i Mongo l' skix Ple. menax ," Trudy Vost. Otd. Russk. Arx. Obscestva V, 1858, p. 147. Th.e relevant passage is on p. 160 of L. A. Xetagurov's new translation Rasid-ad-Di饵, Sbor饵ik Letopisei , voI. 1, part 1, 1952). The expression altan urur飞 however, does not appear on the page referred to by Vladimirtsov. Ra吕 id-ad-Din , in fact , is speaking of the origin not of the Mongols proper , but of the tribe of the Qonggirad , and he quotes a tradition according to which three sons were born of the "Golden Vessel" (Berezin: Zolotoi Goγsok; Xetagurov: Zolotoi S08ud). The Persian expression is bastú-i zarri.侃. In a note Xetagurov explains that ba8tú means a clay pot or other vessel to put fat , oil , etc. ln. Rasid-ad-Dîn apparently felt that this expression would not be understandable to his Persian readers and he added same sort of an explanation: the Qonggirad ancestor is compared to a golden vessel , especially since the Mongols ha ve the custom of saying "we ha ve seen the Lord's Golden Face" when they have met their ruler; and" by this they mean '‘ his golden heart." Ra运 id-ad-Dln further adds that similar expressions exist among other tribes. This explanation , however, applies only to the word gold , golde饵, but does not help us to understand vessel. In the same section of the Qonggirad , Ra益 id continues to explain various origins and genealogies , and he teIIs us that the third of the three aforementioned Qonggirad princes became the ancestor of the Qorulas tribe , and he adds the foIIowing comment: "although the root of the Qorulas is such that they derive from the .4lta饵 -xodogo (in Berezin's reading, op. cit. , p. 154; Xetagurov , op. cit. , p. 165, reads: altan kuduke) , i.e. Golden Vessel , they are all branched off from the same root as the Qonggirad and the Ikires tribes." Berezin gives the original in Arabic script , but Prof. John A. Boyle , University of Manchester , in a letter dated from Febr. 21 , 1961 , informed me that the Arabic must be read alta饵 qodoqa. Unlike bastú-i-zarri饵, the original here is Mongo I. Berezin discovered this himself as he noted on p. 282: altan qotoro: zolotoi gorsok "golden vesse I." (1 owe this information to Prof. Owen Lattimore who also graciously lent me his copy of Berezin's translation). Kovalevskii , Dict. Mo. Ru. Fr. , p. 917a also lists the word: "pot , poterie." This modern reading qotor o. is the reason why Berezin Bpelled altan xodogo instead of qQdoqa of Ra运id-ad-Din's text. The original Mongol form was qotora. Mohammedan sources Ii st the word as qudura , and qutara. Cf. N. N. Poppe , Mukaddimat-al- .4.dab , pp. 184 , etc. , 446. Ra运 id-ad- Di n seems to have taken alta饵 qotorαfor a thing , and translated the name into Persian: bastû-i-zaγrì饵, and his translators have foIIowed him. 80 did P. Pelliot and L. Hambis (Histoire des Campag饵 es de Gengis Kha饵, vol. 1, 1951, p. 60) who speak of Ra吕 id's "fantastic account" of the origin of the Qorulas , descended from "la Cruche d'Or." There can be no doubt that altan qotorolqotora is a personal name. Ant. Mostaert , Dict. ordo8 , p. 591b, lists a personal name with almost the same 吧leaning: altan sarulra (in written Mo.) "golden bucket." Whether in Rasid-ad-Dl n's chronicle , altan had been added to the personal name of the ancestor of the Qonggirad princes on account of an alleged "imperial" origin , is another question we need not go into here. But why did Vladimirtsov refer to the Qonggirad passage if the expression alta饵 1f rur did not appear there? Probably , he intended to refer not to bastúi-za俨γ4饵 of p. 147 of Berezin's translation , but to altan qodoqa of p. 154 and failing to understand it tacitly corrected it into altan urur. Indeed , theoretically speaking , in Arabic script a misspelling of qodoqa for uruqlurur is not an impossibility. But such a correction , if this was what Vladimirtsov intended , is to be rejected in this particular case. Downloaded by [Florida State University] at 03:55 12 November 2017 MONGOL ALT AN "GOLD" = "IMPERIAL" 361 use of this expression and we shall review some of them here. The colophon of the Bodistw-α 己αγ~-αα wαtα俨-un tανilbu俨. (" Commentary on the Bodhicαγyãvα tãrα) of 1312 does not comprise the complete expression α ltα n uγur, but the author Cosgi回 odzir certainly had it in mind when he wrote the following words: qαrαn tair仰伊 tun-lur-α uγUr-iyα俨 qα mur-i medegci burqα饥 bol t饥Tαi "Let the Qaran , (together) with the Tairiu and the Qatun , with (all) the (imperial) Family , become all-knowing Burqan. "14 Prof. Fr. W. Cleaves quotes two more parallel passages expressing the same prayer in almost identical form. The first one is from another Yüan work , the Dolurα n ebügen neγet 说 odun-u suduγ (" Sfitra of the Stars named the Seven Ol d Men [=Big Dipper])" 一 "Let the Qaran (who is) Lord and the Qatun with the Golden (imperial) Family , • • • find , in the end , the felicity of the Burqan. >>1 5 The second text is taken from the Quturtu PIα时α俨α ksa kemekü neγetü sudu俨(" Sfitra of the Five Sublime Protections "): "By the incomparable merit (which they have acquired) in suggesting to have (this book) copied , the illnesses and misfortunes , beginning with (those of) the Qaran , Qatun , (together) with those of the Golden (= imperial) Family , and of all living beings , clearly clearing up without vestiges , let all the desires whatever which they have desired all be realized. >>1 6 Prof. L. Ligeti's Cαtα logue contains many more instances. For example , in No. 1061 , Il lede bolursα n sudu俨(" Sfitra rendered public ") : su饥-tu bordα (yin) α ltαηuγur-un u俨ur- t 饥 γtδ俨 üg sen: "born into the descendants of the Golden Family of the Fortunate Saint , "17 and in the lndex of the printed Ganjur :α ltα饥 14) Fr. W. Cleaves , "The Bodistw-a ca 叫 -a awataγ -un tayilba.俨 of 1312," HJAS 17, 1954, pp. 54 [12-141 , 85. 15) HJSA 17, 1954, p. 124. The passage is quoted from L. Ligeti , Catalo{]ue , No. 1123, pp. 303-304. In an Uighur version of the same siitra we read altun urur. L. Ligeti , "Notes sur le Yitikäη sudur ," As'iatica , 1954, p. 398. 16) HJAS 17 , 仿创. Quoted from Ligeti , "La Collection mongole Schi1ling von Canstadt à la Bibliothèque de l'Institut ," TP 27, 1930, pp. 131-132. The same text on p. 101 of P. Aalto , "A Catalogue of the Hedin Collection of Mongolian Literature" in Co饵价 ibutions to Ethη o.(}raphy , L切 guisti例,。