Tengrim

Introduction

It is a Central Asian religion with a rich history.  This is the native religion Turkish, Mongol, and Yeniseian.  It has its own creation story, deities, beliefs, rituals, ethics, sacred animals, and holidays.  Practitioners knows about the about the 3 world of shamanism.  There are 2 types of shamans in this religion.  How's it doing in modern times?         

Definition

This religion is very shamanic and the practitioners are animists.  It is a mixture of various folk religions of Central Asia.  Ancestral veneration is very important in this religion.  They know humans are part of nature and we should be in harmony with the universe.  Humanity is sustained by heaven, earth, ancestral spirits, and deities.    

Deities

Kok Tengri: He is the "Eternal Blue Sky." He is the supreme being.  

Umay: Mother goddess that "protects and educates babies."  She can separate a soul from a corpse.  

Erklig: He is the god of space and causes planets to move.  He has a soft spot 4 Venus.    

Ineshsit: She is the goddess of childbirth and labor.  

Erlik: He is the god of death and he rules the underworld.

Yel Ana: She is the Hungarian goddess of the wind.   

Kuara: God of thunder and son of Tengri.  

Od iyesi: She is the goddess of fire and marriage.   

Ay Ata: His name means "Grandfather Moon God."  He is married to Gun Ana.

Gun Ana: Her name means Sun Mother.   "The goddess of life and fertility, warmth and health."

Mergen: He is the god of wisdom, abundance and archery.

Ak Ana: She is the water goddess and Umay older sister, maybe.  

Kyzaghan: He is a war god and the Huns were big on him.

Zarlik: She is the goddess of tights, justice and judgement.  She is similar to Maat.  

There are many other deities, but this will suffice.

Shamans

Sum people are called to be shamans and it usually runs in the family.  They help people have a betta understanding of the spiritual world.  Their responsibilities are as follows: healing, divination and helping solve disputes people have with spirits.  There are 2 types of shaman in this religion.  They are as follows:  white shaman and the black shaman. White shamans deal with calm spirits and heal people.  Black shamans deal with aggressive spirits.  They protect and empower warriors in battle.  

Beliefs

Tengri is the supreme being, he caused the universe to come into existence.  Ancestral spirits bless their descendants, because they venerate them.  They are the link between humans and the divine.  There are 3 worlds: upper, middle, and lower worlds.  You would find this same belief in shamanism.  The Tree of Life connects all 3 worlds.  That reminds me of the world tree in Norse mythology.  It's connected to 9 realms.  Humans have 3 souls, which corresponds to the 3 worlds.  Humans should always respect nature, 4 we are apart of it.  Righteous people go to Ucmag by flying there or being taken there.  It's like heaven in Christian theology.  Evil people go to Tamag, which is like hell.                

Rituals

The people that follow this religion pray to Tengri.  They do it as a way of saying thank you and 4 help.  Offerings are given to the various deities.  Those offerings are as follows: food, incense, drink, etc.  

Ritual Bath: This cleanses the individual of negative energy.  

Fire Ceremonies: This purifies the environment, turn away negative energy and 'invite blessings from spirits.'    

Smoke Cleansing: It cleanses the atmosphere and bring prayers to heaven.  

There are ceremonies 4 birth, adulthood, marriage, and death.

Ethics

Humans are to respect nature and protect animals.  All things are interconnected.  People should be honest and neva try 2 deceive each other.  We should all take time to betta understand each other and always be kind.  We should be concerned about each other, and be able to put ourselves into someone's else shoes.  Everyone is responsible 4 their own actions.  People should give 2 those in need.  Every person as inherent value, so they should be treat with the utmost respect!!!      

Scared Animals

White Horse: It symbolizes the human soul.

Wolf: It represents loyalty, strength and courage.

Bear: It represents healing, protection, wisdom, and divine femininity.    

Holidays

Navrus: This is the spring equinox; it's a new years celebration.  They eat, dance and sing during this holiday 4 the return of the sun and Tengri blessings.  

Tengri Ayt: This is the summer solstice.  People play games and thank the sun.

Tamga: This is the fall equinox.  People thank the spirits 4 harvest and give them offerings.  

   

History

This religion started in the Bronze Age, which is ova 3,000 year ago!!!  It is very shamanic and it incorporates animism.  That's the belief everything has a spirit.  Women has always played a major role in in this religion.  Sum of them were shamans and they had a important role in ceremonies.  This religion promoted gender equality.  Mongols and Turks spread this religion as they they migrated across Asia.  It has several similarities 2 Indo-European religions; they may have a common origin.  Tengrism was the religion of the first Turkic empire.  Gokturk was the name of that empire.  This was the religion of the Huns, Magyars, and Bulgars.  They brought with them 2 Europe, then they became Christians.  The Uyghur empire was the 2nd Central Asian empire that embraced Tengrism.  They mixed Zoroastrian, Buddhist, and Mani beliefs into it.  Genghis Khan was a "devote follower" of this religion.  The rulers of these empires saw themselves as sons of Tengri, which remind me of the mandate of heaven in China.  Even when Central Asians became Christian and Muslim they still had on to Tengrist beliefs and rituals.  The Soviets suppressed it, but it still lingered.                

Present Day

Tengrism became popular again after the Soviet Union collapsed.  Central Asians wanted to follow that old time religion, so they did.  They liked that it promoted "ecological sustainability."  Scholars began to research this religion; which encouraged people to practice it.  Temples and scared sites that was in disarray were restored.     

People

This is the the religion of Mongols, Turks, and Yeniseian people.  Even though they follow the same religion, their beliefs are somewhat different.  Mongols believe in 99 spirits, while the Turks believe in 17.  Yeniseians were apart of the Huns centuries ago and they are related to some American Indian tribes.  @ one time the Mongols had the biggest empire in the world!!!!  Sum Turks became Islamic and tookova Byzantine!!!!  

Conclusion

Tengrism is a Central Asian religion that was created b4 the bible.  It is the folk religion of Mongols, Turks and Yeniseians.  It has many deities and shamans play a huge role in it.  They believe everything has a spirit and they share some of the same beliefs of Indo-Europeans.  There are rituals, a code of conduct, sacred animals and 3 major holidays.  Turks and Mongols spread the religion when they became imperial.  It is still being practiced today!     

References

wikipedia.org

https://slife.org/tengrism/

https://spiritualgrowthguide.com/tengri-shamanism/

https://defencehub.live/threads/tengrism-and-ancient-turkic-mythology-symbols.2758/

Tengrism: Embracing the Sky and Earth: A Comprehensive Guide to an Ancient Spiritual Tradition 

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