Christopher P. Atwood

Central Asiatic Journal, Jahrgang 66 (2024), Ausgabe 1-2, Seite 57 - 79

The present article deals with the place names given in Mongolian to locations outside Mongolia, as indicated in the Secret History of the Mongols. As a valuable source concerning the history, literature, folklore, and also Middle Mongolian language, the Secret History of the Mongols has great importance as a geographical source. But while Mongolian toponyms have already been analysed, the Mongolian versions of place names outside of Mongolia remain under-studied. The transliterations and usages of these place names reveal much about the Mongols’ view of the wider world. In summary, the diffuse nature of the geographical vocabulary seems to suggest that the authors of the Secret History never set foot outside Mongolia.

探討《蒙古秘史》若干北京地區地名的歷史語言背景

本文討論《蒙古秘史》中所記載的蒙古語以外地區的蒙古語地名。《蒙古秘史》作為歷 文學、民間傳說以及中古蒙古語言的寶貴資料庫，具有重要的地 理資料來源。儘管蒙古語地名已經被分析過，但蒙古語以外地名的蒙古語轉寫 仍然沒有充分研究。這些地名的音譯和用法揭示了蒙古人對更廣闊世界的看法 。總而言之，地理詞彙的分散性似乎顯示《秘史》的作者從未踏足蒙古地區之 外。

關鍵詞：《蒙古秘史》、蒙古、地名、元朝中國、北京

Christopher P. Atwood

Central Asiatic Journal, Jahrgang 64 (2021), Ausgabe 1-2, Seite 133 - 153

In the Secret History of the Mongols, §251, three Jin-dynasty generals are mentioned. Scholarship has traditionally read their names as Ile, Qada, and Höbögetür. Previous commentators have associated Ile and Qada with the generals known in Chinese as Ila Pu'a and Wanyan Heda, but have not been able to identify the so-called Höbögetür. Similar versions of these names occur in the Persian histories of the Mongol empire. This paper considers all the sources and produces improved readings for both the Mongolian originals and for the Persian versions of these names. The correct Mongolian readings of the names are Ila, Qada, and Qu Bögetür; the correct original for Qada's corrupt name in Persian should be Qadāy Wangšay. The paper then explores the many variants of these names showing how the variants document Kitan and Jurchen morphological processes. The name Qu Bögetür is explained as meaning “Qu the Hunchback”; this in turn may be identified reliably as the Jin general known in Chinese as He-Shilie Yawuta. The surname He-Shilie is shown through consideration of the Kitan and Jurchen versions to be equivalent to Mongolian Qu, while the “hunchback” (Mo. bögetür) is shown to be derived from the nickname which he acquired during his battles with the Song dynasty in 1206.

Christopher P. Atwood

Central Asiatic Journal, Jahrgang 62 (2019), Ausgabe 2, Seite 297 - 300