About The Turkish Mythology
Bar nemenı yok dep aytana bardı yok tegen yok bolar. / Olan şeye yok deme. Eğer yok dersen, o zaman var olan şey de yok olur. / Don’t say no to what is. If you say it does not exist, then what exists also disappears.
The brain starts to code and develop itself while still in the mother’s womb. As a young child, we begin to analyze the cause and effect relationships of what is happening around us. Initially, this behavior, which is more primitive, begins to improve over time with the integrative contribution of multiple intelligences, moving away from itself and materiality. While forming its own identity with idols it references, rights and wrongs, experiences and skills, it enters into a search for identity within the existing world. Well, for every seed we plant in our journeys in search of finding what we are looking for; if what we give it more water than it needs, we insist on it taking root in the wrong soil, while limiting it to fenced land to grow? What if we are stuck between what is given to us, what we want, and our choices? So what kind of resistance can we need for our own identity? I don’t have a valid answer on resistance, but as humanity, when we reach a sufficient level of consciousness, I can say that we all have common tendencies regardless of which geography and under what conditions we are in. I think the most basic of these can be “Where did we come from and where are we going?” Mythology at this point, in times when science has not yet begun to show its existence, and philosophy has not yet come to life, are social stories that try to make sense of these questions in the minds of societies. The belief structure, communication styles, and social rules of the current and other interacting societies can be examined at a sociological level. Fears and hopes; attitudes towards different genders can be discussed. Evaluations can be made on living standards by evaluating the soil structure and weather conditions of the region it is in. Therefore, mythology is quite important to understand the emotions and thoughts of our ancestors and the conditions they had. I consider the mythology of each nation separately as very valuable and as the arche of historical science.
When we look at Turkish mythology, there is a common thing that we see in the literature. This common ground is that Turks did not keep records of their own mythology and did not create a source that provides sufficient information. Therefore, it is emphasized that it is very important to benefit from the sources of neighboring nations with which communication is established, due to the fact that a primary source work like “Theogonia” which includes answers to many questions did not reach our day. In general, it is said in the sources that Chinese and Byzantine documents, Persian and Arabic writings, Russian and European sources should be carefully examined for Turkish Mythology. While writing this article, I benefited from the books of Fuzuli Bayat and Yasar Coruhlu, which are the first two books I read about mythology. The reason for reading both of them together is that the authors have different interpretations about mythological gods. In addition, the fact that there are different versions of mythological stories should not be overlooked. Furthermore, there are accepted clear information about the physical characteristics of the main mythological characters and the responsibilities they are held accountable for in the universe. For example, Ulgen being long-bearded and three-faced, creating the whole universe and being a god of goodness are generally accepted characteristics. Here, I will share information about the accepted stories in the books in simple and understandable. My aim is to contribute to arousing curiosity about Turkish mythology with a brief and superficial sharing before including quotes about Turkish mythology in my writings (just as I like to make quotes about Greek mythology). However, you should know that I am not an expert on the subject and you must definitely read the primary sources.
Fuzuli Bayat, in his book, bases existence on a single god by including mythological gods; while Yasar Coruhlu, on the other hand, emphasizes the cooperation of each of the smaller and larger gods in comparison to each other based on the narration of environmental sources and approaches the situation from a more polytheistic perspective. What they have in common is that they both base their mythology on nature.
Honestly, according to the texts in the sources, I also agree that is polytheistic in their approach. However, it should not be forgotten that even in the writings about the Altai and Yakut Turks belonging to the same story, differences can be seen. What I want to say is, we are talking about a nation that is spread over a very wide geography, and both affecting and affected. It is not unexpected that the monotheistic approach seen in more societies over time has manifested itself in the transition from Turkish Mythology to the theological stage. Bayat, in his approach, emphasized the existence that is greater than Ulgen (god of goodness, sky god) who sits on the 16th floor, and who, according to some stories, created Ulgen along with the gods while sitting on the 17th floor. According to some Shamanistic quotes, this existence greater than Ulgen is Kögö Mönkö Tengri (Kogo Monko God) or Gök Tengri (Sky God). However, in different stories, the contribution of Ak Ana (Great/White Mother) in creation is inevitable. Ak Ana does not represent any layer of the sky and underworld world. When there was nothing in that universe and chaos prevailed everywhere, it is the source of light in the darkness. I don’t know how accurate a comparison it would be, but Ak Ana reminds me a bit of Gaia in Greek Mythology. Gaia creating Uranus and both existing at the beginning is not exactly the same, but a similar starting point. We can see the partnership of humanity being influenced by each other and being able to make the same conclusions collectively in mythological comparisons. While some differentiate in the early stages, some have changes and transformations that date back to much later stages, but the questions and quests are similar. Here, too, there is the situation of Ak Ana calling Ulgen when there was no universe at the beginning and Ulgen creating everything. Just as I cannot fully understand the relationship between Ak Ana (Ag Ene) and the god on the 17th floor, some sources also write that Ulgen can be seen as Gök Tengri. However, there is also a quote from the Teleüt myth stating that Ulgen was created by Kogo Monko: [1, page 25]
Üstyügünin üç sürgek / Üstte üç ateşli gök / Three fiery skies above
Üç ocoktu Bay Ülgen / Üç kutsal ocaklı Bay Ülgen / Three sacred hearths Lord Ulgen
Kögö Mönkö jarılgan / Kögö Mönkö tarafından yaratılan / Created by Kogo Monko
Kök syürgekten yekelgen / Mavi gök tarafından oluşturulan / Composed by the blue sky
In addition, although the expression Mr. Ulgen is mentioned, it is also seen that he is sometimes addressed as Mr. Ulgen Mother.
