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Last Page Update:
November 6, 2001
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Norman J. Finkelshteyn
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Heraldry of the Red Kaganate
The image at the right is of a circular metal disk found in a Saltovo-Mayevsky period burial.
Similar images of Solar discs with six, eight, and sometimes more "rays", created by pairing a central circle with triangles to represent the rays, abound in the Turko-Mongol context from Eastern Europe to China.
Quite often, shamanistic Turco-Mongol tribes attached a substantial cultural and religious significance to this image. A similar sort of significance was attached to the same image (now generally limited to six rays and considered a Star) by Muslims and Jews and it was even adopted in Western Europe with both decorative and "magical" purposes.
The Red Kaganate Flag consists of a Gold, Six-Rayed Sun image upon a field of Red. More image files of the flag are provided below.
The Triangular shape with dagged edging, as used here, seems to be a distinctly Turko-Mongol flag shape. However, the Rectangular flag we are used to today was certainly used and would therefore be an apropriate alternative.
The Gold-colored edging may be required for reenactors participating in the SCA.
An individual tribe or Khanate may vary the flag by adding its own Tamga or individual Totemic image either vertically to the left of the Sun (near the pole) or horizontally below the Sun.
The Sun Flag is the full symbol of the Kaganate. There would be one of these for a camp or military group.
However, each Lancer (or Spearman) may have a Pennon on his Lance or Spear.
A Pennon commonly consisted of a narrow vertical rectangular flag from which extended one or more long, narrow, horizontal triangular "tongues".
The Red Kaganate Heraldic Pennon is shown here. The shape and light/dark color pattern is based most directly on drawings or carvings of Lancers on Saltovo-Mayevsky finds, as published by Pletneva.
Similar spear pennons are shown in art from multiple other Turco-Mongol contexts, sometimes having a single "tongue" as opposed to the two "tongues" here, and sometimes having more than two. Also, there was sometimes a separation between the "tongues", as opposed to here, where the "tongues" are adjacent. A larger Pennon image file is provided below.
The Red Kaganate Sun Flag design lends itself quite well to shield design. The image presented here as an example is of a Simple Centre Boss round shield. Here, the Boss itself serves as the Sun disk. The triangles may be painted on or made in brass/bronze and riveted. A larger image file is provided below.
I do not have certain information whether shield design was used as an identifier in the Turko-Mongol context ...but it seems like a nice design to me. Certainly shields with religious and cultural symbolism are to be found and this can be argued to be a sort of identifier of alegience.
Following are the larger image files for Flag, Pennon, and Shield. Alas, something went wrong with my software and the "transparency" is not always quite transparent. Anyone with a will to clean things up is welcome to (larger files with a white background are available by request).
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