Alan Gua is the Great Ancestor of the Mongol rulers from the Borjigin and Barulas clans. Thanks to her wisdom and courage, Alun Gua became a symbol of unity and peace among the Mongols.
Alan Gua is described in the “Secret History of the Mongols” as the daughter of one of the leaders of the Khori-Tumat, a tribe that at that time inhabited the northern regions around Lake Khovsgol, as well as Tunku and the Angara region. During this time, civil strife broke out among the Khori-Tumat, and some of them migrated east to the Burkhan-Khaldun mountain range (modern-day Khan Khentii).
The Secret History of the Mongols states:
“…Watching from the heights of Burkhan-Khaldun, Duva-Sohor noticed a group of people migrating downstream along the Tengelik River.
§ 6. And he said: ‘What a fine young woman in a covered wagon among these migrating people!’ And he sent his younger brother, Dobun-Mergan, to investigate, intending to propose marriage to Dobun-Mergan if it turned out she was unmarried.
§ 7. Dobun-Mergan visited those people, and indeed, there was a young woman there, named Alan Gua, beautiful, of very noble birth, and not yet betrothed to anyone.
§ 8. Regarding that tribal group, it was revealed that Barguchjin-goa, the daughter of Barkhudai-Mergan, ruler of Kol-barguchjin-dogum, was married to Horilartai-Mergan, noyon of Khori-Tumat. The name Alan Gua was the daughter born to Horilartai-Mergan by Barguchjin-goa in the Khori-Tumat land, in the area of Arih-usun.
§ 9. Due to mutual squabbles and disputes over the use of hunting grounds in their homeland, Khori-Tumat, Khorilarartai-Mergan decided to establish a separate clan, called Khorilar. Having heard of the famous Burkhan-Khaldun trappers and beautiful lands, he now, it turns out, was moving along his nomadic routes toward Shinchi-bayan-uryankhai, where the deities, rulers of Burkhan-Khaldun, were established. It was here that Dobun-Mergan asked for the hand of Alan Gua, the daughter of Hori-Tumatsky’s Horilartay-Mergan, born in Arih-usun, and thus Dobun-Mergan married…”.
Alan Gua had five sons: Belgunotai, Bugunotai, Bugu-Khadagi, Bukhatu-Salji, and Bodonchar.
Alun Gua’s sons became the founders of the Mongol tribes.
The Secret History of the Mongols states:
“§ 42. Belgunotai became the founder of the Belgunot tribe. Bugunotai became the founder of the Bugunot tribe. Bugu-Khatagi became the founder of the Khatagi tribe. Buhutu-Salji became the founder of the Saljiut tribe. Bodonchar became the founder of the Borjiigin generation.”
The wise Alan Gua, to avoid quarrels between her sons, instructed them on the need for unity among relatives using the example of a bundle of arrows. Handing each of her sons a shaft, she ordered them to break each one, which they did. Alan Gua then gathered a bundle of poles and gave them to her sons, but they were unable to break the poles tied together. After this example, Alan Gua told them: “All five of you were born from my single womb and are like those five twigs. If you each act and act for yourself, you can easily be broken by anyone, like those five twigs. But if you are in agreement and unanimous, like those twigs tied together, how can you become easy prey?”
Alan Gua’s wise teachings became widely known among her descendants and were actively used during the lifetime of Chingiskhan. Mother Hoelun reminded her children of the discord among Alan Gua’s sons, calling on her own children to unite in the face of numerous enemies.
The tribes belonging to the lineage of Alan Gua and her sons are divided into three parts as follows:
The first are those descended from the lineage of Alan Gua up to the sixth generation, which included Kabul Khan. All of these people, including her sons, nephews, and their lineage, are independently called Nirun. Similarly, the brothers of Kabul Khan and their lineage are called Nirun.
The second are those who, although they are Nirun, are called Qiyat. They are a tribe that traces its descent back to the sixth generation of Alan Gua, the lineage of Kabul Khan.
The third are those who, although they are descended from the Nirun-Qiyat tribe and the pure lineage of Alan Gua and were born to her direct descendant in the sixth generation, Kabul Khan, are called Qiyat-Borjigin. Their origin is this: they were born from the grandson of Kabul Khan, Yesugei Baatar, the father of Chingiskhan.”
Chingiskhan, the Great Descendant of Alan Gua, created the largest empire in human history.
And the Worthy Descendants of Alan Gua ruled justly over the nations for centuries and created conditions for scientific and cultural exchange between East and West.
For more than 1,100 years, Alan Gua, the Great Ancestress of the Mongols, has inspired with her wisdom and is admired throughout the world.
Prepared by Prof. T. Chagataikhaan