In Ibn Fadlan’s travelogue, he mentioned that the Oghuz Turks do not belong to any religion because they do not believe in monotheistic religions. According to the source: [2, page 49]
“Some of them say that there are twelve deities: the god of winter, summer, rain, wind, trees, humans, animals, water, night, day, death, and life, each being a separate deity. The god in the sky is considered the greatest of them all. However, he acts in agreement with the others. Each of them is content with what the other does. ‘Allah is entirely different from what the disbelievers think.’ İsra:42”
There are different versions of the stories I will provide below. Those who can arouse curiosity should refer to two books I have mentioned as reference and the primary sources of those two books. The stories are quoted based on the ones mentioned in the works of the authors.
Ulgen & Erlik
Before anyone existed, there was Ak Ene living in the depths of the vast waters with no shore. Ak Ene was the sole source of light in the chaos where darkness reigned. There was also Mr. Ulgen, suspended above the water. Ulgen witnessed the inspiration for the act of creation when Ak Ene emerged halfway from the water and called out to him, with neither earth nor sky present. Ak Ene caught the stone that emerged from the water and whispered to white Ulgen from within:
Aldında tut, aldında tut / Önündekini yakala, önündekini yakala / Catch the one in front of you, catch the one in front of you
Ettım pyuttı, dep / Yap, o zaman yaptıklarım olacak, de / Do it, then what I do will happen, say
Yoksa etkenim pyutneri, dep, deme / Onda yaptığım olmadı, deme / Don’t say what I didn’t do in it
Ulgen performed the act of creation on it and then commanded as follows (I really liked this part):
Bar nemenı yok dep aytana bardı yok tegen yok bolar. / Olan şeye yok deme. Eğer yok dersen, o zaman var olan şey de yok olur. / Don’t say no to what is. If you say it does not exist, then what exists also disappears.
Ulgen’s twin brother (or according to some sources, his son) helped him create the world. He brought soil from the water to help Ulgen create his place, but Erlik also wanted a place of his own. Therefore, Erlik, who kept soil in his mouth, was shaken by the words Ulgen spoke to create and spat out the soil growing in his mouth. Thus, mountains, hills, and rugged terrain came into existence with the contribution of Erlik Khan. In the creation, the universe was built three-tiered. One was the Sky, one was the Middle World, and the other was the Underworld. Each of the three faces of Ulgen was watching each of these worlds separately to be aware of what was happening in them. Erlik, on the other hand, was sent to the Underworld and was responsible for it.
Erlik interfered with Ulgen’s act of breathing the soul into the human body, which he created from the earth and bones from stone. While Ulgen contemplated how the human soul should be, he assigned a dog to protect the bodies he created. Erlik tricked the dog by saying that he could give it feathers to protect the hairless dog, and he blew the souls into human bodies with his flute. Thus, humans could not become perfect and pure beings endowed with goodness. Upon this, even though Ulgen wanted to destroy the created humanity, a frog spoke to him. It said that destroying them would be a mistake, and that humans should be left to their own free will. Those who choose goodness will be good, and those who choose evil will be evil, but most importantly, these will be their own choices. The dead will die, and the living will remain. Therefore, Ulgen left humans to their own devices and gifted them with fire. Humans improved with the gift of fire. However, Erlik Khan’s interference in the creation process had caused humans to have a foul smell. Seeking a solution, Ulgen turned the outside of humans inside, and the inside outside. Thus, “The essence of man remained inside, while the deception remained outside.”
According to ancient Turks, Ulgen leaves the couple named Toringey and Ece on their own. While allowing them to do as they please, he forbids them from eating the fruit of a certain tree. To protect the couple he leaves behind, he also leaves a snake. However, Erlik appears and tempts humans. Unfortunately, Ece is the first to eat the forbidden fruit and she gives some of it to Toringey to eat it as well (I have expressed my discomfort with the attitude towards that seducer is a woman in most myths or theological stories in my article “About The Women”). When Ulgen returns and sees this, he curses the snake he left behind to protect humans. As a punishment for being the first to eat the forbidden fruit, Ece is given fertility. This allows humans to multiply, but the pains she experiences in this process become her recompense. Toringey, on the other hand, is given the responsibility of taking care of the family, protecting them throughout his life. Ulgen sends both of them to the earth.
