Back to Verse 2 of the bardcore version of “We Didn’t Start the Fire”:

Charlemagne, Alfred
Anne Boleyn without a head
Few things here to read
But the Nibelungenlied
Castile with Aragon
Second pope in Avignon
Novgorod, Chinggis Khan
Beowulf, Decameron

I must admit that I did not know that “Chinggis Khan” is an alternate form of Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire.

It so happens that I recently listened to an episode of the “Library of Lost Time” from the Strong Sense of Place podcast where Mel and Dave talked about the lost tomb of Genghis Khan. Here are some things that I learned:

Chinggis Khan died in 1227 probably in China during a military campaign. He died of bubonic plague or possibly a battle wound, being struck by lightning, or stabbed by a Chinese princess. His army then carried him 300 miles so he could be buried in Mongolia. It is said that the army killed everyone they met along the way. His burial was witnessed by 2000 slaves who were then executed by soldiers, the soldiers were killed by assassins, who finally killed themselves. Chinggis Khan was likely buried in a log chamber 20 meters underground along with gold, jewels, armour, weapons, and other treasure. Legend has it that a river was diverted to cover his tomb or that a forest was planted over it. For over 800 years the surrounding area has been guarded by the Darkhad, a tribe of Mongolian guardians who claim not to know the exact location of the tomb. In recent years searches have been launched, including one by National Geographic. People have used satellite imagery, drones, and ground-penetrating radar in their attempts to locate the tomb, but it remains hidden.

Sidenote: Chinggis Khan was responsible for the death of 40 million people, possibly one in six people alive in the world at the time. (Aren’t you glad we don’t live in the Middle Ages?!)