The Interpretation of Dream Motif in Mongols Oral and Ancient Literature : Based on Dream Examples Related to Chinggis Khaan

• 발행기관: 한국몽골학회
• 저자명: Davaadorj Ishdorj Nandinbilig Ganbaatar
• 간행물 정보: 『몽골학』제83호, 29~63쪽, 전체 35쪽
• 주제분류: 인문학 > 기타인문학
• 파일형태: PDF
• 발행일자: 2025.11.30

국문 초록

In this article, the dream motifs related to Chinggis Khaan in the Mongols ancient literature are analyzed and interpreted in connection with oral tradition, focusing on their functions, characters, and descriptions. The dream motifs found in The Legend of Mother Alan Goo, The Dream of Dei Sesten, The Legend of Defeating the Three Hundred Taichuud, and The Novella of Chinggis’s Two White-Grey Steeds are analyzed and classified according to the character and description that appear in dreams and their narrative functions within the texts. Accordingly, these dreams are categorized into three main types: symbolic, visionary, and psychological. In The Secret History of the Mongols and other historical and literary sources, The Legend of Mother Alan Goo uses a symbolic dream motif to affirm that the lineage of Chinggis Khaan originated from the Eternal heavens (Mönkh Tenger). Upon closer examination, The Secret History of the Mongols depicts the pregnancy of Mother Alan Goo as a real event that is “beyond ordinary human understanding”. In contrast, later historical and literary sources transform this legend and portray Alan Goo as becoming pregnant after seeing a celestial being in her dream. In these legends, Alan Goo’s narrative incorporates two ancient mythological figures. The yellow dog represents an object of totemic belief and functions as a totemic symbol. Through this symbolism, the legend legitimizes the inevitable authority of the Nirun-Mongols－the Borjigin clan, and asserts that their rule and power originated from Eternal Heaven (Mönkh Tenger). Furthermore, in The Legend of Mother Alan Goo, the motif of pregnancy originating from a dream connects with the tradition of heroic epics, in which a woman becoming pregnant after encountering a supernatural being in her dream. In The Secret History of the Mongols, The Dream of Dei Setsen is a symbolic dream. Within this legend, the white falcon bringing the sun and moon functions as a symbolic description, emphasizing the inevitability of forming kinship alliances through marriage with groups possessing political authority. Moreover, this legend is closely related to the Mongols’ traditional beliefs and ritual customs concerning dreams, that good dreams have not be spoken of until the related events occur, while bad dreams must be immediately counteracted or purified. In the legend, Dei Setsen interprets his dream, only after Yesükhei visits with a marriage proposal. This motif appears in Mongols’ folktales such as Dreamer Boy (Züüdchin khüü), in which a good dream is kept secret until its meaning is revealed through subsequent events. The Legend of Defeating the Three Hundred Taichuud contains both visionary dream and dream incubation motifs. In the Mongols’ heroic epic tradition, the hero often sleeps and incubates a dream on a high place, such as the top of a mountain, in order to foresee future events or to find a solution to a problem. This motif of dream incubation is also evident in this legend, where Chinggis Khaan sleeps on Bider Shar Devseg, a high place from which the distant horizon is visible, and through his dream, he saw the approaching enemy. In this narrative, the foretelling of the enemy’s arrival through a dream function to emphasize the heroic traits of Chinggis Khaan. Furthermore, The Novella of Chinggis’s Two White-Grey Steeds presents a psychological dream depicting the main character’s thoughts, realizations, and stream of consciousness. In this work, the dream motif serves to reveal the protagonist’s psychological realization: his awareness that he has undervalued a hero who rendered distinguished service and rewarded him inadequately.

목차

1. Introduction

2. Literary Review

3. Symbolic Dream

4. Visionary Dream

5. Psychological Dream

6. Conclusion

References

키워드

symbolic dream visionary dream psychological dream power heroic trait symbolic dream(бэлгэдэлт зүүд) visionary dream(зөнтэй зүүд) psychological dream(сэтгэл зүйн зүүд)