Tengri: Difference between revisions

Tengri
Tengri
God of Heaven
Abode	Sky
Gender	Male
Ethnic group	Turkic peoples
Genealogy
Spouse	Umay

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Tengri (Old Turkic: 𐰚𐰇𐰚:𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃, romanized: Kök Teŋri/Teŋiri, lit. 'Blue Heaven'; Old Uyghur: tängri; Middle Turkic: تآنغرِ; Ottoman Turkish: تڭری; Kyrgyz: Теңир; Kazakh: Тәңір; Turkish: Tanrı; Azerbaijani: Tanrı; Bulgarian: Тангра; Proto-Turkic: *teŋri / *taŋrɨ; Mongolian script: ᠲᠩᠷᠢ,^[1] T'ngri; Mongolian: Тэнгэр, Tenger; Uyghur: تەڭرى, tengri^[2]) is the all-encompassing God of Heaven in the traditional Turkic, Yeniseian,^{[citation needed]} Mongolic, and various other nomadic religious beliefs.^[3] Tengri is not considered a deity in the usual sense, but a personification of the universe.^[4] However, some qualities associated with Tengri as the judge and source of life, and being eternal and supreme, led European and Muslim writers to identify Tengri as a deity of Turkic and Mongolic peoples.^[5] According to Mongolian belief, Tengri's will (jayayan) may break its own usual laws and intervene by sending a chosen person to earth.^[6]

It is also one of the terms used for the primary chief deity of the early Turkic and Mongolic peoples.

Worship surrounding Tengri is called Tengrism. The core beings in Tengrism are the Sky Father (Tenger Etseg) and the Earth Mother (Umay Ana).^{[dubious – discuss]} It involves ancestor worship, as Tengri was thought to have been the ancestral progenitor of mankind in Turkic regions and Mongolia,^[7] shamanism, animism, and totemism.^{[citation needed]}

Name

Spelling of 𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃‎ *tengri* in the Old Turkic script (written from right to left, as *t²ṅr²i*)

The oldest form of the name is recorded in Chinese annals from the 4th century BC, describing the beliefs of the Xiongnu. It takes the form 撑犁/Cheng-li, which is hypothesized to be a Chinese transcription of Tängri. (The Proto-Turkic form of the word has been reconstructed as *Teŋri or, the back-ablauted variant *Taŋrï.)^[8] Alternatively, a reconstructed Altaic etymology from *T`aŋgiri ("oath" or "god") would emphasize the god's divinity rather than his domain over the sky.^[9] It is generally assumed the term tengri originally meant "sky".^[10]^[11] Andrey Kononov suggested that the term is formed by the words tän (morning) and injir (evening) into tänri, referring to the sky as whole.^[10]

The Turkic form, Tengri, is attested in the 8th century Orkhon inscriptions as the Old Turkic form 𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃‎ Teŋri. In modern Turkish, the derived word "Tanrı" is used as the generic word for "god", or for the Abrahamic God, and is used today by Turkish people to refer to any god. The supreme deity of the traditional religion of the Chuvash is Tură.^[12]

Other reflexes of the name in modern languages include Mongolian: Тэнгэр ("sky"), Bulgarian: Тангра, Azerbaijani: Tanrı.

Earlier, the Chinese word for "sky" 天 (Mandarin: tiān < Old Chinese *thīn^[13] or *thîn^[14]) had been suggested to be related to Tengri, possibly a loan into Chinese from a prehistoric Central Asian language.^[15] However, this proposal is unlikely in light of recent reconstructions of the Old Chinese pronunciation of the character "天", such as */qʰl'iːn/ (Zhengzhang)^[16] or */l̥ˤi[n]/ (Baxter-Sagart),^[17] which propose for 天 a voiceless lateral onset, either a cluster or single consonant, respectively. Baxter & Sagart (2014:113-114) pointed to attested dialectal differences in Eastern Han Chinese, the use of 天 as a phonetic component in phono-semantic compound Chinese characters, and the choice of 天 to transcribe foreign syllables, all of which prompted them to conclude that, around 200 CE, 天's onset had two pronunciations: coronal */tʰ/ and dorsal */x/, both of which likely originated from an earlier voiceless lateral */l̥ˤ/.^[18]

Linguist Stefan Georg has proposed that the Turkic word ultimately originates as a loanword from Proto-Yeniseian *tɨŋgVr- "high".^[19]^[20]

Amy Chua renders the name as "[T]he Eternal Blue Sky",^[21] likely because of the connotations of the name's usage.

History

Tengri was the national god of the Göktürks, described as the "god of the Turks" (Türük Tängrisi).^[8] The Göktürk khans based their power on a mandate from Tengri. These rulers were generally accepted as the sons of Tengri who represented him on Earth. They wore titles such as tengrikut, kutluġ or kutalmysh, based on the belief that they attained kut, some sort of heavenly and spiritual force granted to these rulers by Tengri.^[22]

Prior to foreign influences, the Turkic conception of tengri was regarded as the heaven or the will controlling heaven, probably some sort of force. Out of this, the concept of a personal being developed. First, when Turkic people took over other religions, the term tengri became the name of a (personal) god or "higher being".^[23]

Tengri was the chief deity worshipped by the ruling class of the Central Asian steppe peoples in 6th to 9th centuries (Turkic peoples, Mongols and Hungarians).^[24] It lost its importance when the Uighuric kagans proclaimed Manichaeism the state religion in the 8th century.^[25] The worship of Tengri was brought into Eastern Europe by the Huns and early Bulgars.

Tengri is considered to be the chief god who created all things. In addition to this celestial god, they also had minor divinities (Alps) that served the purposes of Tengri.^[26] As Gök Tanrı, he was the father of the sun (Koyash) and moon (Ay Tanrı) and also Umay, Erlik, and sometimes Ülgen.

Mythology

Tengri was the main god of the Turkic pantheon, controlling the celestial sphere.^[27] Tengri is considered to be similar to the Indo-European sky god, *Dyeus, and the structure of the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European religion is closer to that of the early Turks than to the religion of any people of Near Eastern or Mediterranean antiquity.^[28] In Christian Turkish usage Tengri is used for the father of Jesus, who is referred to as "Tengri Oghli" (Son of God) and "Mshikha Tengri" (Messiah God). Tengri is also compared to Allah and Khuda. Apart from foreign religious influences, as far as known today, the original Turkish concept of Tengri was that of "heaven" or a spirit ruling in heaven. This spirit was probably imagined as some sort of force, corresponding to "mana" in modern ethnology.^[29]

The most important contemporary testimony of Tengri worship is found in the Old Turkic Orkhon inscriptions, dated to the early 8th century. Written in the so-called Orkhon script, these inscriptions record an account of the mythological origins of the Turks. The inscription dedicated to Kul Tigin includes the passages (in the translation provided by the Language Committee of Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan): "When the blue sky [Tengri] above and the brown earth below were created, between them a human being was created. Over the human beings, my ancestors Bumin Kagan and Istemi Kagan ruled. They ruled people by Turkish laws, they led them and succeeded" (face 1, line 1); "Tengri creates death. Human beings have all been created in order to die" (Old Turkic: Öd Teŋri yasar kisi oγlu qop ölgeli törürmis), (face 2, line 9); "You passed away (lit.: 'went flying') until Tengri gives you life again" (face 2, line 14). Khagans ruled by the will of Tengri thought the ancient Turkic people and preserved these thoughts in the texts of the Orkhon inscriptions in the following way: "I, Tengri-like and Tengri-born Turk Bilge Kaghan, succeeded to the throne at this time" (Old Turkic: Teŋiriteg Teŋiride bolmuš Türük Bilge Qaγan bü ödüke olurtum).^[30]

