The Mongolian nation has a great cultural heritage of oral and written literature. From early times it was used widely when educating and bringing up children and this is the reason that folklore is still known to all Mongolians. It takes the forms of tales, legends, proverbs, wise sayings, teaching, riddles, verses, poetic verse, heroic epics and odes. Since it is an oral form, all of them would be narrated or sung to the accompaniment of national stringed instruments such as the Morin khuur (Horse head fiddle).
"The Secret History of Mongols" is a unique form of folklore, a combination of prose and poetry. Works that vividly continue the spirit and style of the Secret History include such notable monuments of Mongolian prose and poetry of the 13th century as "The Story of Chinggis Khaan's Two Steeds", "The Legend of Argasun, the Rhapsode", "The Wise Discourse of an Orphan Boy with Chinggis Khaan's Nine Warlords" etc., The largest form in native literary expression is the epic (tuuli), which originated many centuries ago.
There are a lot of Mongolian famous epics such as Geser, Jangar, and Khaan Kharangui. In the 17th and 18th centuries, translated books on religion, history and literature dominated. Through these and other efforts, the spiritual life of Mongols was enriched by the ancient Indian poetry of Kalidasa, the poetical theory of Dandina and the philosophical treaties of Nagarjuna. The literature of the Mongols developed as an entirely independent phenomenon in the process of continuous interaction with world literature, above all the literature of the Asian region: Indian, Chinese and Tibetan.
In the later half of the 19th century, a new tend in Mongolian written literature found expression in the works of the poets D.Ravjaa (1803-1856), V.Injinash (1837-1892), B.Gulrans (1820-1861), Gelegbalsan (1846-1923) and R.Khishigbat (1899-1916). The contemporary Mongolian literature began in the 1920s and is represented by famous poets and writers D.Natsagdorj, Ts.Damdinsuren, B.Renchin, S.Buyannemekh, D.Tsevegmed, D.Namdag, Ch.Lodoidamba, B.Yavuukhulan, Ch.Chimed, L.Tudev. D.Purevdorj and others. More than a thousand works by 100 Mongolian writers were translated into 20 foreign languages to tailing 9.5 million published copies. The Law on the cultural policy of the State aims to encourage and strengthen the development of a national culture and promote these achievements in the world forum.