η d History 01 Religio饵, Stockholm , 1954. 17) Ligeti , Catalogue , p. 287. 362 HENRY SERRUYS C. I. C.M. uγur αura Downloaded by [Florida State University] at 03:55 12 November 2017 kücün jun-u dalai metü delgerekü bolturai: "may (the Emperor' 的 Golden Family (and his) power expand like a lake during summer. "18 Since this latter text refers to the Ch'ing Dynasty , it is probable that what we have here is either a borrowing from the Mongols , or a translation into Mongol of the Manchu ais仰 gwγ。 "Gold Clan , " name of the imperial clan of the Manchu Dynasty. Sarang-se 己 en relates how Moliqai-ong on the point of being attacked by Molon-qaran who owed him the throne , addressed himself to Heaven in the following words : degere t饥gγi möngke M 饥ede. ded αnu ejen bordα ci mede. qαn üre-dür cinu tusa kü俨gelügei bi. qα叫r u 仰 u nαduγ qoo俨 kimüi. αltαn urur-iyα饥 molon qaran. α lbαtu bol饥 rsα n moliqαι ong qoyαγ-un qαγα 切rαn qoyα俨-i ilrαqui-加n qα kiqui qα圳俨lα qui ja俨lir-i να n ci mede: "You , Supreme Heaven , Eternal , decide! You , Second Lord Saint (i.e. Cinggis) , decide! 1 have given assistance to your imperial descendant; in return he does me harm. Decide a benevolent and commiserating decree to discern the black and the white (i.e. right and wrong) between the two of Molon-qaran of your own Golden Clan and Moliqai-ong who has become his subject. "19 The expression α ltαn urur appears further in the colophon of a Mongol translation of the Suvαγ饥αpγαbhiisα sut γα , Altαn gerel (" Golden Light 勺 or Quturtu degedü α ltαn gerel-tü erketü sudu俨低ur ud - un qαrαn neretü yeke kölgen suduγ(" M.a häyäna sütra named Sublime and Superior , having Golden Light , Powerful , King of the Sütras 勺, made around 1579 on orders of the Altan-qaran of the Tümed himself. 20 The relevant lines read: 仰e nom-i äglige bolran tügegsen say切 buνα n-u küéün-iyeγ. 阴阳n qα tu饱问 yαrud-bαrα tuγtαyigi altα低 u俨时'切αγα侃侃侃 sun urtu bolju. . .: "through the power of the good merits (accumulated by) 18) Ligeti , Op. cit. , pp. 337--338. 19) Erdeni-yi饵 tobci , Urga-Handsch γ. , 60r; Scripta Mong. 11 , 2, p. 164; 3, p. 146; 4, p. 162. Schmidt , Geschichte , p. 172. The Me饵 g-ku y悦目饥 -liu 5.24b translates ; kuei-i 贵裔 "noble descendant." 20) On the Alta饵 Gerel , see W. Heissig , Die Pek仰 ge γ lamaistischen Blο ck drucke in mo饵 golischer Sp γαche , 1954 , p. 52 (57); W. Heissig , Fα m.- und Kircheng. 1, p. 107; Ligeti , Catalogue , N. 176-178, pp. 55-56. Parts of the colopohn in W. Heissig , "Zur geistigen Leistung der neubekehrten Mongolen des späten 16. und Downloaded by [Florida State University] at 03:55 12 November 2017 MONGOL .4LTA.N "GOLD" = "IMPERIAL" 363 making this book a gift and distributing it , lengthening the lives of the Qaran , the Qatun , and Bayarud-baratur tayiji , 21 together with the Golden Family. . . " It should be pointed out that the qaran mentioned in this Altα饵 geγel is not a Yüan emperor , but the Altan-qaran of the Tümed , also a descendant of Cinggis-qan , and the words α ltα饥 urur here seem to refer no飞 so much to the whole group of Mongol princes descended from Cinggis-qan , but rather to the Altan-qaran's house alone , which is an important restriction. The expression α ltαn uγur understood with this restriction corresponds to the Chinese expression Chin-kuo "Golden Country" of the 1606 inscription. Chin-kuo , of course , is but a very free translation of α ltα低 uγur, but it indicates the very area of Southern Mongolia ruled at that time by the Altan-qaran's sons and brothers and their immediate successors , the only Mongol princes who since 1570 considered themselves vassals of the Ming emplre. frühen 17. Jhdts ", Ural-Altaische Jah γ büche γ26 , 1954, pp. 102-104. Prof. Heissig says that this sütra was first printed in 1659, but the very colophon which he quotes from a ms. copy contains the words tamara curu1 keme也 1ω'lîr bolursa饵 dur: "when he issued an order to cut printing blocks... ," and altan gerel-i qabtasun-dur curlaraJu tamaralan kemen: "saying to cut the Altan Ge γ el on blocks and print it." In both cases Heissig translates the word "to cut" as "to write." What we have here is not merely an order to copy the text , but to have it carved out in wood blocks in preparation for a printed edition. Whether this order to print the Altan Ge γ el was carried out at this time is , of course , another question. Er. Haenisch has published the Kalmuck version of this sütra: Die Westmongolische Fassung des Goldglanzsüt γa 饵 ach eine 俨 Handsch 叫ft de γ Kgl. B份 1. in Kopenhιgen , 1929. Also" Kapitel xvii von Jalavähana aus dem Kalmückischen Text des Altaη Ge γ el ," Asiatica , pp. 198-213. 21) Bayarud-baratur tayi 击, according to W. Heissig , is Altan-qaran's son. 1 am inclined to believe that he was his grandson. On him see H. Serruys , Ge饥 ea logical Tables of the Descendants of Dayan-qa饨, 1958, pp. 70 ,87 , 101-102. The spelling tayigi instead of tayiJi is due to Chinese infiuence. At this particular time , Chinese *ki began to be palatalized and was the regular transcription for Mongol Ji. During the Ming period and throughout the Ch'ing period , Mongol tay iJ i was rendered in Chinese as t'ai-chi (<*ki) 台吉 In tayigi , however , we find the original pronunciation -gi (ki) of the Chinese transcriptions wrongly retransposed into the Mongol spelling. In the Altan-qaran's letter - or rather its rewritten version by Chinese copyists at the Ming court - from 1580, we find the same word tayHi spelled as taigi; in the same letter , the word J 仰 ong (< Chin. chü忧 wang 郡王) usually transcribed chi-nang 吉巍 in Ming texts , is retranscribed into Mongol under the form ginaη g. A. Pozdneev , "Novootkrytyi pamyatnik Mongol'skoi Pis'mennosti vremën Dinastii Min" in Vostocniya Zametki. SPbg. , 1895. HENRY SERRUYS C. I. C.M. Downloaded by [Florida State University] at 03:55 12 November 2017 364 If the expression α ltαnuγur and its Chinese equivalent Chi饵, kuo were used at times with a narrower meaning referring to a special section of Southern Mongolia , α ltαnuγur continued to be known and used in other parts of Mongolia in its original meaning indicating the whole clan of Cinggis-qan , the Yüan emperors and all their descendants. In the patent-letters of 1725 and 173622 we read: bordα cingg句-ü饵 αltαn uγur α nu suu jαli yeke-tü qub创α4 secen qara饥-u bανirulursαn tö俨说: "the government set up by Qubilai-se己en-qaran , whose fortune and