{"history":[],"article":{"id":"f9d8f268-8344-47b0-871c-0912c70912cc","title":"Tug (banner)","slug":"tug-banner","content":":::summary\n:::\n\n# \nA **tug** (, , ṭuġ or توغ tuġ, ) or **sulde** is a pole with circularly arranged horse or yak tail hairs of varying colors arranged at the top.\nIt was historically flown by [Turkic tribes](https://bliptext.com/articles/turkic-tribes) such as [Tuğluğ Confederation](https://bliptext.com/articles/duolu) and also during the period of the [Mongol Empire](https://bliptext.com/articles/mongol-empire), and later used in derived [Turco-Mongol](https://bliptext.com/articles/turco-mongol) khanates.\nIt was also used by the [Ottoman Empire](https://bliptext.com/articles/ottoman-empire), a state which was founded by Turkic [Oghuz tribes](https://bliptext.com/articles/oghuz-turks).\nIn the 17th century, it was also adopted by Slavic cavalry ([cossacks](https://bliptext.com/articles/cossacks), [haidamaka](https://bliptext.com/articles/haidamaka)), under the name **bunchuk** which is the reflection of the original Turkic word [boncuk](https://bliptext.com/articles/boncuk).\nIt is still used by some units of the [Polish military](https://bliptext.com/articles/military-of-poland).\n# [A banner flown in Sükhbaatar Square, Ulaanbaatar | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Mongol///tug.jpg]\n# [Ottoman Hungarian tughs captured by Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria in 1556 | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Bunchuk.jpg]\n# [A 19th century Ottoman tugh | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Ottoman///tui///1877///romanian///capture.jpg]\n\n# History\n\n## Early history\nAccording to [Gerard Clauson](https://bliptext.com/articles/gerard-clauson), the Turkic word tu:ğ, for traditional Turkic standards made from horse-tails or bunches of horse-hair, was borrowed from [Middle Chinese](https://bliptext.com/articles/middle-chinese) *dok 纛 \"banner, standard\" (whose ancestor is [Old Chinese](https://bliptext.com/articles/old-chinese) *du:g ([ZS](https://bliptext.com/articles/reconstructions-of-old-chinese)) ~ dˤuk and one of whose [many descendants](https://bliptext.com/articles/varieties-of-chinese) is [standard Chinese](https://bliptext.com/articles/standard-chinese) dú).\nIn contrast, according to linguist [Sevan Nişanyan](https://bliptext.com/articles/sevan-ni-anyan), the author of [the first etymological dictionary of Turkish](https://bliptext.com/articles/sevan-ni-anyan), it is more likely in terms of cultural history that the Chinese word tu or dú is borrowed from [Turkic](https://bliptext.com/articles/turkic-languages) or [Mongolic](https://bliptext.com/articles/mongolic-languages).\n[Annemarie von Gabain](https://bliptext.com/articles/annemarie-von-gabain) (1955) (apud Maenchen-Helfen, 1973) was inclined to derive Chinese 纛 *duok from Turkic *tuɣ; however, [Otto J. Maenchen-Helfen](https://bliptext.com/articles/otto-j-maenchen-helfen) thought that the loan direction had been apparently from Chinese into Turkic, as 纛 ([GS](https://bliptext.com/articles/grammata-serica-recensa) 1016) was the same as 翿 dào < d'âu < d'ôg, \"staff with feathers\" ([GS](https://bliptext.com/articles/grammata-serica-recensa) 1090z) 斿 ([variant](https://bliptext.com/articles/variant-chinese-characters) of 旒) liú ~ yóu < iâu < diôg \"pendants of a banner\" ([GS](https://bliptext.com/articles/grammata-serica-recensa) 1080a) 游 liú ~ yóu < \"pennon\" ([GS](https://bliptext.com/articles/grammata-serica-recensa) 1080f), which had been attested in the [Classic of Poetry](https://bliptext.com/articles/classic-of-poetry) and [Zuo Zhuan](https://bliptext.com/articles/zuo-zhuan), centuries before the first appearance of the allegedly Turkic-speaking [Xiongnu](https://bliptext.com/articles/xiongnu).\nChinese observers stated that the medieval [Göktürks](https://bliptext.com/articles/g-kt-rks) displayed a tuğ decorated with a wolf's head at their camp's gate in order not to forget their origin from a she-wolf ancestress.