Altaic mythology
Encyclopedia
The mythologies of the Turkic
and Mongol peoples are related and have exerted strong influence on one another. Both groups of peoples qualify as Eurasian nomads
and have been in close contact throughout history, especially in the context of the medieval Turco-Mongol empire.
The oldest mythological concept that can be reconstructed with any certainty is the sky god Tengri
, attested from the Xiong Nu in the 2nd century BC.
Geser (Ges'r, Kesar) is a Mongol religious epic about Geser (also known as Bukhe Beligte), prophet of Tengriism
.
Among the oldest sources for Turkic religion and mythology are the Irk Bitig
, a 10th-century manuscript found in Dunhuang
, and the historian Movses Kaghankatvatsi
describing the Huns
of the Caucasus, also of the 10th century. besides epigraphic evidence of the Orkhon
inscriptions of Mongolia and the Greek inscriptions of Madara
.
and Esege Malan
are creator deities
. Ot
is the goddess of marriage. Tung-ak
is the patron god of tribal chiefs. The Uliger
are traditional epic tales and the Epic of King Gesar is shared with much of Central Asia
and Tibet
. Erlig Khan (Erlik
Khan) is the King of the Underworld. Daichin Tengri is the red god of war to whom enemy soldiers were sometimes sacrificed during battle campaigns. Zaarin Tengri is a spirit who gives Khorchi (in the Secret History of the Mongols) a vision of a cow mooing "Heaven and earth have agreed to make Temujin (later Genghis Khan
) the lord of the nation". The wolf, falcon, deer and horse were important symbolic animals.
There are many different Mongol creation myths. In one, the creation of the world is attributed to a Lama
. In the beginning there was only water, and from the heavens Lama came down to it holding an iron rod from which he began to stir the water. The stirring brought about a wind and fire which caused a thickening at the center of the waters to form earth. Another narrative also attributes the creation of heaven and earth to a lama who is called Udan. Udan began by separating earth from heaven, and then dividing heaven and earth both into nine stories, and creating nine rivers. After the creation of the earth itself, the first male and female couple were created out of clay. They would become the progenitors of all humanity.
In another example the world began as an agitating gas which grew increasingly warm and damp, precipitating a heavy rain that created the oceans. Dust and sand emerged to the surface and became earth. Yet another account tells of the Buddha Sakyamuni
searching the surface of the sea for a means to create the earth and spotted a golden frog. From its east side, Buddha pierced the frog through, causing it to spin and face north. From its mouth burst fire and from its rump streamed water. Buddha tossed golden sand on his back which became land. And this was the origin of the five earthly elements, wood and metal from the arrow, and fire, water and sand. These myths date from the 17th century when Yellow Shamanism (Tibetan Buddhism using shamanistic forms) was established in Mongolia. Black Shamanism and White Shamanism from pre-Buddhist times survives only in far-northern Mongolia (around Lake Khuvsgul
) and the region around Lake Baikal
where Lamaist persecution had not been effective.
(Böri) symbolizes honour and is also considered the mother of most Turkic peoples
. Asena
(Ashina Tuwu) is the wolf mother of Bumen
, the first Khan of the Göktürks
.
The Horse
is also one of the main figures of Turkic mythology; Turks considered the horse an extension of the individual -though generally dedicated to the male- and see that one is complete with it. This might have led to or sourced from the term "At-Bey
i" (Horse-Lord).
The Dragon
(Evren), also expressed as a Snake
or Lizard
, is the symbol of might and power. It is believed, especially in mountainous Central Asia
, that dragons still live in the mountains of Tian Shan/Tengri Tagh
and Altay
. Dragons also symbolize the god Tengri
(Tanrı) in ancient Turkic tradition, although dragons themselves are not worshipped as gods.
The legend of Timur
(Temir) is the most ancient and well-known. Timur found a strange stone that fell from the sky (an iron ore meteorite), making the first iron sword from it. Today, the word "demir" means "iron".
Turkic mythology was influenced by other local mythologies. For example, in Tatar mythology elements of Finnic and Indo-European myth co-exist. Subjects from Tatar mythology include Äbädä
, Şüräle
, Şekä
, Pitsen
, Tulpar
, and Zilant
.
The legend of Oghuz Khan
is a central political mythology for Turkic peoples of Central Asia and eventually the Oghuz Turks
who ruled in Anatolia. Versions of this narrative have been found in the histories of Rashid ad-Din Tabib, in an anonymous 14th c? Uyghur vertical script manuscript now in Paris, and in Abu'l Ghazi's Shajara at-Turk and have been translated into Russian and German.
