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106-451: Tengrism (also known as Tengriism , Tengerism , or Tengrianism ) is a religion originating in the Eurasian steppes , based on shamanism and animism . It generally involves the titular sky god Tengri , who is not considered a deity in the usual sense but a personification of the universe. According to some scholars, adherents of Tengrism view the purpose of life to be in harmony with

212-431: A bear prayed to Hwanung that they might become human. Upon hearing their prayers, Hwanung gave them twenty cloves of garlic and a bundle of mugwort , ordering them to eat only this sacred food and remain out of the sunlight for 100 days. The tiger gave up after about twenty days and left the cave. However, the bear persevered and was transformed into a woman. The bear and the tiger are said to represent two tribes that sought

318-569: A big ger cart on the main road and followed Temujin, bellowing "Heaven and Earth have agreed to make Temujin the Lord of the nation and I am now carrying the nation to you". Temujin afterward tells his earliest companions Boorchi and Zelme that they will be appointed to the highest posts because they first followed him when he was "mercifully looked upon by Tengri" (paragraph 125). In the Battle of Khuiten, Buyuruk Khan and Quduga try using zad stones to cause

424-686: A branch of the Uralic language family, who previously lived in the steppe in what is now Southern Russia, settled in the Carpathian basin in year 895. Mongolic languages are in Mongolia. In Manchuria one finds Tungusic languages and some others. Tengrism was introduced by Turko-Mongol nomads. Nestorianism and Manichaeism spread to the Tarim Basin and into China, but they never became established majority religions. Buddhism spread from

530-564: A large role in the religion of Mongol Empires as the primary state spirituality. Genghis Khan and several generations of his followers were Tengrian believers and "Shaman-Kings" until his fifth-generation descendant, Uzbeg Khan, turned to Islam in the 14th century. Old Tengrist prayers have come to us from the Secret History of the Mongols (13th century). The priests-prophets ( temujin ) received them, according to their faith, from

636-483: A nationalist ideology of Turanism and Kemalism contributed to the revival of Tengrism. Islamic censorship was abolished, which allowed an objective study of the pre-Islamic religion of the Turks. The Turkish language was purified of Arabic, Persian and other borrowings. A number of figures, while they did not officially abandon Islam, adopted Turkic names, such as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ( Atatürk — "father of Turks") and

742-557: A number of ecoregions , distinguished by elevation, climate, rainfall, and other characteristics and home to distinct animal and plant communities and species and distinct habitat ecosystems . The major centers of population and high culture in Eurasia are Europe, the Middle East, India and China. For some purposes it is useful to treat Greater Iran as a separate region. All these regions are connected directly or indirectly by

848-845: A pause before it is followed by the phrase Khagan-u Suu ("Majesty of the Khan"): Under the Power of the Eternal Tengri. Under the Majesty of the Khan ( Kublai Khan ). Arghun Our word. To the Ired Farans (King of France). Last year you sent your ambassadors led by Mar Bar Sawma telling Us: "if the soldiers of the Il-Khan ride in the direction of Misir (Egypt) we ourselves will ride from here and join you", which words We have approved and said (in reply) "praying to Tengri (Heaven) We will ride on

954-477: A rich caravan the steppe nomads could either rob it, or tax it, or hire themselves out as guards. Economically, these three forms of taxation or parasitism amounted to the same thing. Trade was usually most vigorous when a strong empire controlled the steppe and reduced the number of petty chieftains preying on trade. The silk road first became significant and Chinese silk began reaching the Roman Empire about

1060-666: A role in search for native spiritual roots and Pan-Turkism ideology since the 1990s, especially in Kyrgyzstan , Kazakhstan , Mongolia , some autonomous republics of the Russian Federation ( Tatarstan , Bashkortostan , Buryatia , Yakutia , and others), among the Crimean Karaites and Crimean Tatars . After the 1908 Young Turk Revolution , and especially after the proclamation of the Republic in 1923,

1166-613: A shrine dedicated to Dangun of Gojoseon and King Chumo of Goguryeo was built in Pyongyang, and the Samseongdang ( 삼성당 ; 三聖堂 ), dedicated to the gods of Hwanin, Hwanung, and Dangun, was built. In Korea at the end of the 19th century, it was greatly emphasized to highlight the resistance of the Joseon people against Imperialist invasion, and it developed into a religion, Dangunkyo ( 단군교 ; 檀君敎 ). Dangun, who emerged as

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1272-488: A thunderstorm against Temujin but it backfires and they get stuck in slippery mud. They say "the wrath of Tengri is upon us" and flee in disorder (paragraph 143). Temujin prays to "father Tengri" on a high hill with his belt around his neck after defeating the Taichiud at Tsait Tsagaan Tal and taking 100 horses and 50 breastplates. He says "I haven't become Lord thanks to my own bravery, but I have defeated my enemies thanks to

1378-411: Is a national holiday and is called Gaecheonjeol . It is a religious anniversary started by Daejongism ( 대종교 ; 大倧教 ), worshipping Dangun. Many Korean historians regard Dangun and Tengri as being etymologically identical. Dangun's ancestry legend begins with his grandfather Hwanin ( 환인 ; 桓因 ), the "Lord of Heaven". Hwanin had a son, Hwanung , who yearned to live on the earth among

1484-538: Is derived from Old Turkic : Tenk ("daybreak") or Tan ("dawn"). Meanwhile, Stefan Georg proposed that the Turkic Tengri ultimately originates as a loanword from Proto-Yeniseian *tɨŋgɨr- "high". Mongolia is sometimes poetically called the "Land of Eternal Blue Sky" ( Mönkh Khökh Tengeriin Oron ) by its inhabitants. According to some scholars, the name of the important deity Dangun (also Tangol) (God of

