‘[We Emptied] Their Breasts And Tore Their Livers In Half’
According to The Secret History of the Mongols, Temujin (Genghis Khan’s former name) thanked his companions Togril and Jamukha by explaining how they’d helped him wipe out the Merkit people – something that was both a spiritual and temporal mandate, in his view:
Appointed by Mighty Heaven and escorted by Mother Earth, we made man’s enemy, the people of the Merkits, empty their breasts and tore their livers in half. We emptied their beds and destroyed [their] kinsmen.
The reason for this action had to do with Temujin’s primary wife, Borte. The Merkits had kidnapped her, which prompted a rescue mission. In the process, Temujin and his companions destroyed the Merkit people, leaving them “demoralized.” While with the Merkits, however, Borte was forced to marry and became pregnant. As a result, the paternity of Genghis and Borte’s son, Jochi, would remain unknown.
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‘I Shall Kill You Without Shedding Your Blood’
When Genghis Khan (still known as Temujin) told his childhood friend-turned-rival Jamukha “I shall kill you without shedding your blood,” the Mongol leader was actually offering an honorable death. The two men had once been so close that they were “sworn brothers,” but Jamukha allied himself with the Naimans, an enemy faction his former friend.
After the Battle of Chakirmaut between 1204 and ‘05, Jamukha’s own men handed him over to Genghis Khan. The two had a lengthy conversation, during which the Great Khan offered renewed friendship to Jamukha. It didn’t come to fruition, due to trust issues, and Jamukha was executed by having his back broken.
The events at Chakirmaut and the elimination of both the Naimans and Jamukha as threats were essential in Genghis Khan solidifying his authority and unifying Mongolian tribes. In 1206, he was officially recognized as the leader of the Mongols – and took the name Genghis Khan.
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‘Don’t Weep Or Cry, Just Kill’
Genghis Khan’s grandson Mutugen (also spelled Morgetugen) was killed in the Mongol siege of Bamiyan in 1221. Mutugen was the son of Chaghatai and was reportedly Genghis’s favorite.
The great conqueror learned of Mutugen’s demise before Chaghatai and broke the news to his son, ordering him to neither weep nor mourn in any way. By one telling, Genghis Khan said, “don’t weep or cry, just kill,” but a variant may have been “I forbid you to weep, grieve, or in any way to complain about it.”
After Mutugen passing, the Mongols did, in fact, kill at Bamiyan – with plants, animals, and people destroyed in their wake.
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‘I Am The Punishment Of God’
During the late 12th and early 13th centuries, Genghis Khan extended his supremacy through Asia, laying the foundation for the largest contiguous empire in world history. As the leader of the Mongols, he used cavalry forces to evoke terror while simultaneously establishing a cohesive network of states under one rule.
Mongol raids brought with them massive destruction and widespread death. They were often seen as a punishment from God, and according to sources, Genghis Khan was willing to make this very point himself. After taking control of Bukhara (in modern-day Uzbekistan) in 1220 CE, he entered a mosque and told those hiding inside:
I am the flail of God. If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you.
Variant accounts of this utterance have him using the word “punishment” instead of “flail,” but the meaning – and message – remains clear.
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