#mongolian shamanism

[shamandrummer]

The Many Lives of Mongolian Shamanism

The following is excerpted from Sky Shamans of Mongolia: Meetings with Remarkable Healers by Kevin Turner.

For thousands of years, Mongolia has been a nexus of Eurasian shamanisms that competed, mixed, and meshed across our planet's largest continent. Shamanism appears to have emerged with the very dawn of human consciousness, but archeologists can probably speak with confidence about only the past 30,000 to 70,000 years.

Archeological discoveries in Eurasia alone indicate that the practice of shamanism reaches back at least to 35,000 BCE, easily making shamanism the oldest spiritual practice known to mankind. Modern religious faiths such as Buddhism and Christianity are toddlers in comparison, and psychology is a mere newborn.

The word shaman originated from the Tungusic tribal language groups (from areas to the north and east of Mongolia), which are related to Mongolic languages. These are both part of the broader Altaic language group, which includes Turkic, Manchurian, and scores of other Inner Asian and Siberian languages, and may include Korean and Japanese at the easternmost reach. The modern term "shaman" has now been adopted by many as a catch-all word to describe those who by spiritual means seek direct access to information and healing power not ordinarily available.

The nomadic northern Siberian shamanic traditions tend to retain the highly individualistic aspects of shamanism; by contrast, a most interesting facet of Mongolian and Inner Asian shamanism is the amalgamation of the shamans' direct experiences of other realities with a religious belief system known as Tengerism (Heaven or Sky God-ism). Tengerism originated in Sumeria, one of humanity's earliest civilizations, and probably derived from the early experiences of the shamans, prophets, and mystics of pre-Mesopotamian eras.

The modern Mongolian term Tenger (or Tengri), meaning both "sky realms" and "sky spirits," almost certainly derives from the Sumerian word Dingir, also meaning both "sky realm(s)" and "deity(-ies)." The concept of divinity in Sumerian was closely associated with the heavens, evident from the shared cuneiform sign for both heaven and sky, and from the fact that its earliest form is a star shape. The name of every deity in Sumerian is prefixed by a star symbol.

Mircea Eliade proposed that Tengrism may be the closest thing we have found to a reconstructed proto-Indo-European religion. It is also evident that Tengrism's three-layered worldview is nearly identical to the tripartite world found in many kinds of shamanism, as well as the Vedic triloka ("three realms") world structure.

In Mongolian, one who travels the realms of the Tengers is called a Tengeri--"sky-dweller; sky-walker." I like to think that Luke Skywalker, the young warrior-shaman Jedi knight of the fictional Star Wars films, may have inherited his name from this tradition. Interestingly, the BBC reports that in censuses taken in 2001 regarding spiritual beliefs, hundreds of thousands of people selected "Jediism" as their faith of choice--such is the power of shamanism even in our modern myths and legends.

The earliest authenticated records of Mongolian shamanism go back to the beginnings of the Hunnu Dynasty, 209-93 CE (also known as the Xiongnu in Chinese records). Mongolian legend tells us that, during this time, a nine-year-old Hunnu boy united with a she-wolf, engendering the modern-day Mongolian people. The headdress of a shaman (circa 300–100 BCE) was found in one of the graves of Noin-Ula (Mongolian: Noyon uulyn bulsh) in northern Mongolia, and is strikingly similar to the Mongol Darkhad headdress of today. The fabric's colors, weaving methods, and embroidery are also similar to those found in fabric produced by Scythians in the Greek colonies on the Black Sea coast, leading scholars to draw links between these ancient cultures. (Scythian tribal areas were just west of Mongolian territories.)

According to historian and researcher Otgony Purev, shamans played an important role in diplomatic efforts and treaties with neighboring nations. The Hunnu emperors even constructed permanent shamanic shrines, and encouraged individual shamans to synthesize their diverse practices into a national religion. "Shamanist religion" then became part of the organizational basis of governmental and military activity.

Shamanism became the main source of education and ideology for the earliest pre-Mongol states. This continued for nearly 400 years, and ties to education remain influential in the Mongolian shamanic revival even today. With the disintegration of the Hunnu Dynasty, institutionalized shamanism returned to its more natural, individualistic and autonomous forms across a series of disparate Inner Asian kingdoms that spanned a millennium.

#mongolian shamanism #Mongolia #shamanism #shamans #book excerpt

[irithnova]

Head empty

Just thinking of the stuffed sneks that Mongolian shamans wear

#Mongolia #Mongolian shaman #Mongolian shamanism #Shamanism #Tengrism #Tengri #Meme #So cute 😭😭

[yebreed]

Interacting With Souls and Ghosts in Shamanism: Shaman as Psychopomp

The duties of a shaman involve existence in the borderline states. They also imply crossing the boundaries of the worlds and interacting with the inhabitants of various layers of the universe: shaman both welcomes a new soul that has come into the human world, and accompanies the deceased to the Kingdom of the Dead.

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#anthropology #Buryat shamanism #ethnography #Mongolian shamanism #ongon #shaman drum #shamanic beliefs #shamanic journey #shamanic practices #shamanic rituals #shamanic visions #Siberian shamanism #spiritual practice #shamanism #shaman #shamanic practice #shamanic healing #folklore #folklore studies #nature worship #spiritualguidance #spiritual journey #spiritual practices #mysticism

[hilite-head]

RE/FUND Nature Offering Neonshaman Mountain Limpia Ritual and Performance 

RE/FUND Nature Offering Neonshaman Mountain Limpia Ritual and Performance 

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#ancestor spirits #elements #handmade crafts #holistic dance #mongolian shamanism #mountain #nature #nature offering #neoshaman #performance #protection #RE/FUND #recycled art #ritual #Shaman #Shamanism

[yesunova-xiv]

The Real Steppe: Udgans & Böös

On the Azim Steppe we encounter some udgans like Sadu Dotharl and Tumulun Mol. What is an udgan and why is there 'böö' in the title?