1590-701: Is fixed by the Orkhon, or Old Turkic script used by the Göktürks ("celestial Turks") and other early khanates during the 8th to 10th centuries. Tengrism most probably existed in medieval states in Eurasia , such as the Göktürk Khaganate , Western Turkic Khaganate , Old Great Bulgaria , Danube Bulgaria , Volga Bulgaria , and Eastern Tourkia (Khazaria) Turkic beliefs contains the sacral book Irk Bitig from Uyghur Khaganate . Tengrism also played

1696-403: Is legitimate. We say: "We the descendants of Genghis Khan, keeping our own proper Mongol identity, whether some receive silam or some don't, that is only for Eternal Tengri (Heaven) to know (decide)." People who have received silam and who, like you, have a truly honest heart and are pure, do not act against the religion and orders of the Eternal Tengri and of Misiqa (Messiah or Christ). Regarding

1802-488: Is suggested that Tengrism was a monotheistic religion only at the imperial level in aristocratic circles, and, perhaps, only by the 12th-13th centuries (a late form of development of ancient animistic shamanism in the era of the Mongol empire). According to Jean-Paul Roux , the monotheistic concept evolved later out of a polytheistic system and was not the original form of Tengrism. The monotheistic concept helped to legitimate

1908-778: Is the main part of the Eurasian Steppe in East Asia. It covers large parts of Mongolia and the Chinese province of Inner Mongolia . The two are separated by a relatively dry area marked by the Gobi Desert . South of the Mongol Steppe is the high and thinly peopled Tibetan Plateau . The northern edge of the plateau is the Gansu or Hexi Corridor , a belt of moderately dense population that connects China proper with

2014-527: The Irk Bitig , a ninth century manuscript on divination, Tengri is mentioned as Türük Tängrisi (God of Turks). According to many academics, Tengrism was, and to some extent still is, a predominantly polytheistic religion based on the shamanistic concept of animism , and was first influenced by monotheism during the imperial period, especially by the 12th–13th centuries. Abdulkadir Inan argues that Yakut and Altai shamanism are not entirely equal to

2120-537: The Tongguk t'onggam (1485) contrary to the 40th year of the reign of the legendary Chinese Emperor Yao . Other sources vary somewhat, but also put it during Yao's reign (traditional dates: 2357 BC-2256 BC). The Samguk yusa states Dangun ascended to the throne in the 50th year of Yao's reign, while Annals of the Joseon Dynasty says the first year and Tongguk t'onggam says the 25th year. Until 1961,

2226-606: The Aral Sea and provide irrigation for agriculture. In the southeast is the densely populated Fergana Valley and west of it the great oasis cities of Tashkent , Samarkand and Bukhara along the Zeravshan River . The southern area has a complex history (see Central Asia and Greater Iran ), while in the north, the Kazakh Steppe proper was relatively isolated from the main currents of written history . Along

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2332-990: The Caspian Sea , forming the Ural-Caspian Narrowing, that joins the Pontic-Caspian Steppe in Europe with the Kazakh Steppe in Central Asia . The Kazakh Steppe makes up most of the Eurasian Steppe in Central Asia. It extends from the Urals to Dzungaria . To the south, it grades off into semi-desert and desert which is interrupted by two great rivers, the Amu Darya (Oxus) and Syr Darya (Jaxartes), which flow northwest into

2438-847: The Caucasus Mountains . In the west, the Great Hungarian Plain is an island of steppe separated from the main steppe by the mountains of Transylvania . On the north shore of the Black Sea, the Crimean Peninsula has some interior steppe and ports on the south coast which link the steppe to the civilizations of the Mediterranean basin. The steppe narrows around the southern end of the Ural Mountains , about 650 km (400 mi) northeast of

2544-742: The Kurgan hypothesis , their common ancestor is thought to have originated on the Pontic-Caspian steppe. The Tocharians were an early Indo-European branch in the Tarim Basin . At the beginning of written history the entire steppe population west of Dzungaria spoke Iranian languages . From about 500 AD the Turkic languages replaced the Iranian languages first on the steppe, and later in the oases north of Iran . Additionally, Hungarian speakers,

2650-545: The Orkhon inscriptions , Secret History of the Mongols , and Altan Tobchi . However, these texts are more historically oriented and are not strictly religious texts like the scriptures and sutras of sedentary civilizations, which have elaborate doctrines and religious stories. On a scale of complexity, Tengrism lies somewhere between the Proto-Indo-European religion (a pre-state form of pastoral shamanism on

2756-806: The Paleolithic age , the Steppe Route has been the main overland route between Europe , Western Asia , Central Asia , East Asia and South Asia economically, politically, and culturally. The Steppe route is a predecessor not only of the Silk Road , which developed during antiquity and the Middle Ages , but also of the Eurasian Land Bridge in the modern era. It has been home to nomadic empires and many large tribal confederations and ancient states throughout history, such as

2862-824: The Tarim Basin . The Hexi Corridor was the main route of the Silk Road . In the southeast the Silk Road led over some hills to the east-flowing Wei River valley which led to the North China Plain . South of the Khingan Mountains and north of the Taihang Mountains , the Mongolian-Manchurian steppe extends east into Manchuria as the Liao Xi steppe. In Manchuria, the steppe grades off into forest and mountains without reaching

