THE CULTURE, ORIGIN AND MYTHS OF TURKIC NATIONS

There are perhaps 300 million Turkic people in the world today, with only about 40
percent of them living in Turkey. They rest are scattered across Central Asia, Eastern
Europe, the Middle East and northern and western China, making them one of the most
widely scattered races in the world. All these people descended from a small tribe of
horseman that originated in the Altai region.This essay will discuss ancient culture,
history, origin and myths of Turkic nations while correlate their present with their past.

The Altai Region is a mountainous area in central Asia where Mongolia, Russia,
Kazakhstan and China all come together. Situated between the Gobi Desert and the
Siberian Plain, it is regarded as the homeland of the of the Mongolians, Turks, Koreans
and Hungarians. Ural-Altaic languages are named after the region. Ancient petroglyphs
found in the area are believed to have been made the ancestors of the Altay.

The first Turks were nomads (In addition 'Nomad' is a male Turkic name) who spoke an
Ural-Altaic tongue similar to Mongolian, Finnish, Korean and Hungarian. Other Turkic
people include the Uzbeks in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz in Kyrgyzstan, Turkmen in
Turkmenistan, Kazakhs in Kazakhstan, Mongolians, Tartars in Russia, Uighars in western
China, Azeris in Azerbaijan, Yakuts in Siberia. Some even regard Koreans and
Hungarians as the relatives because their languages are similar.

The Turks were such excellent horsemen the ancient Chinese called them “horse
barbarians." Turkish women reputedly could conceive and gave birth while riding. Based
on excavations and stele observations in Mongolia, archaeologists say that early Turks
dressed themselves in silk, wool and animal skin garments; men wore daggers in their
belts and earrings in both ears; and both men and women braided their hair.The earings
represented their rank in army and they cut own hair as a Japanese Samurai when they
lost a war.

That means the warrior has lost his most important thing 'honor'.Honor was the most
importat thing in Turk's life.It was an honor for them to die while fighting and dying of
old age was a shame.Even today when Turks drinking alcohol, they raise glasses and say
'Şerefe'.That means 'to honor'.

The ancient Turks were adept hunters, preying on roe deer and mountain goats, which
they sometimes drove into pens. They were one of the first groups of people to use
saddles with stirrups and pants to ride horses in comfort. This enabled them to swiftly
attack their enemies because they could stand up and shoot their long bows while riding
(We can see this figure in Avar Turk's flag.)Ancient Turks were so attached to their horses
that rulers and warriors often had their fully harnessed mounts buried with them after
they died.In additional one Turkic proverb says 'Horses are the wings of Turks'.

As a result of the nomad culture, 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-beyi" (horse-lord).

Horses were the main component of the Turk's routine life.They did not used them only
for riding.Also they benefited it as meat and milk resource.They put raw horse meat
under saddle to produce bacon.And they used horse milk to produce 'Kımız'.Kımız is a
fermented dairy product traditionally made from mare's milk.However it has never been
as popular as 'yoğurt'.

These ancient Turks raised millet, lived in felt yurts(a kind of tent) like Mongolian
nomads today, and worshiped a fertility goddess, a god of the underworld and their
Turkish ancestors. They made swords and spears from iron and were known for their
metal working skill. Some of their leaders wore armor made from golden plates.

When we consider the social life in old Turkic societies, we can clearly say that Turks
were the one of the oldest feminist society in the world.

Since the family is the most important social unity in the old Turkic societies, the
woman who forms the basis of the family has been established in such a high level in
Turkic epics and Turkic philosophy that there is no possibility of not admiring the
tradition and culture that make women so high. The woman is appointed as the man's
only companion and mother of the children. More importantly, it is the only source of
fertility of the Turkish nation.