A 'böö' is a shaman, whereas an 'udgan' is a shamaness. Talking about shamanism on the Eurasian steppe is a big topic. So at the end, I'm going to recommend some extra reading for those who want to delve deeper.

Overview

When we talk about shamanism on the Eurasian steppe we tend to be talking about practitioners belonging to Tengrism, which is the religion practiced by many Mongolians but expands out of Mongolia's borders, such as into Siberia.

The main principles around Tengrism revolve around the sky gods, known as the Tengri, but also around animism and nature.

There is a whole perspective of the cosmos through Tengerism, which a person's 'ger' or 'yurt' can serve as a map, so where things are placed is important, and there are rituals that may be performed within them. With animism there are spirits in all things, so there is a connection everywhere. Milk is seen as holy water in their traditions and milk products are often used as offerings to spirits. Arkhi (vodka made from milk) and kumis (fermented milk) also get used. There is an interesting implication I will come to with some of the lore of the Azim Steppe here.

For the sake of this post, I want to focus on a few points that can be related to FFXIV. Those main focuses are:

Types of Shamanism

Milk & also it's relation to the Ugund

Souls, Afterlife and Reincarnation, with ties to the Dotharl

But this only touches the surface of a much bigger topic.

Types of Shamanism

Tengri Shamanism is split out into 3 types, though we do not really see them explored in Final Fantasy XIV and their udgans, but I think they can leave some room for speculative analysis.

The three types are: yellow, black and white.

Black Shamans:

They get the name from the direction they drew their power and they are supported by black deities and spirits and they also worship their ancestors. They intended to overcome evil by pitting might against might.

White Shamans:

They personified humanity and their practices related to deed and called upon peaceful masters from the white side and directing their worship in that direction. They have people commune with nature and earth spirits and pacifying any angry ones.

Yellow Shamans:

There were introduced in Mongolia by the spread of Tibetan Buddhism, it is closer to white shamanism but incorporates Buddhist beliefs and practices.

Reinterpreting for FFXIV:

Sadu's job/class is represented as Black Mage, though she is referred to as an Udgan. But in the world of Final Fantasy XIV, certain 'jobs' appear in different parts of the world under different names and practices. Like Warriors with their berserking and the Chaghan tribe and the Will of Karash. Or how Geomancers of the East are like conjurers of the West. So with Sadu she appears to be a black mage. And pitting might against might sounds like her thing and also true of black mages with the Void. Unlike Black Mages we do not see Sadu draw power from the Void. But I feel Sadu's magic would be more in tune with the concepts of Black Shamanism.

On the note of White Shamanism. There's the calling upon peaceful masters, communing with nature and earth, which sounds very White Mage/Conjurer like. Though I sincerely doubt there are any intended connections, but these may be the kind of connections I tend to think about when writing a character related to the steppe (as an RPer).

The Significance of Milk

In FFXIV we have reference to some of the milk-based drinks you will find in Mongolia. There is kumis, arkhi and steppe tea. Ever wondered why they put Ala Mhigan salt crystals in the crafted recipe for Steppe Tea? It's likely because it's based on 'Suutei Tsai', which is the name given to a savoury tea from Mongolia, which is very milky and savoury (hence the salt).

But in terms of religious practices, if you see arkhi served in a ger in Mongolia, you might see somebody dip their finger in and offer some arkhi vodka to the sky, the earth and to their forehead. This is an offering made to the spirits that may be done before they drink it. There's many ceremonies that involve milk as holy water, such as at weddings where they may drink kumis or milk from respective families to the bride and groom or during shamanistic rituals.

On the Azim Steppe there is also a tradition relating to milk and that's with the Ugund tribe. Their flavour text is below:

When members of this tribe die, their heads are removed from their bodies and placed in a jar of fermented goat milk. Once the liquid has been drunk by the head (in other words, evaporated), the head is then buried under an anthill so that the tiny workers can carry the spirit to the afterlife. The journey is thought to be a terrible one, the road filled with ghosts of the damned, so ensuring the spirit is drunk helps ease the journey.

At first glance it looks like the idea is that the spirit finds comfort in their journey to the afterlife by being intoxicated, but it does specify milk. Given it 'holy' nature, I expect this would provide a boon to the dead spirits of ugund in their journey.

The 3 Souls & 3 Worlds

I find the 3 souls concept of Tengrism interesting, though it can be more than 3 souls depending on beliefs, but in short, each of us have at least three souls within us, the suns, suld and ami.

The suld sits in our crown chakra whilst the suns and ami sit in our chest. The suns and ami have to be in balance with each other, else you may be susceptible to illness. A shaman is able to perform rituals that help rebalance them. It is also possible for suns and ami to become disembodied, but the suld is vital to life and you will die if you lose it. If the suns and ami are gone for a period of time then you will fall ill.

Suld - This resides in nature after death. This is vital to life, without it, you will die. This has a connection to father heaven and the tengger that live there. It's the most individualised and it is your nature spirit. It carries no past-life experiences but develops characteristics to distinguish you from other people, like your charisma and dignity.

Suns - Reincarnates after death. This contributes to the formation of your personality and carries the collective experiences of past lives. It's also comes from the lower world and in death will return there and may also return as a ghost. The suns has the strongest past-life memories. But significantly evil suns may end up extinguished forever. The suns can temporarily leave the body and sometimes wander as far as the lower world.

Ami - This is the body soul, which also reincarnates after death. It is called the 'breath' soul, if it exits the body it'll result in illness. It returns to the world tree in death and roosts in the tree branches between heaven and earth in the form of a bird. They tend to reincarnate through relatives and carry genetic or ancestral memory and these enter the body at birth.

As we reference three worlds here too: they are comprise of the upper, middle and lower worlds, which I referenced in my post on Morin Khuur with its symbolism. The upper world is represented by the heavens and the lower world can possess evil and malicious spirits and has more superstition and taboo surrounding it. The crossing over into the lower world is also represented as crossing a river.