2968-576: The Xiongnu , Scythia , Cimmeria , Sarmatia , Hunnic Empire , Sogdia , Xianbei , Mongol Empire and Göktürk Khaganate . The Eurasian Steppe extends for 8,000 kilometres (5,000 miles) from near the mouth of the Danube in Romania to the western edge of Manchuria . It is bounded on the north by the forests of European Russia and Asian Russia or Siberia . There is no clear southern boundary although

3074-647: The brown bear are predators roaming the steppe. Smaller mammal species are the Mongolian gerbil , the little souslik and the bobak marmot . Furthermore, the Eurasian steppe is home to a great variety of bird species. Threatened bird species living there are for example the imperial eagle , the lesser kestrel , the great bustard , the pale-back pigeon and the white-throated bushchat . The primary domesticated animals raised were sheep and goats with fewer cattle than one might expect. Camels were used in

3180-581: The domra , traditional costumes such as the kaftan . Russian Cossack and tea culture were strongly influenced by the culture of Asian nomadic peoples. The Eurasian steppes play a major role in Eastern Europe history and the steppes are a subject of many Slavic as well as Russian folk-songs . Dangun Dangun or Tangun ( Korean :  단군 ; Hanja :  檀君 ; [tan.ɡun] ), also known as Dangun Wanggeom ( 단군왕검 ; 檀君王儉 ; [tan.ɡun waŋ.ɡʌm] ),

3286-614: The 14th century, when the Golden Horde converted to Islam . Since then, Tengrism was mostly submerged by other religious ideas. Traditional Tengrism persists among the Mongols and in some Turkic and Mongolic influenced regions of Russia ( Sakha , Buryatia , and Tuva ) in parallel with other religions. According to the Orkhon inscriptions , Tengri played a big role in choices of the kaghan , and in guiding his actions. Many of these were performed because "Heaven so ordained" ( Old Turkic : Teŋіri yarïlqaduq üčün ). Arghun expressed

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3392-571: The 1960s as a general term of English-language papers. Tengrianism is a reflection of the Russian term, Тенгрианство ("Tengriánstvo"). It is introduced by Kazakh poet and turkologist Olzhas Suleymenov in his 1975 book AZ-and-IA . Since the 1990s, Russian-language literature uses it in the general sense, as for instance, reported in 1996 ("so-called Tengrianism") in the context of the nationalist rivalry over Bulgar legacy . The spellings Tengriism , Tangrism , Tengrianity are also found from

3498-575: The 1990s. In modern Turkey and, partly, Kyrgyzstan, Tengrism is known as the Tengricilik or Göktanrı dini ("Sky God religion"); the Turkish gök (sky) and tanrı (God) correspond to the Mongolian khukh (blue) and Tengeri (sky), respectively. Mongolian Тэнгэр шүтлэг is used in a 1999 biography of Genghis Khan . In the 20th century, a number of scientists proposed

3604-530: The 9th generation ancestor of Genghis Khan is called a "son of Tengri". When Temujin was brought to the Qongirat tribe at 9 years old to choose a wife, Dei Setsen of the Qongirat tells Yesugei the father of Temujin (Genghis Khan) that he dreamt of a white falcon, grasping the sun and the moon, come and sit on his hands. He identifies the sun and the moon with Yesugei and Temujin. Temujin then encounters Tengri in

3710-618: The Dangun legend appears in the 13th century Samguk yusa , which cites China's Book of Wei and Korea's lost history text Gogi ( 고기 ; 古記 ). This is the best known and most studied version, but similar versions are recorded in the Jewang Un-gi by the late Goryeo scholar Yi Seunghyu ( 이승휴 ; 李承休 , 1224–1300), as well as the Eungje Siju ( 응제시주 ; 應製詩註 ) and Sejong Sillok ( 세종실록 ; commonly known as " Annals of

3816-664: The Eurasian Steppe route which was an active predecessor of the Silk Road . The latter started in the Guanzhong region of China and ran west along the Hexi Corridor to the Tarim Basin. From there it went southwest to Greater Iran and turned southeast to India or west to the Middle East and Europe. A minor branch went northwest along the great rivers and north of the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea. When faced with

3922-530: The Eurasian Steppe and begins near the mouth of the Danube , stretching northeast almost to Kazan and then southeast to the southern tip of the Ural Mountains . Its northern edge was a broad band of forest steppe which has now been obliterated by the conversion of the whole area to agricultural land. In the southeast the Black Sea–Caspian Steppe extends between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea to

4028-433: The International Fund of Tengri Research is also located in Yakutsk . Several Kyrgyz politicians are advocating Tengrism to fill a perceived ideological void. Dastan Sarygulov , secretary of state and former chair of the Kyrgyz state gold-mining company, established in 2005 the Tengir Ordo —a civic group promoting the values and traditions of Tengrism—and an International scientific center of Tengrist studies. He based on

4134-412: The Joseon Dynasty" , Sejong Jang-heon Dae-wang Shil-lok ; 세종장헌대왕실록 ; 世宗莊憲大王實錄 ) of the early Joseon. Dangun is worshipped today as a deity by the followers of Cheondoism and Daejongism. Dangun is the second pattern or hyeong in the International Taekwon-Do Federation form of the Korean martial art taekwondo . Students learn that the hyeong represents "the holy legendary founder of Korea in

4240-460: The Keraits Genghis Khan says "By the blessing of Eternal Tengri I have brought low the Kerait nation and ascended the high throne" (paragraph 187). Genghis sends Subutai with an iron cart to pursue the sons of Togtoa and tells him "If you act exposed though hidden, near though far and maintain loyalty then Supreme Tengri will bless you and support you" (paragraph 199). Jamukha tells Temujin "I had no trustworthy friends, no talented brothers and my wife

