Post by Ardavarz on Jun 2, 2011 4:06:44 GMT 3
I have thought much about this thing too. It's a very interesting topic.
Madara is the name of the village located under the rock wall of the plateau where that famous rider relief is carved. The oldest mentioning of this name as far as I know is from 14th century. The earlier sources mentioned a place called Mundraga in the same region but it's not sure if they were identical. Archaeological findings show that this was a sacred place inhabited at least from the Stone Age on. The Volga Bulgarian materials (from "Jagfar Tārihï" etc.) call it Majara allegedly meaning "sacrificial" which makes sense, but I don't know from what language it is derived. According to the poem "The flowers of Desht-i Kïpchak" by Reihan Bulghari (12th century) Attila was buried there under a riverbed. As for the stone carving of the rider, it is thought to represent one of the early Bulgarian rulers – Tervel (8th century) or Krum (9th century). But according to the epic "Chulman Tolgau" this is the Scythian king Atai (4th century B.C.E.) who was believed to have become chief of Majars - the mythical host of celestial warriors recruited from dead heroes guarding the world from invasions of evil spirits from the "other side".
Still, I have my own theory even though a bit intricate. It is related to the interpretation of Tengri/Tangra as the god of celestial waters or cosmic ocean (tengis, tenger etc.) - I wrote about this in a previous post. Indeed water plays important role in the Tengriist cult. And it all makes sense if we consider that life energy (orgone, chi, hiimori etc.) is naturally attracted and condensed in water and so in living organisms which are mainly water. It is perceived as blue (hence Kök Tengri - “the Blue Sky”) and generated by rotation (as in rotating heavens, shamanic dances etc., hence the other meaning of tengri/tangra/chakra - “wheel”). In Indo-Iranian mythology this was the god Varuṇa/Hormazd (hence Mongolian Hormuzta-Tengri, Altaic Kurbustu-Khan etc.) who was the guardian of cosmic Law Ṛta/Arta – a concept also symbolized by wheel. In Indian mythology Varuṇa is manifested (“carried”) by his “vehicle” (vāhana) called Makara. This is a kind of mythic sea monster confounded with crocodile, horned shark or dolphin etc. but generally – a “dragon”. In Zoroastrian texts this is the mythical fish Kara, probably identical with Sumerian goat-fish of the god Enki. Makara is also the Indian equivalent of the Zodiacal sign of Capricorn (which in Iranian calendars is consecrated to Hormazd) and so related to the winter solstice or beginning of the year in most Steppe calendars. With the spreading of Buddhism some Sanskrit names and words have penetrated the vocabulary of the Steppe people too. Thus Makara became Mātār in Tocharian and Madar (!) in Uigur (f.e. ölüm madar is “dragon, i.e. demon of death”).
Now, what is the connection between dragon cult and Tengriism? According to Chinese chronicles the main cultic place of Xiongnu was the so-called “Dragon-Wall” where they sacrificed three “dragon-offerings” every year on the 5th day of the 1st, 5th and 9th month to the Spirit of Heaven and ancestors. A source from 5th century states that “Western Hu” tribes have worshipped “dragon-gods”. According to “Jagfar Tārihï” the Hons (i.e. Huns) worshipped Tengri as manifested in the dragon Yelbegen (= Altaic jelbegen – “dragon”) and he was represented in their banner adopted from the Masguts (Massagetae) – probably the famous Scytho-Sarmatian dragon-banner. Armenian chronicles also mentioned that Sabirs have sacrificed to a “giant monster” called T’angrixan or Aspandiat in Persian.
Xiongnu, together with Tocharians and Sakas were probably one of the first Steppe people who came in contact with Buddhism and Indian languages. The Kushans, White Huns and Hephtalites were undoubtedly familiar with them. So it’s quite possible that they and also the Proto-Bulgarians who have lived in the same area at those times have adopted this alternative name for the dragon of Tengri similar to Tocharian Mātār, Uigur Madar etc. from distorted Sanskrit Makara. Then perhaps as the Xiongnu sanctuary was called “Dragon-Wall”, so the Proto-Bulgarian sacred place under the rock wall of the Balkan plateau was named Madara – again something like “Dragon-Temple”. Maybe even that other name - Mun-draga from Byzantine sources - has something to do with the dragon of Tengri.
BTW there is a settlement with similar name – Madar – in Afghanistan (it is located between Balkh and Bamyan) and there was discovered a similar rock relief of a rider. And this is exactly in the region where all those traditions – the Steppe Mithraism, Tengriism and Buddhism - have met two millennia ago.