There's a few nuggets of information I've represented above that may elicit some connections. So I will break them down.

The idea of the suns and ami souls reincarnating can maybe be related to the Dotharl, where only the udgan can tell a person's previous life, this remains consistent with the point that in Tengrism only shamans can see these souls. Could it be that the Dotharl follow the 'suns' soul and sense its past lives to know who it once belonged to and help them learn who they were and continue their life in a new body?

The talk of the Ugund journey to the afterlife being filled with the ghost of the damned could be referencing the suns of the lower world.

And one can draw a comparison to the lower world and life stream if you wanted, though there is not causal relationship here in Final Fantasy lore, but the similarity can make for comparison. But of course, something like this in Final Fantasy could have been inspired by something like the River Styx, as it's not an exclusively Tengri imagery used for passing into a lower world

Learn More:

This is a huge topic and this post scratches the surface, but I thought these were interesting aspects that have some references (some loose) in FFXIV's lore.

This is a pretty good online resource, the author is a Tenger Shaman and I also have a copy of their book, which covers much of what's on there as well as some of the rituals: http://buryatmongol.org/a-course-in-mongolian-shamanism/

And a video of a Tenger Shaman talking about his profession:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DONJywWRjf4

#ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #azim steppe #lore #mongolia #rp #The Real Steppe #mongolian steppe #xaela #ffxiv xaela #au ra #shamanism #tengri #realsteppe

[dejahisashmom]

The Ancient Practice of Tengriism, Shamanism and Ancient Worship of the Sky Gods | Ancient Origins

https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-asia/ancient-practice-tengriism-shamanism-and-ancient-worship-sky-gods-002387

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#1990s #Ancestor Worship #Animism #Bronze Age #Burkhanism #Buryatia #Central Asia #Cosmic Tree #Eje #Erlik #Genghis Khan #Gok-Turk Empire #Kazakhstan #Kishi #Kyrgyzstan #Mongke Khan #Mongol Empire #Mongolia #Mongolians #monotheism #polytheism #Sakha #Shamanism #Sky Gods #Tengerism #Tengri #Tengrianism #Tengrianizm #Tengriism #Tengrism

[ninakaina]

i also think white people should stop talking about shinto forever. whenever a white person says the word shinto you know there's a miyazaki movie playing in their head.

#like why are white people so obsessed with shinto why don't you talk about mongolian shamanism or any indigenous african religion. #is it because you're racist. #i hate how there's this canon of religions accepted by the online 'occult' and it's like #racist shit invented by imperialists in the past five centuries #christianity judaism and islam #hinduism and buddhism and maybe the tao #hellenism/norse/egyptian mythology #and then shinto.

[cryptotheism]

Wait isn’t “christo-tengri shit” like a legitimately historically significant belief…like wasn’t there some significant guys in crusades times who believed there was a secret kingdom of mongolian christians who would be important in the conquest of the holy land or something? there’s definitely something there keep cooking

Tengriism and Christianity absolutely interacted historically. As for the secret Mongolian Christians, you might be thinking of the legend of Prestor John.

"Judeo-Tengriism" is a reference to a historical occurrence that's a bit of a favorite among theology students, the correspondence between Rabbi Hasdai ibn Shaprut, and Joseph King of the Khazars. Through traditionally a Tengriist people, the king convened a council of the three leading faiths, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, to choose which religion his empire would convert to. The rabbi won the debate, and King Joseph converted to Judaism, though it seems that most of the empire kept doing whatever they were already doing.

Thus, speculation on Judeo-Tengriist syncretism is a bit of a meme in theology circles. It's a fascinating historical moment, but also one so niche and scarcely documented that it's easy for speculation to leave the realm of the reasonable. Before long you end up with wild legends of armored Rabbi-Shamans astride mongol armies, and conspiratorial theories of Secret Jewish Khazarian Mafias.

In reality, King Joseph's motives were likely genuine, but political. It's unlikely that Judaism and Tengri ever seriously syncretized. Hence jokes about this theoretical folk syncretism of Judeo-Tengriism being the Ultimate Based One True Religion.

[beehunni62]

Married Mongolian Women’s Hairstyle in the Yuan Dynasty

Mongolians have a long history of shaving and cutting their hair in specific styles to signal socioeconomic, marital, and ethnic status that spans thousands of years. The cutting and shaving of the hair was also regarded as an important symbol of change and transition. No Mongolian tradition exemplifies this better than the first haircut a child receives called Daah Urgeeh, khüükhdiin üs avakh (cutting the child’s hair), or örövlög ürgeekh (clipping the child’s crest) (Mongulai, 2018)

The custom is practiced for boys when they are at age 3 or 5, and for girls at age 2 or 4. This is due to the Mongols’ traditional belief in odd numbers as arga (method) [also known as action, ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠤᠯ, арга] and even numbers as bilig (wisdom) [ᠪᠢᠴᠢᠭ, билиг].

Mongulai, 2018.

The Mongolian concept of arga bilig (see above) represents the belief that opposite forces, in this case action [external] and wisdom [internal], need to co-exist in stability to achieve harmony. Although one may be tempted to call it the Mongolian version of Yin-Yang, arga bilig is a separate concept altogether with roots found not in Chinese philosophy nor Daoism, but Eurasian shamanism.

However, Mongolian men were not the only ones who shaved their hair. Mongolian women did as well.

Flemish Franciscan missionary and explorer, William of Rubruck [Willem van Ruysbroeck] (1220-1293) was among the earliest Westerners to make detailed records about the Mongol Empire, its court, and people. In one of his accounts he states the following:

But on the day following her marriage, (a woman) shaves the front half of her head, and puts on a tunic as wide as a nun's gown, but everyway larger and longer, open before, and tied on the right side. […] Furthermore, they have a head-dress which they call bocca [boqtaq/gugu hat] made of bark, or such other light material as they can find, and it is big and as much as two hands can span around, and is a cubit and more high, and square like the capital of a column. This bocca they cover with costly silk stuff, and it is hollow inside, and on top of the capital, or the square on it, they put a tuft of quills or light canes also a cubit or more in length. And this tuft they ornament at the top with peacock feathers, and round the edge (of the top) with feathers from the mallard's tail, and also with precious stones. The wealthy ladies wear such an ornament on their heads, and fasten it down tightly with an amess [J: a fur hood], for which there is an opening in the top for that purpose, and inside they stuff their hair, gathering it together on the back of the tops of their heads in a kind of knot, and putting it in the bocca, which they afterwards tie down tightly under the chin.