4346-546: The Khorchi. Our writing was written while We were at Khondlon on the sixth khuuchid (6th day of the old moon) of the first month of summer on the year of the cow. Arghun expressed Tengrism's non-dogmatic side. The name Mongke Tengri ("Eternal Tengri") is at the top of the sentence in this letter to Pope Nicholas IV , in accordance with Mongolian Tengriist writing rules. The words "Tngri" (Tengri) and "zrlg" (zarlig, decree/order) are still written with vowel-less archaism: ... Your saying "May [the Ilkhan] receive silam (baptism)"

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4452-444: The Mountains) of the Korean folk religion is related to the Siberian Tengri ("Heaven"), while the bear is a symbol of the Big Dipper (Ursa Major). The word "Tengrism" is a fairly new term. The spelling Tengrism for the religion of the ancient Turks is found in the works of the 19th century Kazakh ethnographer Shoqan Walikhanov . The term was introduced into a wide scientific circulation in 1956 by Jean-Paul Roux and later in

4558-440: The Pacific. The central area of forest-steppe was inhabited by pastoral and agricultural peoples, while to the north and east was a thin population of hunting tribes of the Siberian type. Big mammals of the Eurasian steppe were the Przewalski's horse , the saiga antelope , the Mongolian gazelle , the goitered gazelle , the wild Bactrian camel and the onager . The gray wolf , corsac fox , Pallas's cat and occasionally

4664-463: The Soviet Union during the 1990s. Still practiced, it is undergoing an organized revival in Buryatia , Sakha (Yakutia) , Khakassia , Tuva and other Turkic nations in Siberia . Altaian Burkhanism and Chuvash Vattisen Yaly are contemporary movements similar to Tengrism. The term tengri (compare with Kami ) can refer to the sky deity Tenger Etseg – also Gök Tengri ; Sky father , Blue sky – or to other deities. While Tengrism includes

4770-419: The Taichiud were waiting for him there and promptly captured him. Toghrul later credits the defeat of the Merkits with Jamukha and Temujin to the "mercy of mighty Tengri" (paragraph 113). Khorchi of the Baarin tells Temujin of a vision given by "Zaarin Tengri" where a bull raises dust and asks for one of his horns back after charging the ger cart of Jamukha (Temujin's rival) while another ox harnessed itself to

4876-415: The Tangut insults him again after his return from the Khwarezmian campaign Genghis Khan says "How can we go back (to Mongolia) when he says such proud words? Though I die I won't let these words slip. Eternal Tengri, you decide" (paragraph 265). After Genghis Khan "ascends to Tengri" (paragraph 268) during his successful campaign against the Tangut (Xi Xia) the wheels of the returning funeral cart gets stuck in

4982-591: The Türks! ). The most famous modern ideologues and theorists of Tengrism are Murad Adji  [ ru ] (1944–2018), Sabetkazy Akatai  [ kk ] (1938–2003), Aron Atabek , Nurmagambet Ayupov  [ kk ] (1955–2010), Rafael Bezertinov, Shagdaryn Bira , Firdus Devbash  [ ru ] , Yosif Dmitriev (Trer)  [ ru ] (1947–2018), Mongush Kenin-Lopsan , Auezkhan Kodar  [ kk ] (1958–2016), Choiun Omuraliyev, Dastan Sarygulov , and Olzhas Suleimenov . The poet, literary critic and Turkologist Olzhas Suleimenov,

5088-400: The ancient Turkic religion. The term also describes several contemporary Turkic and Mongolic native religious movements and teachings. All modern adherents of "political" Tengrism are monotheists. Tengrism has been advocated for in intellectual circles of the Turkic nations of Central Asia ( Kyrgyzstan with Kazakhstan ) and Russia ( Tatarstan , Bashkortostan ) since the dissolution of

5194-462: The appointed time and appointment? What would be the use of regretting afterwards? Also, if, adding any additional messages, you let your ambassadors fly (to Us) on wings, sending Us luxuries, falcons, whatever precious articles and beasts there are from the land of the Franks, the Power of Tengri ( Tengri-yin Kuchin ) and the Majesty of the Khan ( Khagan-u Suu ) only knows how We will treat you favorably. With these words We have sent Muskeril (Buscarello)

5300-438: The association of Tengri with imperial legitimacy and military success. The majesty ( suu ) of the khan is a divine stamp granted by Tengri to a chosen individual through which Tengri controls the world order (the presence of Tengri in the khan). In this letter, "Tengri" or "Mongke Tengri" ("Eternal Heaven") is at the top of the sentence. In the middle of the magnified section, the phrase Tengri-yin Kuchin ("Power of Tengri") forms

5406-416: The battle against Toghrul, Genghis Khan strikes his chest in anguish and says "May Eternal Tengri decide" (paragraph 172). Genghis Khan tells Altan and Khuchar "All of you refused to become Khan, that is why I led you as Khan. If you would have become Khan I would have charged first in battle and brought you the best women and horses if high Khukh Tengri showed us favor and defeated our enemies". After defeating

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5512-452: The belly strap can come loose, but how can the breast strap also come loose? Is Tengri persuading me?" He waited three more nights and decided to go out again but a tent-sized rock had blocked the way out. Again he said "Is Tengri persuading me?", returned and waited three more nights. Finally he lost patience after 9 days of hunger and went around the rock, cutting down the wood on the other side with his arrow-whittling knife, but as he came out

