The objects and phenomena of the material world are diverse, and accordingly, the interactions and interconnections between them are also diverse.
Togolok Moldo sought to explain natural phenomena. In his poem "The Earth and Its Children," fire speaks:“I ignite with warmth
I thaw the frosts
I warm the frozen
The sun's rays rejoice
In the light of the day
Illuminating the face of the Earth,
I am the light of all.”
“I ignite.
I thaw all that is frozen,
I warm all that is cold.
The sun's rays within me
Delight all on Earth;
I illuminate the Earth,
I am the light.”
As can be seen from the lines provided, the akyn understood that the basis of light and fire on Earth is the Sun. However, in his later works, this materialistic understanding did not continue. The akyn underestimated the significance of the Sun, failing to realize that its influence is not limited to the plant and animal worlds of Earth. His conclusions that the Earth is the center of the world and that the world originated from the Earth are also incorrect:
“The whole world: wind, water —
All came from me,
All created by me —
Rivers and lakes.
My name is Earth.”
The logical conclusion of his erroneous cosmological views was the assertion that both the Sun and the Moon, as well as the stars, revolve around the Earth.
The Four Elements - The Foundation of Life
The akyn-thinker believed that the material foundation consists of four elements: rain, water, wind, and fire; these elements are also the foundation of life. Moreover, in his works, the akyn depicts them not as abstract concepts but as concrete representations.
As is known from the history of philosophy, the author of the geocentric doctrine was Ptolemy; Plato substantiated and spread Ptolemy's idea that the Earth is the center of the world, asserting that the Universe was created by God from fire, clay, air, and water.
Of course, the Kyrgyz people were only slightly familiar with these ideas, through akyns, accountants, travelers, and merchants.
Togolok Moldo, observing various natural phenomena, tried to explain them, to give them an objective assessment, as confirmed by such poems as "Two Childe" and "Urker-Urker Top Stars."
In the poem "Two Childe," the akyn describes a strong winter frost:
“The winter chill lasts forty days
It is cold day and night,
The blizzard covers the land
Nothing is visible, it’s foggy.
Kyrdach strikes fiercely,
It’s cloudy during the day, clear at night,
Cold winds blow...
Kyrdach lasts six days...
Following are the Six Sons of Ady,
Then the Seven Sons of Jedy.
After them
A ray of sunlight penetrates the yurt — it’s spring.
With spring comes jute.
Ut lasts fifteen days.”
Childe — the forty coldest or hottest days of the year. Extreme conditions, i.e., harsh tests of endurance and resilience for nomadic herders, began about a week into the last month of winter, when the ground had frozen solid during December and January in this mountainous region of Ala-Too.
Ut — the name of the twelfth month of the Solar calendar, corresponding to the period from February 22 to March 21 (this period is very dangerous for extensive nomadic herding — during this time, livestock often dies from jute). According to the akyn, this period spans from March 6 to March 21. Of course, herders associated this period with hopes for better: “When the ray enters the yurt, the livestock begins to produce milk,” they would say.
In these verses, Togolok Moldo not only describes the strong winter frost but also provides a detailed characterization of individual cycles of the cold period. For example, Kyrdach (the name of the initiator of the cold days) showed its harsh nature from February 9 to 15.
According to the description of the folk akyn, during this time, an extensive cyclone was actively affecting our areas, bringing cold and piercing icy winds. During the day, the sun is hardly visible, while the nights are clear — warmth escapes from the surface of the Earth into the atmosphere. In such cold, the body certainly requires a large reserve of energy. The period of apkyt-sapkyt (literally, the back of the shoe) occurred roughly from February 15 to 20. Meteorological observations show that before the onset of cyclones and anticyclones, the weather becomes warmer (snow melts intensively, and thawed patches form), then the cold returns. The Six Sons of Ady and the Seven Sons of Jedy coincide with the end of winter, i.e., with the period from February 21 to March 6. According to herder beliefs, the winter childe, before leaving our areas, addresses its friend Kyrdach with such a request:
“— Be strong and fierce,
My friend Kyrdach, be fierce.
Be strong and fierce.
The livestock remains fat,
The young stallion is plump,
The young ewe has a good belly,
The mare has a thick crest,
The camel has full humps.”
“Do not weaken your strength,
Friend Kyrdach,—
The youth is still well-fed,
The girl is healthy,
The lamb has a good back,
The foal has good fat.”
It is likely that the akyn here describes an anticyclone. An anticyclone spreads more slowly compared to a cyclone. Therefore, when an anticyclone is present in winter, the cold persists for a very long time, many days in a row, as Togolok Moldo described. A vivid example can be the entire February and more than twenty days of March 1989. The spread of the Siberian anticyclone in our areas lowered the temperature in the Chui Valley to -20°C. Snow lay even in the center of Frunze city, and dense fogs often arose. In the past, such prolonged frosts brought many misfortunes to the Kyrgyz people. Insufficient feed reserves for livestock, food, and fuel caused many hardships. From exhaustion, mass die-offs of livestock began, and nomads would say: “I drink dung, I eat glue.” People suffered from colds, and avitaminosis began.
This disease was called in the folk tradition "kara ezok maal"; there was also a saying: “The fat becomes thinner, and the thin breaks.”
The Old Kyrgyz Calendar - Togool.
As is known, the climate in every part of the globe depends on the amount of solar radiation, the structure of the upper layer of soil (black soil, gray clay, sandy, rocky, etc.), the density of vegetation cover, relief, and atmospheric circulation.
The circulation process occurs constantly and has a regular nature. For example, a mass of cold air accumulated in the Arctic basin moves towards the continent along the meridian and sometimes reaches Central Asia. In certain years, a strongly cooled mass of air from the north reaches the Mediterranean Sea, and through it — North Africa. The intrusion of cold masses lowers air temperature in the spring-summer period to freezing, and in winter — leads to biting frosts. Thus, the winters of 1955-1956, 1968-1969, 1978-1979, and 1984-1985 were very prolonged and cold, which was related to the nature of atmospheric circulation that has been consistently occurring in the Northern Hemisphere over the last 20-30 years.
In the mountain regions (the proximity of high mountains is a significant factor influencing frequent changes in weather for the worse), people still firmly hold the belief that childe in winter means terrifying and torturously long-lasting days: “If even one day of winter childe remains, it can still be jute.”
In addition to the four elements (rain, water, wind, and fire), the akyn was interested in certain constellations. For example, in the poems written for children (“Pleiades — a cluster of stars”), he describes the movement of the Pleiades across the sky. At the end of winter, before the onset of spring, Urker is located in the east, descends below the horizon, and becomes invisible in our region. People thought: if this cluster of stars descends to the ground, the earth will begin to warm.
At the end of summer, the Pleiades gradually rise above the horizon; at this time, the harvest of grains and cereals is ripening. During this same period, livestock gives birth, and vegetables and fruits are harvested. When the Pleiades descend below the horizon, according to Togolok Moldo, the preparation of food and abundance on earth depend on them:
“After I have eaten my fill,
I will move together with the Moon!”
About the proximity of the Pleiades to the Moon, which begins in deep autumn — in November, the akyn was well aware of the old Kyrgyz calendar, Togool.