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Copyright

Baasanjav Terbish

Published On

2025-04-03

Page Range

pp. 101–174

Language

  • English

Print Length

73 pages

3. The Marmot

Chapter of: Humans, Dogs and Other Beings: Myths, Stories, and History in the Land of Genghis Khan(pp. 101–174)
This chapter examines the marmot’s role in Mongol culture, portraying it as a spiritual being, an ecological indicator, and a source of nourishment. Bolson yavdal stories, such as encounters with the ‘Marmot Lord’ or the enigmatic ‘marmot persons’, highlight themes of morality and cosmological balance. The chapter also explores the marmot’s historical association with the plague and its treatment. By integrating historical, ecological, epidemiological, and cosmological perspectives, it reveals how Mongols have navigated their complex relationship with this species.

Contributors

Baasanjav Terbish

(author)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7748-7449

Baasanjav Terbish is a Social Anthropologist with a PhD from the University of Cambridge. He is the author of several books, including Sex in the Land of Genghis Khan (2023). His research focuses on the culture, language, and history of Mongol peoples in Mongolia and Russia. He is currently an Assistant Professor at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic and an affiliated scholar at The Mongolia and Inner Asia Studies Unit at the University of Cambridge.