5618-554: The blessing of heaven and earth I have greatly increased in power, united all the great nation and brought them under my reins" (paragraph 224). Genghis orders Dorbei the Fierce of the Dorbet tribe to "strictly govern your soldiers, pray to Eternal Tengri and try to conquer the Khori Tumed people" (paragraph 240). After being insulted by Asha Khambu of the Tanguts of being a weak Khan Genghis Khan says "If Eternal Tengri blesses me and I firmly pull my golden reins, then things will become clear at that time" (paragraph 256). When Asha Khambu of

5724-410: The center of the steppe. The Northern Silk Road went along the north and south sides of the Tarim Basin and then crossed the mountains west to the Fergana Valley . At the west end of the basin the Pamir Mountains connect the Tian Shan Mountains to the Himalayas . To the south, the Kunlun Mountains separate the Tarim Basin from the thinly peopled Tibetan Plateau . The Mongolian-Manchurian Steppe

5830-424: The central figure of nationalism, played a large role in the spiritual foundation of the independence movement during the Japanese colonial period. In addition, the history of the Dangun era was compiled by followers of Daejongism , such as 'Daedong Sagang' ( 대동사강 ) and 'Gyuwon Sahwa' ( 규원사화 ) and the independence movement, emphasizing the history of the Dangun period. The study of Dangun in South Korea focused on

5936-405: The civilization of their subjects, lost their nomadic skills and were either assimilated or driven out. Along the northern fringe of the Eurasian steppe, nomads would collect tribute from and blend with the forest tribes (see Khanate of Sibir , Buryats ). Russia paid tribute (compare yasak ) to the Golden Horde from about 1240 to 1480. South of the Kazakh steppe the nomads blended with

6042-491: The drier areas for transport as far west as Astrakhan . There were some yaks along the edge of Tibet . The horse was used for transportation and warfare. The horse was first domesticated on the Pontic–Caspian or Kazakh steppe sometime before 3000 BC, but it took a long time for mounted archery to develop and the process is not fully understood. The stirrup does not seem to have been completely developed until 300 AD (see Stirrup , Saddle , Composite bow , Domestication of

6148-530: The east of India to the Tarim Basin and found a new home in China. By about 1400 AD, the entire steppe west of Dzungaria had adopted Islam . By about 1600 AD, Islam was established in the Tarim Basin while Dzungaria and Mongolia had adopted Tibetan Buddhism . Raids between tribes were prevalent throughout the region's history. This relates to the ease with which a defeated enemy's flocks and herds can be driven away, making raiding profitable. In terms of warfare and raiding, in relation to sedentary societies,

6254-425: The ethnic religions of other parts of Asia, Africa, Australasia and even completely unrelated parts of the Americas, as they believed these practices to be similar to one another. Terms for 'shaman' and 'shamaness' in Siberian languages: Buryat scholar Irina S. Urbanaeva developed a theory of Tengrist esoteric traditions in Central Asia after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the revival of national sentiment in

6360-428: The eulogist of the Kazakh national identity, in his book AZ-and-IA that was banned after publication in 1975 in Soviet Kazakhstan, USSR, presented Tengrism ("Tengrianstvo") as one of the most ancient religions in the world. Tengrism's revival of an ethnic religion reached a larger audience in intellectual circles. Former Presidents of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev and Kyrgyzstan Askar Akayev have called Tengrism

6466-463: The excavation of the Mausoleum of Tangun in 1994, North Korea changed its position and claimed that the Dangun myth reflects historical facts and that Dangun is a real person. Also, Dangun claims that the first king of Gojoseon, founded by the Korean people, had all of his birth, founding, and tombs in Pyongyang. There is a tomb of Dangun that North Korea excavated and reconstructed near the city directly under Pyongyang. The earliest recorded version of

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6572-404: The existence of a religious imperial khagan cult in the ancient Turkic and Mongolian states. The Turkish historian of religion Ziya Gökalp (1876–1924) wrote in his The History of Turkish Holy Tradition and Turkish Civilization that the religion of the ancient Turkic states could not be primitive shamanism, which was only a magical part of the religion of the ancient Türks (see a historiography of

6678-402: The favor of the heavenly prince. The bear-woman, Ungnyeo , was grateful and made offerings to Hwanung. However, she lacked a husband, and soon became sad and prayed beneath a "divine birch " tree ( 신단수 ; 神檀樹 ; shindansu ) to be blessed with a child. Hwanung, moved by her prayers, took her for his wife and soon she gave birth to a son named Dangun Wanggeom. Dangun ascended to

6784-403: The former Sino-Soviet border , mountains extend north almost to the forest zone, separating the Central Steppe from the Eastern Steppe, leaving only limited grassland in Dzungaria . This discontinuous section of the Eurasian steppe connects the great steppes of Central Asia and East Asia . The east-west Tian Shan Mountains divide the steppe into Dzungaria in the north and the Tarim Basin to

6890-598: The former Soviet republics of Central Asia. The first time the name Tengri was recorded in Chinese chronicles was from the 4th century BC as the sky god of the Xiongnu , using the Chinese form 撐犁 ( chēnglí , Old Chinese /*rtʰaːŋ.riːl/ ). Tengrism formed from the various Turkic and Mongolic folk religions, which had a diverse number of deities, spirits and gods. Turkic folk religion was based on Animism and similar to various other religious traditions of Siberia, Central Asia and Northeast Asia. Ancestor worship played an important part in Tengrism. The cult of Heaven-Tengri

6996-405: The great deity/spirit Munkh Tenger . Tengrism was probably similar with the folk traditions of the Tungusic peoples , such as the Manchu folk religion . Similarities with Korean shamanism and Wuism as well as Japanese Shinto are also evident. According to Hungarian archaeological research, the religion of the Magyars ( Hungarians ) until the end of the 10th century (before Christianity)

