Within a few decades of Chinggis Khan’s death, oral traditions concerning his rise were written down in the Mongolian language in The Secret History of the Mongols. The account begins with the cycles of revenge among the tribes in Mongolia, many of which began when women were abducted for wives. The following passages relate how Temujin’s (Chinggis Khan’s) father, Yesugei, seized Hogelun, Temujin’s future mother, from a passing Merkid tribesman; how twenty years later three Merkids in return seized women from Temujin; and how Temujin got revenge.

“That year Yesugei the Brave was out hunting with his falcon on the Onan. Yeke Chiledu, a nobleman of the Merkid tribe, had gone to the Olkhunugud people to find himself a wife, and he was returning to the Merkid with the girl he’d found when he passed Yesugei hunting by the river. When he saw them riding along Yesugei leaned forward on his horse. He saw it was a beautiful girl. Quickly he rode back to his tent and just as quick returned with his two brothers, Nekun Taisi and Daritai Odchigin. When Chiledu saw the three Mongols coming he whipped his dun-colored horse and rode off around a nearby hill with the three men behind him. He cut back around the far side of the hill and rode to Lady Hogelun, the girl he’d just married, who stood waiting for him at the front of their cart. “Did you see the look on the faces of those three men?” she asked him. “From their faces it looks like they mean to kill you. As long as you’ve got your life there’ll always be girls for you to choose from. There’ll always be women to ride in your cart. As long as you’ve got your life you’ll be able to find some girl to marry. When you find her, just name her Hogelun for me, but go now and save your own life!” Then she pulled off her shirt and held it out to him, saying: “And take this to remember me, to remember my scent.” Chiledu reached out from his saddle and took the shirt in his hands. With the three Mongols close behind him he struck his dun-colored horse with his whip and took off down the Onan River at full speed.

The three Mongols chased him across seven hills before turning around and returning to Hogelun’s cart. Then Yesugei the Brave grasped the reins of the cart, his elder brother Nekun Taisi rode in front to guide them, and the younger brother Daritai Odchigin rode along by the wheels. As they rode her back toward their camp, Hogelun began to cry, . . . and she cried till she stirred up the waters of the Onan River, till she shook the trees in the forest and the grass in the valleys. But as the party approached their camp Daritai, riding beside her, warned her to stop: “This fellow who held you in his arms, he’s already ridden over the mountains. This man who’s lost you, he’s crossed many rivers by now. You can call out his name, but he can’t see you now even if he looks back. If you tried to find him now you won’t even find his tracks. So be still now,” he told her. Then Yesugei took Lady Hogelun to his tent as his wife. . . .

[Some twenty years later] one morning just before dawn Old Woman Khogaghchin, Mother Hogelun’s servant, woke with a start, crying: “Mother! Mother! Get up! The ground is shaking, I hear it rumble. The Tayichigud must be riding back to attack us. Get up!”

Mother Hogelun jumped from her bed, saying: “Quick, wake my sons!” They woke Temujin and the others and all ran for the horses. Temujin, Mother Hogelun, and Khasar each took a horse. Khachigun, Temuge Odchigin, and Belgutei each took a horse. Bogorchu took one horse and Jelme another. Mother Hogelun lifted the baby Temulun onto her saddle. They saddled the last horse as a lead and there was no horse left for [Temujin’s wife] Lady Borte. . . .

Old Woman Khogaghchin, who’d been left in the camp, said: “I’ll hide Lady Borte.” She made her get into a black covered cart. Then she harnessed the cart to a speckled ox. Whipping the ox, she drove the cart away from the camp down the Tungelig. As the first light of day hit them, soldiers rode up and told them to stop. “Who are you?” they asked her, and Old Woman Khogaghchin answered: “I’m a servant of Temujin’s. I’ve just come from shearing his sheep. I’m on my way back to my own tent to make felt from the wool.” Then they asked her: “Is Temujin at his tent? How far is it from here?” Old Woman Khogaghchin said: “As for the tent, it’s not far. As for Temujin, I couldn’t see whether he was there or not. I was just shearing his sheep out back.” The soldiers rode off toward the camp, and Old Woman Khogaghchin whipped the ox. But as the cart moved faster its axletree snapped. “Now we’ll have to run for the woods on foot,” she thought, but before she could start the soldiers returned. They’d made [Temujin’s half brother] Belgutei’s mother their captive, and had her slung over one of their horses with her feet swinging down. They rode up to the old woman shouting: “What have you got in that cart!” “I’m just carrying wool,” Khogaghchin replied, but an old soldier turned to the younger ones and said, “Get off your horses and see what’s in there.” When they opened the door of the cart they found Borte inside. Pulling her out, they forced Borte and Khogaghchin to ride on their horses, then they all set out after Temujin. . . .

The men who pursued Temujin were the chiefs of the three Merkid clans, Toghtoga, Dayin Usun, and Khagatai Darmala. These three had come to get their revenge, saying: “Long ago Mother Hogelun was stolen from our brother, Chiledu.” When they couldn’t catch Temujin they said to each other: “We’ve got our revenge. We’ve taken their wives from them,” and they rode down from Mount Burkhan Khaldun back to their homes. . . .

Having finished his prayer Temujin rose and rode off with Khasar and Belgutei. They rode to [his father’s sworn brother] Toghoril Ong Khan of the Kereyid camped in the Black Forest on the Tula River. Temujin spoke to Ong Khan, saying: “I was attacked by surprise by the three Merkid chiefs. They’ve stolen my wife from me. We’ve come to you now to say, ‘Let my father the Khan save my wife and return her.’ ” . . .

[Temujin and his allies] moved their forces from Botoghan Bogorjin to the Kilgho River where they built rafts to cross over to the Bugura Steppe, into [the Merkid] Chief Toghtoga’s land. They came down on him as if through the smoke-hole of his tent, beating down the frame of his tent and leaving it flat, capturing and killing his wives and his sons. They struck at his door-frame where his guardian spirit lived and broke it to pieces. They completely destroyed all his people until in their place there was nothing but emptiness. . . .

As the Merkid people tried to flee from our army running down the Selenge with what they could gather in the darkness, as our soldiers rode out of the night capturing and killing the Merkid, Temujin rode through the retreating camp shouting out: “Borte! Borte!”

Lady Borte was among the Merkid who ran in the darkness and when she heard his voice, when she recognized Temujin’s voice, Borte leaped from her cart. Lady Borte and Old Woman Khogaghchin saw Temujin charge through the crowd and they ran to him, finally seizing the reins of his horse. All about them was moonlight. As Temujin looked down to see who had stopped him he recognized Lady Borte. In a moment he was down from his horse and they were in each other’s arms, embracing.”

Source: Paul Kahn, trans., The Secret History of the Mongols: The Origin of Chinghis Khan. Copyright © 1984. Reprinted with permission of Paul Kahn.

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