In one Turkic myth, Tengri is a pure, white goose that flies constantly over an endless expanse of water, which represents time. Beneath this water, Ak Ana ("White Mother") calls out to him saying "Create". To overcome his loneliness, Tengri creates Er Kishi, who is not as pure or as white as Tengri and together they set up the world. Er Kishi becomes a demonic character and strives to mislead people and draw them into its darkness. Tengri assumes the name Tengri Ülgen and withdraws into Heaven from which he tries to provide people with guidance through sacred animals that he sends among them. The Ak Tengris occupy the fifth level of Heaven. Shaman priests who want to reach Tengri Ülgen never get further than this level, where they convey their wishes to the divine guides. Returns to earth or to the human level take place in a goose-shaped vessel.^[31]

Geographical names

A pyramidal peak of the Tian Shan range between China, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, is called "Khan Tengri." The Tian Shan itself is known in Uyghur as the Tanri Tagi.
The Tangra Mountains on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica are also named after the deity.
Otgontenger, the highest mountain of the Khangai mountains in Mongolia.
Tengger Desert, a desert in Inner Mongolia, China.

Notes

^ "ТЭНГЭР". Mongolian State Dictionary (in Mongolian). Retrieved 2017-10-05.
^ "تەڭرى pronunciation: How to pronounce تەڭرى in Uyghur". Forvo.com.
^ Bukharaev, R. (2014). Islam in Russia: The Four Seasons. Vereinigtes Königreich: Taylor & Francis. p. 78
^ Bekebassova, A. N. "Archetypes of Kazakh and Japanese cultures." News of the national academy of sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Series of social and human sciences 6.328 (2019): 87-93.
^ BANZAROV, Dorji; NATTIER, Jan; KRUEGER, John R. The Black faith, or Shamanism among the Mongols. Mongolian Studies, 1981, S. 53-91.
^ BANZAROV, Dorji; NATTIER, Jan; KRUEGER, John R. The Black faith, or Shamanism among the Mongols. Mongolian Studies, 1981, S. 53-91.
^ Harl, Kenneth W. (2023). Empires of the Steppes: A History of the Nomadic Tribes Who Shaped Civilization. United States: Hanover Square Press. p. 421. ISBN 978-1-335-42927-8.
^ ^a ^b Jean-Paul Roux, Die alttürkische Mythologie, p. 255
^ "Altaic etymology : Query result". starling.rinet.ru.
^ ^a ^b Religion and State in the Altaic World: Proceedings of the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Permanent International Altaistic Conference (PIAC), Friedensau, Germany, August 18–23, 2019. (2022). Deutschland: De Gruyter. p. 178
^ Moldagaliyev, Bauyrzhan Eskaliyevich, et al. "Synthesis of traditional and Islamic values in Kazakhstan." European Journal of Science and Theology 11.5 (2015): 217-229.
^ Tokarev, A. et al. 1987–1988. Mify narodov mira.
^ "Chinese characters : Query result". starling.rinet.ru.
^ Schuessler, Axel. (2007). An Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese. University of Hawaii Press. p. 495
^ The connection was noted by Max Müller in Lectures on the Science of Religion (1870).[1] Axel Schüssler (2007:495): "Because the deity Tiān came into prominence with the Zhou dynasty (a western state), a Central Asian origin has been suggested, note Mongolian tengri 'sky, heaven, heavenly deity'" (Shaughnessy Sino-Platonic Papers, July 1989, and others, like Shirakawa Shizuka before him)."
^ 鄭張尚芳《上古音系》(2003) 上海教育出版社
^ Baxter W. & Sagart, L. Baxter-Sagart Old Chinese reconstruction, version 1.1 (20 September 2014) Archived 2021-05-04 at the Wayback Machine p. 110 of 161
^ Baxter, W. H. & Sagart, L. (2014) Old Chinese: A New Reconstruction. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 113-114
^ Georg, Stefan (2001): Türkisch/Mongolisch tengri “Himmel/Gott” und seine Herkunft. Studia Etymologica Cracoviensia 6: 83–100.
^ Starostin, Sergei A., and Merritt Ruhlen. (1994). Proto-Yeniseian Reconstructions, with Extra-Yeniseian Comparisons. In M. Ruhlen, On the Origin of Languages: Studies in Linguistic Taxonomy Archived 2021-11-03 at the Wayback Machine. Stanford: Stanford University Press. pp. 70–92. [Partial translation of Starostin 1982, with additional comparisons by Ruhlen.]
^ Chua, Amy (2007). Day of Empire: How Hyperpowers Rise to Global Dominance–and Why They Fall (1st ed.). New York: Doubleday. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-385-51284-8. OCLC 123079516.
^ Käthe Uray-Kőhalmi, Jean-Paul Roux, Pertev N. Boratav, Edith Vertes. "Götter und Mythen in Zentralasien und Nordeurasien"; section: Jean-Paul Roux: "Die alttürkische Mythologie" ("Old Turkic Mythology") ISBN 3-12-909870-4
^ Brill, E. J. (1993). E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam: 1913-1936. Ṭāʻif - Zūrkhāna. Niederlande: Brill.
^ "There is no doubt that between the 6th and 9th centuries Tengrism was the religion among the nomads of the steppes" Yazar András Róna-Tas, Hungarians and Europe in the early Middle Ages: an introduction to early Hungarian history, Yayıncı Central European University Press, 1999, ISBN 978-963-9116-48-1, p. 151.
^ Buddhist studies review, Volumes 6–8, 1989, p. 164.
^ Kaya, Polat. "Search For the Origin of the Crescent and Star Motif in the Turkish Flag", 1997. [2] Archived 2006-06-18 at the Wayback Machine
^ Abazov, Rafis. "Culture and Customs of the Central Asian Republics". Greenwood Press, 2006. page 62
^ Mircea Eliade, John C. Holt, Patterns in comparative religion, 1958, p. 94.
^ Büchner, V.F. and Doerfer, G., “Tañri̊”, in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Consulted online on 18 January 2023 doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_7392 First published online: 2012 First print edition: ISBN 9789004161214, 1960-2007
^ Ayanovna, Nakhanova Lyazzat (2014). "The Role of Old Turkic Place Names in Teaching History". Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 141: 1054–1061. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.05.177.
^ Göknil, Can. "Creation myths from Central Asia to Anatolia". Yapı Kredi Art Galleries, 1997. [3] Archived 2009-12-03 at the Wayback Machine

References

Brent, Peter. The Mongol Empire: Genghis Khan: His Triumph and his Legacy. Book Club Associates, London. 1976.
Sarangerel. Chosen by the Spirits. Destiny Books, Rochester (Vermont). 2001
Schuessler, Axel. ABC Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese. University of Hawaii Press. 2007.
Georg, Stefan. „Türkisch/Mongolisch tängri “Himmel/Gott” und seine Herkunft", "Studia Etymologica Cracoviensia 6, 83–100
Bruno J. Richtsfeld: Rezente ostmongolische Schöpfungs-, Ursprungs- und Weltkatastrophenerzählungen und ihre innerasiatischen Motiv- und Sujetparallelen; in: Münchner Beiträge zur Völkerkunde. Jahrbuch des Staatlichen Museums für Völkerkunde München 9 (2004), S. 225–274.
Yves Bonnefoy, Asian mythologies, University of Chicago Press, 1993, ISBN 978-0-226-06456-7, p. 331.