power are great, of the Golden Family of the Saint Cinggis. . . Altα n uγur further occurs in many shamanistic prayers , wishes, songs, some of them apparently of great antiquity collected by B. Rintchen in Outer Mongolia. It should be pointed out , however , that these texts have undergone various infiuences and many religious elements have become associated with the imperial family. For example in a prayer formula for the newly-weds , the latter are said to "continue the fire and the hearth of the Golden Family" (α ltαn urur-饥n ral rolumtα jalrαju) ;23 and a prayer to the spirit of the Fire partially reads as follows:α ltα饥 饥俨ur- un αCitαn jidkülten-i duγαddαn... αltαn urur-iyαn tedkün Mηα qu bolturai: "mindful of the benevolent and the zealous of the Golden Family ,. • • protecting your own Golden Family, may you be happy. "24 Altαn u俨ur appears in the titles of several books or chronicles devoted to genealogies of the imperial family, for example, the Altαnuγur-t αη -u todα teüke. α ltαnyαsutα n-u sedkil-ün cinggel. altαn kürdün 侃侃gran kegesütü kemekü b记切(" Genealogy of the Imperial Family , delight of the heart of those belonging to the Imperial Clan, book called Golden Wheel with Thousand v 22) Zamtsarano , op. cit. , lines 19-20 of both facsimiles. 23) B. Rintchen, Les Matê 俨iaux pou γ l'Etude du Chamanisme Mo饵 gol 1, 1959, p. 3 ij "Bénédiction aux jeunes mariés." 24) Rintchen , Op. cit. , pp. 9-10 , "Bénédiction du Feu." This association of the Mongol cult of the Fire with the imperial family is confirmed by several other passages: pp. 27 , 32-33, etc. Other passages where the Golden Family is mentioned: pp. 63 , 64 , 67. 68, 84. MONGOL /l LT AN "GOLD" = "IMPERIAL" 365 Spokes ,") 25 and Cinggis ejeη-ü α ltαn uγur-un teüke. Gα nggα-yin neretü b记 ig (" History of the Imperial Family of the Lord Cinggis , book named Course of the Ganges") compiled in 1725 by Gombojab , himself a member of the imperial clan. 26 Downloaded by [Florida State University] at 03:55 12 November 2017 u俨 usqal This widespread use of the expression α ltα低 urur, and especially its employ towards the end of the Ming by the nobility of Southern Mongolia in a more restricted sense , suggests as we have seen that the Chinese characters Chin-kuo in the 1606 inscription render the words α ltα nuγur. They indicate the area of Southern Mongolia whose rulers under the Altan-qaran's initiative had recognized the Ming overlordship. Chin-kuo then is derived from the expression α ltαn urur , not from the personal title or name of the Altan-qaran. But besides the 1606 inscription , there are other traces of the use of the word chin to refer to the ruling princes of Southern Mongolia , especially the Tü med. In the Kuei-sui hsiω chih 黯艇际志 27 we find the Chinese versions of two inscriptions from 1576 and 1641 respectively , erected in a Lamaist temple by the Altan-qaran's grandson , Bayarudbaratur , referred to in the colophon of the Altα n geγel already mentioned above. It is unfortunate that the compilers of this modern gazetteer did not consider it important enough to reproduce the Mongol versions as well. Without the Mongol text , most probably the original , it is difficult to explain the Chinese version satisfactorily. The temple in question , called Hua-yen25) Published by W. Heissig , in Monnmenta L 仰 gnaγ um Asiae Maio γi8 , Series Nova 1, 1958. See also W. Heissig , Fam.- u. Kircheng. 1, pp. 134 sq. , and L. S. Puckovskii , Mongol'skie Rnkopisi i Ksilografy Iη stituta Vostokovedeniya 1, 1957 , pp. 45-47. .4 ltan yaSlt "golden bone , golden clan" has the same connotation as altan urur. See for example Ant. Mostaert , "Sur le culte de Sarang Secen ," HJAS 20 , 1957. pp. 556, 562: alta悦目 asutu abaqai-naγ: "les princesses aux os d'or" -and in note 103: ".. c'est-à-dire qui descendent de Cinggis." An expression para l1 el to altan yasu is alt ω~ obor "imperial clan name." In a text from E3enqorô copied by S. D. Dylykov (i n Filologiya i Istoriya Mongol'skix Narodov , p. 274) we read: Bo γ'} igid altan obortu: ha ving the golden clan name Bodigid." 26) Published by L. S. Puckovskii , Ganga-iin u 俨 usxal , 1960; also Puckovskii , Mong 川 kopisi. . . , pp. 39-44. Heissig, Fam.- u. Kircheng. 1, pp. 113 sq.; on the author: Heissig , Die Pek. lamaist. Blockdrucke. 1954, p. 90 , n. 7, and passim. 27) Kuei-sui hsien chih (1934; prefaces dated 1934 and 1935) , vo l. 3, section Inscriptions (" Chin-shih chih "), pp. 5b , 6a. 366 HENRY SERRUYS C. I. C.M. ssu 辈殷寺, was built in 1576 and the first inscription was made on the occasion of the dedication of the temple. This temple was located "at Su-mu-ch'in 森木沁 (Sumu己i [n] : arrowmaker) eighty li east of the seat of the county (Kuei-sui) behind [i. e. north of] the Eastern Ridge of Nai-mo-pan-钮 'un 乃莫板村 28 on the Northwestern Earth Mound 西北士 W J on the west bank of the Black Downloaded by [Florida State University] at 03:55 12 November 2017 River 黑河" 1 do not intend at this moment to translate or discuss the full text of this 1576 inscription. It will su由ce for our purpose to quote the following sentence: "From the Yüan Dynasty , the Gγeαt Chin , and the Liao on , those achieving meritorious works became few (but) Bayarud-tayiji perceiving that the performing of meritorious works is the first good thing. . . " Since we cannot avail ourselves of the Mongol version of this sentence for the purpose of comparison , it is difficult to explain why the Chin and the Liao dynasties should be mentioned after the Yüan , and why the Chin should be listed second and the Liao last , while in fact the Liao is the oldest of the three foreign dynasties and was succeeded by the Chin , which in turn was supplanted by the Yüan. Furthermore , we wonder why the Chin dynasty should be called T,α (Great) when the name of the Yüan is not preceded by this adjective. And since only a reigning dynasty is ever called "great ," as in the inscription of 1606 (Ta-Ming) , is not tαbefore Chin altogether superfluous? 