To make a brief note about the proliferation of people on earth and their souls taking up residence in their bodies, the necessary lifeblood for the newborn child is provided when Ulgen, sitting on the golden throne on the 16th floor of the sky, gives the order to Yayık (his son or assistant). In accordance with the order, one of the yayuchis (yayuçi) brings life for the newborn child from the Milk White Lake in a box. Thus, the yayuçi who brings the soul is placed on the soul’s right shoulder and is tasked with protecting it until it dies. Erlik Khan, on the other hand, was sent to the underworld because he was defeated in the war with God Yamandag at the beginning of the universe. According to one narrative, Erlik (Siberian Tatars), who gives breathe the life of the newborn children, takes that life back after the person dies. In the court he established in his own world, he establishes a court to evaluate the good and bad actions of spirits. There, Erlik, with his forked beard consisting of two parts to create his own world, turns the souls whose evil deeds prevail in the court he established into kormos (körmös / Erlik’s servants). Thus, along with the yayuchis sitting on the right shoulder of the soul living on earth, the kormoses accompany the worldly lives of the created souls by sitting on their left shoulders.
In the beginning, the water in which Ak Ene was found gave the archaea of the universe; It was Ulgen who gave the most important fire for humanity. It was Erlik who gave freedom of humanity will a chance by breathing in evil, which is the opposite of goodness, as well as goodness.
Umay
The main Mother Goddess in Turkish mythology, who is the protector of women, children, and animals, is the Umay Ana (Umay Mother). Living among the clouds in the sky, Umay Ana sometimes transforms into a bird and watches over the earth by flying. Also known in Yakut mythology as Ayıısıt or Kübey Hatun, Umay Ana brought birch trees to the earth and can live within them. Wishes are made to him with ornaments and rags tied to beech trees. Some researchers believe that Umay, who is also connected to the sun, is also known as the ‘Yellow Girl’.
After Umay Ana gives birth to a child, she is responsible for the child until they stop breastfeeding. Once the child stops breastfeeding, they have their own life. Represented by the bow and arrow, families who want to protect their babies from evil spirits draw these symbols around the baby’s sleeping area. It is also important to mention Albastı and Kara Umay (Black Umay) here. These characters are the complete opposite of Umay Ana, feeding evil thoughts towards the child and posing a threat to harm them. It is necessary to protect not only the baby but also pregnant women. According to the writings, it is seen that the stories of these characters were encountered during the transition from a matriarchal society structure to a patriarchal society structure among the ancient Turks. In this period, there is a transition from the stories of the protective, fertile, life-giving, and powerful mother goddess Umay to the stories of Kara Umay.
In the source written by Potapov about Altai Shamanism;
“Every person’s life begins in the “Sky” part of the universe, when he has not yet taken a similar shape. It is sent to earth by God in its materialized form there. … as a result of blowing the shaking fetuses to the earth, it passes from the smoke hole of the house to the fireplace and from there to the woman. After this period, the intrauterine life period of the human begins. During this period, his connection with the sky goddess Umay was revealed; body, bones and blood are formed… The women mentioned in the old Turkish inscriptions, the women giving birth and the newborn baby were under the protection of Umay Ana, the protective spirit. The baby, who could not speak, could easily communicate with Umay, smiling when the goddess entertained her and crying when she left. However, when the baby started talking freely with his/her family and relatives… his connection with Umay was lost.” [2, pages 98–99]
From Umay, who is depicted with silver hair in Altai Turks and with white hair in other Old Turkish texts; It is mentioned in the sources that families who expect their children to help with their illnesses make white-haired puppet dolls and put them next to the sick child.
In addition, Umay is mentioned as the second greatest god in Tonyukuk inscriptions. Umay, the wife of the Gök Tengri (Sky God), who maintains order in the universe. It is written that their representatives on earth are the ruler and his wife [2, page 98].
While Çoruhlu wrote in his book that Prof. Nejat Diyarbekirli said in his speeches, “In the most foggy periods of history…” talks about the periods when mythologies about the ancient Turks were still alive. Unfortunately, no comprehensive text written down by the mythologies of those periods has been found. The studies revealed by comparing the surrounding sources with each other and with the findings from the main sources are very valuable for a nation to understand its roots.
References
[1] Bayat, F. (2017). Mythological Stories Of Ancient Turks. Ötüken Neşriyat Inc.
[2] Çoruhlu, Y. (2019). Brief History Of Turkish Mythology. İstanbul: Alfa Printing Publishing Distribution.