Güngör, Harun (Winter 2013). "Tengrism as a religious and political phenomenon in Turkish World: Tengriyanstvo" (PDF). KARADENİZ – BLACK SEA – ЧЕРНОЕ МОРЕ. 19 (Winter 2013). Erdoğan Altinkaynak: 189–195. ISSN 1308-6200. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2016.

External links

Tengri Teg Tengri Created Türk Bilge Kagan (Orkhon Inscriptions)
Excerpt from Tengrianizm: Religion of Turks and Mongols, by Rafael Bezertinov (2000).
Andrei Vinogradov. Ak Jang in the contextof Altai religious tradition (2003).
Hasan Bülent Paksoy, Tengri on Mars (2010).

[1] "ТЭНГЭР". Mongolian State Dictionary (in Mongolian). Retrieved 2017-10-05.

[2] "تەڭرى pronunciation: How to pronounce تەڭرى in Uyghur". Forvo.com.

[3] Bukharaev, R. (2014). Islam in Russia: The Four Seasons. Vereinigtes Königreich: Taylor & Francis. p. 78

[4] Bekebassova, A. N. "Archetypes of Kazakh and Japanese cultures." News of the national academy of sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Series of social and human sciences 6.328 (2019): 87-93.

[5] BANZAROV, Dorji; NATTIER, Jan; KRUEGER, John R. The Black faith, or Shamanism among the Mongols. Mongolian Studies, 1981, S. 53-91.

[6] BANZAROV, Dorji; NATTIER, Jan; KRUEGER, John R. The Black faith, or Shamanism among the Mongols. Mongolian Studies, 1981, S. 53-91.

[:3-7] Harl, Kenneth W. (2023). Empires of the Steppes: A History of the Nomadic Tribes Who Shaped Civilization. United States: Hanover Square Press. p. 421. ISBN 978-1-335-42927-8.

[Roux-8] Jean-Paul Roux, Die alttürkische Mythologie, p. 255

[9] "Altaic etymology : Query result". starling.rinet.ru.

[auto-10] Religion and State in the Altaic World: Proceedings of the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Permanent International Altaistic Conference (PIAC), Friedensau, Germany, August 18–23, 2019. (2022). Deutschland: De Gruyter. p. 178

[11] Moldagaliyev, Bauyrzhan Eskaliyevich, et al. "Synthesis of traditional and Islamic values in Kazakhstan." European Journal of Science and Theology 11.5 (2015): 217-229.

[12] Tokarev, A. et al. 1987–1988. Mify narodov mira.

[starling-13] "Chinese characters : Query result". starling.rinet.ru.

[14] Schuessler, Axel. (2007). An Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese. University of Hawaii Press. p. 495

[15] The connection was noted by Max Müller in Lectures on the Science of Religion (1870).[1] Axel Schüssler (2007:495): "Because the deity Tiān came into prominence with the Zhou dynasty (a western state), a Central Asian origin has been suggested, note Mongolian tengri 'sky, heaven, heavenly deity'" (Shaughnessy Sino-Platonic Papers, July 1989, and others, like Shirakawa Shizuka before him)."

[16] 鄭張尚芳《上古音系》(2003) 上海教育出版社

[17] Baxter W. & Sagart, L. Baxter-Sagart Old Chinese reconstruction, version 1.1 (20 September 2014) Archived 2021-05-04 at the Wayback Machine p. 110 of 161

[18] Baxter, W. H. & Sagart, L. (2014) Old Chinese: A New Reconstruction. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 113-114

[19] Georg, Stefan (2001): Türkisch/Mongolisch tengri “Himmel/Gott” und seine Herkunft. Studia Etymologica Cracoviensia 6: 83–100.

[20] Starostin, Sergei A., and Merritt Ruhlen. (1994). Proto-Yeniseian Reconstructions, with Extra-Yeniseian Comparisons. In M. Ruhlen, On the Origin of Languages: Studies in Linguistic Taxonomy Archived 2021-11-03 at the Wayback Machine. Stanford: Stanford University Press. pp. 70–92. [Partial translation of Starostin 1982, with additional comparisons by Ruhlen.]

[:0-21] Chua, Amy (2007). Day of Empire: How Hyperpowers Rise to Global Dominance–and Why They Fall (1st ed.). New York: Doubleday. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-385-51284-8. OCLC 123079516.

[22] Käthe Uray-Kőhalmi, Jean-Paul Roux, Pertev N. Boratav, Edith Vertes. "Götter und Mythen in Zentralasien und Nordeurasien"; section: Jean-Paul Roux: "Die alttürkische Mythologie" ("Old Turkic Mythology") ISBN 3-12-909870-4

[23] Brill, E. J. (1993). E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam: 1913-1936. Ṭāʻif - Zūrkhāna. Niederlande: Brill.

[24] "There is no doubt that between the 6th and 9th centuries Tengrism was the religion among the nomads of the steppes" Yazar András Róna-Tas, Hungarians and Europe in the early Middle Ages: an introduction to early Hungarian history, Yayıncı Central European University Press, 1999, ISBN 978-963-9116-48-1, p. 151.

[ReferenceA-25] Buddhist studies review, Volumes 6–8, 1989, p. 164.

[26] Kaya, Polat. "Search For the Origin of the Crescent and Star Motif in the Turkish Flag", 1997. [2] Archived 2006-06-18 at the Wayback Machine

[27] Abazov, Rafis. "Culture and Customs of the Central Asian Republics". Greenwood Press, 2006. page 62

[28] Mircea Eliade, John C. Holt, Patterns in comparative religion, 1958, p. 94.

[29] Büchner, V.F. and Doerfer, G., “Tañri̊”, in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Consulted online on 18 January 2023 doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_7392 First published online: 2012 First print edition: ISBN 9789004161214, 1960-2007

[30] Ayanovna, Nakhanova Lyazzat (2014). "The Role of Old Turkic Place Names in Teaching History". Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 141: 1054–1061. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.05.177.

[31] Göknil, Can. "Creation myths from Central Asia to Anatolia". Yapı Kredi Art Galleries, 1997. [3] Archived 2009-12-03 at the Wayback Machine