1 admit that 1 have no definitive solution to those questions , but as a tentative explanation 1 would observe , first that here we 28) The name Su-mu-ch'in is listed among the villages of the Second District (Kuei-sui hsie饵 chih , vo l. 1, "Yu-ti chih , " 21a-22a); the name Nai-mo-pants'un is not listed as such , but at the end of the list (Second District) appears the name Ch'ien-hou Nai-mo-pan-shen 前後乃莫根巾 "Front and Back [i. e. Southern and Northern] Nai-mo-pan-shen." "Pan-shen" renders the Mongol bayis 切 g "house." The list of the villages of Kuei-sui hsien comprises many names combining a numeral with the element pan-she饵 : bayisi饵 g. This makes it certain that we should read Nai.mo-pan-shen- 饵 'un: Village Naima(叫 -b αyis 切 g: "Eight Houses." This village must consist of two sections: one called Ch'ie饵" South ," and the other Hou: "North." Nai-mo-pan-shen is not found on the map of the Kuei-sui hsie忧 chih , but the village Su-mu-ch'in situated in the vicinity is indicated almost due east of the city of Kuei-sui , souíh of the Pingsui railroad , on the right (west) bank of the Ta-Hei-ho. MONGOL .4LT AN " GOLD" = "IMPERIAL" 367 Downloaded by [Florida State University] at 03:55 12 November 2017 have not to do with the Jürced-Chin dynasty. 1 strongly suspect that the original had the expression αltα低 u俨ur " imperial family" referring to the Altan-q aran's branch of the Borjigid clan. This would explain the word chin = αltα饵, and in a way also the word ta: the translator may have thought it appropriate to add this adjective to the name of a "reigning house , " namely that of the Altan-qaran. Secondly, if the Mongol original version contained nothing about the Jürced-Chin dynasty , it is very doubtful that it mentioned the Liao. But the translator , whether Chinese or Mongol , once he had translated the Mongol altα饵"俨ur with ta-Chin may easily have been confused. He may have been led to associate this αltα饥-Chin with the Jürced-Chin dynasty , and since in the minds of the Chinese the three foreign dynasties are always closely associated , he may have thought it advisable to complete the series by adding the name of the Liao as well , although he had to list them in the reverse order. Of course, this is nothing but mere speculation, and until the Mongol original becomes available no final solution is possible. The same Kuei-sui gazetteer 29 makes mention of another stele with two different inscriptions both in a Mongol and a Tibetan version. Once again we know nothing at all of the contents of the Mongol versions , most probably the originals, but the gazetteer provides us with a Chinese translation of the Tibetan versions of the two inscriptions. The first text is dated from the year hs仰-ssu 辛巳: 1581 or 1641. The first date seems to be out of the question since the text mentions both the third Dalai-lama bSod-nams rgya-m钮'0 and the fourth Dalai-lama Yontan rgya-mts' o. The third Dalai-lama died in 1588 while on a visit in Mongolia. The introductory sentence of this particular inscription reads as follows: "In the village [Nai-mo-pan-shen: Naima (n) -bayising] there was a tayiJi by the name of Bayarud , a descendant of the Chin Dynasty 金朝. He was a believer in the Yellow Religion of the Lamas..." With regard to this inscription we have to make the same observation already made in 29) Kuei-sui hsien ch伪, "Chin-shih chih " 6ab. Downloaded by [Florida State University] at 03:55 12 November 2017 368 HENRY SERRUYS C. I. C.M. connection with the 且rst inscription of Naiman-bayising: since neither the Mongol text , nor the Tibetan text , no doubt also a translation from the Mongol , is available , we cannot know how closely the Chinese translation follows the Tibetan and how faithfully the Tibetan version renders the Mongol origina l. Bayarudbaratur was not a descendant of the Jür己ed-Chin dynasty; he was a grandson of the Altan-qaran and a member of the altα饥-u俨饥 r. There can be no doubt that Chiη-ch' α 0 , this time through a Tibetan intermediary , corresponds to altα n-urur, and again 1 suspect that either the Tibetan or the Chinese translator did not fully understand the Mongol expression and possibly thought of the .iürced-Chin dynasty. Thus far we have established that such expressions as Chinkuo and Chi饥 -ch' α。 "Golden , or Imperial , Country" and " Golden , Imperial , Dynasty" are derived neither from the Chin Dynasty nor from the name of the Altan-qaran , although undoubtedly he was the most outstanding personality of this "imperial" house in Southern Mongolia. But what about the title of the Altanqaran itself? What is its origin? The Mongol chronicler Sarangse己en who gives so much information concerning the life of this ruler of the Tümed , does not touch upon the question of the origin of his title. W. Heissig mentions a tradition according to which the Third Dalai-lama gave him the title of Altan -q aran deriving it from the title of the Altα n-Gerel sütra , but Heissig rejects this tradition as unfòunded. 30 Altan , either alone or in various combinations is used as a personal name by the Mongols , and there is a certain possibility that α ltα饥 was the qaran's original personal name. 31 Indeed the first time the Mongol writer Sarang-se己en refers to the qaran , he calls him Ilede-altα饥 in Schmidt's text , followed by the Chinese translators. 32 But this is a corrupt reading possibly stemming from a double graph of the word α ltα饥. The Urga ms. and the Ordos mss. all read al归队 33 Later Sarang-se己en relates how "Altan" 30) 31) 32) 33) Uγ al.Alt. Jah 俨 büche 俨 26 , 1954, p. 102. See Ant. Mostaert , Dict. ordo8 , p. 17ab: altan. Schmidt , Geschichte , pp. 198-199; Meng.ku yüa饵 -liu 6. l1 a. Uγga-Handschr. 67v; Scr. Mong. II , 2, p. 184; 3, p. 164; 4 , p. 181. MONGOL ALT AN "GOLD" = "IMPERIAL" 369 Downloaded by [Florida State University] at 03:55 12 November 2017 requested the title sutu qαrα饵" Fortunate qaran " from the Great Qaran of the ðaqars, Darayisun-ködeng. The reason for this request was that "sutu-qαTα饥 is the traditional title of a subordinate qaran , "34 which of course is a completely mistaken interpretation of the word. Yet 1 am inclined to think that Sarangsecen in both passages calls him Altan retrospectively from the title Altan-q aran by which he became traditionally known. The Altan-qaran was also known as Gegen qaran "Brilliant , Illustrious , Qaran , "35 or Gegen-altan-qaran.36 In the Bolor-erike his title is written as Altan-gegen -q an , and in the Gαηggαψ in U俨usqαl as Altan-gegegen. 