Хятан бичгийн хөшөөний бичээс дэх арван хоёр жилийн тухай шинжлэл

The twelve zodiac animals in Khitan epigraphy

Abstract

The “Twelve Zodiac” culture has a long history. Relevant rock paintings have been discovered in the living areas of northern nomadic peoples, proving that this culture has been inherited and developed among different ethnic groups and in various fields since the Paleolithic Age. The Khitan, an ancient northern nomadic people, established the Liao Dynasty (916-1125) in the early 10th century under the leadership of Yelu Abaoji. In Liao Dynasty Khitan tombs, statues and animals of the Twelve Zodiac are often seen on the murals of the tomb ceilings, the unearthed epitaph covers, and the sloping surfaces around the mourning register covers. Inscriptions in the Khitan large and small scripts confirm that the Khitans used the Twelve Zodiac to represent the earthly branches, which, combined with the five-element heavenly stems, formed a complete cyclic chronological system of the heavenly stems and earthly branches. At present, although there have been phased achievements in the research on the “Twelve Zodiac” in Khitan inscriptions, there are many controversies over the pronunciation and etymology of relevant characters. This paper sorts out the previous research results and puts forward personal opinions on these issues.