A diagram of the Tengriist World view on a shaman's drum [1] [2]. The World-tree is growing in the centre and connecting the three Worlds: Underworld, Middleworld and Upperworld. In the study of Mythology and Religion, the underworld (gr κάτω κόσμος) is a generic term approximately equivalent to the lay term Afterlife

Tengriism (Tengerism, Tengrianism, Tengrianizm) was the major belief of the Turkic peoples and Mongols before the vast majority joined the established world religions. The Turkic peoples are Eurasian peoples residing in northern central and western Eurasia who speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family The world's principal Religions and spiritual traditions may be classified into a small number of major groups or world religions'. It focuses around the sky deity Tengri (also Tangri, Tangra, Tanrı, etc. Tengri is the supreme god of the old Xiongnu, Xianbei, Turkic, Bulgar, Mongolian, Hunnic and Altaic ) and incorporates elements of shamanism, animism, totemism and ancestor worship. Animism (from Latin anima ( Soul, Life) commonly refers to a religious belief that Souls or Spirits exist in Animals A totem is any supposed entity that watches over or assists a group of people such as a family Clan or tribe ( Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary and Webster's In modern Turkey Tengriism is sometimes called Göktanrı religion by some scholars. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches Even though there is insufficient research, Tengriism is thought to heavily influence the Alevi belief system. Alevis (Aleviler Elewî are a religious sub-ethnic and cultural community in Turkey, numbering in the millions Today, there are still a large number of Tengriist people living in inner Asia, such as the Hakas and Tuvans. The Khakas, or Khakass, are a Turkic people, who live in Russia, in the republic of Khakassia in the southern Siberia. Tuvans or Tuvinians ( Tuvan: Тывалар Tyvalar) are a group of Mongols or Turkic people.

In Tengriism, the meaning of life is seen as living in harmony with the surrounding world. See also Western philosophy, Eastern religions, Eastern philosophy The Tengriist believers view their existence as sustained by the eternal blue Sky, Tengri, the fertile Mother-Earth, Eje, and a ruler who is regarded as the holy Son of the Sky. Tengri is the supreme god of the old Xiongnu, Xianbei, Turkic, Bulgar, Mongolian, Hunnic and Altaic Umay (also known as Eje) is the goddess (or spirit of the earth and fertility in Tengriism. Heaven, Earth, the spirits of nature and the ancestors provide every need and protect all humans. Heaven may refer to the physical heavens the sky or the seemingly endless expanse of the Universe beyond EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001 By living an upright and respectful life, a human being will keep his world in balance and maximize his personal power Wind Horse. The wind horse is an allegory for the human soul in the shamanistic tradition of Central Asia. Shamans play an important role in restoring balance when it is thrown off by disaster or spirit interference. A disaster is the impact of a natural or human-made hazard that negatively affects society or environment.

It is likely that Tengriism was the religion of the Huns, Eurasian Avars, early Hungarians, and of the early Bulgars who brought it to Europe. The Huns were an early confederation of Central Asian equestrian nomads or semi-nomads with a Turkic core of aristocracy The Caucasian Avars are a modern people of Caucasus, mainly of Dagestan. Hungarians (or Magyars, magyarok are an Ethnic group primarily associated with Hungary. The Bulgars (also Bolgars or proto-Bulgarians) were a seminomadic people probably of Turkic descent originally from Central Asia, [3]. It is still actively practised in Sakha, Buryatia, Tuva, and Mongolia, in parallel with Tibetan Buddhism and Burkhanism. The Sakha Republic (Yakutia (Респу́блика Саха́ (Яку́тия Саха Республиката is a federal subject of Russia (a Republic Buryat Republic (Респу́блика Буря́тия Буряад Республика is a federal subject of Russia (a Republic) Tyva Republic (Респу́блика Тыва́ Respublika Tyva, rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə tɨˈva Тыва Республика Tyva Respublika) or Tuva Mongolia (mɒŋˈɡoʊliə, literally Mongol country/nation,) is a Landlocked Country in East Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including Burkhanism or Ak Jang is a New religious movement that flourished among the indigenous people of Russia 's Gorno Altai region (