Ruysbroeck, 1900

TLDR: Mongolian women shaved the front half of their head and covered it with a boqta, the tall Mongolian headdress worn by noblewomen throughout the Mongol empire. Rubruck observed this hairstyle in noblewomen (boqta was reserved only for noblewomen). It’s not clear whether all women, regardless of status, shaved the front of their heads after marriage and whether it was limited to certain ethnic groups.

When I learned about that piece of information, I was simply going to leave it at that but, what actually motivated me to write this post is to show what I believe to be evidence of what Rubruck described. By sheer coincidence, I came across these Yuan Dynasty empress paintings:

Portrait of Empress Dowager Taji Khatun [ᠲᠠᠵᠢ ᠬᠠᠲᠤᠨ, Тажи xатан], also known as Empress Zhaoxian Yuansheng [昭獻元聖皇后] (1262 - 1322) from album of Portraits of Empresses. Artist Unknown. Ink and color on silk, Yuan Dynasty (1260-1368). National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan [image source].

Portrait of Unnamed Imperial Consort from album Portraits of Empresses. Artist Unknown. Ink and color on silk. Yuan Dynasty (1260-1368). National Palace Mueum in Taiper, Taiwan [image source].

Portrait of unnamed wife of Gegeen Khan [ᠭᠡᠭᠡᠨ ᠬᠠᠭᠠᠨ, Гэгээн хаан], also known as Shidibala [ᠰᠢᠳᠡᠪᠠᠯᠠ, 碩德八剌] and Emperor Yingzong of Yuan [英宗皇帝] (1302-1323) from album Portraits of Empresses. Artist Unknown. Ink and color on silk. Yuan Dynasty (1260-1368), early 14th century. National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan [image source].

To me, it’s evident that the hair of those women is shaved at the front. The transparent gauze strip allows us to clearly see their hairstyle. The other Yuan empress portraits have the front part of the head covered, making it impossible to discern which hairstyle they had. I wonder if the transparent gauze was a personal style choice or if it was part of the tradition such that, after shaving the hair, the women had to show that they were now married by showcasing the shaved part.

As shaving or cutting the hair was a practice linked by nomads with transitioning or changing from one state to another (going from being single to married, for example), it would not be a surprise if the women regrew it.

References:

Mongulai. (2018, April 19). Tradition of cutting the hair of the child for the first time.

Ruysbroeck, W. V. & Giovanni, D. P. D. C., Rockhill, W. W., ed. (1900) The journey of William of Rubruck to the eastern parts of the world, 1253-55, as narrated by himself, with two accounts of the earlier journey of John of Pian de Carpine. Hakluyt Society London. Retrieved from the University of Washington’s Silk Road texts.

#mongolia #mongolian #yuan dynasty #mongolian history #chinese history #china #boqta #mongolian traditions #history #gegeen khan #empress dowager taji #mongol empire #William of Rubruck #historical fashion #arga bilig #central asia #central asian culture #mongolian culture #asia

[meirimerens]

i rember the piece of anthropological theory that the words for "shamaness" in different languages across siberia almost all have the same root (related to the Mongolian Etügen, the earth-goddess) whereas the words for "shaman" differ vastly from language to language because of the hypothesis of women's practice of shamanism predating men's and i put my head in my hands.

#thats_just_a_linguistic_theory.mp4 and all but i would love to get my hands on More Material. waiter. more shamaness material. #neigh (blabbers)

[grey-sorcery]

These lists are by no means authoritative or complete. I am a practitioner of only one closed culture and therefore cannot rightfully speak for them all.

Just because a culture is closed or semi-closed does not mean its bad to research them. DO THE RESEARCH. Talk to practitioners of these traditions and cultures. Outside of Mexica traditions, I am not their voice. This post is to act as a guide. A good place to start. And I am 100% open to new information. Think of this post as a collaborative effort.

I have yet to see a more comprehensive list on the internet. So many practices exist that it would be impossible to include them all by name or even know about them all. If there is a practice that you know about, please reblog and share! 

Semi-Closed Cultures

These are cultures & practices that require a cultural context that can only be achieved through studiousness and direct interactions with the community. However, these cultures are open to anyone who wishes to join them. They may or may not require an initiation process and other requirements before someone is accepted. Some are based on regionality. The sects mentioned in this list are just one part of the pie. Whatever sects that aren't semi-closed are closed. It is nearly impossible to list all of the sects of these religious and spiritual practices.

Islam (Most sects)

Christianity

Judaism (Most sects)

Hinduism (Most sects)

Buddhism (Most sects)

Zoroastrianism

Sikhism 

Confucianism 

Yoga

"Shamanism" (A few sects)

Kabbalah (Rigorous initiation)

Native American Cultures (A couple tribes)

Ozark & Appalachian folk traditions

Slavic folk practices

Closed Cultures

These are cultures that heavily guard their spiritual and/or mystical practices. Some do perform initiation, however they will not accept just anyone. Some of these are deep rooted ethnic practices and require the same ethnic background in order to be initiated. Due to the closed nature of these magical practices, it is next to impossible to find any reliable information on the internet. Which means using these practices outside of their cultural context will be: ineffective, disrespectful, and misinformed.