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Chief deity of Turko-Mongolic religion}}
-{{Infobox mountain
+{{for multi|the group of Mongol gods|Tngri|the Polynesian god|Tangaroa}}
-| name = Khan Tengri mount
+{{pp-semi-indef}}
-| photo = Khan Tengri Pyramid.jpg
+{{Tengrianism}}
-| photo_caption = Khan Tengri pyramid
-| elevation_m = 6995
+{{Infobox deity
-| elevation_ref =
+| type           = turkic
-| prominence_m =
+| name           = Tengri
-| prominence_ref =
+| gender         = Male
-| map = Ten Shan: Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan
+| deity_of       = God of Heaven
+| abode          = [[Sky]]
+| ethnic_group   = [[Turkic peoples]]
+| spouse        = [[Umay]]
 }}
+'''Tengri''' ({{langx|otk|𐰚𐰇𐰚:𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃|Kök Teŋri/Teŋiri|lit=Blue Heaven}}; [[Old Uyghur]]: [[File:Old Uyghur alphabet - tankry (tängri).jpg|13px]] {{lang|oui-Latn|tängri}}; [[Middle Turkic languages|Middle Turkic]]: {{lang|xqa|تآنغرِ}}; {{langx|ota|تڭری}}; {{langx|ky|Теңир}}; {{langx|kk|Тәңір}}; {{langx|tr|Tanrı}}; {{langx|az|Tanrı}}; {{langx|bg|Тангра}}; [[Proto-Turkic]]: {{lang|trk|*teŋri}} / {{lang|trk|*taŋrɨ}}; [[Mongolian script]]: {{MongolUnicode|ᠲᠩᠷᠢ}},<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://mongoltoli.mn/dictionary/detail/93090 |title=ТЭНГЭР |website=Mongolian State Dictionary |language=mn |access-date=2017-10-05 }}</ref> {{lang|mn-Latn|T'ngri}}; {{langx|mn|Тэнгэр}}, {{lang|mn-Latn|Tenger}}; {{langx|ug|تەڭرى}}, {{lang|ug-Latn|tengri}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://forvo.com/word/%D8%AA%DB%95%DA%AD%D8%B1%D9%89/ |title=تەڭرى pronunciation: How to pronounce تەڭرى in Uyghur |website=Forvo.com }}</ref>) is the [[Panentheism|all-encompassing]] God of Heaven in the traditional [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]], [[Yeniseian people|Yeniseian]],{{Cn|date=August 2024}} [[Mongolic peoples|Mongolic]], and various other nomadic religious beliefs.<ref>Bukharaev, R. (2014). Islam in Russia: The Four Seasons. Vereinigtes Königreich: Taylor & Francis. p. 78</ref> Tengri is not considered a deity in the usual sense, but a personification of the universe.<ref>Bekebassova, A. N. "Archetypes of Kazakh and Japanese cultures." News of the national academy of sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Series of social and human sciences 6.328 (2019): 87-93.</ref> However, some qualities associated with Tengri as the judge and source of life, and being eternal and supreme, led European and Muslim writers to identify Tengri as a deity of Turkic and Mongolic peoples.<ref>BANZAROV, Dorji; NATTIER, Jan; KRUEGER, John R. The Black faith, or Shamanism among the Mongols. Mongolian Studies, 1981, S. 53-91.</ref> According to Mongolian belief, Tengri's will (''jayayan'') may break its own usual laws and intervene by sending a chosen person to earth.<ref>BANZAROV, Dorji; NATTIER, Jan; KRUEGER, John R. The Black faith, or Shamanism among the Mongols. Mongolian Studies, 1981, S. 53-91.</ref>
+It is also one of the terms used for the primary chief deity of the early [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] and [[Mongols|Mongolic]] peoples.
-{{pp-semi-indef}}
-'''Tengri''' ([[Proto-Turkic]] *''teŋri / *taŋrɨ''; [[Old Turkic script|Old Turkic]]: {{OldTurkicUnicode|𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃|Tengri}}), is one of the names for the primary chief deity in the religion of the early [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] ([[Xiongnu]], [[Huns|Hunnic]], [[Bulgars|Bulgar]]) and [[Mongolic languages|Mongolic]] ([[Xianbei]]) peoples.
+Worship surrounding Tengri is called ''[[Tengrism]]''. The core beings in Tengrism are the [[Sky father|Sky Father]] (Tenger Etseg) and the [[Earth Mother]] ([[Umay|Umay Ana]]).{{dubious|date=September 2021}} It involves [[ancestor worship]], as Tengri was thought to have been the ancestral progenitor of mankind in Turkic regions and [[Mongolia]],<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Harl |first=Kenneth W. |title=Empires of the Steppes: A History of the Nomadic Tribes Who Shaped Civilization |publisher=[[Hanover Square Press]] |year=2023 |isbn=978-1-335-42927-8 |location=United States |page=421 |author-link=Kenneth W. Harl}}</ref> [[shamanism]], [[animism]], and [[totemism]].{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}
-Worship of Tengri is sometimes referred to as '''Tengrism'''. The core beings in Tengrism are Sky-Father (Tengri/Tenger Etseg) and Mother Earth ([[Eje]]/Gazar Eej). It involved [[shamanism]], [[animism]], [[totemism]] and [[ancestor worship]].
 ==Name==
-[[Image:Orkhon.svg|thumb|right|200px|Spelling of ''tengri'' in the [[Old Turkic script]] (written from right to left, as ''t²ṅr²i'')]]
+[[File:Orkhon.svg|thumb|right|200px|Spelling of {{OldTurkicUnicode|𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃}} ''tengri'' in the [[Old Turkic script]] (written from right to left, as ''t²ṅr²i'')]]
+The oldest form of the name is recorded in Chinese annals from the 4th century BC, describing the beliefs of the [[Xiongnu]]. It takes the form 撑犁/''Cheng-li'', which is hypothesized to be a Chinese transcription of ''Tängri''. (The [[Proto-Turkic]] form of the word has been reconstructed as ''*Teŋri'' or, the back-ablauted variant ''*Taŋrï''.)<ref name="Roux">Jean-Paul Roux, ''Die alttürkische Mythologie'', p. 255</ref> Alternatively, a reconstructed [[Altaic language|Altaic]] etymology from ''*T`aŋgiri'' ("oath" or "god") would emphasize the god's divinity rather than his domain over the sky.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://starling.rinet.ru/cgi-bin/response.cgi?single=1&basename=/data/alt/altet&text_number=2306&root=config|title=Altaic etymology : Query result|website=starling.rinet.ru}}</ref> It is generally assumed the term ''tengri'' originally meant "sky".<ref name="auto">Religion and State in the Altaic World: Proceedings of the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Permanent International Altaistic Conference (PIAC), Friedensau, Germany, August 18–23, 2019. (2022). Deutschland: De Gruyter. p. 178</ref><ref>Moldagaliyev, Bauyrzhan Eskaliyevich, et al. "Synthesis of traditional and Islamic values in Kazakhstan." European Journal of Science and Theology 11.5 (2015): 217-229.</ref> [[Andrey Kononov]] suggested that the term is formed by the words ''tän'' (morning) and ''injir'' (evening) into ''tänri'', referring to the sky as whole.<ref name="auto"/>
+The Turkic form, ''Tengri'', is attested in the 8th century [[Orkhon inscriptions]] as the [[Old Turkic language|Old Turkic]] form {{OldTurkicUnicode|𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃}} ''Teŋri''. In modern [[Turkish language|Turkish]], the derived word "''Tanrı''" is used as the generic word for "god", or for the [[Abrahamic religion#The Supreme Deity|Abrahamic God]], and is used today by [[Turkish people]] to refer to any god. The supreme deity of the traditional religion of the [[Chuvash people|Chuvash]] is ''Tură''.<ref>Tokarev, A. et al. 1987–1988. Mify narodov mira.</ref>