In the Turkic epics, a divine task is assigned to the woman. In Turkic mythology, Ak
Ana (white mother) figure is the most important example of this. It was Goddess Ak
Ana, who came out of the infinite waters, gave Ulgen the order to create, and returned
back to the waters. According to the beliefs of Altay Turks, Ak Ana is a female figure.
Ülgen's first inspiration for creation is from Ak Ana, demonstrating how important the
female figure is in Turks. Turks see women as a creator. Ak Ana is depicted with a pair of
horns at the beginning. This shows the power of Ak Ana.

In accepting the ambassadors of foreign states, the khatun(queen) would be with the
khan. In the ceremonies and feasts, the woman sits on the left of the khanate and
expressed her views in the political and administrative positions. For example, on behalf
of the great Hun Empire, China signed the first peace treaty with Tanrıkut Mete Han's
Katun.
 In ancient Turks women had the right to inheritance. The woman had her own property.
She had the right to use it the way she wanted.When we look at the old flag of Uygurs, a
head of man and woman symbols represent equality of genders.

Tomris Hatun is the most significant evidence of feminism in Turkic society.She is the
first commander and female ruler (in 6th century B.C.) in the World history.

The word "Turk," is derived from the Chinese character Tu-Kiu, which means "forceful"
and "strong." The Chinese believed these Turks descended from wolves and the Great
Wall of China may have been built to keep them out. According to legend a gray wolf led
the first Turkic tribes from their homeland in Central Asia into Anatolia.

The wolf symbolizes honor and is also considered the mother of most Turkic peoples.
Asena is the name of one of the ten sons who were given birth by a mythical wolf in
Turkic mythology.

The legend tells of a young boy who survived a raid on his village. A she-wolf finds the
injured child and nurses him back to health. He subsequently impregnates the wolf which
then gives birth to ten half-wolf, half-human boys. One of these, Asena, becomes their
leader and establishes the Asena clan which ruled the Göktürks and other Turkic nomadic
empires. The wolf, pregnant with the boy's offspring, escaped her enemies by crossing
the Western Sea to a cave near to the Qocho mountains, one of the cities of the
Tocharians. The first Turks subsequently migrated to the Altai regions, where they are
known as expert in ironworkers, as the Scythians are also known to have been.

The Ergenekon legend tells about a great crisis of the ancient Turks. Following a
military defeat, the Turks took refuge in the legendary Ergenekon valley where they were
trapped for four centuries. They were finally released when a blacksmith created a
passage by melting rock, allowing the gray wolf to lead them out.A New Year's
ceremony commemorates the legendary ancestral escape from Ergenekon.

The grey wolf (Kökbörü,Gökbörü or Bozkurt) has been the symbol of Turks in
history.We are able to see that in Göktürk's flag.At the present time only Gagavuz Turks
use this symbol on flag.However other Turkic nations are using it in different ways.

There is one symbol seen among the Turkic nations to greet each other with hand even
today.They hold the edge of middle and ring finger's edges while raising the pointing and
sparrow fingers up as a wolf's ears.Nowadays,one nationalist party is using this symbol to
greet it's followers in Turkey.

There are few reasons of this symbol.The top reason why Turks had choose this animal
as a symbol is wolfs are not domestic animals and they are not able to be trained.If a wolf
captured by a human, it chooses to death instead of captivity and bite its own neck to the
death.Turks have thought that this animal's nature is close to their wish of
freedom.Furthermore wolves are political animals.They have organisation ability and
their hunting strategy inspired Turk's crescent strategy (Turan, wolf's trap,pincer
movement) at war.

The pincer movement, or double envelopment, is a military maneuver in which forces

simultaneously attack both flanks (sides) of an enemy formation.The pincer movement
typically occurs when opposing forces advance towards the center of an army that
responds by moving its outside forces to the enemy's flanks to surround it. At the same
time, a second layer of pincers may attack on the more distant flanks to keep
reinforcements from the target units.A full pincer movement leads to the attacking army
facing the enemy in front, on both flanks, and in the rear. If attacking pincers link up in
the enemy's rear, the enemy is encircled. Such battles often end in surrender or
destruction of the enemy force, but the encircled force can try to break out. They can
attack the encirclement from the inside to escape, or a friendly external force can attack
from the outside to open an escape route.

