From Horse Tails to Prayer Flags: Symbolic Transformation in the Mongolian Belief System

I. The Sacred Mane: Horse Tails as Primordial Symbols of Power

In the pre-Buddhist shamanic traditions of Mongolia, the horse tail was more than an animal appendage—it was a conduit of cosmic energy. The “Sulde” (苏力德), a sacred war standard crowned with nine white horse tails, embodied the “soul of the nation” and was believed to channel the blessings of Tengri (the sky god). Herders braided mare’s tail hairs into infants’ cradles to invoke protection, while shamans waved horse tails during rituals to summon spirits. The “Secret History of the Mongols” records that Genghis Khan’s coronation in 1206 coincided with the discovery of a divine white horse tail descending from the heavens—a sign of his celestial mandate. This early reverence established the horse tail as a bridge between earthly and divine realms, a symbol of authority and spiritual mobility.

II. The Buddhist Infiltration: Reinterpreting the Tail Through Dharma

With the spread of Tibetan Buddhism into Mongolia from the 16th century, the horse tail underwent a symbolic metamorphosis. The “Lungta” (经幡), or “wind horse” prayer flag, absorbed elements of the older tradition while infusing it with Buddhist cosmology. The Sanskrit term “Dhvaja” (banner) merged with Mongolian “Tömör” (tuft), creating a hybrid iconography where horse tails became carriers of sutras rather than shamanic incantations. Key transformations included:

Material Shift: Horse tails were replaced with dyed cloth strips, yet retained the original “nine-cluster” design of the Sulde.
Directional Significance: Prayer flags were hung facing east (toward Buddha’s enlightenment site), diverging from the north-oriented shamanic banners.
Textual Integration: Mantras printed on fabric replaced the oral transmission of clan histories once encoded in braided horsehair.

Persian chronicler Rashid al-Din noted this syncretism in his Jami’ al-tawarikh (1310): “The Mongols, who once worshipped the wind through horse tails, now let silk flags carry their prayers to the void.”

III. The Dual Cosmos: Coexistence of Old and New Symbols

Despite Buddhism’s dominance, pre-Buddhist elements persisted in ritual practices:

Hybrid Standards: The “White Sulde” (white horse tail banner) and “Black Sulde” (black mane standard) continued to represent celestial and earthly powers, echoing the Buddhist duality of wisdom (yeshe) and method (thabs).
Shamanic Resonance: Even today, Khalkha shamans use horse tail fans in healing ceremonies, believing their swish mimics the “sound of the soul’s journey” through bardo (intermediate state).
Architectural Echoes: The “Nine-Strand Principle” governs both the construction of Buddhist stupas and traditional ger (yurt) roofs—a geometric legacy of the original Sulde.

Anthropologist Caroline Humphrey observes: “Mongolian Buddhism is not a replacement but a palimpsest—each new layer of faith written over older symbols, which still bleed through.”

IV. The Art of Transmutation: Visual and Textual Metamorphosis

The transformation of horse tails into prayer flags is vividly captured in Mongolian art:

Iconographic Evolution:

13th–15th Century: Murals in Karakorum depict horse tails entwined with vajra (thunderbolt) motifs, blending shamanic and tantric imagery.
18th Century: Thangkas from Amarbayasgalant Monastery show Avalokiteshvara holding a horse tail instead of the traditional lotus, symbolizing compassion adapted to nomadic life.

Textile Alchemy:

Dyeing Rituals: Red cloth strips on prayer flags are dyed with Rubia root—the same pigment once used to stain bridegrooms’ horse tails, linking fertility and spiritual merit.
Knot Symbolism: The “Endless Knot” (Tumen Nud) pattern, originally woven into horsehair saddlebags, now decorates prayer flag borders, representing interdependent origination.

V. Modern Manifestations: From Pasture to Digital Realm

Contemporary Mongolia continues to reinvent these symbols:

Eco-Prayer Flags: Activists in Ulaanbaatar produce biodegradable flags infused with wildflower seeds, merging Buddhist merit-making with environmentalism.
Digital Lungta: Apps like “Virtual Tsagaan Sar” allow users to “raise” animated prayer flags online, their digital tails swishing in simulated wind—a modern echo of the ancient belief that movement activates blessings.
Political Symbolism: The “New Silk Road” initiative has revived the Sulde as a national emblem, its horse tails rebranded as “bridges of connectivity” between continents.

VI. The Eternal Return: Ritual as Cultural Memory

At dawn on Mount Bogd Khan Uul, a lama ties a white horse tail to a cairn while chanting the “Mani Kavya”. Nearby, a herder’s child decorates a ger roof with a plastic prayer flag fluttering in the wind. These parallel acts reveal the core truth of Mongolian belief: symbols endure not through dogma, but through adaptation. As historian Sechin Jagchid noted: “The horse tail never died; it simply learned new languages—first the shaman’s drumbeat, then the sutra’s chant, now the algorithm’s code.”

Epilogue: The Unbroken Thread of Spirit

Beneath the Altai stars, a shaman and a monk share tea beside a bonfire. The shaman waves his horse tail fan, stirring sparks into the night; the monk adjusts the string of prayer flags above them. For a moment, the distinctions blur—the swish of fiber and the rustle of cloth become one sound, a testament to Mongolia’s eternal dance between old and new. In this convergence lies the secret of the steppe’s resilience: true faith is not fixed in stone, but flows like a horse tail through time, carrying prayers forward by becoming what the moment demands.

This translation preserves the original text’s fusion of historical analysis, religious syncretism, and poetic metaphor. Key terms (Sulde, Lungta, Tengri) are italicized with contextual explanations, while cultural concepts (e.g., “palimpsest of faith”) are rendered accessible without oversimplification. The structure mirrors the thematic progression from ancient practices to modern adaptations, ensuring coherence for English readers while maintaining the lyrical quality of the source material.