-The oldest form of the name is recorded in Chinese annals from the 4th century BC, describing the beliefs of the [[Xiongnu]]. It takes the form 撑犁/''Cheng-li'', which is hypothesized to be a Chinese transcription of ''Tängri''. (The [[Proto-Turkic]] form of the word has been reconstructed as ''*Teŋri'' or ''*Taŋrɨ''.)<ref name="Roux">Jean-Paul Roux, ''Die alttürkische Mythologie'', p. 255</ref> [[Stefan Georg]] (2001) has suggested an ultimately [[Yeniseian]] origin, from a ''*tɨŋgVr-'', "high." Alternatively, a reconstructed [[Altaic language|Altaic]] etymology from ''*T`aŋgiri'' ("oath" or "god") would emphasize the god's divinity rather than his domain over the sky.<ref>[http://starling.rinet.ru/cgi-bin/response.cgi?single=1&basename=/data/alt/altet&text_number=2306&root=config Sergei Starostin, Altaic etymology]</ref>
+Other [[Linguistic reconstruction#Reflex|reflexes]] of the name in modern languages include {{langx|mn|Тэнгэр}} ("sky"), {{langx|bg|Тангра}}, {{langx|az|Tanrı}}.
-The Turkic form, ''Tengri'', is attested in the 11th century by [[Mahmud al-Kashgari]].
-In modern [[Turkish language|Turkish]], the derived word "''Tanrı''" is used as the generic word for "god", or for the [[Abrahamic religion#The Supreme Deity|Abrahamic God]], and is often used today by [[Islam in Turkey|Muslim Turks]] to refer to God in Turkish as an alternative to the [[Arabic language|Arabic]] ''[[Allah]]''.
-The supreme deity of the traditional religion of the [[Chuvash people|Chuvash]] is ''Tură''.<ref>Tokarev, A. et al. 1987–1988. Mify narodov mira.</ref>
+Earlier, the Chinese word for "sky" 天 ([[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]]: ''[[tiān]]'' < [[Old Chinese]] *''thīn''<ref name="starling">{{Cite web|url=https://starling.rinet.ru/cgi-bin/response.cgi?root=config&morpho=0&basename=%5Cdata%5Cchina%5Cbigchina&first=1&off=&text_character=%E5%A4%A9&method_character=substring&ic_character=on&text_reading=&method_reading=substring&ic_reading=on&text_ochn=&method_ochn=substring&ic_ochn=on&text_cchn=&method_cchn=substring&ic_cchn=on&text_wchn=&method_wchn=substring&ic_wchn=on&text_echn=&method_echn=substring&ic_echn=on&text_epchn=&method_epchn=substring&ic_epchn=on&text_mpchn=&method_mpchn=substring&ic_mpchn=on&text_lpchn=&method_lpchn=substring&ic_lpchn=on&text_mchn=&method_mchn=substring&ic_mchn=on&text_fanqie=&method_fanqie=substring&ic_fanqie=on&text_rhyme=&method_rhyme=substring&ic_rhyme=on&text_meaning=&method_meaning=substring&ic_meaning=on&text_oshanin=&method_oshanin=substring&ic_oshanin=on&text_shuowen=&method_shuowen=substring&ic_shuowen=on&text_comment=&method_comment=substring&ic_comment=on&text_karlgren=&method_karlgren=substring&ic_karlgren=on&text_go=&method_go=substring&ic_go=on&text_kanon=&method_kanon=substring&ic_kanon=on&text_jap=&method_jap=substring&ic_jap=on&text_viet=&method_viet=substring&ic_viet=on&text_jianchuan=&method_jianchuan=substring&ic_jianchuan=on&text_dali=&method_dali=substring&ic_dali=on&text_bijiang=&method_bijiang=substring&ic_bijiang=on&text_shijing=&method_shijing=substring&ic_shijing=on&text_any=&method_any=substring&sort=character&ic_any=on|title=Chinese characters : Query result|website=starling.rinet.ru}}</ref> or *''thîn''<ref>Schuessler, Axel. (2007). ''An Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese''. University of Hawaii Press. p. 495</ref>) had been suggested to be related to ''Tengri'', possibly a loan into Chinese from a prehistoric Central Asian language.<ref>The connection was noted by [[Max Müller]] in ''Lectures on the Science of Religion'' (1870).[https://books.google.com/books?id=l0Vx_SuD5MsC&dq=Mongolian+tengri&pg=PA92] Axel Schüssler (2007:495): "Because the deity Tiān came into prominence with the Zhou dynasty (a western state), a [[Central Asia|Central Asian]] origin has been suggested, note [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]] ''tengri'' 'sky, heaven, heavenly deity'" (Shaughnessy ''[[Sino-Platonic Papers]]'', July 1989, and others, like Shirakawa Shizuka before him)."</ref> However, this proposal is unlikely in light of recent reconstructions of the [[Old Chinese]] pronunciation of the character "天", such as {{IPA|*/qʰl'iːn/}} ([[Zhengzhang Shangfang|Zhengzhang]])<ref>鄭張尚芳 《上古音系》(2003) 上海教育出版社</ref> or {{IPA|*/l̥ˤi[n]/}} ([[Reconstructions of Old Chinese#Baxter–Sagart (2014)|Baxter-Sagart]]),<ref>Baxter W. & Sagart, L. [https://ocbaxtersagart.lsait.lsa.umich.edu/BaxterSagartOCbyMandarinMC2014-09-20.pdf Baxter-Sagart Old Chinese reconstruction, version 1.1 (20 September 2014)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504165432/https://ocbaxtersagart.lsait.lsa.umich.edu/BaxterSagartOCbyMandarinMC2014-09-20.pdf |date=2021-05-04 }} p. 110 of 161</ref> which propose for 天 a voiceless lateral onset, either a cluster or single consonant, respectively. Baxter & Sagart (2014:113-114) pointed to attested dialectal differences in [[Eastern Han Chinese]], the use of 天 as a phonetic component in [[Chinese character classification#Phono-semantic compounds|phono-semantic compound Chinese characters]], and the choice of 天 to transcribe foreign syllables, all of which prompted them to conclude that, around 200 CE, 天's onset had two pronunciations: [[Coronal consonants|coronal]] {{IPA|*/{{IPA link|t}}ʰ/}} and [[Dorsal consonants|dorsal]] {{IPA|*{{IPAslink|x}}}}, both of which likely originated from an earlier voiceless lateral {{IPA|*/{{IPA link|l̥}}ˤ/}}.<ref>Baxter, W. H. & Sagart, L. (2014) ''Old Chinese: A New Reconstruction''. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 113-114</ref>
-Other  reflexes  of the name in modern languages include {{lang-mn|Тэнгэр}} ("sky"), {{lang-bg|Тангра}}, {{lang-az|Tanrı}}. The Chinese word for "sky" 天 ([[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]]: ''[[tiān]]'') may also be related, possibly a loan from a prehistoric Central Asian language.<ref>The connection was noted by [[Max Müller]] in ''Lectures on the Science of Religion'' (1870).[http://books.google.com/books?id=l0Vx_SuD5MsC&pg=PA92&dq=Mongolian+tengri&hl=en&ei=HMjVTMXhHMXNswa6-8iNCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CE0Q6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=Mongolian%20tengri&f=false] Axel Schüssler (2007:495): "Because the deity Tiān came into prominence with the Zhou dynasty (a western state), a [[Central Asia]]n origin has been suggested, note [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]] ''tengri'' 'sky, heaven, heavenly deity'" (Shaughnessy ''[[Sino-Platonic Papers]]'', July 1989, and others, like Shirakawa Shizuka before him)."</ref>
-<!-- clarification needed
-A recent historical linguist reconstructs the ancient pronunciation of the character "天" as "qhl'iin"<ref>鄭張尚芳 《上古音系》(2003) 上海教育出版社</ref>
--->