The shape of Turkic army (crescent) also seen in some Turkic nations flags even
today.For instance Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Chuvashistan, Northern
Cyprus, East Turkestan (Uyghur) and Turkey.

Turks have been known throughout history for their fierceness and fighting skills.All
Turk's names are also related with their warrior culture.A child who born in a Turkic
family were not named suddenly as other cultures.A child had to earn a name as showing
a heroic attitude in a war or they can be named what kind of job they do.Otherwise, a
Turk who could not earn a name has not accepted as a individual in a society.

The legend of Timur (Temir) is the most ancient and well-known example of this
tradition.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".

Turks had their own religion before the Islamic occupation of Central Asia.Kök Tengri
is the first of primordial deities in the religion of the early Turkic people. He was known
as yüce or yaratıcı tengri (Creator God) after the Turks started to migrate and leave
middle Asia, and see monotheistic religions Tengrism was changed from its
pagan/politheistic origins. The religion was more like zoroastrianism after its change,
with only two of the original gods remaining, Tengri, representing the good god and
Uçmag ( a place like heaven or vallhalla), while Erlik took the position of the bad god
and hell. The words Tengri and Sky were synonyms. It is unknown how Tengri looks. He
rules the fates of entire people and acts freely. But he is fair as he awards and punishes.
The well-being of people depends on his will. Tengri worship is first attested in the Old
Turkic Orkhon inscriptions of the early 8th century.
 Except of the Köktengri, there were many mythological creatures existed in Turkic
mythology.

Erlik is the symbol of bad in Turkish Shamanism and mythology. Turkish Shamanism
gives the sementic explanation «bad» with the symbol of Erlik. Erlik is the source of
«bad and dark deeds and the symbol of devastation and disorder.It’s known as the
beginning of the bad souls in Altai Turks mythic descriptions. Erlik is equal to Devil and
described as a monster in Shaman prays. It has got an athletic body and very dark eye
brows and curly hair. His fork beard lenghtens to his knees. His moustache which is like a
wild boar’s tooth is on his ears. His chin like a hammer and horns like tree roots. Erlik
lives in a mud castle in the underworld.

Tepegöz (Cyclops) is a legendary creature who has only one eye on his forehead. He’s
an ogre that appears in the book of Dede Korkut, a famous epic story of the Oghuz Turks.
His mother is a nymph and his father a shepherd. Tepegöz can be male or female. It has a
magic ring. It’s said to live at Mount Kaf.The Sword can not cut him, The arrow can not
kill him. Tepegöz’s skin is very hard. His weak side is his one eye on his forehead.
Finally he was killed by a very wise hero named Basat.

Yalpaghan is the dragon god of Altai and Turkish mythologies. He’s the king of all the
dragons. He seems like a dragon with seven heads at any time and eats human flesh and
It’s the enemy of horses. Yelbeghen is often multi headed (with 3,7 or 9 heads) It’s black
or yellow. According to Altai people eclipse of the moon and sun happen because
Yelbeghen eats them. According to the epics, Yelbeghen lives in dark forest or in his
country which has got ninety-nine corner. It eats snakes and frogs. It is capable of
opening the blind’s eyes and turning the disabled people who don’t have arms or legs in
to abled position.

In conclusion, Turkic societies have many mythos, traditions, cultural feautures.And

they owe it to live in a constant place at no time in their past.

Ercan Serhan Tetik

REFERENCES

-Ahmet Taşkesen, Er Tabıldı Destanında Kadın Tipler, Türkoloji Araştırmaları, Vaolme

2/3, 2007.

-Haydar Gölbaşı, Türk Destanlarında Kadının Sportif Faaliyetlere Karılımı, Jasss,

Number: 38, Autumn II, 2015

-Özkul Çobanoğlu, Türk Dünyası Epik Geleneği, Akçağ Yay.. Ankara, 2011.

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