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The Mother of Genghis Khan, the Great Khan

Genghis Khan, a great Mongo ruler once controlled the largest land in the world.

By Angela Chin

January 6, 2026
3:48 pm
Los Angeles, CA

Genghis Khan, whose personal name was Temujin, was the leader of the ancient Mongol tribes. With his unparalleled talent and strategic brilliance, he unified the various Mongol tribes, established the Mongol Empire, and was elected Great Khan. He established military, political, and legal systems, and led the Mongol cavalry on conquests across Eurasia, laying the foundation for a vast empire. He was a hero of the Mongols and an outstanding military strategist and statesman in Chinese history. Temujin’s father, Yesugei, was a tribal chief. His mother, Yuelun, was acquired by Yesugei during a marriage abduction. Temujin’s childhood was spent in turbulent times. Due to economic and cultural backwardness, conflicts frequently occurred between the Mongol tribes. When Temujin was nine years old, his father was poisoned by enemies from another

Temujin’s father, Yesugei, was a tribal chief. His mother, Yuelun, was acquired by Yesugei during a marriage abduction.

Temujin’s childhood was spent in turbulent times. Due to economic and cultural backwardness, conflicts frequently occurred between the Mongol tribes. When Temujin was nine years old, his father was poisoned by enemies from another tribe, leaving behind Temujin and his five younger siblings, as well as a stepmother who had two sons. The family of nine depended on his mother, Yuelun.

After Yesugei was poisoned, his people ignored Yuelun and her son, neglecting them during ancestral rites and sacrificial offerings. Not long after, Yesugei’s followers were lured away by the Taichuwu people, abandoning Yuelun and her son. They ruthlessly dismantled their tents, even driving away Temujin’s livestock.

Upon hearing this, Yuelun took her military flag and went to pursue them, intercepting some of her followers. However, these captured followers still refused to stay and soon slipped away again. Helpless, she could only watch her husband’s power dwindle day by day. Fortunately, she was very capable, gathering fruit and wild vegetables to feed her children. The children grew up amidst hardship, becoming incredibly strong warriors, excellent archers, and capable of riding horses across the grasslands.

Temujin and his brothers were determined to support their family. So they made fishing hooks and bent needles over a fire to catch small, white fish. Sometimes they also used a net to catch both small and large fish. One day, the three brothers went fishing, and a large, bright fish took the bait. However, it was snatched away by their stepmother’s brothers. Before this, Temujin had caught a bird, which was also stolen. The brothers were furious and rushed back to tell their mother.

Yuelun told them a story: “Long ago, my ancestor, Axinghuo’a’s mother, had five sons who were not united and loved to fight. One day, Axinghuo’a took out five arrows and asked each of her sons to break them one by one, but they all broke. Then she took out five arrows bundled together and asked them to break them, but none of them could break them.” Then she said to them gently, “A bundle of arrows cannot be broken, but a clenched fist has strength. You brothers should unite. Don’t forget, the revenge for the Taichuwu people has not yet been taken!”

Under their mother’s careful education and upbringing, Temujin and his brothers grew up day by day. The people of the neighboring Taichuwu tribe became worried, fearing that Temujin, when he grew up, would unite his old tribes against them. One day, they gathered some men and attacked Temujin’s home, shouting, “We only want Temujin, not anyone else!” At this time, Temujin was riding his horse on a nearby hillside. Hearing that his enemies wanted to capture him, he quickly mounted his horse and fled into the dense forest in the mountains. His enemies saw his back and gave chase. However, the forest was vast and dense, making it difficult to find a small child. They laid an ambush outside the forest, waiting for Temujin to emerge. Temujin could only find wild fruits to eat in the dense forest, enduring more than ten days of hunger until he could no longer bear it. He thought: “If I’m going to starve to death like this, I might as well risk going out to see what’s happening.” With a determined bite, he led his horse down the mountain. Unexpectedly, he was captured by his patrolling enemies as soon as he emerged from the forest. Temujin was put in shackles and paraded around as a warning. Temujin did not lose heart; he feigned panic and fear, allowing himself to be manipulated, while secretly searching for an opportunity to escape. One night, the Taichiwu tribe held a banquet, and everyone went to drink and make merry, leaving only a young boy to guard him. Temujin deliberately started playing billiards and shouting loudly. The boy, indeed, fell for the trap, peeking in. He had barely uttered a shout when Temujin struck him hard on the head with a wooden cangue, knocking him to the ground. Temujin fled for his life. Returning home, he immediately moved his entire family to Mount Bufanhan, thus escaping the Taichud.

Later, Temujin united several larger tribes and finally unified the Mongol people, becoming the Great Khan. Even then, Yuelun never forgot to educate his son. Once, the shaman Tebu Tengri, seeking to sow discord, spread rumors that “according to celestial signs, the Mongol Empire will be ruled alternately by Genghis Khan and his brother Khasar.” The Mongol people were very superstitious, and Genghis Khan, believing this, immediately ordered the arrest of Khasar to eliminate the threat. Seeing the impending fratricide, Yuelun, upon hearing the news, realized the gravity of the situation and rushed over in a black-covered cart pulled by white camels.

At dawn, Yuelun arrived and saw Genghis Khan angrily questioning Khasar, who had his sleeves bound and his crown removed. In Mongolia, removing the crown during interrogation of criminals signifies the stripping of authority. Yuelun strode forward, personally untied Khasar’s bound sleeves, returned the crown to Khasar, and put it back on. Seeing his mother’s anger, Genghis Khan dared not utter a sound. Yuelun suppressed her rage, sat down, crossed her legs, and slowly unbuttoned her clothes, revealing her breasts. She pointed sadly to her chest and said, “Do you see this? This is the milk you all drank. You who were born biting your own amniotic sacs, severing your own umbilical cords—what did Khasar do to deserve this?”

As she spoke, Yuelun’s sharp gaze swept over Genghis Khan and the others. One by one, they lowered their heads in shame. Yesü should have died young; they and their brothers had all been raised by their widowed mother, Yuelun. Yuelun was intelligent and capable on the battlefield. Genghis Khan’s brothers, from a young age, both respected, loved, and feared their mother. Yuelun then admonished them: “Remember when you were little? Temujin only drank from my breast. Khachiun and Otchichi together couldn’t even finish one breast. Only Khasar had a good appetite and drank from both breasts. Therefore, my Temujin has great ambitions, and my Khasar has the strength and skill of an archer, capable of subduing those who draw their bows. Now that the enemy is defeated, do you no longer need Khasar and want to destroy him?”

Genghis Khan waited until his mother’s anger subsided slightly before carefully apologizing: “I was afraid and ashamed to have angered Mother! I will change my ways from now on and ensure that my brothers and I unite to fight the enemy together.”

Yuelun used apt metaphors and familial affection to teach Temujin the magnanimity and breadth of mind of a great man, thus preventing internal strife. This story has become a cherished tale of a mother educating her son.

Source:BBC