Alaz is the god of fire in
Turkic mythology
Turkic mythology refers to myths and legends told by the Turkic people. It features Tengrism, Tengrist and Shamanism in Central Asia, Shamanist strata of belief along with many other social and cultural constructs related to the nomadic and wa ...
. Also known as Alas-Batyr
[Eski Tanrı ve Tanrıça İsimler]
Alas-Batır
or sometimes Alaz Khan. He is an important deity in folk beliefs and son of
Kayra
Kayra or Kaira (Old Turkic: 𐰴𐰖𐰺𐰀) is the creator god in Turkic mythology. He is the god who planted the tree of life called Ulukayın. Kayra is described as both father and mother, and resides in the 17th layer of heaven.
Kayra is ...
.
Description
Alaz Khan is depicted as an old man with a torch in his hand. He lives in ''Ulugh Od'' (Turkish; ''Uluğ Od'', means “Great Fire”). His dress is made of flames and Alaz Khan has the power of fire. If he becomes angry, Alaz Khan makes and causes fires on the earth. All of the hearths and stoves are in the command of Alaz Khan. He sends spirits to all hearths. Every fire or hearth has an
İye
İye (sometimes İne or Eğe; , ''İyĕ''; , ''İyä''; , ''İççi''; , ''Эе''; , ''Ee''; , ''Эга''; or ; , ''Ije'') is a spirit in Turkic mythology who is a tutelary deity of a place, person, lineage, nation, natural assets or an animal. Al ...
(protector spirit or deity). The Turkic concept of the god seems to associate him both to the destructive and the purifying powers of fire.
Fire worship in Turkish culture
According to ancient Turkic traditions and opinions, fire is a sacred phenomenon and can purify all things, even spirits or souls. People are obliged to respect the fire in family or in social life. The belief indicates that inside of fire lives a protector spirit (familiar spirit). If it was angry, then it can be harmful to humans. Because of this disrespectful behavior, fire may be extinguished. Therefore,
Tengrist
Tengrism (also known as Tengriism, Tengerism, or Tengrianism) is a belief-system originating in the Eurasian Steppe, Eurasian steppes, based on shamanism and animism. It generally involves the titular sky god Tengri. According to some scholars, ...
traditional,
oral narratives told horrible stories of irreverence to fire. The Great Law of
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...
(Dead Law) had serious penalties for anyone that showed disrespect to fire.
Etymology
The origin of the name is very clear. The word Alaz (or Yalaz) means fire or flame in
Turkic languages
The Turkic languages are a language family of more than 35 documented languages, spoken by the Turkic peoples of Eurasia from Eastern Europe and Southern Europe to Central Asia, East Asia, North Asia (Siberia), and West Asia. The Turkic langua ...
. The root of word is “Al”. Turkish tradition maintained that it was related to
Sogdian words connected to blaze (''Alaw, Alav, Alev''), which in turn was thought of as related to flames.
Other names of Fire God
All of these names refers to fire or flame:
Yalın (Yalgın, Yalkın), Andar (Andır), Cahın (Çahın, Çakın), Gal (Qal, Xal), Kalçan, Sahaday.
References
External links
Sibirya Türklerinde Ateş İnançları, İbrahim Dilek
{{Turkic Deities
Turkic gods
Fire gods