+Linguist [[Stefan Georg]] has proposed that the Turkic word ultimately originates as a loanword from [[Yeniseian languages|Proto-Yeniseian]] ''*tɨŋgVr-'' "high".<ref>Georg, Stefan (2001): Türkisch/Mongolisch tengri “Himmel/Gott” und seine Herkunft. Studia Etymologica Cracoviensia 6: 83–100.</ref><ref>Starostin, Sergei A., and Merritt Ruhlen. (1994). Proto-Yeniseian Reconstructions, with Extra-Yeniseian Comparisons. In M. Ruhlen, ''[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237452482_Proto-Yeniseian_Reconstructions_with_Extra-Yeniseian_Comparisons On the Origin of Languages: Studies in Linguistic Taxonomy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103041408/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237452482_Proto-Yeniseian_Reconstructions_with_Extra-Yeniseian_Comparisons |date=2021-11-03 }}''. Stanford: Stanford University Press. pp. 70–92. [Partial translation of Starostin 1982, with additional comparisons by Ruhlen.]</ref>
-According to Dimitrov (1987),{{verify credibility|date=February 2012}}, [[Aspandiat]] is the name given to Tengri by the [[Persian people|Persians]].<ref>D.Dimitrov. Prabylgarite po severnoto i zapadnoto Chernomorie, Varna, 1987) [http://groznijat.tripod.com/p_bulgar/p_bulg1b.htm English summary of the monograph of Bulgarian historian Dimityr Dimitrov on the Early Medieval history of the Proto-Bulgarians in the lands north of the Black Sea]</ref>
+Amy Chua renders the name as "[T]he Eternal Blue Sky",<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Chua |first=Amy |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/123079516 |title=Day of Empire: How Hyperpowers Rise to Global Dominance–and Why They Fall |publisher=[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-385-51284-8 |edition=1st |location=New York |pages=95 |oclc=123079516}}</ref> likely because of the connotations of the name's usage.
 ==History==
 [[File:Guyuk khan's Stamp 1246.jpg|thumb|right|Seal from [[Güyüg Khan]]'s letter to [[Pope Innocent IV]], 1246. The first four words, from top to bottom, left to right, read "möngke ṭngri-yin küčündür" – "''Under the power of the eternal heaven''".]]
+Tengri was the [[national god]] of the [[Göktürk]]s, described as the "god of the Turks" (''Türük Tängrisi'').<ref name="Roux"/> The Göktürk [[Khan (title)|khans]] based their power on a mandate from Tengri. These rulers were generally accepted as the sons of Tengri who represented him on Earth. They wore titles such as ''tengrikut'', ''kutluġ'' or ''kutalmysh'', based on the belief that they attained ''[[Kut (mythology)|kut]]'', some sort of heavenly and spiritual force granted to these rulers by Tengri.<ref>Käthe Uray-Kőhalmi, Jean-Paul Roux, [[Pertev N. Boratav]], Edith Vertes. "''Götter und Mythen in Zentralasien und Nordeurasien''"; section: Jean-Paul Roux: "''Die alttürkische Mythologie''" ("Old Turkic Mythology") {{ISBN|3-12-909870-4}}</ref>
+Prior to foreign influences, the Turkic conception of tengri was regarded as the heaven or the will controlling heaven, probably some sort of force. Out of this, the concept of a personal being developed. First, when Turkic people took over other religions, the term ''tengri'' became the name of a (personal) god or "higher being".<ref>Brill, E. J. (1993). E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam: 1913-1936. Ṭāʻif - Zūrkhāna. Niederlande: Brill.</ref>
-Tengri was the [[national god]] of the [[Göktürk]]s, described as the "god of the Turks" (''Türük Tängrisi'')<ref name="Roux"/>
-The Göktürk [[Khan (title)|khans]] based their power on a mandate from Tengri. These rulers were generally accepted as the sons of Tengri who represented him on Earth. They wore titles such as ''tengrikut'', ''kutluġ'' or ''kutalmysh'', based on the belief that they attained the ''kut'', the mighty spirit granted to these rulers by Tengri.<ref>Käthe Uray-Kőhalmi, Jean-Paul Roux, Pertev N. Boratav, Edith Vertes. "''Götter und Mythen in Zentralasien und Nordeurasien''"; section: Jean-Paul Roux: "''Die alttürkische Mythologie''" ("Old Turkic Mythology") ISBN 3-12-909870-4</ref>
-Tengri was the chief deity worshipped by the ruling class of the [[Eurasian nomads|Central Asian steppe peoples]] in 6th to 9th centuries ([[Turkic peoples]], [[Mongols]] and [[Magyar tribes|Hungarians]]).<ref>"There is no doubt that between the 6th and 9th centuries Tengrism was the religion among the nomads of the steppes"
+Tengri was the chief deity worshipped by the ruling class of the [[Eurasian nomads|Central Asian steppe peoples]] in 6th to 9th centuries ([[Turkic peoples]], [[Mongols]] and [[Magyar tribes|Hungarians]]).<ref>"There is no doubt that between the 6th and 9th centuries Tengrism was the religion among the nomads of the steppes" Yazar András Róna-Tas, ''Hungarians and Europe in the early Middle Ages: an introduction to early Hungarian history'',  Yayıncı	Central European University Press, 1999, {{ISBN|978-963-9116-48-1}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=I-RTt0Q6AcYC&dq=hungarians+tengrism&pg=PA151 p. 151].</ref> It lost its importance when the [[Uyghur Khaganate|Uighuric kagans]] proclaimed [[Manichaeism]] the state religion in the 8th century.<ref name="ReferenceA">Buddhist studies review, Volumes 6–8, 1989, p. 164.</ref>
+The worship of Tengri was brought into Eastern Europe by the [[Huns]] and early [[Bulgars]].
-Yazar	András Róna-Tas , ''Hungarians and Europe in the early Middle Ages: an introduction to early Hungarian history'',  Yayıncı	Central European University Press, 1999, ISBN 9789639116481, [http://books.google.com/books?id=I-RTt0Q6AcYC&pg=PA151&dq=hungarians+tengrism&hl=tr&ei=5dfbTfyDNsSUswbrr43wDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false p. 151].</ref>
+Tengri is considered to be the chief god who created all things. In addition to this celestial god, they also had minor divinities (''Alps'') that served the purposes of Tengri.<ref>Kaya, Polat. ''"Search For the Origin of the Crescent and Star Motif in the Turkish Flag"'', 1997. [http://www.compmore.net/~tntr/crescent_stara.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060618055844/http://www.compmore.net/~tntr/crescent_stara.html|date=2006-06-18}}</ref>
-The worship of Tengri was brought into Eastern Europe by the [[Huns]] and early [[Bulgars]]. It  lost its importance when the [[Uyghur Khaganate|Uighuric kagans]] proclaimed [[Manichaeism]] the state religion in the 8th century.<ref>Buddhist studies review, Volumes 6-8, 1989, p. 164.</ref>
+As Gök Tanrı, he was the father of the sun ([[Koyash]]) and moon ([[Ay Tanrı]]) and also [[Umay]], [[Erlik]], and sometimes [[Ülgen]].
-The Mongolian Great Khans of the 13th century ideologically based their power on a mandate from Tengri himself, and began their declarations with the words "''by the will of Eternal [Blue] Heaven''."
-The Turko-Mongolic concept of  a sky god has an analogy in the [[Daoist]] coinage of [[:wiktionary:靝|靝]] (with 青 "blue" and 氣 "qi", i.e., "blue heaven") and Confucian concept of [[Tian]] [[Li (Confucian)|Li]].
