IT LIVES!
Part I: Out of the Wilderness
Chapter I (Part I)
AN: As per usual, all of the information in this update comes from sketchy post facto medieval sources, many of which are more propaganda then history.
…Though Temujin’s interlude with the Tayichiuds left him with a number of deep theological questions, he still had a far more pressing practical concerns. In the spring of 1176, as he turned fifteen and thus passed the Mongol threshold of manhood, Temujin found himself alone in the wild, with his only allies moving quickly away with the Tayichiud clan. The steppes of Mongolia were deadly for poorly armed loners-every passing day increased the probability of re-enslavement by another clan or simple execution at the hands of bandits.
It was here that Temujin was graced by the luck that always attends the great men of history. The Khamag Mongol had in a recent conflict with the Tatars found themselves allied with another, more powerful confederation of tribes called the Kerait. Their leader was a mighty warrior by the name of Toghrul, better known as the Ong Khan after a title given to him by the grateful Chinese*. The Ong Khan rode and fought alongside Yesugei, Temujin’s father, and the two had become so close that they became andas-blood brothers. The bond of the anda, achieved through an arcane ritual involving the mixing of the participants’ blood, was believed to be as strong if not stronger than actual brotherhood.
So it was that, when Temujin rode into the court of the Ong Khan in midsummer 1176, he was greeted with open arms. Apparently just ignoring the rumors of Temujin’s fratricide, Toghrul quickly let the young man into his closest circle of confidence, and Temujin rapidly became accustomed to his new role.
If Temujin’s enslavement to the Tayichiuds was the Genesis of Asiatic Judaism, his sojourn with the Kerait was its Exodus and Leviticus. The religion of the Kerait, which medieval Europe (in a prime case of wishful thinking) identified as pure Nestorian Christianity**, was in fact an entirely unique Abrahamic faith, one that accepted Jesus as an agent of God (whether they considered Him the messiah is not known) but remained based primarily in the Torah, as well as incorporating some elements of pre-existing pagan religions. How this religion developed is not fully known; it seems to have its roots in a syncretization of various Abrahamic ideas that came from the West in the tenth century***.
Ong Khan was a devout believer in this faith, and much of the time that he spent with Temujin at his court was given over to theological discussion. It is seems**** that the two of them heard what they wanted to hear; Temujin mostly ignored the discrepancies between the faith Jochebed had described and the faith Toghrul was describing (though he was rather confused as to why Jochebed never mentioned this Jesus fellow); Toghrul was suspicious of the odd Chinese sect that Temujin seemed to have joined, but gradually decided that it was close enough to the Kerait religion to be acceptable. The importance of these discussions, and of the observations Temujin made of the Kerait, cannot be overstated; it was here that Temujin learned the fine details of the Abrahamic faiths, it was here that he learned how to use syncretism to run a multi-religion state, and it was here that he saw how a religion born in the dusty plains and lush coasts of Palestine could be adapted to the Mongol world. Indeed, some historians have gone so far as to declare the Kerait faith the prototype of Asiatic Judaism.
Sometime in 1178, Temujin grew tired of these heavy matters. The dangers of two years before had passed, and now he began to plot his revenge on those responsible for his humiliation and enslavement. Coming to the Ong Khan as a humble servant, he politely requested Toghrul’s aid in reclaiming is birthright.
The Borjigh, so close to annihilation a few years before, had managed to effect a revival during Temujin’s absence. Thanks to the superhuman efforts of Hoelun, starvation had ceased to be an immediate concern, and the perilously thin number of young males had begun to increase. But they still were not nearly powerful enough to do anything when Temujin rode into their camp on his seventeenth birthday with Ong Khan on his right, his newly recovered wife Borte on his left, and a large body of Kerait warriors behind.
So started what was perhaps the least eventful period of Temujin’s life. For about a year, he was but the humble leader of the Borjigh and a close but minor ally of the Kerait. His family caused him no trouble, and the administrative skills he had honed with Toghrul came of use in the day-to-day of his rule. But secretly Temujin’s heart was seething, both out of a burning desire for future glory and a lingering curiosity at the religious events of the past few years. After twelve whole months of restlessness, Temujin finally decided to make a pilgrimage to his birthplace at the mountain of Burkhan Khaldun, hoping to find some kind of answer.
Little did he know what kind of answer he would get…
*The Tatars had been rebelling against their Chinese masters; the Mongols and Kerait, traditional enemies of the Tatars, joined in to get a piece of the pie
**Some went so far as to identify Ong Khan with the legend of Prestor John, a mythical and mighty Christian King in Africa or Asia.
***OTL, believe it or not. I’m actually surprised at how easy this scenario is to achieve…
****Again, by Asiatic Jewish historians; there are no known histories written by the Kerait.
Part II coming later today or tomorrow…