7102-591: The ground and Gilugdei Baatar of the Sunud says "My horse-mounted divine lord born with destiny from Khukh Tengri, have you abandoned your great nation?" Batu Khan sends a secret letter to Ogedei Khan saying "Under the power of the Eternal Tengri, under the Majesty of my uncle the Khan, we set up a great tent to feast after we had broken the city of Meged, conquered the Orosuud (Russians), brought in eleven nations from all directions and pulled on our golden reins to hold one last meeting before going our separate directions" (paragraph 275). A revival of Tengrism has played

7208-450: The historian of religion and ideologist of the Kemalist regime Ziya Gökalp ( Gökalp — "sky hero"). The prominent Turkish writer and historian Nihal Atsız was Tengrist and the ideologue of Turanism. The followers of Tengrism in the paramilitary organisation Grey Wolves , mainly inspired by his work, replace the Arabic designation of the god "Allah" with the Turkish "Tanri" in the oath and pronounce: " Tanrı Türkü Korusun " ( Tengri, bless

7314-422: The historical significance of the Gojoseon society. In South Korea, Dangun Wanggeom is regarded as the head of the Gojoseon society, with many characteristics of the role of high priest. Wanggeom has the meaning of an overlord who governs the country. In North Korea, the Dangun and Dangun myths were previously established as the founding myth to justify the process of establishing the Gojoseon regime. However, after

7420-443: The horse and related articles). Parts of the Eurasian steppe experience an ecological regime shift in form of woody plant encroachment , such as the Black Sea-Kazakhstan steppe, the Tibetan Plateau steppe, and the Central Asian steppe. This process involves the gradual increase of shrubs at the expense of grasses. The World Wide Fund for Nature divides the Eurasian steppe's temperate grasslands , savannas and shrublands into

7526-512: The horse gave the nomads an advantage of mobility. Horsemen could raid a village and retreat with their loot before an infantry -based army could be mustered and deployed. When confronted with superior infantry, horsemen could simply ride away, retreat and regroup. Outside of Europe and parts of the Middle East, agrarian societies had difficulty raising a sufficient supply of war horses and often had to enlist cavalry from their nomadic enemies (as mercenaries ). Nomads could not easily be pursued onto

7632-476: The ideas of one of the first ideologists of pre-Islamic religion in the post-Soviet space, the Kyrgyz writer Choiun Omuraliyev alias Choiun uulu Omuraly, described in his book Tengrism (1994). Another Kyrgyz proponent of Tengrism, Kubanychbek Tezekbaev, was prosecuted for inciting religious and ethnic hatred in 2011 with statements in an interview describing Kyrgyz mullahs as "former alcoholics and murderers". At

7738-527: The land becomes increasingly dry as one moves south. The steppe narrows at two points, dividing it into three major parts. The Pannonian Steppe is a western exclave of the Eurasian Steppe, separated from the main steppe by the Carpathian Mountains . It is found in modern-day Austria , Hungary , Romania , Serbia and Slovakia . The Pontic–Caspian Steppe is the main European end of

7844-399: The last month of winter on the year of the tiger and descend on Dimisq (Damascus) on the 15th of the first month of spring." Now, if, being true to your words, you send your soldiers at the appointed time and, worshipping Tengri, we conquer those citizens (of Damascus together), We will give you Orislim (Jerusalem). How can it be appropriate if you were to start amassing your soldiers later than

7950-524: The love of my father mighty Tengri". When Nilqa Sengum the son of Toghrul Khan tries to convince him to attack Temujin, Toghrul says "How can I think evil of my son Temujin? If we think evil of him when he is such a critical support to us, Tengri will not be pleased with us". After Nilqa Sengum throws a number of tantrums Toghrul finally relents and says "I was afraid of Tengri and said how can I harm my son. If you are really capable, then you decide what you need to do". When Boorchi and Ogedei return wounded from

8056-687: The mixture of agriculture and pastoralism in Manchuria its inhabitants, the Manchu knew how to deal with both nomads and the settled populations and therefore were able to conquer much of northern China when both Chinese and Mongols were weak. The steppe culture of Russia was shaped in Russia through cross-cultural contact mostly by Slavic, Tatar-Turkic, Mongolian and Iranian people. Rus' rulers would ally themselves by marriage with fellow-steppe peoples. In addition to ethnicity, also instruments such as

8162-715: The modern Turks and Mongols. Their names are 90% Arabic, Persian, Greek, Jewish, etc; religion is Semitic (Arabic, Christian, Jewish) and Indian; many do not know their philosophy and traditions; live by the laws and lifestyle of the West; clothes and their food is western; the alphabet is western; forgotten your kind and ancestors; they do not know the history of their folk; many city residents do not speak their native language. Who are they really and what do they have own for today? Only hereditary genes ... The Yakut philologist Lazar Afanasyev-Teris, PhD founded Tengrist organisation "Kut-Siur" (now Aiyy Faith ) in 1990–1993. The headquarters of

8268-401: The mountains at the age of 12. The Taichiud had come for him when he was living with his siblings and mother in the wilderness, subsisting on roots, wild fruits, sparrows and fish. He was hiding in the thick forest of Terguun Heights. After three days hiding he decided to leave and was leading his horse on foot when he looked back and noticed his saddle had fallen. Temujin says "I can understand