 ==Mythology==
-Tengri was the main god of the Turkic  pantheon, controlling the celestial sphere.<ref>Abazov, Rafis. "''Culture and Customs of the Central Asian Republics''". [[Greenwood Press]], 2006. [http://books.google.com/books?id=MrjiisjS4AIC&pg=RA1-PA62&dq=tengri+sky+god&hl=tr&sig=RMa8iOhXvoejfKxv0ntcQHYv2pE ''page 62'']</ref> The Turkic sky god Tengri is strikingly similar to the Indo-European sky god, [[Dyeus|*Dyeus]], and the structure of the reconstructed [[Proto-Indo-European religion]] is closer to that of the early Turks than to the religion of any people of Near Eastern or Mediterranean antiquity.<ref>[[Mircea Eliade]], John C. Holt, ''Patterns in comparative religion'', 1958, p. 94.</ref>
+Tengri was the main god of the Turkic pantheon, controlling the celestial sphere.<ref>Abazov, Rafis. "''Culture and Customs of the Central Asian Republics''". [[Greenwood Press]], 2006. [https://books.google.com/books?id=MrjiisjS4AIC&dq=tengri+sky+god&pg=RA1-PA62 ''page 62'']</ref> Tengri is considered to be similar to the Indo-European sky god, [[Dyeus|*Dyeus]], and the structure of the reconstructed [[Proto-Indo-European religion]] is closer to that of the early Turks than to the religion of any people of Near Eastern or Mediterranean antiquity.<ref>[[Mircea Eliade]], John C. Holt, ''Patterns in comparative religion'', 1958, p. 94.</ref> In Christian Turkish usage ''Tengri'' is used for the father of Jesus, who is referred to as "Tengri Oghli" (Son of God) and "Mshikha Tengri" (Messiah God). Tengri is also compared to Allah and Khuda. Apart from foreign religious influences, as far as known today, the original Turkish concept of Tengri was that of "heaven" or a spirit ruling in heaven. This spirit was probably imagined as some sort of force, corresponding to "mana" in modern ethnology.<ref>Büchner, V.F. and Doerfer, G., “Tañri̊”, in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Consulted online on 18 January 2023 {{doi|10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_7392}}
+First published online: 2012
+First print edition: {{ISBN|9789004161214}}, 1960-2007</ref>
 The most important contemporary testimony of Tengri worship is found in the [[Old Turkic language|Old Turkic]] [[Orkhon inscriptions]], dated to the early 8th century.
 Written in the so-called [[Orkhon script]], these inscriptions record an account of the mythological origins of the Turks.
-The inscription dedicated to [[Kul Tigin]] includes the passages (in the translation provided by the [http://irq.kaznpu.kz/?lang=e&mod=1&tid=1&oid=15&m=1 Language Committee of Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan]): "When the blue sky [Tengri] above and the brown earth below were created, between them a human being was created. Over the human beings, my ancestors Bumin Kagan and Istemi Kagan ruled. They ruled people by Turkish laws, they led them and succeeded" (face 1, line 1); "Tengri creates death. Human beings have all been created in order to die" (face 2, line 9); "You passed away (lit.: 'went flying') until Tengri gives you life again" (face 2, line 14).
+The inscription dedicated to [[Kul Tigin]] includes the passages (in the translation provided by the [http://irq.kaznpu.kz/?lang=e&mod=1&tid=1&oid=15&m=1 Language Committee of Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan]): "When the blue sky [Tengri] above and the brown earth below were created, between them a human being was created. Over the human beings, my ancestors Bumin Kagan and Istemi Kagan ruled. They ruled people by Turkish laws, they led them and succeeded" (face 1, line 1); "Tengri creates death. Human beings have all been created in order to die" ({{langx|otk|Öd Teŋri yasar kisi oγlu qop ölgeli törürmis}}), (face 2, line 9); "You passed away (lit.: 'went flying') until Tengri gives you life again" (face 2, line 14). Khagans ruled by the will of Tengri thought the ancient Turkic people and preserved these thoughts in the texts of the
+[[Orkhon inscriptions]] in the following way: "I, Tengri-like and Tengri-born Turk [[Bilge Kaghan]], succeeded to the throne at this time" ({{langx|otk|Teŋiriteg Teŋiride bolmuš Türük Bilge Qaγan bü ödüke olurtum}}).<ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.05.177|title=The Role of Old Turkic Place Names in Teaching History|year=2014|last1=Ayanovna|first1=Nakhanova Lyazzat|journal=Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences|volume=141|pages=1054–1061|doi-access=free}}</ref>
+In one [[Turkic mythology|Turkic myth]], Tengri is a pure, white goose that flies constantly over an endless expanse of water, which represents time. Beneath this water, Ak Ana ("White Mother") calls out to him saying "Create". To overcome his loneliness, Tengri creates ''Er Kishi'', who is not as pure or as white as Tengri and together they set up the world. ''Er Kishi'' becomes a demonic character and strives to mislead people and draw them into its darkness. Tengri assumes the name ''Tengri Ülgen'' and withdraws into Heaven from which he tries to provide people with guidance through sacred animals that he sends among them. The ''Ak Tengris'' occupy the fifth level of Heaven. [[Shaman]] priests who want to reach ''Tengri Ülgen'' never get further than this level, where they convey their wishes to the divine guides. Returns to earth or to the human level take place in a goose-shaped vessel.<ref>Göknil, Can. ''"Creation myths from Central Asia to Anatolia"''. Yapı Kredi Art Galleries, 1997. [http://www.cangoknil.com/english/essays/creation.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091203155024/http://www.cangoknil.com/english/essays/creation.html|date=2009-12-03}}</ref>
-Tengri is considered to be the chief god who created all things. In addition to this celestial god, they also had minor divinities that served the purposes of Tengri.<ref>Kaya, Polat. ''"Search For the Origin of the Crescent and Star Motif in the Turkish Flag"'', 1997. [http://www.compmore.net/~tntr/crescent_stara.html]</ref>
-As [[Gök Tanrı]], he was the father of the sun ([[Koyash]]) and moon ([[Ay Tanrı]]) and also [[Umay]], [[Erlik]], and sometimes [[Ülgen]].{{cn|date=February 2012}}
+==Geographical names==
-In  [[Turkic mythology]],{{Clarify|date=November 2010}} Tengri is a pure, white goose that flies constantly over an endless expanse of water, which represents time. Beneath this water, Ak Ana ("White Mother") calls out to him saying "Create". To overcome his loneliness, Tengri creates ''Er Kishi'', who is not as pure or as white as Tengri and together they set up the world. ''Er Kishi'' becomes a demonic character and strives to mislead people and draw them into its darkness. Tengri assumes the name ''Tengri Ülgen'' and withdraws into Heaven from which he tries to provide people with guidance through sacred animals that he sends among them. The ''Ak Tengris'' occupy the fifth level of Heaven. [[Shaman]] priests who want to reach ''Tengri Ülgen'' never get further than this level, where they convey their wishes to the divine guides. Returns to earth or to the human level take place in a goose-shaped vessel.<ref>Göknil, Can. ''"Creation myths from Central Asia to Anatolia"''. Yapı Kredi Art Galleries, 1997. [http://www.cangoknil.com/english/essays/creation.html]{{verify credibility|date=November 2010}}</ref>
