In tumblr it has come to my attention that there are really few posts (I didn’t see any tbh) about central asian mythological creatures and when I was showing it a friend here she suggested that I should make a post about it so here we go! Before I start I want to say that my native language is not English so I may fuck up and gonna try to keep as simple as possible (for my own sake)
This is Tulpar, probably one of the most known one as It’s also in state emblems of Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Bashkortostan. It’s a winged horse created by Sky-God to help the heroes. It’s in single color and these are either white or black. It’ is mentioned in Manas Epic that if someone sees wings of Tulpar they will get lost.
This is Markut, It’s a giant eagle in Turkic Altai and Mongoloian mythology, it protects shamans and guides them while their spirits are rising to the sky up to third-fold of seven-fold sky.
This is Huma, a mythical bird, exhausted by burning itself and reborn from its ashes. It is narrated that it leaves the heaven and flies very high at seven-fold skies wandering around the constellation constituting the zodiac. Even it is told that it goes up to Sky-God. It can fly continuously without landing down so it is said in some sources that it doesn’t have any feet. It is believed that it brings happiness and luck to whom it lands on.
Hello this is Semruk, giant double headed eagle, the symbol of power and strength. It means reign over the East and the West. It is an icon moved from central Asia to the world during Turkic and Mongoloian migrations and conquests. It has copper claws. The right wing covers the Sun and the left covers the Moon. It symbolizes the duality in universe such as darkness and brightness.
Oh god where to start with this. These are Abra and Yutpa. Two giant snakes that lives in underworld great sea called Tengiz.These creatures names are always mentioned together. They kind of look like crocodiles with two fins at the end of their tail. They are bright shiny copper eyed, crimson handed, green calfed and white chested. They are incredibly huge and put fear on hearts of those who see them. They protect Palace of Erlik (God of Death in Turkich and Mongolian mythology) and known as servants of him. In some texts it says they are scary creatures that live in Toybadım underworld river rather than the underworld sea. They can swallow a whole elephant in one gulp. In some texts the 4 creatures of underworld are mentioned together rather than two as “ Ker Abra, Ker Yutpa, Ker Arat ve Ker Doydu “ sometimes its thought that these four are same creatures. In Altai Shamanism shaman’s dress have design of these creatures.