著者

磯野 富士子

出版者

東洋文庫

雑誌

東洋学報 = The Toyo Gakuho (ISSN:03869067)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.67, no.1・2, pp.57-80, 1985-12

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The anda relationship has been interpreted by most of the Western scholars of Mongolian history as one of “sworn brothers”. Nevertheless, a careful study of the Secret History of the Mongols seems to indicate that, at least at the time of Chingis Khaan, the anda relationship was not a fictitious blood relationship but a military and political alliance of two men established by an oath on the base of equality of the two parties.Even though the word “brother” in most of the Western languages implies equality, in Mongol, as well as in Chinese and Japanese, a brother always has to be either elder or younger involving the question of seniority. In the Secret History Chingis and Jamukha address each other as anda; and the word akha (elder brother) or düü (younger brother) is used for somebody who is not actually related by blood only when there is a clear difference in the status of that man in relation to the speaker.There is no symbolic action like mingling of blood in the ceremony to establish an anda relationship. The most important element is an exchange of presents of equal value. Many instances observed in more or less primitive societies show that the one-sided offer of presents makes the receiver stand in an inferior or subordinate position, as is seen in the Anglo-Saxon poetry.Among the Mongol tribes before their unification andas were very often khudas (two persons whose son and daughter are married). As the Mongols practiced strict exogamy a marriage alliance was not likely if the anda relationship was really conceived as “brothers”, even fictitious.Chingis and Jamukha were destined to become mortal enemies, not in spite of but precisely because of, their being andas. When Chingis succeeded in making himself the Khaan of all the Mongols, there was no room for anyone who could claim equality with him, and Jamukha would not accept a lower status.