8374-531: The national, "natural" religion of the Turkic peoples. So, during the 2002 trip to Khakassia , Russia, Akayev spoke out that a visit to the Yenisei River and the runic steles constituted "a pilgrimage to a holy place for the Kyrgyz" just as the pilgrimage to Mecca. Presenting Islam as foreign to the Turkic peoples, as Semitic religion together with Christianity and Judaism, adherents are found primarily among

8480-423: The nationalistic parties of Central Asia. Tengrism may be interpreted as a Turkic version of Russian neopaganism , which is already well-established. It is partly similar to the new religious movements , such as New Age . In Tatarstan, the only Tengrist periodical Beznen-Yul (Our Path) appeared in 1997, and also works a theorist of Tengrist movement Rafael Bezertinov. He writes: Today it's hard to even say who

8586-469: The new moon of the first summer month (May 14th, 1290), when we were in Urumi. Tengri is mentioned many times in the Secret History of the Mongols , written in 1240. The book starts by listing the ancestors of Genghis Khan starting from Borte Chino (Blue Wolf) born with "destiny from Tengri". Borte Chino was either a heavenly wolf, a real man with the totemic name of a wolf or Modu Chanyu . Bodonchar Munkhag

8692-485: The northern Caucasus reportedly believed in two gods: Tangri Han (or Tengri Khan), considered identical to the Persian Esfandiyār and for whom horses were sacrificed, and Kuar (whose victims are struck by lightning). Traditional Tengrism was more embraced by the nomadic Turks than by those residing in the lower mountains or forests. This belief influenced Turkic and Mongol religious history since ancient times until

8798-636: The official South Korean era (for numbering years) was called the Dangi ( 단기 ; 檀紀 ), which began in 2333 BC. Followers of Daejongism considered 3 October in the Korean calendar as Gaecheonjeol . This day is now a public holiday in South Korea in the Gregorian calendar called "National Foundation Day". North Korea dates Dangun's founding of Gojoseon to the early 30th century BC. 15 March in

8904-407: The other peoples, those who, forgetting the Eternal Tengri and disobeying him, are lying and stealing, are there not many of them? Now, you say that we have not received silam, you are offended and harbor thoughts of discontent. [But] if one prays to Eternal Tengri and carries righteous thoughts, it is as much as if he had received silam. We have written our letter in the year of the tiger, the fifth of

9010-714: The polities practicing it were not small bands of hunter-gatherers like the Paleosiberians , but a continuous succession of pastoral, semi-sedentarized khanates and empires from the Xiongnu Empire (founded 209 BC) to the Mongol Empire (13th century). In Mongolia it survives as a synthesis with Tibetan Buddhism while surviving in purer forms around Lake Khovsgol and Lake Baikal . Unlike Siberian shamanism, which has no written tradition, Tengrism can be identified from Turkic and Mongolic historical texts like

9116-408: The problem: Alici 2011 , pp. 137–139). The nature of this religion remains debatable. According to many scholars, it was originally polytheistic , but a monotheistic branch with the sky god Kök-Tengri as the supreme being evolved as a dynastical legitimation. It is at least agreed that Tengrism formed from the diverse folk religions of the local people and may have had diverse branches. It

9222-473: The relative strength of the nomadic and agrarian heartlands. Over the last few hundred years, the Russian steppe and much of Inner Mongolia has been cultivated. The fact that most of the Russian steppe is not irrigated implies that it was maintained as grasslands as a result of the military strength of the nomads. According to the most widely held hypothesis of the origin of the Indo-European languages ,

9328-457: The rule of the dynasty: "As there is only one God in Heaven, there can only be one ruler on the earth ...". Others point out that Tengri itself was never an Absolute, but only one of many gods of the upper world, the sky deity , of polytheistic shamanism, later known as Tengrism. Tengrism differs from contemporary Siberian shamanism in that it was a more organized religion. Additionally

9434-468: The same time, the Kyrgyz authorities do not go for the official registration of "Tengirchilik" (Теңирчилик) and other Tengrist associations. The ideology of de-Judaization and the revival of Tengrism is imbued with the works of the leaders of the Crimean Karaites and Krymchaks of Crimea , who traditionally professed forms of Judaism (Igor Achkinazi (1954–2006), David Rebi  [ ru ] (1922–2019), and others). Eurasian Steppe Since

9540-488: The sedentary population, partly because the Middle East has significant areas of steppe (taken by force in past invasions) and pastoralism. There was a sharp cultural divide between Mongolia and China and almost constant warfare from the dawn of history until the Qing conquest of Dzungaria in 1757. The nomads collected large amounts of tribute from the Chinese and several Chinese dynasties were of steppe origin. Perhaps because of

9646-521: The south and west of Dzungaria, and separated from it by the Tian Shan mountains, is an area about twice the size of Dzungaria, the oval Tarim Basin . The Tarim Basin's arid conditions make it unsuitable for sustaining a nomadic population. However, along its periphery, rivers descend from the mountains, creating a circle of cities that thrived on irrigation agriculture and engaged in east-west trade. The Tarim Basin formed an island of near civilization in

9752-611: The south. Dzungaria is bounded by the Tarbagatai Mountains on the west and the Mongolian Altai Mountains on the east, neither of which is a significant barrier. Dzungaria has good grassland around the edges and a central desert. It often behaved as a westward extension of Mongolia and connected Mongolia to the Kazakh Steppe. To the north of Dzungaria are mountains and the Siberian forest. To

9858-478: The steppe since the steppe could not easily support a land army. If the Chinese sent an army into Mongolia, the nomads would flee and come back when the Chinese ran out of supplies. But the steppe nomads were relatively few and their rulers had difficulty holding together enough clans and tribes to field a large army. If steppe nomads conquered an agricultural area they often lacked the skills to administer it. If they tried to hold agrarian land they gradually absorbed

