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Kultigin monument from the Orkhon inscriptions
Ovoo shrine in Mongolia
Altay shaman with ritual drum
Mongolian shaman performing a fire ritual
Sacred mountain Chingeltei Uul in Mongolia
(Tengrism & Steppe Shamanism)
1. Identity & Scope
Names: Tengrism, Tengri worship, Mongolic shamanism.Scope: Ancient spiritual systems of Turkic and Mongolic peoples across Central Asia, Siberia, Mongolia, and the steppe.Nature: Sky-god monolatry combined with animism and shamanism, focused on Tengri (Eternal Blue Sky), earth mother, ancestors, and spirits of land and nature.
2. Historical Context
Early origins: Bronze/Iron Age steppe nomads (Scythians, Xiongnu) already practiced sky-earth cults.Classical period: Turkic Khaganates (6th–8th c.) and Mongol Empire (13th–14th c.) institutionalized Tengri worship as state ideology.Islam & Buddhism: From 8th–14th centuries, most Turkic and Mongolic peoples adopted Islam, Buddhism, or Christianity, but Tengri cosmology persisted beneath.Modern: Revival movements in Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and among Turkic minorities (Tatars, Yakuts).
3. Sources of Evidence
Inscriptions: Orkhon inscriptions (8th c.) invoking Tengri.
Chronicles: Secret History of the Mongols, Rashid al-Din’s works.
Oral epics: Manas (Kyrgyz), Geser (Mongolic).
Ethnography: Accounts of shamans, rituals, sacrifices.
4. Pantheon & Supernatural Beings
High deity: Tengri (“Eternal Blue Sky”), ruler of fate and cosmic order.Earth goddess: Umay (fertility, motherhood, protector of children).Underworld god: Erlik (lord of death, misfortune).Nature spirits: Spirits of mountains, rivers, animals, storms.Ancestors: Khans and clan forebears venerated as protectors.Helper spirits: Animal totems (wolves, eagles, horses).
5. Cosmology & Myth
Three-tiered cosmos:
Upper world (Tengri, sky spirits).
Middle world (humans, animals).
Lower world (Erlik, demons).
Axis mundi: World tree or sacred mountain linking realms.Myth cycles: Wolf ancestors of Turkic clans; Mongolic myths of Chinggis Khan’s heavenly mandate.Destiny: Tengri grants rulers “qut” (divine charisma).
6. Ritual & Practice
Sacrifice: Horses, sheep, and other livestock to Tengri, Umay, and ancestors.Shamanic trance: Journey through drumming and chanting to contact spirits.State rituals: Khans sacrificed to Tengri for legitimacy.Seasonal rites: Fertility rituals, rainmaking, fire offerings.Divination: Omens read from fire, bones, sky signs.
7. Sacred Space & Material Culture
Mountains: Sacred peaks as abodes of Tengri (e.g., Burkan Khaldun in Mongolia).Rivers & springs: Worshipped as life-giving.Objects: Shaman drums, ritual costumes with iron and feathers, horse effigies.Totems: Wolf, eagle, horse symbols of clans and tribes.
8. Religious Specialists & Institutions
Shamans (kam, böö): Spirit mediators, healers, diviners.Khans: Considered chosen by Tengri; political and religious figures.Clan elders: Custodians of ancestor rites.Priest-shamans: Served state ceremonies in khaganates.
9. Social Function & Law
Religion legitimized political power: rulers claimed mandate of Tengri.
Clan law (töre ) intertwined with sacred order.
Shamans healed, guided hunts, settled disputes with spirit backing.
Oaths sworn by Tengri carried legal weight.
10. Death & Afterlife
Afterlife: Souls journey to sky or underworld depending on fate.Funerary rites: Horse sacrifice, grave goods (weapons, ornaments).Ancestor cult: Dead became guardian spirits if properly honored.Erlik: Punished souls of wrongdoers in underworld.
11. Symbolism & Cultural Expression
Symbols: Blue sky = Tengri; wolf = ancestor spirit; horse = sacred mediator.Colors: Blue (sky, sacred), white (purity), black (death, underworld).Arts: Epic poetry (Manas, Geser) expressing divine mandate.Performance: Shamanic drumming, throat singing, epic recitations.
12. Contact & Transformation
Islamization: Turkic peoples in Central Asia absorbed Tengri into Allah but retained Umay, Erlik in folklore.Buddhism: Mongols adopted Tibetan Buddhism, but shamanic cosmology persisted.Christianity: Nestorian Christians coexisted with Tengri cults for centuries.Modern revival: Neo-Tengriism resurging in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia; celebrated as national spiritual heritage.Global influence: “Tengri” now a cultural identity marker for Turkic and Mongolic nationalism.