\nA [Western Turkic](https://bliptext.com/articles/western-turkic-khaganate) [tribal confederation](https://bliptext.com/articles/turkic-tribal-confederation), the [Duolu](https://bliptext.com/articles/duolu), was possibly named after tuğ, if Old Turkic Tuğluğ (𐱃𐰆𐰍𐰞𐰍), which was \"mentioned in the Chinese annals under various names: [Duolu](https://bliptext.com/articles/duolu) MChnL tuet-lǐuk[...], Dulu 都陸 MChnL tuǝ-liwk, [Duolu](https://bliptext.com/articles/duolu) 咄禄 MChnL tuet-luk\", means \"have flags (banners), have standards\".\nIt was also used by Mongolic tribes too.\nThe white-haired banner is used as a peacetime symbol, while the black banner was for wartime.\nUsage of the horse tail is symbolic because [horses were central to the Mongols' livelihood](https://bliptext.com/articles/horse-culture-in-mongolia).\nThis is similar to the use of horse tail hairs for the [morin khuur](https://bliptext.com/articles/morin-khuur).\nThe original white banner disappeared early in history, but the black one survived as the repository of Genghis Khan's soul.\nThe Mongols continued to honor the banner, and [Zanabazar](https://bliptext.com/articles/zanabazar) (1635–1723) built a monastery with the special mission of flying and protecting the black banner in the 17th century.\nAround 1937, the black banner disappeared amidst the [great purges](https://bliptext.com/articles/stalinist-repressions-in-mongolia) of the nationalists, monks and intellectuals, and the destruction of monasteries.\n\n## Modern era\n\n### The Nine White banners\nThe Nine White banners came into renewed significance in Mongolia after democracy was adopted in the early 1990s as a symbol of the traditional Mongolian state, replacing the previous [communist](https://bliptext.com/articles/communist) [red flags](https://bliptext.com/articles/red-flag-politics).\nThe state banner flown by the Mongols, the, is composed of nine flag poles decorated with white horse tail hairs hanging from a round surface with the Mongolian symbol of the 3 pronged flame, which appears on the [Soyombo](https://bliptext.com/articles/soyombo-symbol) (Representing the past, present, and future ), on the top.\nThe Nine White Banners was a peacetime emblem used exclusively by the [Khans](https://bliptext.com/articles/list-of-mongol-khans) in front of their yurt.\nThe central banner is larger in size than the rest and is placed in the center of the other eight.\nThe modern Mongolian nine white banners are kept in the [Government Palace](https://bliptext.com/articles/government-palace-mongolia) in [Ulaanbaatar](https://bliptext.com/articles/ulaanbaatar).\nOn National Pride Day, a traditional ceremony for the Nine White Banners is held.\n# [Nine White Banners inside the Government Palace | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Nine///White///Banners///at///Mongolian///Government///House.jpg]\n\n### Black banners\nThe Dörvön khölt khar sulde (Дөрвөн хөлт хар сүлд) or the lit. 'Four Base Black Banners' was used in wartime.\nIt is made of black horse tail hairs and flown in the same fashion.\nAccording to the illustrated Japanese chronicle [Mōko Shūrai Ekotoba](https://bliptext.com/articles/m-ko-sh-rai-ekotoba), the banner of [the Mongolian Yuan fleet that invaded Japan](https://bliptext.com/articles/mongol-invasions-of-japan) was black.\nThe modern Mongolian black banners are kept in the [Ministry of Defense](https://bliptext.com/articles/ministry-of-defense-mongolia).\n# [Black Banner inside the Government Palace | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Black///Banners///%28S%C3%BCld%29///at///Mongolian///Government///House.jpg]\n\n### Tugs in the Mongolian military\nWithin the [Mongolian Armed Forces](https://bliptext.com/articles/mongolian-armed-forces), the black tug is used as the [finial](https://bliptext.com/articles/finial) in [military colours'](https://bliptext.com/articles/military-colours-standards-and-guidons) flagpoles, while the white tug is used by the [Mongolian State Honor Guard](https://bliptext.com/articles/mongolian-state-honor-guard) and is the [finial](https://bliptext.com/articles/finial) in the colours of the civil security services.","current_revision":null,"created_by":"kACnuQmH5k9Nr5VNVEpVeg7XpvUmMctD","created_at":"2025-01-26T11:44:02.306Z","updated_at":"2025-01-26T11:44:02.306Z","search_vector":"'banner':2 'tug':1","search_content":" \n \n\n# \nA **tug** (, , ṭuġ or توغ tuġ, ) or **sulde** is a pole with circularly arranged horse or yak tail hairs of varying colors arranged at the top.