Hinduism (Some sects)

Islam (Some sects)

Judaism (Some sects)

Buddhism (Some sects)

"Shamanism" (Most practices)

Navajo

Zuni

Lakota

Ho-Chunk

Mapuche

Cherokee

Chilote

Anishinaabe

Pawnee

Most other Native American cultures

Taoist mysticism

Korean folk practices 

Chinese folk practices (Almost all sects)

African Traditions (Nearly all sects)

Root Work (Commonly referred to has Hoodoo)

Rootwork

Santeria

Espiritismo

Kele

Obeah

Winti

Myal

Abakua

Kumina

Yoruba traditions

Mexica traditions (Commonly referred to as Aztec)

Toltec traditions

Maya traditions

Indiginous Australian practices

Maori practices 

Tagalog practices

Tengriism

Druidism 

Romani practices

Shinto practices

Manchu practices

Mongolian practices

Satsana Phi

Ban Phi

Vietnamese practices

Sami practices

Mari practices

Open Cultures

These are typically considered dead cultures, which means that there are very few surviving cultural centers to gain cultural context. Most of the practices are obtained through archeology and should be considered incomplete. However, taking part in these practices is not considered disrespectful if it is practiced responsibly. 

Hermeticism

Hellenism

Kemeticism (And other ancient Egyptian practices)

Norse practices (General Heathenry)

Etruscan practices

Sumerian practices 

Practices to avoid

These practices are appropriative, rooted in racism/misogyny, cult-like, and/or directly lead into fascism. They should be avoided at all costs. Many of these practices are wide-spread. Several claim to have ancient origin, when they do not. Most of them have taken practices from other cultures and obscured them and claimed them as their own. Some of these practices are literal pyramid schemes.

Wicca

Claims ancient origin, appropriative, misogynistic, consumerism

Neo-Wiccan practices

Same as Wicca, but also tends to be transphobic and racist, consumerism

Ceremonial Magick

Appropriative, rooted in racism & misogyny.

Thelema

Appropriative, rooted in racism & misogyny, cult-like

New Age practices (Like Reiki)

Appropriative, Alt-right (fascist) pipeline, cult-like, pyramid scheme, consumerism

Neo-Shamanism (Nearly all sects)

Appropriative, claims ancient origin

Neo-Nordic practices

Fascist, Appropriative, claims ancient purity

Neo-Druidry

Appropriative, claims ancient origin

Eco-Pagan practices

Appropriative, claims ancient origin, transphobic, consumerism

Hermetic Qabalah

Appropriative, rooted in racism & misogyny

Evangelical practices

Cult-like, fascist, xenophobic, claims ancient origin

Germanic Neopaganism

Fascist pipeline, Appropriative, claims ancient purity

Theosophical practices

Rooted in colonialism, appropriative, claims ancient origin, rooted in white supremacy, misinformative.

If you'd like to know more about me and my blog, ask a question, suggest content, see a list of my posted/planned informational content, or commission a sigil, click here.

UPDATED LISTS

#Appropriation #closed practices #witchcraftguide #beginner witch #witchcraft community #informational post #greysorcery #grey witch #Gintro

[irithnova]

Tuva

Name: Aydyn Kuular

Tuva/the territory of what is now Tuva has been ruled by other major empires throughout his lifetime, ever since the Xiongnu era. (209BC - 93AD) After the Xiongnu, it was the Xianbei, the Rouran Khaganate, the Gokturks, the Tang Dynasty, the Uyghur Empire, the Mongol Empire, the Yuan dynasty, the Northern Yuan, the Khogtoid Khanate and Zunghar Khanate, then the Qing. However during the Qing, Tuva was administered by Mongolia.

Some facts

"Dubo" first appears in Chinese records.

Tuvans then were known as "Dubo" (later pronounced as Tuva but also in other forms they were called Toba/Tuba/Tyva/Dyva/Tofalar). They lived in isolated groups in grass tents, ate lily roots, fish, birds, and animals, and wore clothing made of sable and deerskin. Some of the wealthier individuals had horses, but herding was not common. When someone passed away, they would perform a "sky burial" by placing the deceased in trees.

Ruled by Turkic Empires, the Tang, the Uighur Empire, the Mongols

Reappearance of "Tuba" in the Secret History of the Mongols (The Mongols called Tuvans forest people/put them in the forest people category): 13th and 14th centuries

Conquered by the Khotoghoi Kalkha in the 16th and 17th centuries

Passed into the hands of the Zunghars (Mongolic people but not Chinggisid/Khalkha Mongols) in the 1660s (so Mongolia and Tuva would mald about the Zhungars/Oirats together)

Fall of the Zunghars to the Manchu Qing Dynasty in 1755

Tannu Uriyangkhai organised as an aimag (province) in the 18th century under Mongolian rule

Tuva's adoption of Buddhism in the 18th century

Tuva had 5,000 lamas in 30 monasteries and 1,000 shamans in the 1920s

I think that the Tuva we see today was born during the Tang Dynasty era, and the previous personification of "Tuva" or Tuva's ancestor fell during this time. This is because emperor Taizong of Tang sent troops to get rid of the ethnic minorities of Xue Yanto. Now, Xue Yanto used to be an ancient Khaganate in Northeast Asia who used to be the allies of the Gokturks. The Xue Yantuo was a member of the Tile tribe which belonged to the Turks until 583 when it broke into Western and Eastern branches. However they then allied with the Tang against the Eastern Turks. It was vast and it included (what is now) Tuva in it.

The Xue Yantuo and Tang were friendly for a bit, however it changed in 639 with emperor Taizong's actions, and this is when their relationship began to worsen. Ashina Duobi of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate was captured, and Emperor Taizong placed the surrendered Eastern Turks within the borders of the Tang without appointing a new Khan to manage them. However after Ashina's nephew conspired to rebel against the emperor, he then changed his mind and gave the title of Ashina Simo (Eastern Turkic aristoricrat) to the Tang Dynasty, appointing him as the new Eastern Turkic emperor.