9964-434: The throne, built the walled city of Asadal situated near Pyongyang (the location is disputed), and called the kingdom Joseon—referred to today as Gojoseon so as not to be confused with the later kingdom of Joseon that was established roughly 2000 years later. He then moved his capital to Asadal on Mount Paegak or Mount Gunghol. Dangun's biography reflected the interest of the people of Dangun Joseon ( Gojoseon ) at

10070-462: The time in establishing the legitimacy of the kingship of Gojoseon and the dignity of the country. The king of Gojoseon conducted a ritual in honor of his ancestral god every year. Soon, the myth of Dangun was the political ideology of the Gojoseon period, and the ritual had a function of political assembly. Emperor Dangun's rule is usually calculated to begin in 2333 BCE, based on the description of

10176-467: The time that the Emperor of Han pushed Chinese power west to the Tarim Basin. The nomads would occasionally tolerate colonies of peasants on the steppe in the few areas where farming was possible. These were often captives who grew grain for their nomadic masters. Along the fringes there were areas that could be used for either plowland or grassland. These alternated between one and the other depending on

10282-783: The universe. It was the prevailing religion of the Göktürks , Xianbei , Bulgars , Xiongnu , Yeniseian and Mongolic peoples and Huns , as well as the state religion of several medieval states such as the First Turkic Khaganate , the Western Turkic Khaganate , the Eastern Turkic Khaganate , Old Great Bulgaria , the First Bulgarian Empire , Volga Bulgaria , Khazaria , and the Mongol Empire . In

10388-411: The valleys and the mountains. Hwanin permitted Hwanung and 3,000 followers to descend onto Myohyang-san , where Hwanung founded Sinsi ( 신시 ; 神市 , "City of God"). Along with his ministers of clouds, rain and wind, he instituted laws and moral codes and taught humans various arts, medicine, and agriculture. Legend attributes the development of acupuncture and moxibustion to Dangun. A tiger and

10494-626: The western steppe) and its later form the Vedic religion . The chief god Tengri ("Heaven") is considered strikingly similar to the Indo-European sky god *Dyḗus and the East Asian Tian (Chinese: "Sky; Heaven"). The structure of the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European religion is actually closer to that of the early Turks than to the religion of any people of neolithic European, Near Eastern or Mediterranean antiquity. The term "shamanism"

10600-552: The worship of personified gods ( tngri ) such as Ülgen and Kayra , Tengri is considered an "abstract phenomenon". In Mongolian folk religion, Genghis Khan is considered one of the embodiments, if not the main embodiment, of Tengri's will. The forms of the name Tengri ( Old Turkic : Täŋri ) among the ancient and modern Turkic and Mongolic are Tengeri , Tangara , Tangri , Tanri , Tangre , Tegri , Tingir , Tenkri , Tangra , Teri , Ter , and Ture . The name Tengri ("the Sky")

10706-589: The year 4340 of the Dangun Era is called "Royal Day Festival" ( 어천절 ; 御天節 ; Eocheonjeol ), the day that the semi-legendary founder Dangun returned to the heavens. Dangun began to attract attention during the late Goryeo dynasty , when Koreans fought wars against the Mongolian Yuan dynasty . During the Joseon period they were worshiped as the ancestors of the nation. In the Joseon dynasty,

10812-461: Was a form of Tengrism and Shamanism. Tengrists view their existence as sustained by the eternal blue sky (Tengri), the fertile mother-earth spirit ( Eje ) and a ruler regarded as the chosen one by the holy spirit of the sky. Heaven, earth, spirits of nature and ancestors provide for every need and protect all humans. By living an upright, respectful life, a human will keep his world in balance and perfect his personal Wind Horse , or spirit. The Huns of

10918-463: Was a talker with great words. That is why I have lost to you Temujin, blessed and destined by Father Tengri." Genghis Khan appoints Shikhikhutug chief judge of the Empire in 1206 and tells him "Be my eyes to see and ears to hear when I am ordering the empire through the blessing of Eternal Tengri" (paragraph 203). Genghis Khan appoints Muqali "Gui Wang" because he "transmitted the word of Tengri when I

11024-421: Was first applied by Western anthropologists as outside observers of the ancient religion of the Turkic and Mongolic peoples, as well as those of the neighbouring Tungusic and Samoyedic-speaking peoples. Upon observing more religious traditions across the world, some Western anthropologists began to also use the term in a very broad sense. The term was used to describe unrelated magico-religious practices found within

11130-478: Was sitting under the spreading tree in the valley of Khorkhunag Jubur where Hotula Khan used to dance" (paragraph 206). He gives Khorchi of the Baarin 30 wives because he promised Khorchi he would fulfill his request for 30 wives "if what you say comes true through the mercy and power of Tengri" (paragraph 207). Genghis mentions both Eternal Tengri and "heaven and earth" when he says "By the mercy of Eternal Tengri and

11236-666: Was the legendary founder and first king of Gojoseon , the first Korean kingdom. He founded the first kingdom around the northern part of the Korean Peninsula . He is said to be the "grandson of heaven", "son of a bear", and to have founded the first kingdom in 2333 BC . The earliest recorded version of the Dangun legend appears in the 13th-century Samguk yusa , which cites Korea's lost historical record, Gogi ( 고기 ; 古記 ; lit. 'Ancient Record') and China's Book of Wei . Koreans celebrate Dangun's founding of Gojoseon , Korea's first dynasty, on 3 October. That day

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