“The Holder of Forty Spears” in the list of Däftär-i Čingiz-nāmä: definition meaning, symbol

Abstract

The article explains the meaning of the term “the Holder of Forty Spears” (“қырықсүңгілі”) in a separate list of the Turko-Tatar ChroniclesDäftär-i Čingiz-nāmäat the end of the XVII century. Besides, a trial of identifying some characters was done from the mentioned source as “the Holder of Forty Spears” – Bolat bahadur” and his son “Bek bey” with real historical figures (beks, tribal chiefs) of the Golden Horde at the time of Janibek Khan. In the military history of the ancient settlers of Eurasia and late medieval Turko-Mongol nomadic tribes, spears and lances were one of the main types of weapons of the close combat and their importance was mentioned more than once in the writings. In addition to the basic, functional, combat assignment, spears and lances in the military culture and traditions of the Turko-Mongol nomads of the Great Steppe had a symbolic meaning. A spear, as a means of armament, used in a ram attack and a close combat, evolved into the symbol of statehood in the form of banners, flags, and possessing them equaled the status of “a commander-in-chief” or “a major warlord”. In this regard, by analyzing and taking into consideration continual several century-long military traditions of the steppe nomads, the article implies the word combination “the Holder of Forty Spears” (“қырықсүңгілі”) inDäftär-i Čingiz-nāmäis equal to “Commander-in- Chief Army”, in other words, in our opinion, in this sourcespear-lanceis represented as an abstracted textual symbol indicating “an army”, “a huge troop” and its Holder as “a commander-in-chief”, “major warlord”.