+[[Image:Khan Tengri Pyramid.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The [[Khan Tengri]] pyramidal peak]]
+* A [[pyramidal peak]] of the [[Tian Shan]] range between China, [[Kazakhstan]], and [[Kyrgyzstan]], is called "[[Khan Tengri]]." The Tian Shan itself is known in [[Uyghur language|Uyghur]] as the ''Tanri Tagi''.
-According to [[Mahmud Kashgari]], Tengri was known to make plants grow and the lightning flash. Turks used the adjective ''tengri'' which means "heavenly, divine", to label everything that seemed grandiose, such as a tree or a mountain, and they stooped to such entities.<ref>Baldick, Julian. ''Animal and Shaman: Ancient Religions of Central Asia''. I.B.Tauris, 2000. [http://books.google.com/books?id=JhQtVH4-fW8C&pg=PP1&dq=Animal+and+Shaman&sig=9FC6T0djNtmPYj56Y4uw-JpSrxM]</ref>
-==Placenames==
-* A [[pyramidal peak]] of the [[Tian Shan]] range between [[Kazakhstan]] and [[Kyrgyzstan]], is called "[[Khan Tengri]]." The Tian Shan itself is known in [[Uyghur language|Uyghur]] as the ''Tanri Tagi''.
 * The [[Tangra Mountains]] on [[Livingston Island]] in the [[South Shetland Islands]] of [[Antarctica]] are also named after the deity.
-* The Bulgars named a large mountain in the [[Rila|Rila mountain range]] after Tangra, although it was renamed in the 15th century to [[Musala]] ("Mountain of Allah") by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Turks]].
 * [[Otgontenger]], the highest mountain of the [[Khangai mountains]] in [[Mongolia]].
 * [[Tengger Desert]], a desert in [[Inner Mongolia]], China.
-==Modern revival==
-"[[Tengrism]]" is the term for a revival of [[Central Asian shamanism]] after the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]].
-In [[Kyrgyzstan]], Tengrism was suggested as a [[Pan-Turkic]] national ideology following the [[Kyrgyzstani presidential election, 2005|2005 presidential elections]] by an ideological committee chaired by state secretary [[Dastan Sarygulov]].<ref> Erica Marat, [http://www.cacianalyst.org/?q=node/126 Kyrgyz Government Unable to Produce New National Ideology ], 22 February 2006, CACI Analyst, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute.</ref>
 ==See also==
+* [[Tengger Cavalry]], a Mongolian folk metal band in China named after Tengri.
-* [[Mythology of the Turkic and Mongolian peoples]]
+* [[Khan of Heaven|Tengri Khan]], a title addressed to the [[Emperor Taizong of Tang]].
-* ''[[Wolf Totem]]'' (Chinese novel)
 ==Notes==
@@ Line 83: / Line 76: @@
 * Sarangerel. ''Chosen by the Spirits''. Destiny Books, Rochester (Vermont). 2001
 * Schuessler, Axel. ''ABC Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese''. [[University of Hawaii Press]]. 2007.
-* Georg, Stefan. „Türkisch/Mongolisch tängri “Himmel/Gott” und seine Herkunft“, "Studia Etymologica Cracoviensia 6, 83-100
+* Georg, Stefan. „Türkisch/Mongolisch tängri “Himmel/Gott” und seine Herkunft", "Studia Etymologica Cracoviensia 6, 83–100
 * Bruno J. Richtsfeld: Rezente ostmongolische Schöpfungs-, Ursprungs- und Weltkatastrophenerzählungen und ihre innerasiatischen Motiv- und Sujetparallelen; in: Münchner Beiträge zur Völkerkunde. Jahrbuch des Staatlichen Museums für Völkerkunde München 9 (2004), S. 225–274.
-*Yves Bonnefoy,  ''Asian mythologies'', University of Chicago Press, 1993, ISBN 9780226064567, [http://books.google.com/books?id=r4I-FsZCzJEC&pg=PA331&dq=Mongolian+tengri&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=3#v=onepage&q=Mongolian%20tengri&f=false p. 331].
+*Yves Bonnefoy,  ''Asian mythologies'', University of Chicago Press, 1993, {{ISBN|978-0-226-06456-7}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=r4I-FsZCzJEC&dq=Mongolian+tengri&pg=PA331 p. 331].
+{{cite journal |last=Güngör |first=Harun |date=Winter 2013 |title=Tengrism as a religious and political phenomenon in Turkish World: Tengriyanstvo |url=http://dergikaradeniz.com/web/upload/icerik/19/karadenizdergi_19.pdf |journal=KARADENİZ – BLACK SEA – ЧЕРНОЕ МОРЕ |publisher=Erdoğan Altinkaynak |volume=19 |issn=1308-6200 |issue=Winter 2013 |pages=189–195 |access-date=19 June 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813032641/http://dergikaradeniz.com/web/upload/icerik/19/karadenizdergi_19.pdf |archive-date=13 August 2016 }}
-== External links ==
+==External links==
+{{wiktionary|tanrı}}
-*[http://gokturkanitlari.appspot.com Tengri Teg Tengri Created Türk Bilge Kagan] (Orkhon Inscriptions)
+*[https://gokturkanitlari.appspot.com Tengri Teg Tengri Created Türk Bilge Kagan] (Orkhon Inscriptions)
-*[http://aton.ttu.edu/OLD_TURK_DEITIES.asp Excerpt from ''Tengrianizm: Religion of Turks and Mongols'', by Rafael Bezertinov] (2000)
+*[http://aton.ttu.edu/OLD_TURK_DEITIES.asp Excerpt from ''Tengrianizm: Religion of Turks and Mongols'', by Rafael Bezertinov] (2000).
-*Andrei Vinogradov[http://library.usask.ca/theses/available/etd-01192005-154827/unrestricted/tezispdf.pdf Ak Jang in the contextof Altai religious tradition] (2003)
+*Andrei Vinogradov. [https://web.archive.org/web/20060824220524/http://library.usask.ca/theses/available/etd-01192005-154827/unrestricted/tezispdf.pdf Ak Jang in the contextof Altai religious tradition] (2003).
-*Hasan Bülent Paksoy, [http://www.eumed.net/entelequia/pdf/2010/e11a14.pdf Tengri on Mars] (2010)
+*Hasan Bülent Paksoy, [https://web.archive.org/web/20110614153729/http://www.eumed.net/entelequia/pdf/2010/e11a14.pdf Tengri on Mars] (2010).
-* [http://idugan.com/sky/default.htm Mongolian film ''The Sky Son'' (Tengeriin Khuu)]
-*[http://www.Tangrim.org Virtual Temple of Tengri]
-[[Category:Turkic mythology]]
+{{Turkic Deities}}
-[[Category:Eurasian shamanism]]
+{{Authority control}}
-[[Category:Religion in Mongolia]]
-[[Category:Religious faiths, traditions, and movements]]
-[[Category:Altaic deities]]
+[[Category:Asian shamanism]]
 [[Category:Creator gods]]
+[[Category:Religion in Mongolia]]
 [[Category:Sky and weather gods]]
-[[Category:Mongol mythology]]
+[[Category:Tengriism]]
+[[Category:Tngri]]
-[[az:Göy Tanrı]]
+[[Category:Turkic deities]]
+[[Category:Mongolian deities]]
-[[bg:Тангра]]
-[[de:Tengrismus#Tengri]]
-[[es:Tengri]]
-[[fr:Tengrisme]]
-[[gl:Tengri]]
-[[it:Tengri]]
-[[lt:Tengri]]
-[[hu:Tengri]]
-[[pl:Tengri]]
-[[ru:Тенгри]]
-[[sv:Tengri]]
-[[tt:Тәңре]]
-[[tr:Tengri]]
-[[uk:Тенгрі]]

v t e Turkic deities
Deities	Gök Tengri Kayra Ülgen Mergen Kyzaghan Umay Kubai Burkut Erlik Yer Tanrı Etugen Eke Alaz Baianai Erkliğ Han
İyeler	Su Ana Su Ata Od iyesi Od Ana Od Ata Koyash Ak Ana Ay Ata Gun Ana Yel Ana Yel Ata

Authority control databases
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National	Germany