37 The author of the Wα饥 -li wu-kung lu 离唇武功镣38 lists 21 sons of the jinong , Altan-qaran's elder brother , including a number of mistakes and duplications , and 1 wonder if Ko-ko-a-pu-hai 草草阿不孩 is not to be read Gege (叫· αburω"Prince Gegen ," for the Altan-qaran. We find the same name in a more modern work , the Meng-ku yu-mu chi 蒙古游 牧言己 .39 In Buddhist works he is sometimes called Altα饵饥 om-u饵 qαrα饵" Altan , qan of the Law , or the Religion. "40 It seems to me that the title Altan-qaran is an allusion at, or is derived from , the expression α ltαn-u俨ur. If this supposition is correct, "Altan -q aran" means "imperial qaran." If at first glance this explanation seems a little far-fetched , it should be remembered that Sarang-se己en , speaking of the Altan-qaran , at least once uses the expression α ltα低 α悦切 "Golden , Imperial , Life" as for an emperor. Furthermore , let us not forget that 34) Schmidt. Geschichte. pp. 200-201. 35) H. Howorth. History 01 the Mo饵 gols 1. p. 418. quoting another publication of Schmidt's. 36) .1lta饵 tobci (C仰 ggis-qar a饵 -u cadir). p. 123; C. Bawden. The Mongol Ch γ onicle .4 lta饵 Tobci. pp. 106. 193. 37) Bolo γ Erike. Sc俨 • Mo饵 golica 111, part 5 (Kalgan ed. , p. 681). pp. 339 sq.; Ga饵gga.yi饵也俨usqal 19a. 回) Wan-li ω u.kung l饵 • ch. 7. p. 22. 39) Meng.ku yu-mu chi. Shanghai ed.. 1939. ch. 2. p. 46. 40) Ligeti. Catalogue. p. 167; W. Heissig. Fam.. u. K价cheng. 1. p. 46. n. 2. Sarang-secen (Schmidt. Geschichte. p. 237) further relates that the third Dalai-lama during his visit to Southern Mongolia bestowed upon the Altan-qaran the title Se l: en.qaran "Wise qaran" on account of the fact that the qaran was believed to be the reincarnation of Qubilai-secen-qaran. If contrary to expectation the title M.S. Vo l. XXI 24 Downloaded by [Florida State University] at 03:55 12 November 2017 370 HENRY SERRUYS C.I.C.M. during the 17th century there has been a series of qarans in northwestern Mongolia who are all known as Altan-qaran , although they also had personal names beside their "dynastic title." Here again it is very probable that the title altαn-qαrαn was derived from the customary expression α ltαn urur , and presumably also with a limitation of the original meaning to indicate exclusively the rulers of this northwestern section of Mongolia. These altan-qarans were descendants of Cinggis-qan and Dayanqan , but appropriating the title alta饥 they inte:r~,ded to limit its meaning to their own particular group.41 Miss Sastina who has studied two letters by one of the northwestern Altan-qarans to the Tsar' of Russia makes the important observation that if these Mongol princes adopted the title altα饵, documents and chronicles originating in other parts of Mongolia entirely ignore it. 42 This confirms our impression that the northwestern princes did what Altan-qaran was not inherited by his heirs and successors , this other tit!e of Secen-qaran was: his son Sengge is often referred to as Ch' 公 ch'i饵 g.ha: Cece饨 ISecen-q四 (n). Thus in the entry of August 4, 1583 , in the Wan-li shih.lu (ch. 138; Mindai Mammõ shir 肘 , M仰到 tsuroku-shõ , Mõko he饥 8 , p. 484); again under the date of January 1, 1584 (Wa饥 -li shih-lu 143; Mõko hen 8, p. 500) where he is said to have requested this title from the Ming court. The fact is that the title did not originate with the Ming , and that Sengge was using it already before. His death is mentioned in ch. 170 of the Wan-li shih-lu(Mõko he侃 8 , p. 553). See also M切 g-sh仇 20.6b, 8a; 327.28a; Meng-ku yu-mu chi , 2, p. 47. Wan-li 切 u-kung lu , ch. 8, p. 193. Sengge's son and successor , Cürüke , bore the same title (Mõko he饵 8 , pp. 678 , 694; 9 , p. 27; Ga饵 gga-yin u γ usqal , p. 19b; Bolo γeγike , Scγ . Mo饵 g. 111, 5, p. 343). The autho~ of the Wan-li wu-kung lu (ch. 8 , p. 212) does not seem to have known that Cürüke , too , has borne this name and attributes it to his late father. 1 am not aware that Cürüke's successor (his grandson) Busurtu was known as Secen-qaran. But Sarang-secen tells us that the other Bu 吕ur tu of the Ordos (a descendant of the Altan-qaran's elder brother) bore this title. His wife was also known as Sece饵 "Wise." See Schmidt , Geschichte pp. 264-265; 268-269; W. Heissig , Uγ al-Alt. Jah 叶剑 cher 1954 , p. 109. Besides them , numerous other princes and princesses bore the name Secen. 41) For a su~mary of the history of the Altan-qarans in Northwestern Mongolia , see N.P. Sastina , "Altyn khany zapadnoi Mongolii v. 17 v. ," in Sovetskoe Vostokovedenie 6, 1949 , pp. 383-395 , and Russko-Mo饵 gol'skie posol'skie ot倪。正 eniya 17 veka , 1958, chapter 1. After the Kalmucks , these were the first Mongols to establish regular contacts with the Western world and a few pieces of correspondence in Mongol between them and the Moscow government have been preserved. 42) N.P. Sastina , "Pis'ma Lubsan-taidzi v Moskvu. Iz Istorii Russko-Mongol' skix otnosenii v 17 v." in Filolog句 a i Istoriya Mongol'sk仰 Narodov," 1958 (27 5288) , p. 287. Downloaded by [Florida State University] at 03:55 12 November 2017 MONGOL ALTAN " GOLD" = "IMPERIAL" 371 the Altan qaran of the Tümed had already done before them. A Russian document from 1616 indeed states that " Altan" was not the personal name of the qaran , and another document from 1618 calls the Altan-qaran's people and territories "Golden Horde. "43 The Russians must have become early aware that" Altan-qaran " was a title. The only difference between the northwestern princes and the Tümed seems to have been that in the northwest we find that a series of rulers inherited this title , whereas in the case of the Tümed ruler of the 16th century , as far as 1 know , his successors for some reason did not assume the same title , although a Chinese equivalent Chi饵-kuo remained in use for several years after his death. There is , however , a difficulty to this explanation of altan = "golden , imperial , pertaining to the family or the descendants of Cinggis." One of the Mongol documents from the end of the Hung-wu period preserved in the Huα-1, ι例辈夷器器 is a report by Mongol officers in the Ming service concerning a rebellion by some of their own men. At the end of the document , in gratitude to the emperor for his generous treatment , the reporting officers promise him faithful service , and in their text they call the Ming capital , Nanking, αltan qoton " golden , or imperial , city. "44 The term altα饵 "golden , imperial" refers here to the Ming imperial house , not to anything pertaining to Cinggis-qan or his 43) L.M. Gataullina and others , Mate γ ialy po Istor Ï'i Russko-Mongol'skix otnosenii 1607-1636, 1959 , pp. 53 , 73. H. Howorth , History of the Mongols 