The Falcon in the Traditional Worldview of the Buryats
DOI: 10.23951/2307-6119-2026-1-67-74
This research addresses gaps in the study of the human-natural environment relationship in Russian ethnographic science. Efforts to resolve this issue focus on understanding the zoomorphic images created and used across traditional cultures, with ornithomorphic images occupying an important place. Among these, the falcon is a common image across various ethnic groups and is attributed specific functions. The purpose of this work is to identify the image of the falcon in the traditional worldview of the Buryats. To achieve this, the following tasks were set: to determine the etymology of the names of Falconidae based on lexical data from Mongolian peoples; to trace the origins of the falcon image in Buryat culture; and to identify the body of Buryat mythological beliefs about this bird. The sources for this research include lexical, folklore, and ethnographic materials. Based on the results, the following conclusions were drawn. The modern names for Falconidae among the Buryats and other Mongolian peoples share a common origin in medieval Mongolian, which borrowed them from the ancient Turks. It was also found that the image of the falcon among the medieval Mongols has parallels in ancient Turkic culture. In the traditional worldview of the Buryats, the image of the falcon is concise and carries a positive connotation. This bird bears celestial symbols and is predominantly associated with masculine qualities. The concept of shapeshifting is also linked to it. A review of the Buryat epic reveals that a military cult was associated with this diurnal bird of prey. The falcon is also connected to the motif of likening a horse to a bird of prey. In shamanic poetics, this ornithomorphic image is embodied in the mythical character Shonkhor-khatun.
Keywords: Southeastern Siberia, Buryats, traditional worldview, mythological representations, falcon
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Issue: 1, 2026
Series of issue: Issue 1
Rubric: ANTHROPOLOGY
Pages: 67 — 74
Downloads: 6