| Ülgen | |
|---|---|
Planets, Stars, and Shamans | |
| Abode | Sky |
| Symbol | Pleiades |
| Ethnic group | Turkic peoples |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Kayra |
| Siblings | Umay Erlik Koyash Ay Tanrı |
| Turkic mythology |
|---|
 |
Epics and heroes |
Bai-Ülgen orÜlgen (Old Turkic: 𐰈𐰞𐰏𐰅𐰣;Cyrillic: Үлгэн) is aTurkic creator-deity, usually distinct fromTengri but sometimes identified with him in the same manner asHelios andApollo. His name is from Old Turkicbay, "rich", andülgen, "magnificent". Ülgen is believed to be without either beginning or end.
InTengrism, theUlukayın, regarded as a cosmic axis between earth and sky, was regarded as sacred to him, as was thehorse (horse-sacrifice was a part of his worship).[1] Ülgen symbolizes goodness, welfare, abundance, plentiness of food, water, etc. Furthermore, he created earth, heaven and all living beings. In addition, he controls the atmospheric events and movements of stars.[2] He creates land for people to live on, the heads of both humans and animals and the rainbow. He was regarded as thepatron god ofshamans and the source of their knowledge.
It is believed that Ülgen has been created fromKayra (Tengere Kayra Khan). He is the highest deity after Tengri in the pantheon. Often, Ülgen is compared with Tengri and at times they are thought to be on par, or even the same. In some sayings, the name/function of Ülgen may be (partially) interchangeable with that of Tengri.
Ülgen is described as the enemy ofErlik who is the god of evil and darkness. Ülgen assumes the protectorship of humankind against him.
Bai-Ülgen lives on the sixteenth floor of the sky above the stars, sun and moon in a golden house. Mere humans may never reach him, only shamans and kams who possess astral powers can. Animals are used for sacrifice in worship of him, especially horses. Once in every third, sixth, ninth, or twelfth year, a shaman may sacrifice a white horse as the first step of reaching Ülgen. Then he must ride its soul, penetrate through all the layers of heaven until he reaches Ülgen. Firstly, the kam (shaman) meets Yayık who is the servant of Ülgen. This entity informs the kam whether or not the offering has been accepted. If the sacrificial rite has been successful, the shaman is able to learn from the omniscient Ülgen of impending dangers, such as bad harvests.
Ülgen has seven sons, the Ak oğlanlar (White Boys) or Kıyatlar:
| Khagan name | Han name | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karshyt Khagan | Karşıt Han | The god of purity. |
| 2 | Bura Khagan | Pura Han | The god of horses. |
| 3 | Burcha Khagan | Burça Han | The god of prosperity. |
| 4 | Yashyl Khagan | Yaşıl Han | The god of nature. |
| 5 | Karakush Khagan | Karakuş Han | The god of birds. |
| 6 | Kanym Khagan | Er Kanım | The god of confidence. |
| 7 | Bakhty Khagan | Baktı Han | The god of blessing |
Ülgen also has nine daughters, calledAkkızlar orKıyanlar, but no one knows their names. His daughters are source of inspiration for shamans.[3][4][5]