Ashina Simo settled in Dinxiang (now Hohhot, Inner Mongolia) in 641. Yinan, who was the Khan of the Xue Yantuo, saw this as an opportunity to launch an attack on the Eastern Turks before the Tang could assist them. Ashina then asked for urgent assistance from the Tang, and they provided. Afterwards, funnily enough, Yinan sent an envoy to tell emperor Taizong that he was willing to live peacefully with the Eastern Turks (lol trying to save face much?). Emperor Taizong sent an envoy back to criticise Yinan but didn't take any further action against the Xue Yantuo.

Sensing that the relationship between Xue Yantuo and the Tang was turning sour, Yinan tried to amend relationships through tribute and intermarriage, however even then there was issues (Emperor Taizong making excuse after excuse to cancel or postpone Yinans marriage to Princess Xinxing, his daughter). Since then, relationship could not be repaired.

After Yinan died, the Xueyantuo descended into chaos. Two of his sons ruled the Xue Yantuo, Bazhuo ruled the West, and Ye Mang, the East. Bazhuo killed Yemang, and ascended fully to the throne, deciding to attack the Tang. He suspected that the Tang border would be unguarded at the Tang were invading Goguryeo, however Emperor Taizong predicted that this would happen. In 646, Emperor Taizong stationed more troops against Bazhuo's attacks. Bazhuo was defeated in the same year.

Bazhuo was a pretty bad leader, and instead of appointing his father's ministers to assist him, he replaced them with his own cronies, causing disarrest among the nobles and eventually causing a rebellion against him. Huihe, he was a vassal of the Xue Yantuo, was a main rebel against Bazhuo.

Seeing all of this chaos take place, emperor Taizong launched an attack on the Xue Yantuo, and the people of the Xue Yantuo panicked, including Bazhuo, who then fled to the Ashide tribe. Huihe, upon hearing this, killed Bazhuo and the remaining royal family members of the Xue Yantuo. After Huihe took most of Xue Yantuo's territory, most of the people of the Xue Yantuo surrendered to the Tang. However some still did try to hold on, and saw Yinan's nephew Tumozhi as the new Khan of the Xueyantuo. However of course, the Tang did not recognise this, and emperor Taizong sent troops to attack the Xue Yantuo, and Tumozhi surrendered. The Xueyantuo then collapsed. Now, the Tuvans paid tribute to the Tang, and they established a monarch-subject relationship. I don't think Tuva was born as soon as the Xueyantuo collapsed but he was young when he experienced the downfall. He's a similar age to Mongolia.

So, that was my long drawn out explanation of when I think the we see now Tuva was "born".

TL;DR, during the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty (Emperor Taizong period) when the Xue Yantuo confederation was destroyed and when the the territory of Tuva/Tuva paid tribute to the Tang, was an approximate date of when Tuva was "born." I think he most likely emerged a century or so before this as of course he wasn't born as soon as the Xue Yantuo collapsed or something, but he was young when he witnessed it's downfall.

Random fact, but in the Tang Dynasty era book "Tongdian", the Tuvans were described as "skiing hunters", and during the Yuan, the Mongols called them the "forest people"/ put them under the "forest people" category.

Tuva, as I have said before, was conquered pretty easily throughout his lifetime. Skipping to the Mongol Empire era, it was conquered by the Mongols in 1207 by Jochi, Chinggis' eldest son. The Mongols then established suzerainty over them. It was ruled by Khalkha Mongols until the 17th century, when they then were ruled over by the Oirats Mongols and were a part of the Dzungarian state. So, for a long time, Tuva was ruled over by Mongols/Mongolic people. For this reason and because of the many cultural similarities between the two, he feels pretty relaxed around Mongolia. Furthermore, during the Qing, although Tuva was a part of China, it was administered by Outer Mongolia. Tuva used to be a part of Mongolia.

In 1911, Mongolia regained its independence back from the Qing. Some regions of Tuva like Tozhu, Salchak, and Khöwsgöl banners wanted to be part of Mongolia, while only the Tannu banner leader appealed to Russia. In 1914, what is now Tuva became part of Russia due to Russian settlers moving in.

However, in 1914, the Russian empire made Tuva its protectorate and allowed Russians to settle there. However even before then, Russians were already settling down in Tuva in the 19the century. In 1860, the Qing signed a treaty with Russia that Russians were allowed to live in Tuva, as long as it was in boats or tents, however by 1881 they were already living in permanent homes. This was the beginning of the Russian colonisation of Tuva, however 1885 was the year of official colonisation of Tuva when the Governor-General of Irkutsk gave permission to a merchant to farm at present-day Turan. From this, more settlements formed. There were around 2000 merchants and colonists by the first 1910's.

This greatly offended the Tuvans and there would be fights between them and the Russians from time to time.

The Qing weren't oblivious to this and were concerned at first, but eventually, internal problems with the Qing meant they didn't have enough time to focus of Russia creeping in on Tuva.

In the 20th century, Tuva was broke asf, their economy was in shambles and there was an increase of poverty in the region, thanks to Russia. The Qing established a rule that Han traders were not to trade in Tuva, and this rule was actually applied, unlike what happened in outer Mongolia. However, Han traders were then allowed into Tuva to compete against the monopoly the Russians had over there, and eventually, like what happened in outer Mongolia, the Chinese dominated commerce there. Many Tuvans found themselves indebted to Han merchants.

I don't think Tuva is some sort of peeping violet, yes, Tuva was ruled by many empires during his life but he is still a proud person who values freedom, and isn't one to completely just bow down. He is moreso someone who just wants to mind his own business, and if (begrudgingly) paying tribute means he'll be left alone for the most part, he'll take it.

Furthermore during the end of the Qing reign of Tuva, when the Wuchang uprising of October 10th 1911 led to a full scale revolution. Mongolia declared its independence from the Qing in early December, and during the second half of December, the Tuvans plundered many Han owned businesses, calling back before to when I mentioned how Tuvans would fight Russians who settled down in Tuva lol. Tuva definitely isn't one to go down without a fight and is quite fierce-willed despite his quiet exterior and history.

