I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade

by Diane Wilson

  A gasp jumped from the girl.

  “What is it, granddaughter?” the old woman asked calmly.

  The girl looked in awe into the wisely nodding face of her grandmother. “She—the filly, I mean—she said she’s ready.”

  Glossary

  aaruul a hard, yellow cheese made from the milk of camels, cows, goats, or sheep

  ail a group of herdsmen and their families traveling and camping together

  Almas a legendary half-man, half-beast; the Abominable Snowman of Mongolia

  arban a military unit of ten soldiers

  arslan lion

  ayrag fermented mare’s milk

  boal a drink made of honey

  bustard a large, sturdy-legged bird, similar to a turkey

  del a thick wraparound robe with a stiff, stand-up collar; the traditional Mongol garment

  gan-cao the Chinese name for the licorice plant; its powdered root can be eaten to counteract toxins in the body

  gentian a blue-flowered plant that can be used to reduce swelling

  ger a circular tent made of layers of felt stretched over a wicker frame

  gobi an area of hard soil strewn with gravel and sparse vegetation

  Golden Nail the North Star

  Itugen goddess of the earth

  khuruud a hard, sun-dried curd

  Koke Mongke Tengri supreme deity of the Mongols; literally, the “Eternal Blue Sky”

  kulan a wild ass

  lama a member of the Buddhist religion practicing celibacy and living in a monastery

  marmot a large rodent, similar to a woodchuck, living in underground burrows

  mong brave

  morinkhour a two-stringed violin-like instrument with a carved horse head in place of the scroll, played with a bow made of horsehair and wood

  obo a shrine

  paiza a passport; historically, a tablet made from such materials as wood, copper, or gold and carrying an inscription entitling the bearer to safe passage

  saiga a bulbous-nosed antelope

  Sain bainu? How do you do?

  sandgrouse a pigeon-like bird

  Seven Giants the Big Dipper

  shirdik the wool floor mat of a ger

  suslik a small, burrowing rodent, similar to a ground squirrel

  tarag a thin yogurt

  Tengri see Koke Mongke Tengri

  urga a long pole with a leather loop at the end, used for capturing horses

  usan water

  About the Author

  Diane Lee Wilson has been in love with horses since the age of three, when she was “soundly kicked on the shin by a carnival pony.” She spent her childhood as many young people do: reading and dreaming about horses, and riding as often as possible. While studying toward degrees in fine arts and English at the University of Iowa, she worked each summer at a professional stable in Texas, learning how to train and show horses. She now lives outside of San Diego, California.