Mythological Anatomy in the Context of the Social Structure
of a Nomadic Society (On the Example of the Turkic and
Mongolian Peoples of Inner Asia)

M. M. Sodnompilova

List of issues > «Geoarchaeology, Ethnology, and Anthropology Series». 2023. Vol 45

Mythological Anatomy in the Context of the Social Structure of a Nomadic Society (On the Example of the Turkic and Mongolian Peoples of Inner Asia)

Full text (russian)

Author(s)

M. M. Sodnompilova

Abstract

One of the reflections of the anthropomorphic model is the understanding of kinship in the context of the anatomical organs of the human body. The anthropomorphic model was of great importance in understanding the world order, the structure of society and its functioning in the culture of the Turkic and Mongolian peoples of Inner Asia. This paper aims to study the meaning and functions, mainly of the internal organs and biological fluids of the human body in the system of the social structure of a nomadic society and in the interaction of its members. The sources of the research were historical and ethnographic data published in the works of ethnographers, historians, linguists, as well as folklore and original field research materials. The social structure of the nomadic society was represented, first of all, through the “bone” version of the anthropomorphic model. Also, of importance in understanding the social structure of a nomadic community are blood, breast milk, liver. In the traditional worldview of the Turkic and Mongolic peoples, the liver was given the status of the main internal organ of the human body. Its size and color led the nomads to believe that the liver was a hematopoietic organ. In this regard, the liver was seen as the receptacle of the vital substance (kut) or soul. The liver was associated with manifestations of mental states (anger, grief, joy) and moral qualities (kindness and anger). Symbolic images of the liver and blood perform important functions of a marker of a related group on the maternal side, including mythical relatives in the form of animals. In the situation of ritual meals, which are part of the wedding ritual, the liver acted as a symbol of the twinning of the spouses. It should also be noted that the animal skeleton model was taken as a basis in the organization of the social hierarchy of the nomad society. In legends about the origins of individual communities (clans, tribes), the carcass of a sacrificial animal is often mentioned. This research made it possible to establish the functions and significance of symbolic images of the skeleton, internal organs and biological fluids of the human body as markers that determine the place of members of society in the structure of the social hierarchy. In addition, these images are an important tool in the social communication of nomads.

About the Authors

Sodnompilova Marina Mikhailovna, Doctor of Sciences (History), Leader Researcher, Department of History, Ethnology and Sociology, Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies SB RAS; 6, Sakhyanova st., Ulan-Ude, 670047, Russian Federation, e-mail: sodnompilova@yandex.ru

For citation

Sodnompilova M. M. Mythological Anatomy in the Context of the Social Structure of a Nomadic Society (On the Example of the Turkic and Mongolian Peoples of Inner Asia). Bulletin of the Irkutsk State University. Geoarchaeology, Ethnology, and Anthropology Series. 2023, Vol. 45, pp. 109–124. https://doi.org/10.26516/2227-2380.2023.45.109 (in Russ.)

Keywords

Inner Asia, Turkic and Mongolic peoples, society, anthropomorphic model, liver, blood, vital substance.

UDC

39(392+397)

DOI

https://doi.org/10.26516/2227-2380.2023.45.109

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