The Saber and Scroll Journal Volume 7, Issue 1, Winter 2018 | Page 44

The Lighter Side of Khan
Christopher Sheline
When reflecting on history’s greatest kings, emperors, philosophers, and
military leaders, few have reached the immense prestige and influence of Genghis
Khan (r. 1206-1227). Through his wisdom, charisma, and military ingenuity, Khan
built one of the largest empires the world has ever known. However, along the road
to immortality, Mongol methodology took on varying forms including
psychological and economic warfare. As a result, scholars from as early as the late
medieval period into the modern day have depicted Khan as a barbarian, crude and
harsh in his ways. Myths and legends arose from these stereotypes, often heavily
diminishing or even completely ignoring the many humble and noble
characteristics of Genghis Khan. Rather than a bloodthirsty barbarian, he was a
cunning warrior, an efficient administrator, and a prudent lawgiver that sought to
create a peaceful and unified world.
The Myths and Legends of the Great Khan
Myths surrounding Genghis Khan include dramatically exacerbated kill
counts, to degrading religions and their ceremonial sites, and even terrorism. There
are varying tales of his death that include dying in battle, in bed, or from falling
from his horse. In some cases, misinterpreted information even goes back to the
original biographers of Khan. Intended to serve a particular purpose to a given
community, each myth or legend is typically the production of a biased, prejudiced,
or simply misinformed author. Westerners, especially, accepted the stereotype of
Khan as a barbaric plunderer who operated with the single aim of slaughtering and
destroying other tribes and civilizations to feed his unquenchable desires, which is
perhaps the biggest of all myths. The belief that Khan was a brutal barbarian most
often grew from those whom the Mongols conquered. They wished to discredit
Khan and told a tale that drastically contradicted reality. Hence, Khan became the
crazed killer, or “saber wielding maniac” when the opposite was true.
One popular myth alleges that Genghis Khan killed over one million
seven hundred thousand people in a single hour or thirty thousand people per
minute. 1 This death count originated from the estimated population of a Persian
city called Nishapur, which Khan sacked in retaliation for the death of his son-in-
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