In 1921, pro-Soviet Russians took control during the Russian Civil War, and Tuva became a people's republic. By 1926, it had a population of around 58,117 Tuvans and 12,000 Russian settlers. Initially, Mongolian was the official language, and Tuva wanted union with Mongolia, but Mongolia, under pressure, recognised Tuvan independence in 1926.

Explaining Tuvan independence further, jumping back to when I said the Russians declared Tuva as its protectorate in 1914, the new communist Russian government of 1921 declared that this was invalid, so technically, Tuva was an independent state (under very heavy Russian influence/was essentially a puppet state.)

From 1930-31, Tuva underwent changes, including the introduction of a new Latin script for Tuvan. However, attempts at collectivization failed, and pro-Mongolian Tuvan politicians faced execution.

During World War II, Tuvans were conscripted into the Soviet Red Army, and in 1944, the Soviet Union annexed Tuva as an autonomous region within the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic, .allowing Russians to enter Tuva to work in mines and factories. A Cyrillic script for Tuvan was introduced in 1943, and collectivization continued until 1954.

In 1961, Tuva became an Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the RSFSR. The percentage of ethnic Tuvans increased over the years. After the Soviet Union's dissolution, Tuva became a constituent republic of the Russian Federation. In 1989, there were 198,448 ethnic Tuvans, making up 64 percent of the republic's population, and border transit points with Mongolia were opened, though issues like livestock theft and unauthorised pasturing persisted.

Because of Russian colonisation, the identity of the Tuvan people was hurt greatly. Before, they were able to freely live as nomads, hunt, practice shamanism, use their traditional medicines. But after Russian colonisation, forced assimilation, forced settlements, the Tuvan identity was scarred. Despite this, Tuvans resisted full Russification.

Russia kept Tuva closed off from the outside world for nearly 50 years. Even now, Tuva is remote and difficult to access, and is one of Russia's poorest regions. This is why Tuva comes off as closed off/aloof.

Tuva does feel a bit on edge when interacting with other nations who he doesn't feel close to, primarily because of the period of isolation he was put through under the Russians, and he can come off as a bit aloof. He's quite friendly really and he does want to make more friends, he just finds it hard to trust people. For this reason he's lucky he has a cute face to make up for the moody exterior.

He also talks to Yakutia/Sakha about whatever, their conversations are not usually that deep though.

Tuva is trying hard to reclaim his national identity, for example, after the fall of the soviet Union, ethnic Tuvans living in Tuva went up from two-thirds to three-quarters of the population. He's extremely keen on having the lowest amount of contact with Russia possible outside of what's necessary lol.

He probably blasts Huun-Huur Tu and Sainkho Namtchylak.

He and Mongolia, despite their familiarity with one another, do have a bit of a... Rivalry going on about where throat singing originated and who's better haha.

Anyways that's my Tuva. His name is Aydyn Kuular and overall personality wise he is:

Seemingly quiet/aloof

On the inside, quite fierce willed

Very much "I mind my own business, you mind yours."

Is actually quite warm once you get to know him but it's hard for people to get to that point

Avid music lover and is always composing something new!

Tries to reach out to others the best he can

Not a fan of Russia or China

Has his own little projects, doesn't tell a lot of people about them though

#hetalia #Hetalia oc #Historical hetalia #hetalia world stars #hetalia world series #hetalia world twinkle #Hetalia headcanons #Hetalia Asia #Aph Asia #Hws asia #Hws #Aph #Aph tuva #Hws tuva #Hetalia tuva #OC: Tuva #OC: Aydyn Kuular #hws mongolia #aph mongolia #Hetalia Mongolia

[slavicafire]

Do you have any good book recommendations for Mongolian Mythology?

oh I don't have nearly enough knowledge about the subject to be able to recommend anything, unfortunately.

what I am reading at this moment is The Secret History of the Mongols: A Mongolian Epic Chronicle of the Thirteenth Century translated by Igor de Rachewiltz, and An introduction to the History of the Turkic peoples: ethnogenesis and state formation in medieval and early modern Eurasia and the Middle East by Peter Benjamin Golden. next on the list is Contemporary religious life in the Republic of Altai: the interaction of Buddhism and Shamanism by Agnieszka Halemba.

still, those are the things I'm reading - and whether they're good or fully reliable, I can't yet be the judge of.

[shamandrummer]

The Power and Symbolism of the Double-Headed Drum

In the shaman's world, the drum is a most sacred instrument. The double-headed drum is believed to embody the sacred forces of the cosmos through its sounds, structural features, contents, and connection to shamanic trance. The various parts of the drum also symbolize the structures of the world. Cosmologically, the drum depicts a microcosm of the universe with its three cosmic zones--the Upper, Middle, and Lower Worlds. The two drumheads symbolize the Upper and Lower Worlds.

Since the hides covering the two sides of the drum are never able to be strung to precisely the same tautness, one side will always have a slightly higher pitch than the other side. The higher-pitched head of the drum tends to affect higher levels of consciousness. Typically, shamans associate this drumhead with the Upper World, sky and masculine yang energy. It is linked to the mythic Spirit Eagle who perches atop the World Tree. Eagle Brother will carry the shaman’s prayers to the Upper World, or the shaman may transform into Spirit Eagle and soar into the celestial realm. The shaman and the eagle are both intercessors between the celestial and human realms.

The opposite or lower-pitched head of the drum affects deeper levels of consciousness. It is commonly associated with the Lower World, feminine yin energy and the archetypal Horse of mythology. The repetitive, droning rhythm of shamanic drumming is suggestive of a horse on a journey. Throughout Mongolia, shamans describe it as the exalted, buoyant state that one mounts and rides from plane to plane. Mongolian shamans ride omisi murin, their name for Spirit Horse, into the Lower World on healing journeys or direct Spirit Horse to carry the power and healing to the intended destination.