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
and Mongol peoples are related and have exerted strong influence on one another. Both groups of peoples qualify as Eurasian nomads
Eurasian nomads
Eurasian nomads are a large group of peoples of the Eurasian Steppe. This generic title encompasses the ethnic groups inhabiting the steppes of Central Asia, Mongolia, and Eastern Europe. They domesticated the horse, and their economy and culture emphasizes horse breeding, horse riding, and a...
and have been in close contact throughout history, especially in the context of the medieval Turco-Mongol empire.
The oldest mythological concept that can be reconstructed with any certainty is the sky god Tengri
Tengri
Tengri or Tengger Tengri or Tengger Tengri or Tengger (Old Turkic: ; Mongolian: Тэнгэр, Tenger; Chinese: 腾格里, Mandarin: Ténggélǐ, Hungarian: Tengri, Turkish: Tanrı, Bulgarian: Tangra (Тангра) is a sky god, formerly the chief deity of the early Turkic peoples, including the Xiongnu, Huns, Bulgars,...
, attested from the Xiong Nu in the 2nd century BC.
Geser (Ges'r, Kesar) is a Mongol religious epic about Geser (also known as Bukhe Beligte), prophet of Tengriism
Tengriism
Tengriism is a Central Asian religion that incorporates elements of shamanism, animism, totemism and ancestor worship. Despite still being active in some minorities, it was, in old times, the major belief of Turkic peoples , Bulgars, Hungarians and Mongols...
.
Among the oldest sources for Turkic religion and mythology are the Irk Bitig
Irk Bitig
Irk Bitig or Irq Bitig , known as the Book of Omens or Book of Divination in English, is a 9th century manuscript book on divination that was discovered in the "Library Cave" of the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, China, by Aurel Stein in 1907, and is now in the collection of the British Library in...
, a 10th-century manuscript found in Dunhuang
Dunhuang
Dunhuang is a city in northwestern Gansu province, Western China. It was a major stop on the ancient Silk Road. It was also known at times as Shāzhōu , or 'City of Sands', a name still used today...
, and the historian Movses Kaghankatvatsi
Movses Kaghankatvatsi
Movses Kaghankatvatsi , or Movses Daskhurantsi , is the reputed author of a 10th-century Old Armenian historiographical work on Caucasian Albania, known as The History of the Country of Albania .- Authorship :...
describing the Huns
Huns
The Huns were a group of nomadic people who, appearing from east of the Volga River, migrated into Europe c. AD 370 and established the vast Hunnic Empire there. Since de Guignes linked them with the Xiongnu, who had been northern neighbours of China 300 years prior to the emergence of the Huns,...
of the Caucasus, also of the 10th century. besides epigraphic evidence of the Orkhon
Orkhon
Orkhon may refer to:* Orkhon River, Mongolia* Orkhon Valley, the landscape around that river* Orkhon Province, an Aimag in Mongolia* several Sums in different Mongolian Aimags:** Orkhon, Bulgan** Orkhon, Selenge...
inscriptions of Mongolia and the Greek inscriptions of Madara
Madara
is a Japanese manga series, light novel series, role-playing video game, anime OVA and radio drama series.The Famicom Mōryō Senki MADARA was a Konami 1990 release that has never been officially localized...
.
Mongol
Bai-UlganBai-Ulgan
Bai-Ülgen or Ülgen is a Turkic and Mongolian creator-deity, usually distinct from Tengri but sometimes identified with him in the same manner as Helios and Apollo. His name is from Old Turkic bey, "rich", and ülgen, "magnificent"...
and Esege Malan
Esege Malan
Esege Malan, according to Mongol myth and the belief of the Buriats is the great Creator of all living things. His son is Solobung Yubin, a spiritual morning star which if offered sacrifices will reward the Mongol people with greater harvest yields and prosperity.As chief of the sky-spirits, Esege...
are creator deities
Creator deity
A creator deity is a deity responsible for the creation of the world . In monotheism, the single God is often also the creator deity, while polytheistic traditions may or may not have creator deities...
. Ot
Ot
Ot is the Mongolian goddess of marriage. In Mongolian folklore she is referred to as the "queen of fire". The word ōt means 'fire' in the Turkic languages. She was said to have been born at the beginning of the world, when the earth and sky separated...
is the goddess of marriage. Tung-ak
Tung-ak
Tung-ak was the Mongol patron god of tribal chiefs. Tung-ak was the ruler of the lesser spirits of Mongolian mythology....
is the patron god of tribal chiefs. The Uliger
Uliger
Üliger , is the general term given to tales and popular myths of the Mongols and Buryats of north-east Asia. They are an important part of the oral traditions among the Buryats and other Siberian tribes, and among other functions, were used to orally transmit Buddhist birth stories...
are traditional epic tales and the Epic of King Gesar is shared with much of Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
and Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
. Erlig Khan (Erlik
Erlik
Erlik, or Erlig, is the god of death and underworld in Turkic and Mongolian mythology.According to Siberian mythology, Erlik was the first creation of Tengri or Ulgan, the creator god, but Erlik's pride led to friction between the two, and he was banished to the underworld.In the myths of the...
