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Tengrism in the life of Turkic peoples

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Religion and State in the Altaic World
This chapter is in the book Religion and State in the Altaic World

Abstract

In this article, tengrism is considered as a religious system, based on nomad myths, among which special place is given to divine myths that reflect the religious consciousness of ancient Turkic peoples. Tengri and Umai, as supreme gods in runic monuments, are anthropocentric. In the Irig bitig monument, Tengri is a godmessenger, while in the Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk Tengri’s image has only a religious meaning. In the Codex Cumanicus, as well as in Armeno-Kipchak monuments, Tengri symbolizes Christian religious meanings. The author argues that Tengrism and Islam have co-existed in the lives of Turkic peoples for many centuries, which is reflected in the traditions and rituals of modern Turkic nations.

Abstract

In this article, tengrism is considered as a religious system, based on nomad myths, among which special place is given to divine myths that reflect the religious consciousness of ancient Turkic peoples. Tengri and Umai, as supreme gods in runic monuments, are anthropocentric. In the Irig bitig monument, Tengri is a godmessenger, while in the Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk Tengri’s image has only a religious meaning. In the Codex Cumanicus, as well as in Armeno-Kipchak monuments, Tengri symbolizes Christian religious meanings. The author argues that Tengrism and Islam have co-existed in the lives of Turkic peoples for many centuries, which is reflected in the traditions and rituals of modern Turkic nations.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Preface V
  3. Contents VII
  4. Material Culture: Shagreen in the Bābur-nāma 1
  5. Polysemy of the Word “Täŋri” 19
  6. Return of State-Supported Buddhist Rituals to Modern Mongolia 29
  7. Disasters — Acts of Heaven? Records of Disasters in the Draft History of Qing 39
  8. Totemism of the peoples of Altai origin 59
  9. From the Sanskrit-Tibetan transliteration system to the Mongolian and the Manchu ali-gali script 65
  10. Moghul Tribal Traditions in Mirza Haydar Dughlat’s Tarikh-i Rashidi 75
  11. Two Primary Accounts on the Sino-Mongolian Negotiation (1449–1450) 93
  12. On the Buddhist Feature of the Uighur Pintung Documents 101
  13. An Old Uyghur text fragment related to the Tocharian B “History of Kuchean kings” 111
  14. Shamanism in the Secret History and the Kojiki 125
  15. Tibetan Buddhism and Nomadic Mongolian Regimes 143
  16. Old Turkic runic inscriptions in the Altai Mountains and their reflection of traditional beliefs and religion of the ancient Turkic population: the case of the inscription Kuttuu-I 153
  17. State and Church in Mongolia, a multidimensional relationship 161
  18. Роль мечетей Кыргызстана в религиозном воспитании молодежи 171
  19. Tengrism in the life of Turkic peoples 177
  20. “Meskhetian Turks”: an analysis of their ethnic self-identification and religion based on a sociolinguistic survey in 2013–2018 183
  21. Polyglot Names of Imperial Horses and Dogs 199
  22. A New Analysis of the Kalbak Taš XV (A-33) Inscription 223
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https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110730562-016

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Preface V
  3. Contents VII
  4. Material Culture: Shagreen in the Bābur-nāma 1
  5. Polysemy of the Word “Täŋri” 19
  6. Return of State-Supported Buddhist Rituals to Modern Mongolia 29
  7. Disasters — Acts of Heaven? Records of Disasters in the Draft History of Qing 39
  8. Totemism of the peoples of Altai origin 59
  9. From the Sanskrit-Tibetan transliteration system to the Mongolian and the Manchu ali-gali script 65
  10. Moghul Tribal Traditions in Mirza Haydar Dughlat’s Tarikh-i Rashidi 75
  11. Two Primary Accounts on the Sino-Mongolian Negotiation (1449–1450) 93
  12. On the Buddhist Feature of the Uighur Pintung Documents 101
  13. An Old Uyghur text fragment related to the Tocharian B “History of Kuchean kings” 111
  14. Shamanism in the Secret History and the Kojiki 125
  15. Tibetan Buddhism and Nomadic Mongolian Regimes 143
  16. Old Turkic runic inscriptions in the Altai Mountains and their reflection of traditional beliefs and religion of the ancient Turkic population: the case of the inscription Kuttuu-I 153
  17. State and Church in Mongolia, a multidimensional relationship 161
  18. Роль мечетей Кыргызстана в религиозном воспитании молодежи 171
  19. Tengrism in the life of Turkic peoples 177
  20. “Meskhetian Turks”: an analysis of their ethnic self-identification and religion based on a sociolinguistic survey in 2013–2018 183
  21. Polyglot Names of Imperial Horses and Dogs 199
  22. A New Analysis of the Kalbak Taš XV (A-33) Inscription 223
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