Turkish Dragons and Gods: A Guide to Turkic Mythology

The Gods of Turkic Mythology

Tengri — The Eternal Sky

Tengri is the chief deity of the early Turkic and Mongolic peoples, the boundless blue sky personified. Worship of Tengri (Tengrism) formed the spiritual backbone of the steppe nomads, who saw the sky itself as the source of fate and sovereignty.

Umay Ana — The Mother Goddess

Umay Ana is the protector mother goddess of Turkic mythology — guardian of children, fertility, and life. She is often depicted with celestial wings, descending from the sky to bless newborns. She is the heart of the Modular Umay Ana Set.

Erlik — Lord of the Underworld

Erlik is the dark counterpart to Tengri — ruler of the underworld, judge of souls, and the source of disease and death in many Turkic creation myths.

The Dragons of Turkic Mythology

Evren — The Cosmic Dragon

Evren is the great cosmic dragon of Turkic mythology, sometimes coiling around the world tree and sometimes flying across the heavens. Its name itself came to mean "universe" in modern Turkish, hinting at how central the dragon was to the Turkic cosmological imagination.

Yelbeghen — The Many-Headed Devourer

Yelbeghen is a monstrous, multi-headed dragon from Altaic legend — devourer of villages and herald of eclipses, said to swallow the sun and moon. Heroes of the steppe are often defined by their battles against Yelbeghen.

Tulpar — The Winged Steed

Though not a dragon, the winged horse Tulpar shares the sky with these creatures and is a symbol of speed, loyalty and divine protection. Build your own with the Modular Tulpar Set.

Heroes and the One-Eyed Giant

No guide to Turkic legends is complete without Tepegöz, the one-eyed giant from the Book of Dede Korkut — a creature defeated by the hero Basat. Tepegöz embodies the tension between human courage and monstrous power that runs through every dragon and god in this guide. He is brought to life in the Modular Tepegöz Set.