Mongolian metal band The Hu sing odes to Genghis Khan and the sky god Tengri
Heavy metal band The Hu’s folk-metal music and warlike appearance are underlain by a shamanist spirituality and devotion to a sky deity
An eight-man heavy metal band from Mongolia known as The Hu have done what few thought could happen in the 21st century: create a new genre of folk-metal music.
Decked out in black war regalia straight from the 13th century, they sing invocations to a Mongolian sky deity and odes to 13th-century warlord Genghis Khan.
Their success – The Hu is the first Mongolian band to top a US Billboard chart (in 2019) and they have been streamed 780 million times on Spotify – arguably has little to do with their message, which includes thoughts on war, destiny and climate change. It has everything to do with their style, from their entrances under a black Mongolian war banner to their wild Mongolian vibe.
But underlying their metal chops is a shamanist spirituality and a devotion to the sky deity Tengri, a folk pantheism they share with some 5 per cent of Mongolians.