A Cult of the White Old Man in Mongolic Cultures: the Ritual Text and Context

Abstract

Introduction. The article is an overview of hand-written texts of sutras of the White Old Man’s cult. The White Old Man (in Bur.  Sagaan Ȕbgen; in Mong. Čaγan ebűgen) is one of the most widespread folklore images of Mongolic peoples. There are a lot of texts concerning the White Old Man, some are devoted to the ritual parts of his cult, and others only mention his name. The texts dedicated to the White Old Man serve as a universal symbolic complex which reflects all the basic elements and parameters of the cosmic order, the way or another simulating the world: sky/earth, earth / water, mountain / tree, ancestors / relatives, animals / snakes, four sides of the world. The White Old Man acts as an ancestor — the mediator between nature and man; space and society. A large number of manuscripts clearly demonstrate popularity of the White Old Man in Mongolia, Buryatia, and Kalmykia till nowadays. For further clarification of a mythological basis of the cult the paper considers two texts contained in the Manuscript Fund of St. Petersburg Branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies (Russian Academy of Sciences), namely: ‘Čaγan ebűgen-ű neretű sudur orusibai’ and ‘Čaγan ebűgen-ű sudur’. These texts are the most widespread sutra about the White Old Man. The Sutra of The White Old Man (‘Čaγan ebűgen-ű neretu sudur orusibai’), also known as a sutra ’capable to pacify and suppress the earth and water‘ (‘Үajar usun-I nomuγadγan daruγulun cidaγki neret ű sudur’), is unique in its pseudo-Buddhist form. For consideration of structures, the paper conducts a comparative analysis of versions of the text in which the constant, standard, repeating elements, or invariant text units, form a basis for their description. According to the text, the White Old Man (Sagaan Ȕbgen) has somewhat various functions, being a patron, a defender and at the same time — a harmful spirit. All this specifies ambivalence of this character but in general characterizes the traditional thinking — to allot spirits with various, sometimes polar functions. To consider the rite of sacrifice to the White Old Man as a whole, the paper clearly focuses on achieving of well-being through appeasing the White Old man, as well as asking for his patronage and help. The action plan of the ceremony (incense burning, milk sprinkling, scattering of food pieces), as well as selection of sacrificial animals and supplying them with special marks — white ribbons — served the same purpose