1, pp. 464465 , quoting J. E. Fischer , Siberia , suggests that the title Altan-qaran is derived from a place name alta饵 radasu悦 meaning not "golden meadows" but "golden nail , post or picket." For this expression see my review of B. Rintchen , Chamanis饥 e 1, Sources littéraires , in Monumenta Se 叫 ca 19 , 1960 , p. 553. Altan radasu饵 is a place name appearing in several areas , but it is not likely to have been the origin of an "imperial " title. The Ch'e饵 g-hua sh伪 -lu 137.4b (Mõko he饵 4 , p. 369) under the date of February 28 , 1475 , mentions one "Altan wang of the Oyirad." This , too , could well be a title rather than a personal name. 44) Hua-i i-yü 2B.24a. E. Haenisch , Sino-Mongolische Doku 饥 ente 哑om Ende des14. Jah γhu忧 derts , 1952 , pp. 17, 26. For the exact date , see my "The Dates of the Mongolian Documents in the Hua-i i-y吧," HJAS 17, 1954, pp. 426-427. Regarding this Mongol "rebellion" see my Si饵 o-Jü γccd Relations duri饵 g the Yung-lo Period , 1955, pp. 68-69 , and "The Mongols in China during the Hung-wu Period ,'~ Méla饵 ges chinois et bouddhiques 11 , 1959, passim. HENRY SERRUYS C. I. C.M. Downloaded by [Florida State University] at 03:55 12 November 2017 372 clan. A similar adaptation occurred in the middle of the 15th century. Yang Ming 榻铭, also a Mongol in the Ming service , who remained with the Cheng-t'ung emperor during the latter's 1449-1450 captivity in Mongolia and who later wrote a short account of his and the emperor's experiences, uses twice the word "gold , golden" to refer to his Ming emperor. In one passage he says: "the Grandfather's (yeh-yeh 能麓, i. e. the emperor) Golden Person is here ," and in another place , this time addressing the emperor himself , he says the following: "if Your Majesty should have an accident [i. e. should the Emperor die] we will carry Your Golden Person (Chi悦 -she饥金身) back to the Court; should an accident happen to us , we want the Grandfather to bury us in deep earth.'时 Such an extension of the meaning altan to designate the imperial house of the Ming is quite understand8.ble coming from Mongols who had gone over to the Ming. When the Chinese emperor became their lord it was entirely natural for them to continue to attach the meaning of "imperial" to altα饥. From this employ of altαn for "imperial Ming" one might be tempted to conclude that in the expression Ta-Ming chin-kuo of the 1606 inscription , the two words Chin-kuo stand in apposition to Ta-Ming: the Great Ming who are the "Golden Empire." After all the Altan-qaran and his relatives , too , had recognized the overlordship of the Ming. But I cannot believe that such an interpretation is correct. The cases of αltα饥 qoton for Nanking and α ltα悦-beye for the Cheng-t'ung emperor on the one hand , and on the other hand Ta-lvl切g Chin-kuo for Altan-qaran's territories are not quite paralle l. Even if the Altan-qaran and his close relatives in 1570 had recognized the Ming emperor as their overlord , their position towards the Ming remained essentially different from that of such Mongols as had crossed into China at the end of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th centuries: the Altan-qaran and his congeners in Ordos, Tümed , and other southern territories never became subject to effective Ming control. The Ming emperor never ruled them. Indeed , the Ming often "appeased" the Mongol princes with gifts. The fact that when Sarang -se己en records favors , rescripts etc. , emanating from the Ming 45) note 7. Che叼 .t'侃侃 g l切 .jltng llt 正就晦戎绿 (Chi.lu hui.pien 19) 缸, 17a. Cf. Downloaded by [Florida State University] at 03:55 12 November 2017 MONGOL ALTA.N "GOLD" = "IMPERIAL" 373 court , he uses the word siγα" yellow " neverα ltα n perhaps is an indication that the Mongols of Southern Mongolia continued to consider the Ming government from a point of view completely different from that adopted by Mongols settled within the China borders. Thus when the captive Cheng-t'ung emperor was sent back to China in 1450, a group of Mongols who had been in charge of him during his captivity were granted dαyidu-yin yeke M俨α ne何 "the great ‘ yellow' title dα yidu." The term sirα indicates the Ming-imperial origin of this grant. 46 Similarly , when Sarang-se己en relates how Quturtai-se己en qung-tayiji (Altanqaran's nephew and Sarang-se己en great-grandfather) was granted an honorary title by the Ming , he again uses the word siγα : qαs tαmαra sirαb记 ig: "a jade seal and a ‘ yellow' rescript. '147 Since Quturtai-se己en qung-tayiji had recognized the Ming together with his uncle the Altan-qaran , the Mongol historian would certainly have written α ltα饵 if he had felt that in the eyes of the Mongols the Ming emperor had inherited the position previously occupied by Cinggis-qan and his successors. Another expression to be mentioned is al tamα ra altαn jiruqu , literally "vermilion seal and golden , or imperial , patent-letter, " or with the word order reversed , α l jiruqu α ltαn tαmαrα" vermilion patent-letter and golden seal." Whatever the order of the words , the meaning of this expression is "an imperial patentletter with vermilion seal affixed." The two patent-letters of 1725 and 1736 granted by the prince of Se己en-qan to the lama Lubsangbayidub48 contain the sentence α l tαmara altan jiruqu so仰叮叮 sα饵, which was translated by C. Zamtsarano 49 as: "granted a vermilion seal and a golden patent-Ietter." But this translation is none too accurate. Altα n is not to be taken in its literal sense 46) Schmidt , Geschichte , p. 170; Sc γ ipta Mo 饵 g. II , 2, p. 162; 3, p. 143; 4, p. 160; Uγga.Handschγ. , 59r. The Chinese translation of the Me四 g-ku yüan-liu 5.27a is very unsatisfactory. See also H. Serruys , "Ta-tu , Tai-tu , Dayidu ," in Chinese Culture 2, 1960, pp. 73-96. 1 ought to apologize to the reader for the many misprints in this paper: 1 never had the opportunity to correct the proofs. 47) Schmidt , Geschichte , p. 242 , Uγga-Handschr ,. 79v; Scr. Mong. II , 2, p. 223; 3, p. 206; 4, p. 217. The Meng-ku yüan-liu 7.8a reads huang ch'üan 黄券" yellow tally." 