Mugulü

Mugulü () was a legendary warrior and chieftain in the Mongolian Plateau during the period when it was under the rule of tribes and peoples originating from the fragmentation of the failed and crumbling Xianbei confederation. The term "Mongol" is a likely derivation from his name.

Biography

Youth Mugulü was likely born before AD 277, at the end of Tuoba Liwei's reign.Weishu vol. 103 始神元之末，掠騎有得一奴 tr. "In the beginning of the end of the Shenyuan, a [Tuoba] raider cavalryman acquired a slave"Golden, Peter B. "Some Notes on the Avars and Rouran", in The Steppe Lands and the World beyond Them. Ed. Curta, Maleon. Iași (2013). p. 54-56.

He served in the Xianbei army under the leadership of the Tuoba tribal chief, Tuoba Yilu (295–316) of Dai. According to Chinese chronicles, Mugulü was a slave of unknown origin who was captured and enslaved by a Tuoba raider cavalryman during the reign of chief Liwei (220–277)Golden, Peter B. "Some Notes on the Avars and Rouran", in The Steppe Lands and the World beyond Them. Ed. Curta, Maleon. Iași (2013). p. 55. of the Tuoba, a Xianbei clan.Wei Shou. Book of Wei. Vol. 1 The anecdote of his enslaved status has been rejected by modern scholars as "a typical insertion by the Chinese historians intended to show the low birth and barbarian nature of the northern nomads." According to Barbara West, Mugulü had been a slave of the Xianbei.

Mugulü's career and his escape through the Gobi According to the Book of Wei, after either having matured (being 30 or older) or because of his strength,Weishu vol. 103. The phrase "木骨閭既壯" is translatable as literally "Mugulü, because of [his] robustness", or - figuratively - "Mugulü, because of [his] maturity"; cf. Liji "Quli I txt: "三十曰壯" tr: "When he is thirty, we say, 'He is at his maturity;'" by James Legge Mugulü was emancipated and became a warrior in the Tuoba Xianbei cavalry, under the leadership of Tuoba Yilu of Dai (307–316).Weishu vol. 103 "免奴為騎卒。穆帝時" tr. "[he was] release[d] from slavery and made a cavalry soldier, during the time of Emperor Mu (of Dai)" However, he tarried past the deadline and was sentenced to death by beheading.Weishu vol. 103 "坐後期當斬" He vanished and hid in the Gobi Desert,依紇突隣部　諸本及北史卷九八蠕蠕傳「紇」作「純」。按本卷高車傳末即附有紇突隣部，卷二太祖紀登國五年五月及十二月、皇始二年二月見此部，都作「紇突隣」，「純」乃形近而訛，今改正。 then gathered a hundred or more other escapees.Weishu vol. 103 "亡匿廣漠谿谷間, 逋逃得百餘人 They sought refuge under a neighboring tribe of Tiele people called Hetulin (紇突隣).Weishu vol. 103, Ruru "依紇突隣部" tr. "[They] relied on the Hetulin tribe"The corresponding passage in Beishi vol. 98 Ruru reads "依純突鄰部" tr. "[They] relied on the Chuntulin tribe" or "[They] relied on the pure Tulin tribe"Both Weishu, Vol. 103, Gaoche and Beishi Vol. 98, Gaoche have "又有紇突隣" tr. "[There] were also the Hetulin tribe"

It is not known when Mugulü died; sources say 316 AD.

Family and succession When Mugulü died, his son Yujiulü Cheluhui acquired his own tribal horde and either Cheluhui was or his tribe called themselves Rouran.Weishu Vol. 103 "木骨閭死，子車鹿會雄健，始有部眾，自號柔然" "Mugulü died; [his] son Cheluhui, virile and robust, began to gather the tribal multitude, [his/their] self-appellation Rouran" Cheluhui's government was marked by nomadism and peace,Weishu, vol. 103 "車鹿會既為部帥，歲貢馬畜、貂豽皮，冬則徙度漠南，夏則還居漠北。 but they remained subjects to the Xianbei Tuoba.Weishu Vol. 103 "而役屬於國。" tr. "yet [Cheluhui/Rouran] [was/were] vassal(s) of (our) state.

His descendants and successors were:Grousset (1970), pp. 61, 585, n. 91.

Yujiulü Cheluhui, son Yujiulü Tunugui, grandson Yujiulü Bati, great-grandson Yujiulü Disuyuan, great-great-grandson

Personal name

According to Chinese chronicles, the Xianbei (Sianbi) master called the captive Mugulü, a Xianbei word glossed as "bald-headed" (首禿)Weishu vol. 103 "其主字之曰木骨閭。「木骨閭」者，首禿也。" possibly owing to his appearance, his hairline starting at his eyebrow's level,Weishu, "Vol. 103" "髮始齊眉 [...] 首禿也"Weishu Vol. 103 "髮始齊眉" and because he did not remember his name and surname.vol. 103 "忘本姓名" This was reconstructed as Mongolic Muqur (Mukhur) or Muquli (Mukhuli) presumably "round, smooth" by Japanese researcher Shiratori Kurakichi.白鳥庫吉 1910; 内田吟風 1971: 218. Alexander Vovin instead proposes that Mùgúlǘ (木骨閭), in reconstructed Middle Chinese *muwk-kwot-ljo, transcribed Tuoba Xianbei *moqo-lo ~ muqo-lo 'bald head', which is analysable as 'one [who/]which has cut off/fallen off [hair]' and cognate with Mongolic lexical items like (Written Mongolian moɣutur ~ moqutur 'blunt, hornless, bald tail' (cf. Chinese gloss as 禿尾 'bald tail'), moqu-ɣar, Middle Mongol 'hornless', moqo-dag 'blunt'; all of those are from Proto-Mongolic *muqu 'to be cut off, break off, fall off', which in turn would produce the semantic variation 'blunt ~ hornless ~ hairless ~ bald').Vovin, Alexander. 2007. "Once again on the Tabγač language", Mongolian Studies, XXIX: 200-202

Clan name

According to the Book of Wei, the dynasty founded by Mugulü's descendants was called Yujiulü, which sounds superficially like Mugulü, and thus the Yujiulü clan (郁久閭氏, reconstructed Middle Chinese: ʔjuk kjǝu ljwo) emerged.Weishu Vol. 103 txt. "木骨閭與郁久閭聲相近，故後子孫因以為氏。" tr. "Mugulü and Yujiulü sound similar; hence [Mugulü's] descendants later used as surname" Róna-Tas suggests that Yujiulü rendered *ugur(i) > Uğur, a secondary form of Oğur.; Peter B. Golden additionally proposes connection with Turkic uğurluğ "feasible, opportune", later "auspicious fortunate" or oğrï "thief", an etymology more suited to the dynasty's founder's activities; additionally Yujiulü may be comparable to Middle Mongolian uğuli "owl" (> Khalkha ууль uul'''), as personal names based on bird names are common in Mongolic.Golden, Peter B. "Some Notes on the Avars and Rouran", in The Steppe Lands and the World beyond Them. Ed. Curta, Maleon. Iași (2013). p. 55.

See also Yujiulü Shelun Yujiulü Anagui Yujiulü Dengshuzi Tuoba Liwei Tuoba clan Xianbei Rourans

Succession

References

Notes

Citations

Mugulü

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