Historical background

Ancient and Early Middle Ages writers report of a number of revolts caused by attempts to supplant or overthrow the traditional religion. One was reported in Scythia Minor in the Crimea, when the Scythian nobles learned about their king's inclination toward Greek culture. Scythia Minor, "Lesser Scythia" (Μικρά Σκυθία Mikrá Skythia) was in ancient times the region surrounded by the Danube at the north and Crimea (kraɪˈmiːə or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Крим Автономна Республіка Крим Avtonomna Respublika Krym; Крым The Scythians or Scyths (Σκύθες Σκύθοι were an Iranian speaking people of horse-riding Nomadic pastoralists who dominated the Pontic The Culture of Greece has evolved over thousands of years with its beginnings in the Mycenaean and Minoan Civilizations, continuing most notably into Classical Greece Another revolt in 682 CE, reported in Armenian sources, was caused by the elteber of the Dagestani Huns, Alp Ilitver, conversion to Christianity following a proselytizing mission by the Albanian bishop Israel. In the hierarchy of the Göktürk and Khazar empires an Elteber was the Client king of an autonomous but tributary Tribe or The Republic of Dagestan dæɡɪˈstɑːn (IntEng ˈdeɪɡəstæn (AmEng (Респу́блика Дагеста́н Дагъистанлъул ДжумхIурият Daɣistanłul Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings This region should not be confused with modern-day Albania in south-eastern Europe. In that case, Alp Ilitver succeeded in demolishing sacred trees, destroying kurgan statuary, ruining sacral chapels, and suppressing a popular revolt. It was also reported that at the court of the Khazar Kagan, who was ethnically a Khazar, the power belonged to the Bulgar nobles, who maintained their traditional Tengriism and forcefully resisted any attempts to introduce Christianity, Judaism, or Islam as a state religion, to the point of secession. "Kazar" redirects here for the Marvel Comics character see Ka-Zar; for the village in Azerbaijan see Xəzər. "Kazar" redirects here for the Marvel Comics character see Ka-Zar; for the village in Azerbaijan see Xəzər. The Bulgars (also Bolgars or proto-Bulgarians) were a seminomadic people probably of Turkic descent originally from Central Asia, Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation.

Tengriism in Europe

Tengriism was brought to Eastern Europe by nomadic tribes migrating or invading from the central Asian steppes. Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. The faith was very closely connected to the nomadic lifestyle, so that in most cases people changed their religion after turning sedentary.

The Danube Bulgars apparently called the sky god Tangra. The Bulgars (also Bolgars or proto-Bulgarians) were a seminomadic people probably of Turkic descent originally from Central Asia, ^[1] They named a large mountain in the Rila mountain range of Bulgaria after him, only in the 15th century it was renamed to Musala (Mountain of Allah) by the Ottomans. for the Tibetan village see Rila Tibet Rila (Рила) is a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria and the highest mountain range Musala (Мусала is the highest peak in Bulgaria and the entire Balkan Peninsula, standing at 2925 m (9596 ft The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish

There are few occurrences of the name in documents related to Bulgaria. One is in a late Turkish manuscript listing the names of the supreme god in different languages, which has "Tangra" for Bulgarian. ^[2] The other is in a severely damaged Greek language inscription from the times of Danube Bulgarian paganism. It is found on a column near Madara, Bulgaria, which is believed to have been used as an altar stone. A column in Structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural An altar is any structure upon which Sacrifices or other offerings are made for religious purposes or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place The inscription has been interpreted as saying "(Kanasubig)i Omu(rtag), ruler (from God), was . The Bulgars (also Bolgars or proto-Bulgarians) were a seminomadic people probably of Turkic descent originally from Central Asia, . . and sacri(ficed to go)d Tangra . . . (some Bulgar titles follow). "^[3] In addition, Bulgarian historian Veselin Beshevliev has conjectured that the frequent Danube Bulgar runic sign ıYı stands for "Tangra", as it seems to disappear after the conversion to Christianity. Apart from that, Greek language inscriptions from pagan Danube Bulgaria generally use the Greek word θεός ("god"). Tengriism apparently disappeared in the region after the adoption of Christianity in the Danubian Bulgaria by Tsar Boris I in 865 CE (and, presumably, with the adoption of Islam in Volga Bulgaria in the 10th century). Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian Tsar csar and tzar redirect here For other uses see Tsar (disambiguation. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Volga Bulgaria or Volga-Kama Bolghar, is an historic state that existed between the 7th and 13th centuries around the confluence of

Another piece of evidence suggesting that the Bulgars were Tengriist is the fact that the name of the supreme deity of the traditional religion of the Chuvash, who are regarded as descendants of the Volga branch of the Bulgars, is Tură. Volga Bulgaria or Volga-Kama Bolghar, is an historic state that existed between the 7th and 13th centuries around the confluence of This is generally considered to correspond to Turkic Tengri (and thus Tangra). ^[4] Nevertheless, the Chuvash religion today is markedly different from Tengriism and can be described as a local form of polytheism with some elements borrowed from Islam. Polytheism is belief in or worship of multiple Gods (usually assembled in a pantheon) together with associated Mythology and Rituals For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation.

See also

• Altaic mythology

Notes

References

• Brent, Peter. The Mongol Empire: Genghis Khan: His Triumph and his Legacy. Book Club Associates, London. 1976.

External links

• Circle of Tengerism: an organization dedicated to the preservation of Siberian and Mongolian shaman traditions
• Excerpt from Tengrianizm: Religion of Turks and Mongols, by Rafael Bezertinov
• Shamanism (Tengerism) in Mongolia
• Julie Stewart's course in Mongolian shamanism--introduction
• Bog je Jedan blog: Avar Tengrism in Croatia