ABSTRACT
Shamans profess to gain power and knowledge by entering into the benevolent and often malevolent spiritual world. The shamanistic tradition of the Mongols is centered in worshiping Tenggeri with its chief deity, Qormusta Tenggeri. Various aspects of Tenggeri worship are described in historical sources, particularly in The Secret History of the Mongols. The clan-based Mongolian society of the thirteenth century possessed a complex spiritual hierarchy, and it was common for the shamans to claim a leadership position within the major clans. After the death of Chinggis Khan, however, this ideology of a heavenly mandate transformed into the worship of the khan and the khan’s deeds and, once again, the shamans became powerful at the qa’an’s court and the princely houses.
