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Post by snafu on Nov 9, 2015 16:56:27 GMT 3
You would think that a weapon as important to the steppe nomads as the bow would have a lot of myths and legends surrounding it, but I don't think I've ever read of any. Did any nomads believe in a mythical "inventor" of the bow? Did they attribute any spiritual power to bows? I'm surprised there was no "god of bows" in their mythology, or some mythical ancestor that taught men how to use a bow. Has anyone ever come across any myths about bows in steppe culture?
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Post by H. İhsan Erkoç on Nov 9, 2015 22:46:17 GMT 3
The only reference to bows and arrows in Turkic mythology I remember at the moment is in the Legend of Oghuz Qaghan (aka Oghuz Khan). According to it, when Oghuz Qaghan becomes old, he sends his sons in two groups to hunt in the countryside. One group finds a huge golden bow and the other group find three silver arrows. When they bring these finds to their father, he tells them to stay united like a group of arrows (a common theme in Bulgarian, Gokturk and Mongol history too) and tells them that the holder of the bow will be his successor while the arrow-holders will be his vassals. This is in accordance with Turkic regalia, which considers bows as one of the symbols of authority while considering arrows as a symbol of submission (hence the names Oq ("Arrow") and Oghuz ("Arrows"), meaning "Those who are united as a an arrow [those who have submitted to form a union]).
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Post by snafu on Nov 9, 2015 22:56:27 GMT 3
Very interesting! Thanks Ihsan.
I guess we just have to accept that a lot of nomad legends were lost because of the lack of written records.
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Post by H. İhsan Erkoç on Nov 10, 2015 11:28:44 GMT 3
You are welcome.
That is true indeed. Perhaps there was a myth regarding bows and arrows as you asked, but no written or verbal version has been found so far, as far as I know. Unfortunately, currently we only have a fraction of the rich verbal literature and mythology of steppe nomads that has been recorded.
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Post by Temüjin on Nov 10, 2015 15:27:31 GMT 3
wasn't there also a story where one chief would release an arrow and say this is where they are going to settle down or something? i just can't remember it, might have been magyars even.
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Post by H. İhsan Erkoç on Nov 10, 2015 21:29:33 GMT 3
Oh yes there was that one as well.
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Post by Turan on Nov 20, 2015 16:08:53 GMT 3
I remember reading something about a golden bow and a silver arrow....I totally forgot about what but it was deffinitly about the Turks or their ancestors Gokturks / Huns.
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Post by snafu on Nov 21, 2015 2:21:54 GMT 3
wasn't there also a story where one chief would release an arrow and say this is where they are going to settle down or something? i just can't remember it, might have been magyars even. I wonder if that's related to the practice of rewarding land based on how far an arrow flies. I know Genghis Khan rewarded some of his followers by giving them whatever land fell within the distance of an arrow shot |
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Post by H. İhsan Erkoç on Nov 21, 2015 15:58:15 GMT 3
I remember reading something about a golden bow and a silver arrow....I totally forgot about what but it was deffinitly about the Turks or their ancestors Gokturks / Huns. That is indeed from the Legend of Oghuz Qaghan, which I described above. |
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Post by Turan on Nov 23, 2015 10:03:29 GMT 3
I remember reading something about a golden bow and a silver arrow....I totally forgot about what but it was deffinitly about the Turks or their ancestors Gokturks / Huns. That is indeed from the Legend of Oghuz Qaghan, which I described above. It was the legend of Oghuz indeed! |
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