Umay
Umay | |
---|---|
Goddess of Newborn Children and Souls | |
Abode | Ay Tanrı Ülgen |
Spouse | Tengri |
Umay (also known as Umai;
Etymology
The Turkic root umāy originally meant "placenta, afterbirth" and this word was used as the name for the goddess whose function was to look after women and children, and she is associated with fertility.[4][5] In Mongolian, Umai means "womb" or "uterus", possibly reflecting acculturation of Mongols by Turks or ancient lexical ties between Mongols and Turks.[6]
Goddess of children
The name appears in the 8th century inscription of Kul Tigin in the phrase Umay teg ögüm katun kutıŋa "under the auspices of my mother who is like the goddess Umay".
Umay is a protector of women and children. The oldest evidence is seen in the
Potapov states that, as protector of babies, deceased children are taken by Umai to the heavens.[8]
In the view of the Kyrgyz people, Umay not only protects children, but also Turkic communities around the world. At the same time Umay helps people to obtain more food and goods and gives them luck.
As Umay is associated with the sun, she is called Sarı Kız 'Yellow Maiden', and yellow is her color and symbol. She is depicted as having sixty golden tresses that look like the rays of the sun. She is thought to have once been identical with Od iyesi. Umay and Ece are also used as female given names in the Republic of Turkey.
References
- ^
Cotterell, Arthur; Rachel Storm (1999). The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology. New York: Lorenz Books. pp. 466, 481. ISBN 0-7548-0091-1.
- .
- ^ Sultanova, Razia. From shamanism to Sufism: women, Islam and culture in Central Asia. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011.
- ISBN 978-1-351-68269-5.
- ^ Clauson, Gerard (1972). An Etymological Dictionary of Pre-Thirteenth Century Turkish. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 164–165.
- ISBN 978-0-86078-632-0.
one wonders whether the agreement between the Turkic proper name and the Mongol word umay "womb", placenta" is the result of an incorporation of Turkic elements into Mongol ethnicity or should be viewed as an ancient, lexical heritage shared by Turks and Mongols.
- ^ Каратаев, О., and Е. Умаралиев. "CULT UMAI-ENE AMONG THE KYRGYZ." Вестник КазНУ. Серия историческая 90.3 (2018): 4-8.
- ^ Каратаев, О., and Е. Умаралиев. "CULT UMAI-ENE AMONG THE KYRGYZ." Вестник КазНУ. Серия историческая 90.3 (2018): 4-8.
External links
Bibliography
- Turkish Myths Dictionary (Türk Söylence Sözlüğü), Deniz Karakurt (in Turkish) PDF
- Özhan Öztürk. Folklor ve Mitoloji Sözlüğü. Ankara, 2009 Phoenix Yayınları. s. 491 ISBN 978-605-5738-26-6(in Turkish)