>
> Casting off the "Mongol Yoke" was the foundation myth
> of the Russian state, so it's not really comparable to
> "red Indians."
Huh? From hysterical narrative captives to puritans who thought the Asiatics of North America the devil's own to Hollywood westerns, where the redskins outnumber the whites 10-1, the Indians are the OTHER of the American foundation myth. Notice, too, how Mongol-like the Plains Indians actually became once they had Spanish horses! And as the Pete Townsend album title says, 'All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes'. Perhaps Pete noticed that in addition to John Waynes effeminate swagger, the guy had Asiatic eyes (which is why he may not have been THAT miscast as Ghengis himself in a huge Hollywood flop).
> There is a Russian urban legend that
> WWII was precipitated by the opening of Tamarlane's
> tomb.
I don't think that quite qualifies as an urban legend, but it sure is interesting.
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