Etugen Eke
{{Short description|Earth Goddess in Turkic-Mongolic Mythologies}}
{{Turkic mythology}}
Etügen Eke ("Mother Earth", also transliterated variously as Itügen{{cite book|title=The Mongols|volume=12|series=The Peoples of Europe|first=David|last=Morgan|author-link=David Morgan (historian)|edition=2nd|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|year=2007|isbn=9781405135399}} or Etügen Ekhe) is an earth goddess in Tengrism and Turkic mythology. She was believed to be perpetually virginal. The word "etugen" associates with woman and daughter of Kayra. Also her name may have originated from Ötüken, the holy mountain of the earth and fertilityEnciclopèdia de l'Islam, VIII, 236, M. Th. Houtsma goddess of the ancient Turks.Türk Söylence Sözlüğü (Turkish Mythological Dictionary), Deniz Karakurt, (OTRS: CC BY-SA 3.0) Medieval sources sometimes pair Etugen with a male counterpart named Natigai or NachigaiThe Travels of Marco Polo (Natikai, Natıkay),{{Cite web |url=http://www.mythologydictionary.com/asian-mythology.html#otukan |title=Siberian Mythology - Asia |access-date=2013-09-17 |archive-date=2015-12-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208153108/http://www.mythologydictionary.com/asian-mythology.html#otukan |url-status=dead }} although this is probably a mistake based on a mispronunciation of Etugen. In mythology Etugen is often represented as a young woman riding a grey bull.
Etymology
"Eke" means mother, while Etugen is also often referred to as "dayir" (meaning brown, derived from Old Turkic),{{cite book |title=Papers on Far Eastern History |date=1972 |author= David Sneath |publisher=Department of Far Eastern History, Australian National University |page=28 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9ngwAQAAIAAJ |language=en |quote="This is also the case with the Mongol Earth - goddess Etügen (ötögen ötegen ~ Itügen). She is usually called "mother" (eke) or "brown" (dayir) cf. Old Turkish yagïz yir, which also means "the brown Earth.""}} and she is described as the brown skinned Mother Earth.{{cite thesis |last=Khamaganova |first=Erjen |date=1998 |title=IN SEARCH OF THE LOST ROOTS |url=https://scholarworks.umt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5806&context=etd |type= |chapter= |publisher=University of Montana |docket= |oclc=}}
Mother Earth
Etugen existed in the middle of the Universe. The Turkic people depicted Etugen as a voluptuous, beautiful woman, who was patroness of the Homeland and nature. All living beings were subordinate to her. Therefore, the Turkic people viewed Etugen as the second highest deity, after Kök-Tengri. The dominant role in determining the fate of people and nations belonged to Tengri, but natural forces yielded to Etugen. Sometimes on Tengri's command, Etugen punished people for their sins. But she was generally considered a benevolent Goddess. To appease the goddess Etugen, sacrifices were made every spring in preparation for the cattle-breeding season and before planting crops. Sacrifices were also conducted in the autumn, after the completion of the harvest. During the times of the Khaganates,Kreiser und Neumann: Kleine Geschichte der Türkei. Stuttgart 2003, P. 20 sacrifices to Etugen had a nationwide character. They were conducted near rivers and on the banks of lakes. A reddish horse was sacrificed with appeals for the fertility of cattle and crops, and for general well being.
References
{{reflist}}
Bibliography
- {{cite book|title=The Religions of Mongolia|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OzDMbpw7EecC|first=Walther|last=Heissig|publisher=University of California Press|year=1980|isbn=9780520038578|chapter=The cult of the earth and the cult of heights}}
- {{cite encyclopaedia|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Russian and Slavic Myth and Legend|article=Itugen|first=Mike|last=Dixon-Kennedy|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=1998|isbn=9781576070635}}
- {{cite book|title=Transformations and Transfer of Tantra in Asia and Beyond|volume=52|series=Religion and Society|editor1-first=István|editor1-last=Keul|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|year=2012|isbn=9783110258110|first=Karénina|last=Kollmar-Paulenz|chapter=Embodying the Dharma|pages=253 et seq}}
External links
- [http://myfhology.info/gods/mongols/eitugen.html Myfhology Info] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111028124058/http://myfhology.info/gods/mongols/eitugen.html |date=2011-10-28 }} {{in lang|ru}}
{{Turkic Deities}}