4必8) 运 如 h ar川 I 49) Zamtsarano仇, op. Cω£仅亿 tι. , pp. 18 臼 9-190. Downloaded by [Florida State University] at 03:55 12 November 2017 374 HENRY SERRUYS C. l. C.M. but in the symbolic meaning "imperial." Further the lama was not granted a patent-Ietter α nd a vermilion sea l. Al" vermilion" does not refer to the seal itself but to the red seal impression on the document , and thus we should translate: "an imperial patent-Ietter with vermilion seal affixed." Even when the word order is reversed the meaning remains the same. Sarang-secen relates how Dayan-qan granted a title to one of his underlings with anα l jiruqu α ltα n tamα 内, literally "vermilion patent-Ietter - golden sea l.川 One may , of course , argue that here we have a grant consisting of two objects: a diploma and a seal , but it is doubtful that the qaran granted golden seals to his underlings. 1 am rather inclined to believe that here we have the standard expression "imperial patent with red seal , " but with the terms reversed. As Zamtsarano has indicated , the same expression in reversed form appears also in the Gαmη teüke. 51 50) Schmidt , Ge8chichte , p. 194 , misunderstood the expression; Uγga-Hand8ch 1'., 66r; Scr. ","[ong. !I, 2, p. 181; 3, p , 161; 4, p. 178_ The Chinese version , lVIeng-kn yüan-lin 6.9a , reads: ch'ih-yü ch 川 -yin: "imperial edict and golden sea l." Tbe Mongol al Jiruqn may be compared with the Chinese expression c/mch'ao 米纱 "vermilion receipt , i.e. receipt or voucher authenticated through apposition of a red sea l." Yüa性 tien-chang 24. 1b and Yüan-shih 93.9a , where ch'ie饥 锋 seems to be a scribal error for ch' ao. Also /n川tg-ch'i H 契 "contract authenticated through apposition of the red official sea l." Cho-keng 11ι17.7b. The Yüa乱 ti ω -chang 22 .4 a further has an expression ch"ih-li 亦应: "red (seal) registers." See H. Schurmann , Ecο nomic Strnctlu'e of the Yiian Dyna8ty , 1956, pp. 68 , 77, 82 , 85 , 205. A contract not yet authenticated by the proper governmental agency was called pai-ch'i 白绍 "white contract." During the Ming , vassalletters accompanying the tribute from foreign countries were called Pai-t'ou-p仰。白鼠去 if the native prince's seal was not affixed (one reason for not affixing this seal was the death of the prince). _ 51) Zamtsarano , op. cit. , p. 19 1. W. Heissig , Fam.- u. Ki;'chengesch. 1, Facsimile Cα ran teüke , 20r. For the al t 日悦目ra and the /c öke tarnara , see P. Pelliot , "Notes sur le ‘ Turkestan ' de M. W. Barthold ," T P 1930, pp. 35-36. The word al has an alternative form el. Cf. Ant. Mostaert , Dict. ord ο s , p. 234a , and Fr. W. Cleaves , "Mong. Names and Terms in the History of the Nati ο n ο'f the .4 rchel飞 " HJ.4 S 12 , 1949 , p. 41 1. See also M. Brosset , Deux Historiens .4 1' 悯énie时 , K川'acos de Gantzac , 川 ii 8. , Ollkhtanes d'OI川-h 日 , x s. , St Pbg , 1870 , p. 141: "Il s [les Mongolsl 且 rent aussi la paix avec le roi [Héthouml et lui donnèrent un eltamghι [el tarnaral ou diplome , suivant leur usage." For the need of an al tamara on a document see Rasid-ad-Din (Sborni /c Letopisei , t r. Yu. P. Verxovskii , vo l. 2, 1960, p. 54) , and Juvaini (tr. J. A. Boyle) , The History ο'1 the Wογ ld Cunqll 们·ογ , p. 215. We find thís el/ α 1 in several personal names: Cinggís-qan's daughter Al-altu 也 (Y必αn-ch' ιo pi-8hih S 238: 10.13b) is referred to as El-altlυ 1 in the Yüan-shih 122.2b, and as El-qatun ín the Yiω n-shih 109.2b (perhaps for El-altl川; cf. Juvaini , tr. Boyle , MONGOL ALT AN .. GOLD" = .. IMPERIAL " 375 Downloaded by [Florida State University] at 03:55 12 November 2017 Altαn-debter, the "golden book" which contained the history of the imperial Mongol family52 and was used , at least through an intermediary, by Rasid-ad-Dfn for his chronicles, undoubtedly got its name from the same Mongol custom , and probably the various Altα饵 tobèis "summarizing the history of the early qans" were called "golden " for the same reason. Other names , however , were equally acceptable , and Sarang-secen called his famous chronicle E'俨deni-yin tobði "Precious Summary." The qaran's residence was called the Great Golden Ordo53 but "golden" in this case has more than a purely symbolic meaning: the golden ornamentation of the imperial tent has been described by various travellers. John de Plano Carpini describes it in the following terms: "... where another tent was set up , and it is called by them the Golden Orda; and here it was that Cuyuc [Güyüg] was to have been placed on the throne on the day of the Assumption of Our Lady [15th August]; but it was deferred on account of the hail which fell , to which 1 have referred Hist. 01 the World CO饵 queror, p. 47, note) , and Al.altan in the Altan tobci ((;切ggis' ðadir , p. 26; Bawden , Op. cit. , p. 132). Rasid-ad-Din (Sbor饵 ik Letopisei , vo l.1, part 2 [trsl. 0. 1. SmirnovaJ , Table facing p_ 72) spells her name Il -alti. She was given in marriage to the Idiq-qut of the Ui ghurs, and Rasid relates an anecdote about her: when this Idiq-qut offered his submission to Cinggis-qan and requested a present in return , namely a vermilion-red garment and a golden belt , Cinggis-qan understood that the Idiq-qut was asking for his daughter: alfel (vermilion) + altun f alta饵 (gold) (Sbornik Letopisei , vo l. 1. pa l' t 2, p. 163). In Shamanistic texts, the god of Fire is called Al-ra1ayiqa悦。 r EI-ra1aqan .. red fire god." Cf. B. Rintchen , Les Matéri四ux... 1, Sou1'ces littéraires , pp. 76, 32 , 33. Moreover we meet with such names as El-Bolod (M仰 g Che饵 g-t'u饵g shih-lu 80 , Mõko he侃 2 , p. 617, and passim) , El-quri (Hung-hsi sh伪 -lu 5B; Mõko hen 2, p. 14) , El-tem锐俨 (Y'创 an-shih 32.2a; Fr. w. Cleaves, HJAS 12, p. 53 , n. 173; Yu叼 -IIJ shih-lu 119; Manshü hen 1, p. 306) ,且-tegüs (Yüa饵 -sh伪 114.8b; Cleaves , HJAS 13, p. 35 , n. 35) , El-yir饥 is (Cleaves , HJAS 12, p. 50 , n. 92). etc.. where el could be either alf el .. vermilion , " or elf il .. subject , submissive." 52) P. Pelliot et L. Hambis. Histoire des Campagnes de Gengis Khan 1, p. xv; 1. P. Petru吕 evskii's Introduction to Rasid-ad-Din's chronicle (Sbornik , vo l. 1. part 1, p. 25; part 2, pp. 16-17); W. Barthold , Turkestan dow饨 to the Mo叼 01 1nvasio饵, 1928, pp. 44-45. Texts kept by the Darqad of E5en-qorô are called Altan debte俨 and Alta饵 bicig; the first one is written with gold ink on black paper. S. D. Dylykov , .. Edien- x:oro , " in Fil. i 1st. Mo 饵 g. Narodov , p. 229. 