«Лунные» предметы и их функции в культуре тюрко-монгольских народов Внутренней Азии

Introduction. The article continues the series of works dealing with to the lamp of heaven — moon. The article focuses on manifestations of ‘lunar’ images and their symbolism in the material culture of Turko-Mongols across Inner Asia. Goals. The paper aims to identify objects directly or indirectly related to ‘lunar’ images and their symbolism, and to examine their functional and symbolic meanings. Results. A group of objects, most of which are represented by jewelry, has been identified. The image of the lamp of heaven is conveyed in white metals — silver and tin, products made from these metals (jewelry, buttons, coins, ritual objects), and minerals of biological origin — pearls and mother-of-pearl, which were used to decorate women’s jewelry. Out analysis of the terms associated with valuable minerals of natural origin indicates the places from which such goods were delivered to the investigated region — the Persian Gulf and China. It has been revealed that despite the rich mythology and diverse symbolism of pearls and mother-of-pearl inherent in the cultures of China and the Middle East, these foreign concepts did not permeate the worldviews of Inner Asian Turko-Mongols. Pearls and mother-of-pearl were viewed as the earthly embodiment of the night star and, like the moon proper, these valuable minerals were endowed with the properties of bestowing fertility, longevity and beauty on women.