Khan) is the King of the Underworld. Daichin Tengri is the red god of war to whom enemy soldiers were sometimes sacrificed during battle campaigns. Zaarin Tengri is a spirit who gives Khorchi (in the Secret History of the Mongols) a vision of a cow mooing "Heaven and earth have agreed to make Temujin (later Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....
) the lord of the nation". The wolf, falcon, deer and horse were important symbolic animals.
There are many different Mongol creation myths. In one, the creation of the world is attributed to a Lama
Lama
Lama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru .Historically, the term was used for venerated spiritual masters or heads of monasteries...
. In the beginning there was only water, and from the heavens Lama came down to it holding an iron rod from which he began to stir the water. The stirring brought about a wind and fire which caused a thickening at the center of the waters to form earth. Another narrative also attributes the creation of heaven and earth to a lama who is called Udan. Udan began by separating earth from heaven, and then dividing heaven and earth both into nine stories, and creating nine rivers. After the creation of the earth itself, the first male and female couple were created out of clay. They would become the progenitors of all humanity.
In another example the world began as an agitating gas which grew increasingly warm and damp, precipitating a heavy rain that created the oceans. Dust and sand emerged to the surface and became earth. Yet another account tells of the Buddha Sakyamuni
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
searching the surface of the sea for a means to create the earth and spotted a golden frog. From its east side, Buddha pierced the frog through, causing it to spin and face north. From its mouth burst fire and from its rump streamed water. Buddha tossed golden sand on his back which became land. And this was the origin of the five earthly elements, wood and metal from the arrow, and fire, water and sand. These myths date from the 17th century when Yellow Shamanism (Tibetan Buddhism using shamanistic forms) was established in Mongolia. Black Shamanism and White Shamanism from pre-Buddhist times survives only in far-northern Mongolia (around Lake Khuvsgul
Lake Khuvsgul
Lake Khövsgöl , also referred to as Khövsgöl dalai or Dalai Eej is the fresh water and largest lake in Mongolia by volume, and the second largest by area and third lake with purest from of water in the world....
) and the region around Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal is the world's oldest at 30 million years old and deepest lake with an average depth of 744.4 metres.Located in the south of the Russian region of Siberia, between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast, it is the most voluminous freshwater lake in the...
where Lamaist persecution had not been effective.
Turkic
The WolfGray Wolf
The gray wolf , also known as the wolf, is the largest extant wild member of the Canidae family...
(Böri) symbolizes honour and is also considered the mother of most Turkic peoples
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
. Asena
Asena
Asena is the name of one of the ten sons, whom mythical female wolf gave birth to, in old Turkic mythology. It is associated with a Göktürk ethnogenic myth "full of shamanic symbolism"...
(Ashina Tuwu) is the wolf mother of Bumen
Bumin Khan
Bumin Qaghan or Illig Qaghan was the founder of the Turkic Khaganate...
, the first Khan of the Göktürks
Göktürks
The Göktürks or Kök Türks, were a nomadic confederation of peoples in medieval Inner Asia. Known in Chinese sources as 突厥 , the Göktürks under the leadership of Bumin Qaghan The Göktürks or Kök Türks, (Old Turkic: Türük or Kök Türük or Türük; Celestial Turks) were a nomadic confederation of...
.
The Horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
is also one of the main figures of Turkic mythology; Turks considered the horse an extension of the individual -though generally dedicated to the male- and see that one is complete with it. This might have led to or sourced from the term "At-Bey
Bey
Bey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word...
i" (Horse-Lord).
The Dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
(Evren), also expressed as a Snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
or Lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
, is the symbol of might and power. It is believed, especially in mountainous Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
, that dragons still live in the mountains of Tian Shan/Tengri Tagh
Tian Shan
The Tian Shan , also spelled Tien Shan, is a large mountain system located in Central Asia. The highest peak in the Tian Shan is Victory Peak , ....
and Altay
Altay Mountains
The Altai Mountains are a mountain range in East-Central Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan come together, and where the rivers Irtysh and Ob have their sources. The Altai Mountains are known as the original locus of the speakers of Turkic as well as other members of the proposed...
. Dragons also symbolize the god Tengri
Tengri
Tengri or Tengger Tengri or Tengger Tengri or Tengger (Old Turkic: ; Mongolian: Тэнгэр, Tenger; Chinese: 腾格里, Mandarin: Ténggélǐ, Hungarian: Tengri, Turkish: Tanrı, Bulgarian: Tangra (Тангра) is a sky god, formerly the chief deity of the early Turkic peoples, including the Xiongnu, Huns, Bulgars,...