53) Rasid-ad-Din , Sbor饵 ik Letopisei , vo l. 1, part 2, p. 230. Also in the Alta饨 tob Ci (6ωggis-qara饵 -u èadir , p. 104). qar a饵 .u Downloaded by [Florida State University] at 03:55 12 November 2017 376 HENRY SERRUYS C. l. C.M. previously. This tent rested on pillars covered with golden plates, fastened with gold nails and other woods , and the top and sides of it were covered with baldakins; the outside , however , being of other kinds of stuffs. "54 William of Rubruc only says that " the house was all covered inside with cloth of gold. "'5 The Dominican Friar Johannes observes that "the aforementioned leader prepared himself a large and high bed supported by golden columns , indeed a golden bed and covered with very precious things , on which he sits , glorious and honored , and covered with precious garments. The doors of this palace are entirely of gold • • • "56 P'eng Ta-ya 彭大雅 describes the Golden Ordo as follows: " The ruler's tent faces the south and is set up alone. In front are arranged (the tents of the) concubines and wives , then the bodyguard and 。而 cials , and then the ruler of all the Tatars. The place where the hunting tent is set up is called Ordo. His Golden Tent [commentary: "the pillars are made of gold , hence the name "] (is the place where) all the wives and concubines assemble (with the ruler). It alone is called Great Ordo. "57 It is not clear how the name Golden Ordo>" Golden Horde" came to be the name for the famous Mongol appanage in South Russia. B. Grekov and A. Yakoubovski observe that this vast kingdom is known in Oriental literature as Ulus of Jö缸, or as Blue Horde , but in Russian literature as Golden Hoγde. 58 54) After W. W. Rockhill , The Jonrney of William Rnbruck , 1900 (reprinted , Peking 1941) , p. 22; A. Van den 飞,y yngaert , Sinicα Franciscana 1, 1929, pp. 118 119. 55) Rockhill , op. cit. P. 172; Van den Wyngaert , Sinica Franc. 1, p. 249. 56) After H. Ðörrie , "Drei Texte zur Geschichte der Ungarn und Mongolen... ," Nachl'ichten de r Ak. der WiRS. in Gο ttingen I, Phil.-Hist. Klasse , 1956 , Nr. 6 , p. 175. 57) Hei.Tι shih.lioh 黑能享略 (I(llo.hsiieh 1i'en.k' It, vo l. 25 , 1936) , p. 58. Hsü T'ing í右运 adds the following comment: "When arriving in the grassland , we thought that the Golden Tent had been set up because of the arrival of the Sung envoys in order to display power and grandeur." Hsü goes on to explain how the tent is made , and that the columns are covered wlth gold. For a description of Ogedei's palace in Qara-qorum see Rasid-ad-Din , Sbontik Letopisei , vo l. 2 , p. 40 , and Juvaini , The Hist O'l'Y , pp. 236-237 58) G. Grekov et A. Iakoubovski , L α Hu l'山 d' ο1' , 1939 , p. 39. W. Barthold (trs l. M. Donskis) , Histoire des Turcs d'Asie C川 trale , 1945 , p. 145; G. Vernadsky , The Mongols of Russi 日, 1953, p. 140. MONGOL ALT AN "GOLD" = "IMPERIAL" 377 Downloaded by [Florida State University] at 03:55 12 November 2017 The Mongols , however , were not the only Asians to possess a Golden Ordo , or a Golden Tent. For example,已inggis' former ally , later turned enemy , Ong-qan of the Kereyid had anαltα饥 terme "golden expanded tent , "59 and chroniclers and travellers have left descriptions of the Golden Tents or similar constructions of various rulers. 60 It has been suggested that alta饥 "gold , golden" became the symbol of the qaran because of the association in Chinese philosophical systems of yellow , the color of gold , with the center: "yellow became the imperial color. "61 It is doubtful , however , that the origin of this Mongol , indeed general Central Asiatic , idea of taking gold as a symbol of the supreme ruler , is to be sought in China. 1 am unable to solve the problem and 1 only wish to point out that the Mongols , too , have a system of associations of colors with directions and in their view it is blue that is most often identified with the center and the Mongol people. 62 One final point to be mentioned is that α ltαn appears in a number of expressions with Buddhist connotation:α ltαn delekei " golden world , the world , "α ltα n nom "golden Religion , "63α ltα饵 59) Yüa性 -ch' αo pi-shih ~ 184: 6.48a; ~ 185: 6.50b; ~ 187: 7.2a. 60) For example , Juvaini , The Histo γ 凹, pp. 612, 614 , 618; Ibn Battuta (trsl. H.A.R. Gibb) , T l' avels in .4sia and AI1'i ca (Broadway Travellers , 1953) , p. 148; V. Minorsky , "Tamin ibn Barh's Journey to the Uighurs ," in BSO.4S 12 , 1948, p. 283; Clavijo (trsl. G. Le Strange) , E饥 bassy to Tame 叫 ωte (Broadway Travellers , 1928) , pp. 238-244. Compare also the description of the four Na-po , especially the winter Na-po of the Ch'i-tan , in K_A. Wittfogel and Feng Chia-sheng , Histo l' y 01 Chinese Society , Liao (907-1125) , 1949, pp. 132-133. 61) G_ Vernadsky , The Mongols and Russia , pp. 121-122, 140. For the Chinese systems of associations of colors with seasons and cardinal points , see Jos. Needham , Science αnd Cω ilisatio悦 4饥 Chi饥日, vol. 2, pp. 261-265; vol. 3, p. 640. 62) See W. Heissig , Fam.- u. Kircheng. !, pp. 26 , 73, 145, 149. 63) For example: altaη 饵 om-uη kU γ düη-i 0 γcirulurci eγde忧 i qaran "Erdeni qaran , who turns the wheel of the Golden Religion" on lines 2-3 of the facsimile "97" between pp. 242 and 243 of Materialy po Isto l' ii Russko-Mo 饵 gol'skix otnos切 ii 1607-1636_ The 17th century translators of this document have mistaken alta饵悦。 m "golden Religion" for "α lt α旧如 umu(叫"一 "golden bow ," hence their translation "zolotoi luk" in documents 109 and 110 (see my paper "Three Mongol Documents from 1635 in the Russian Archives ," in Cent 俨臼 l .4siatic Jou γnal 7, pp. 1-41). Here A.ltan is placed too far from the name Erdeni-qaran to be taken as the personal title of the qaran as in the expression alta饵 , nom-un qara饵, 378 HENRY SERRUYS C. I. C.M. Downloaded by [Florida State University] at 03:55 12 November 2017 kü俨dün "golden wheel (of religion) , "αltα?也 lingquα" golden lotus ," orα ltαn önggetü lingquα"gold colored lotus , "αltαn jiγüke "golden heart ," etc. 1 do not know whether or not these expressions are in any way inspired by the Mongol use of the word altan for "imperial , " therefore , 1 must leave this question temporarily unanswered. 1 may mention , however , that the name of the sütra α ltα n gerel "Golden Light" is the translation of its original Sanskrit title Suvα俨饨αp俨αbhäsα süt俨α. discussed above. Cf. note 40. That this latter expression altan cannot be joined appears from the fact that in the same text of the Prajnapå 俨 amitá , other qarans are mentioned by name and if alta饵,饥 om.un qara侃 was not a per. sonal title. it would become impossible to know which qaran is referred to in this particular line. to 悦。 m
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