The rim of the drum symbolizes the Middle World and is connected to the World Tree (Tree of Life) through the wood of the frame and its association through all trees back to the First Tree. Like the World Tree, which links the upper and lower realms of existence, the rim links the two sides of the drum--the yin and the yang. A double-headed drum integrates the feminine and masculine aspects of the Universe within itself. It restores the balance of these polar, yet co-creative elements.

The two drumheads also symbolize the two states of existence--unmanifest and manifest. When a double-headed drum is vibrated, it produces dissimilar sounds which are fused together by resonance to create one sound. The drumbeat is the tuner sound, the sound that fuses the unmanifest and manifest aspects of vibration into one resonance. The sound thus produced symbolizes Nada, the cosmic sound of AUM, which can be heard during deep meditation.

Unlike a single-headed drum, which has no space in its design to store energy, a double-headed drum is able to hold power, which is utilized in certain shamanic work. When playing a two-headed drum, you can feel the energy you generate move from the head being struck to the opposite head, resonate it, then bounce back and out. You should feel an echo, a rebound of sound within the drum’s shell. That way the energy circulates, comes back, and you can use it again. You know that you are playing the drum correctly when you feel that subtle recoil in your hands or on the drumstick and hear the drum shell ringing. The whole drum needs to sing.

From a shamanic perspective, caretaking the drum and playing it properly during ritual fulfills the destiny of the human spirit--to sustain the order of existence. In the rapture of ritual drumming, the shaman brings the Tree of Life into existence, opening a path of communication with the world above and the world below. Materialized in the drum, the trunk of the tree goes through the Middle World; its roots plunge to the nadir in the Lower World, and its branches soar to the zenith in the highest layer of the Upper World. The drum becomes the axis mundi or central axis through which the shaman maintains the world's equilibrium. To learn more look inside my book The Shamanic Drum.

#shamanic drumming #drums #drumming #shamanic drum #shamanism #shamanic practice #ritual drumming

[tengritexas]

WHATS UP WITCHES 🗣

I brought another banger playlist for all my shaman and tengrists and people interested in mongolian culture!!!

Hope yall like :> I accept payment by being a homie

#pagan #witchcraft #magick #witchy #shaman #witchblr #paganism #tengri #witch #shamanism #mongolia #folk music

[sbeep]

Your passion towards Nord lore and culture is sparking my enthusiasm so much further, thank you for your contribution to something I did not I cared so much about ✨😤 I was also curious about the parallels and similarities of Kyne's position and symbolism similarly to a real life counterpart of Slavic culture - Perun. Of course, TES Nords understandably were inspired by the ancient nordic cultures of the north, and Slavs were a sister-culture, and a very close and mixed civilization to those who we call 'Vikings' nowadays. Still, I find it really fascinating, and I'm grateful for your writing and art inspiring a lot of interest to delve deeper into this!

What a great message! You've really struck on a special interest of mine, the Viking Age and how all those cultures were interacting and clashing and blending while this inescapable tide (Christianity) washed over europe. There's a lot of inspiration and comparison to be done when thinking about headcanon!

Of course, I regularly read far deeper into things than we're ever shown in the games, but that's the fun. It's fascinating to point out and track real-world references and ideas in this fiction!

Opening statement: Nords are socially and aesthetically Norse. Religiously they are not!

There are MASSIVE parallels between Kyne and Perun, especially as chiefs of their pantheons. The thunder/sky domains of the goddess and the similarities to the norse Thor also can't be ignored, but the fact that the Norse and nord gods both are fallible beings who can die and change is probably the biggest parallel. I'd even say that regliously, nords are proto-Norse or celtic, closer to animism than the story-based Norse mythology we're all familiar with (which isn't to say stories aren't important to TES Nords, they're vital even, but worship of natural forces and magic and personifying them in gods is more their game in my mind. Kyne does not control the wind, it IS her breath. She is Monahven- "Mother Wind").

Side thought-> It’s pretty savvy of the lore writers to have nords- the ‘first men’ and supposed oldest human culture in the fictional world- be spiritually so tied to voices, sounds, air and story. These were real human’s first tools! I think we could sing long before we could use words. It’s how we communicate with the world. A shout feels primal in ways we never figured out words to describe. It’s the perfect metaphor for making a fictional culture feel truly ancient. Before they had steel, they had breath and their voice.

CULTURALLY, largely yes, the nords are Norse (using this term as it's the easiest catch-all for scandinavian peoples during the expansion period of 700-1100) there's no denying it. Back from when the Elder Scrolls was first made it was clear these are the Viking analogue beside the Arab/Persian analogue of Redguards and Imperial Romans of Cyrodiil. It's a fantastic jumble of cultures and why shouldn't it be!

Personally, I view the nords as much more mixed in their inspirations when it comes to religion. I see Ancient Egyptian animal veneration (Kyne and Shor also do a pretty good turn at Isis and Osiris). I see Roman polytheism in how present and integrated gods are into every aspect of life and how willing nords are to adopt new ones. I see the ancestor veneration of neolithic Europe (the same principles from east Asia might be more at home with the Dunmer).

The biggest, hugest reference I love to explore when thinking about this fiction is the parallels between the nord spiritualism and Mongolian shamanism and the veneration of Tengri, (lit. 'the sky'). It folds together all these styles of worship we see in the nords and even included veneration of a cultural hero, Ghengis Khan, into it's later mythos as he ascended and was deified.

Circling back to the Norse elements, I think the nords as we see them currently very similiar to the Rus of the Viking Age. They were ethnically Norse, travelled and changed, met new religions and began to leave theirs behind. The Slavic angle, a region merged between an orthodox Christian east and Norse northwest, is a really good one to think about!!

One thing I really like to do is diversify the nord characters in my cast to better reflect that I'm pulling inspiration from other places than Scandinavia. Nothing will be a 1:1 direct pull, that would be terrible and appropriative to just paste them onto Fantasy Norway, but filtering and blending, and using real world scope for our context in fiction is very very fun.

Anyway thanks for reading :)

#Skyrim Trash tag #personal canon #on Religion and real world inspiration #ask tag