Publication details
Ornithomancy in the Western Mongolian Oral Tradition
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Chapter of a book |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Attached files | |
| Description | Ornithomancy or “analysing the language of birds” is a method of interpreting omens from the flight, appearance and cries of birds. Present globally in various cultures including India, China and Tibet, the knowledge of meanings of birds-related phenomena has been attested in Mongolia at least since the early 17th century and became a common part within the Buddhist divinatory methods. Although the old manuscript manuals on ornithomancy are no longer in active use, the temporal occurrence of especially the cuckoo’s voice is widely understood as an important indicator of regularity or irregularity during natural processes. This paper examines several narratives related to the temporal association of the cuckoo’s (and partially magpie’s) voice recorded among the Altai Uriankhai and Dsakhchin of Western Mongolia. The popular storytelling expands the semantical reach of unusual cuckoo behaviour to the contemporary issues of climate change, thereby demonstrating, among other things, the longevity of ornithomancy within Mongolian thinking and its ability to recontextualise its message to current challenges. |
| Related projects: |