Burkut (Bürküt or Merküt) is the eagle god 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 ...

. The eagle god Burkut symbolizes the sun and power. The eagle is considered to be the icon of the khagans and

khans Khan may refer to: * Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name * Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by various ethnicities Art and entertainment * Khan (band), an English progressiv ...

or the symbol of the guardian spirit and justice. In Sakha (Yakut) culture, the eagle is portrayed on top of the Ulukayın (Tree of Earth). It is either the symbol of Tengri (sky god). In the ceremony of sacrifice, a kam (

shaman Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...

) chants verses of prayer and summons all the spirits he knows.Türklerde İslamiyet Öncesi İnanç Sistemleri - Öğretiler ve Dinler, Erman Artu

/ref> The eagle is referred to as the "bird with copper talons, its right wing covers the sun, the left covers the moon" 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 ...

In Anatolia

Among a kind of Turkish folk dance named

Halay Halay is the national dance of Turkey and refers to a broad category for all circular and line dances performed throughout the country. Today, it is danced by Turks, Kurds, and Greeks, among others. Halay and similar dances are parts of multiple a ...

is the

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

n "Kartal Halayı" (eagles dance), "Karakuş" (the black bird) and "Karakustana" figures with bravery as the main theme are the figures known as the eagle position.

References

External links

Türk Mitoloji Sözlüğü, Pınar Karaca
(Markut)
“Burkut Ata” (Eagle Father), Ahmet Gökçimen
* {{Turkic Deities Turkic gods Tengriism Animal gods