The Secret History of the Mongols

An inventive translation of a great historical epic, and the oldest surviving literary work in the Mongolian language, recounting the turbulent life and times of Genghis Khan and his Dothraki-like, nomadic horse lords A Penguin Classic The Secret History of the Mongols is one of the literary wonders of the world. Writing in the thirteenth century, the Secret Historian - whose identity remains unknown - combines insider history and verse to chronicle the life of Genghis Khan and the empire he founded. Following Genghis from his early years, through feasts and fights, alliances, rivalries and betrayals, we witness the birth of a new regime, and a unified Mongolia whose hordes swept across the steppe and remade the medieval world. It was a world of vast nomad tent cities and warrior horse lords, governed by a distant Heaven, a world which draws near in this vivid new translation.

Translated with an Introduction by Christopher P. Atwood

Acknowledgements Introduction 1. The Influence of the Secret History and its Preservation 2. The World of the Secret History  3. Date and Authorship 4. Title, Genre, Composition 5. Mongolian Terms and their Translation Note on Spellings and Pronunciation Note on Chapter, Sub-chapter and Section Divisions Figures Maps THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE MONGOLS 1: The Origin of Chinggis Khan 2: The Youth of Chinggis Khan 3: The Early Battles of Chinggis Khan 4: Chinggis Khan and Ong Khan 5: Completing the Unification of Mongolia 6: The New Regime 7: The Foreign Conquests 8: The Reign of Ökodei Khann Colophon Afterword: The Transmission and Translation ofthe Secret History Appendix A: Alternative Mouse Year Theories and the Question of the Secret History’s Unity Appendix B: Socio-political Organization of the Pre-Chinggisid Mongols Appendix C: The New Aristocracy under Chinggis Khan Appendix D: Chronologies of the Foreign Conquests Bibliography Notes Glossary of Names