Abstract
The article is based on field research of oral history of Zakhchin, one of the Western Mongolian (or Oirat) small ethnic groups living in Khovd aimag, Mongolia. It brings together orally transmitted stories and other oral historical mentions on Mergen tsorj, a famous monk, who lived in the beginning of 20th century in the contemporary Uyench sum.
The focus of the article is to show, how a historical person has been transformed into a mythological hero in the oral history of Western Mongolians. Narrators are convinced that deeds of Mergen tsorj had positive influence on his region both in his time and after his death.
The storytelling about important local religious personalities as a part of the local oral history expresses the relation of the narrators to their birthplace (nutag). As far as these personalities are only rarely registered in archive sources, this small case study emphasises the importance of the authentic oral history in the Mongolian countryside.