Madara is the name of the village located under the rock wall of the plateau where that famous rider relief is carved. The oldest mentioning of this name as far as I know is from 14th century. The earlier sources mentioned a place called Mundraga in the same region but it's not sure if they were identical. Archaeological findings show that this was a sacred place inhabited at least from the Stone Age on. The Volga Bulgarian materials (from "Jagfar Tārihï" etc.) call it Majara allegedly meaning "sacrificial" which makes sense, but I don't know from what language it is derived. According to the poem "The flowers of Desht-i Kïpchak" by Reihan Bulghari (12th century) Attila was buried there under a riverbed. As for the stone carving of the rider, it is thought to represent one of the early Bulgarian rulers – Tervel (8th century) or Krum (9th century). But according to the epic "Chulman Tolgau" this is the Scythian king Atai (4th century B.C.E.) who was believed to have become chief of Majars - the mythical host of celestial warriors recruited from dead heroes guarding the world from invasions of evil spirits from the "other side".
Still, I have my own theory even though a bit intricate. It is related to the interpretation of Tengri/Tangra as the god of celestial waters or cosmic ocean (tengis, tenger etc.) - I wrote about this in a previous post. Indeed water plays important role in the Tengriist cult. And it all makes sense if we consider that life energy (orgone, chi, hiimori etc.) is naturally attracted and condensed in water and so in living organisms which are mainly water. It is perceived as blue (hence Kök Tengri - “the Blue Sky”) and generated by rotation (as in rotating heavens, shamanic dances etc., hence the other meaning of tengri/tangra/chakra - “wheel”). In Indo-Iranian mythology this was the god Varuṇa/Hormazd (hence Mongolian Hormuzta-Tengri, Altaic Kurbustu-Khan etc.) who was the guardian of cosmic Law Ṛta/Arta – a concept also symbolized by wheel. In Indian mythology Varuṇa is manifested (“carried”) by his “vehicle” (vāhana) called Makara. This is a kind of mythic sea monster confounded with crocodile, horned shark or dolphin etc. but generally – a “dragon”. In Zoroastrian texts this is the mythical fish Kara, probably identical with Sumerian goat-fish of the god Enki. Makara is also the Indian equivalent of the Zodiacal sign of Capricorn (which in Iranian calendars is consecrated to Hormazd) and so related to the winter solstice or beginning of the year in most Steppe calendars. With the spreading of Buddhism some Sanskrit names and words have penetrated the vocabulary of the Steppe people too. Thus Makara became Mātār in Tocharian and Madar (!) in Uigur (f.e. ölüm madar is “dragon, i.e. demon of death”).
Now, what is the connection between dragon cult and Tengriism? According to Chinese chronicles the main cultic place of Xiongnu was the so-called “Dragon-Wall” where they sacrificed three “dragon-offerings” every year on the 5th day of the 1st, 5th and 9th month to the Spirit of Heaven and ancestors. A source from 5th century states that “Western Hu” tribes have worshipped “dragon-gods”. According to “Jagfar Tārihï” the Hons (i.e. Huns) worshipped Tengri as manifested in the dragon Yelbegen (= Altaic jelbegen – “dragon”) and he was represented in their banner adopted from the Masguts (Massagetae) – probably the famous Scytho-Sarmatian dragon-banner. Armenian chronicles also mentioned that Sabirs have sacrificed to a “giant monster” called T’angrixan or Aspandiat in Persian.
Xiongnu, together with Tocharians and Sakas were probably one of the first Steppe people who came in contact with Buddhism and Indian languages. The Kushans, White Huns and Hephtalites were undoubtedly familiar with them. So it’s quite possible that they and also the Proto-Bulgarians who have lived in the same area at those times have adopted this alternative name for the dragon of Tengri similar to Tocharian Mātār, Uigur Madar etc. from distorted Sanskrit Makara. Then perhaps as the Xiongnu sanctuary was called “Dragon-Wall”, so the Proto-Bulgarian sacred place under the rock wall of the Balkan plateau was named Madara – again something like “Dragon-Temple”. Maybe even that other name - Mun-draga from Byzantine sources - has something to do with the dragon of Tengri.
BTW there is a settlement with similar name – Madar – in Afghanistan (it is located between Balkh and Bamyan) and there was discovered a similar rock relief of a rider. And this is exactly in the region where all those traditions – the Steppe Mithraism, Tengriism and Buddhism - have met two millennia ago.
;D ;D ;D
