In today’s dynamic world, Central Asia is emerging as a trendsetter in fashion, culture, lifestyle, and worldview. The ancient Tengrian faith, deeply rooted in Central Asian mythology and superstitions, may soon resurface creatively among the region’s people, though it is unlikely to be reinstated as an official religion. While some in Kazakhstan attempt to distance themselves from Abrahamic religions, Tengrism remains a vital part of the cultural heritage, featuring gods, demigods, and dark entities that shaped the beliefs of our ancestors during the pre-Islamic era.

photo: pininterest: Tengri’s domain

Divine entities

According to Tatar scientist and writer Gali Rahim, shamanism attributes significant roles to various spirits and deities. Among the Turkic peoples, the supreme deity is Tengri, the eternal blue sky. Rahim’s lectures on “The Folklore of the Kazan Tatars,” presented at the East Pedagogical Institute in the 1920s, describe Tengri as the primary god in Turkic cosmology, with the earth and humanity emerging from the union of the sky and the earth.

Umai, the goddess associated with motherhood and children, stands next in importance. Ancient Turkic inscriptions and symbolic artifacts, such as the stone carving discovered in 2012 in the Zhambyl district of Almaty, Kazakhstan, depict her as a protective figure for children. Teleut pagans represented her as a silver-haired, young woman who descended from heaven on a rainbow to guard children with a golden bow, and the Kyrgyz appealed for her help during childbirth and when children fell ill. Motifs dedicated to Umai by Shorian shamans, were positioned around cradles. Boys’ cradles were pierced with an arrow,  girls’ with a spindle, and wooden arrows were placed within the those of both.

Another prominent character common to Turkic, Mongolian, and Altaic mythology is Erlik or Yerlik Khan. Ruler of the underworld, the horned deity presides over the realm of the dead from a palace of black mud or blue-black iron on the bank of the Toibodym, a river of human tears. A single horsehair bridge is guarded by monsters known as dyutpa whilst the palace is protected by Erlik’s sentries or elchi, brandishing pike poles known as karmak. His breath, carried by a tan, a light warm breeze, was believed to paralyze anyone who inhaled it, which is why the Khakas term for paralysis, tan sapkhany, literally means “wind blow.”

Kudai (Khudai), also known as Ulgen, is another central deity who, alongside his brother Erlik, created the land, its vegetation, mountains, and seas. Kudai created man from clay, and Erlik gave him his soul. Kudai created a dog but it was Erlik who clothed it in hair. Whilst Kudai created the first animals, the horse, the sheep, and the cow, Erlik created the camel, the bear, the badger, and the mole. Kudai brought down lightning from the sky and commanded thunder. In a dispute over who was the mightiest creator, Kudai won. The brothers parted ways, and after producing nine sons, from whom the tribes of Kpchak, Mayman, Todosh, Tonjaan, Komdosh, Tyus, Togus, Cousin, Kerdash originate, Kudai became creator of humanity.

Demons and Evil Forces

The Turkic pantheon also includes various demonic entities. Al Basty, evil female spirits, were believed to cause illnesses and nightmares. Zhalmauyz Kempir, similar to the Russian Baba-Yaga, is a forest-dwelling creature, often described as having seven heads, few teeth and an appetite for human flesh, that preys on lost people. Zheztyrnak, a female demon with copper claws and an eagle’s beak, and Kuldyrgysh, a siren-like spirit that tickles men to death, are other fearsome figures. In Tajik and Uzbek folklore,  Ajina, a goat-headed giant who lies in wait for naughty children in ash piles and empty houses, and the werewolf -like Gul Yoboni, are but two more malevolent spirits that illustrate the region’s rich and diverse mythology.

This overview of Turkic mythology reveals a heritage as captivating and complex as the celebrated legends of the Mediterranean. Just as Greek mythology incorporates elements from various ancient cultures, it is possible that Turkic mythological beings have influenced other pantheons.