(Tanrı) in ancient Turkic tradition, although dragons themselves are not worshipped as gods.
The legend of Timur
Timur
Timur , historically known as Tamerlane in English , was a 14th-century conqueror of West, South and Central Asia, and the founder of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia, and great-great-grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived as the Mughal Empire in India until...
(Temir) is the most ancient and well-known. Timur found a strange stone that fell from the sky (an iron ore meteorite), making the first iron sword from it. Today, the word "demir" means "iron".
Turkic mythology was influenced by other local mythologies. For example, in Tatar mythology elements of Finnic and Indo-European myth co-exist. Subjects from Tatar mythology include Äbädä
Äbädä
Äbädä is an innocent forest spirit in Tatar mythology. It looks like an old woman.Äbädä also is represented in mythologies of Siberian peoples....
, Şüräle
Süräle
Şüräle , is a male monster in Bashkir and Tatar mythology. According to legends, Şüräle lives in forests. He has long fingers, a horn on its forehead, and a woolly body...
, Şekä
Seka
Seka is an American pornographic actress who appeared in many pornographic films during the late 1970s and the 1980s.-Career:...
, Pitsen
Pitsen
Pitsen is a forest creature in West Siberian Tatars' mythology.Pitsen's role is contradictory. It could bring luck, but also troubles, leading humans to wilderness....
, Tulpar
Tulpar
Tulpar is a winged or swift horse in Turk mythology . Corresponds to Pegasus. Tulpar is also in state embles of Kazahkstan and Mongolia- Bibliography :...
, and Zilant
Zilant
Zilant is a legendary creature, something between a dragon and a wyvern. Since 1730, it has been the official symbol of Kazan. This winged snake is a part of Tatar and Russian folklore and is mentioned in legends about the foundation of Kazan....
.
The legend of Oghuz Khan
Oghuz Khan
Oghuz Khan was a legendary and semi-mythological Khan of Turks. Some Turkic cultures use this legend to describe their ethnic origins and the origin of the system of political clans used by Turkmen, Ottoman, and other Oghuz Turks...
is a central political mythology for Turkic peoples of Central Asia and eventually the Oghuz Turks
Oghuz Turks
The Turkomen also known as Oghuz Turks were a historical Turkic tribal confederation in Central Asia during the early medieval Turkic expansion....
who ruled in Anatolia. Versions of this narrative have been found in the histories of Rashid ad-Din Tabib, in an anonymous 14th c? Uyghur vertical script manuscript now in Paris, and in Abu'l Ghazi's Shajara at-Turk and have been translated into Russian and German.
See also
- AlpamyshAlpamyshAlpamysh, also spelled as Alp-amish or Alpamish , is an ancient Turkic epic or dastan — ornate oral history, generally set in verse — and one of the most important examples of the Turkic oral literature of Central Asia...
- Turco-MongolTurco-MongolTurko-Mongol is a modern designation for various nomads who were subjects of the Mongol Empire. Being progressively Turkicized in terms of language and identity following the Mongol conquests, they derived their ethnic and cultural origins from steppes of Central Asia...
- AsenaAsenaAsena is the name of one of the ten sons, whom mythical female wolf gave birth to, in old Turkic mythology. It is associated with a Göktürk ethnogenic myth "full of shamanic symbolism"...
- Finno-Ugric mythology
- Tibetan mythology
- Scythian mythology
- Shamanism in Siberia
- Epic of ManasEpic of ManasThe Epic of Manas is a traditional epic poem claimed by the Kyrgyz people dating to the 18th century, though it is possibly much older. In some earlier versions, however, Manas is identified as Nogay. This opens the possibility of Manas having spoken a dialect of Turki similar to that of the...
- The Secret History of the MongolsThe Secret History of the MongolsThe Secret History of the Mongols is the oldest surviving Mongolian-language literary work...
- Turkish folkloreTurkish folkloreThe tradition of folklore—folktales, jokes, legends, and the like—in the Turkish language is very rich, and is incorporated into everyday life and events.-Nasreddin Hoca:...
- Korean mythologyKorean mythologyKorean mythology consists of national legends and folk-tales which come from all over the Korean Peninsula. Even within the same ethnic group, myths tend to have slightly different variations...
- BurkhanismBurkhanismBurkhanism or Ak Jang is a new religious movement that flourished among the indigenous people of Russia's Gorno Altai region between 1904 and the 1930s. Czarist Russia was suspicious of the movement's potential to stir up native unrest and perhaps involve outside powers...