\nIt was historically flown by [Turkic tribes](https://bliptext.com/articles/turkic-tribes) such as [Tuğluğ Confederation](https://bliptext.com/articles/duolu) and also during the period of the [Mongol Empire](https://bliptext.com/articles/mongol-empire), and later used in derived [Turco-Mongol](https://bliptext.com/articles/turco-mongol) khanates.\nIt was also used by the [Ottoman Empire](https://bliptext.com/articles/ottoman-empire), a state which was founded by Turkic [Oghuz tribes](https://bliptext.com/articles/oghuz-turks).\nIn the 17th century, it was also adopted by Slavic cavalry ([cossacks](https://bliptext.com/articles/cossacks), [haidamaka](https://bliptext.com/articles/haidamaka)), under the name **bunchuk** which is the reflection of the original Turkic word [boncuk](https://bliptext.com/articles/boncuk).\nIt is still used by some units of the [Polish military](https://bliptext.com/articles/military-of-poland).\n# [A banner flown in Sükhbaatar Square, Ulaanbaatar | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Mongol///tug.jpg]\n# [Ottoman Hungarian tughs captured by Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria in 1556 | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Bunchuk.jpg]\n# [A 19th century Ottoman tugh | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Ottoman///tui///1877///romanian///capture.jpg]\n\n# History\n\n## Early history\nAccording to [Gerard Clauson](https://bliptext.com/articles/gerard-clauson), the Turkic word tu:ğ, for traditional Turkic standards made from horse-tails or bunches of horse-hair, was borrowed from [Middle Chinese](https://bliptext.com/articles/middle-chinese) *dok 纛 \"banner, standard\" (whose ancestor is [Old Chinese](https://bliptext.com/articles/old-chinese) *du:g ([ZS](https://bliptext.com/articles/reconstructions-of-old-chinese)) ~ dˤuk and one of whose [many descendants](https://bliptext.com/articles/varieties-of-chinese) is [standard Chinese](https://bliptext.com/articles/standard-chinese) dú).\nIn contrast, according to linguist [Sevan Nişanyan](https://bliptext.com/articles/sevan-ni-anyan), the author of [the first etymological dictionary of Turkish](https://bliptext.com/articles/sevan-ni-anyan), it is more likely in terms of cultural history that the Chinese word tu or dú is borrowed from [Turkic](https://bliptext.com/articles/turkic-languages) or [Mongolic](https://bliptext.com/articles/mongolic-languages).\n[Annemarie von Gabain](https://bliptext.com/articles/annemarie-von-gabain) (1955) (apud Maenchen-Helfen, 1973) was inclined to derive Chinese 纛 *duok from Turkic *tuɣ; however, [Otto J. Maenchen-Helfen](https://bliptext.com/articles/otto-j-maenchen-helfen) thought that the loan direction had been apparently from Chinese into Turkic, as 纛 ([GS](https://bliptext.com/articles/grammata-serica-recensa) 1016) was the same as 翿 dào < d'âu < d'ôg, \"staff with feathers\" ([GS](https://bliptext.com/articles/grammata-serica-recensa) 1090z) 斿 ([variant](https://bliptext.com/articles/variant-chinese-characters) of 旒) liú ~ yóu < iâu < diôg \"pendants of a banner\" ([GS](https://bliptext.com/articles/grammata-serica-recensa) 1080a) 游 liú ~ yóu < \"pennon\" ([GS](https://bliptext.com/articles/grammata-serica-recensa) 1080f), which had been attested in the [Classic of Poetry](https://bliptext.com/articles/classic-of-poetry) and [Zuo Zhuan](https://bliptext.com/articles/zuo-zhuan), centuries before the first appearance of the allegedly Turkic-speaking [Xiongnu](https://bliptext.com/articles/xiongnu).\nChinese observers stated that the medieval [Göktürks](https://bliptext.com/articles/g-kt-rks) displayed a tuğ decorated with a wolf's head at their camp's gate in order not to forget their origin from a she-wolf ancestress.