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Jack Weatherford

Jack Weatherford Books

Professor

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“Монголи любили різноманітні змагання, тож організовували дебати між конкурентними релігіями так само, як організовували борцівські поєдинки. Вони починалися в певний день, і за ними спостері­гала група суддів. «...» Здавалося, жодна сторона не могла переконати опонентів у чомусь. Зрештою, коли вплив алкоголю міцнішав, християни перестали переконувати когось логічними аргументами та вдалися до співу. Мусульмани, які не співали, відповіли на це гучним цитуванням Корану, намагаючись заглушити голос християн, а буддисти почали мовчазно медитувати. Дебати, під час яких вони не могли переконати чи вбити один одного, закінчилися так, як закінчувалися більшість монгольських святкувань: усі були просто занадто п’яні, щоб їх продовжувати.”

“The Mongols did not find honor in fighting; they found honor in winning. They had a single goal in every campaign—total victory. Toward this end, it did not matter what tactics were used against the enemy or how the battles were fought or avoided being fought. Winning by clever deception or cruel trickery was still winning and carried no stain on the bravery of the warriors, since there would be plenty of other occasions for showing prowess on the field.”

“Khatun (queen) is one of the most authoritative and magnificent words in the Mongolian language. It conveys regality, stateliness, and great strength. If something resists breaking no matter how much pressure is applied, it is described as khatun. The word can form part of a boy’s or girl’s names, signifying power and firmness combined with beauty and grace. Because of the admitted qualities of khatun, men have often borne names such as Khatun Temur, literally ‘Queen Iron’, and Khatun Baatar, 'Queen Hero’.”

“The Mongols consumed a steady diet of meat, milk, yogurt, and other dairy products, and they fought men who lived on gruel made from various grains. The grain diet of the peasant warriors stunted their bones, rotted their teeth, and left them weak and prone to disease. In contrast, the poorest Mongol soldier ate mostly protein, thereby giving him strong teeth and bones.”

“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated merchants or wealthy planters, had been founded by one of its illiterate slaves, who, by sheer force of personality, charisma, and determination, liberated America from foreign rule, united the people, created an alphabet, wrote the constitution, established universal religious freedom, invented a new system of warfare, marched an army from Canada to Brazil, and opened roads of commerce in a free-trade zone that stretched across the continents.”