\nA [Western Turkic](https://bliptext.com/articles/western-turkic-khaganate) [tribal confederation](https://bliptext.com/articles/turkic-tribal-confederation), the [Duolu](https://bliptext.com/articles/duolu), was possibly named after tuğ, if Old Turkic Tuğluğ (𐱃𐰆𐰍𐰞𐰍), which was \"mentioned in the Chinese annals under various names: [Duolu](https://bliptext.com/articles/duolu) MChnL tuet-lǐuk[...], Dulu 都陸 MChnL tuǝ-liwk, [Duolu](https://bliptext.com/articles/duolu) 咄禄 MChnL tuet-luk\", means \"have flags (banners), have standards\".\nIt was also used by Mongolic tribes too.\nThe white-haired banner is used as a peacetime symbol, while the black banner was for wartime.\nUsage of the horse tail is symbolic because [horses were central to the Mongols' livelihood](https://bliptext.com/articles/horse-culture-in-mongolia).\nThis is similar to the use of horse tail hairs for the [morin khuur](https://bliptext.com/articles/morin-khuur).\nThe original white banner disappeared early in history, but the black one survived as the repository of Genghis Khan's soul.\nThe Mongols continued to honor the banner, and [Zanabazar](https://bliptext.com/articles/zanabazar) (1635–1723) built a monastery with the special mission of flying and protecting the black banner in the 17th century.\nAround 1937, the black banner disappeared amidst the [great purges](https://bliptext.com/articles/stalinist-repressions-in-mongolia) of the nationalists, monks and intellectuals, and the destruction of monasteries.\n\n## Modern era\n\n### The Nine White banners\nThe Nine White banners came into renewed significance in Mongolia after democracy was adopted in the early 1990s as a symbol of the traditional Mongolian state, replacing the previous [communist](https://bliptext.com/articles/communist) [red flags](https://bliptext.com/articles/red-flag-politics).\nThe state banner flown by the Mongols, the, is composed of nine flag poles decorated with white horse tail hairs hanging from a round surface with the Mongolian symbol of the 3 pronged flame, which appears on the [Soyombo](https://bliptext.com/articles/soyombo-symbol) (Representing the past, present, and future ), on the top.\nThe Nine White Banners was a peacetime emblem used exclusively by the [Khans](https://bliptext.com/articles/list-of-mongol-khans) in front of their yurt.\nThe central banner is larger in size than the rest and is placed in the center of the other eight.\nThe modern Mongolian nine white banners are kept in the [Government Palace](https://bliptext.com/articles/government-palace-mongolia) in [Ulaanbaatar](https://bliptext.com/articles/ulaanbaatar).\nOn National Pride Day, a traditional ceremony for the Nine White Banners is held.\n# [Nine White Banners inside the Government Palace | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Nine///White///Banners///at///Mongolian///Government///House.jpg]\n\n### Black banners\nThe Dörvön khölt khar sulde (Дөрвөн хөлт хар сүлд) or the lit. 'Four Base Black Banners' was used in wartime.\nIt is made of black horse tail hairs and flown in the same fashion.\nAccording to the illustrated Japanese chronicle [Mōko Shūrai Ekotoba](https://bliptext.com/articles/m-ko-sh-rai-ekotoba), the banner of [the Mongolian Yuan fleet that invaded Japan](https://bliptext.com/articles/mongol-invasions-of-japan) was black.\nThe modern Mongolian black banners are kept in the [Ministry of Defense](https://bliptext.com/articles/ministry-of-defense-mongolia).\n# [Black Banner inside the Government Palace | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Black///Banners///%28S%C3%BCld%29///at///Mongolian///Government///House.jpg]\n\n### Tugs in the Mongolian military\nWithin the [Mongolian Armed Forces](https://bliptext.com/articles/mongolian-armed-forces), the black tug is used as the [finial](https://bliptext.com/articles/finial) in [military colours'](https://bliptext.com/articles/military-colours-standards-and-guidons) flagpoles, while the white tug is used by the [Mongolian State Honor Guard](https://bliptext.com/articles/mongolian-state-honor-guard) and is the [finial](https://bliptext.com/articles/finial) in the colours of the civil security services.","revisionCount":0},"hasMore":false,"nextCursor":null}