In Turkic mythology, Hortdan ( Azerbaijani: ''Xortdan'', Turkish: ''Hortlak'', Tuvan: ''Хортан'') is the troubled soul of the dead rising from the grave. Some Hortdan can be living people with certain magical properties. Some of the properties of the Hortdan include: the ability to transform into an animal, invisibility, and the propensity to drain the vitality of victims via blood loss. Hortdans are also known as immortal

vampires A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

Origin

The Hortdans (Khortdan) are creatures of Azerbaijani

mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

, as a representation of evil spirits, the spirits of the dead. As these stories were transmitted only by

oral tradition Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication in which knowledge, art, ideas and culture are received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another.Jan Vansina, Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (19 ...

, legend has lost its original substance, and

Azerbaijani people Azerbaijanis (; , ), Azeris (, ), or Azerbaijani Turks (, ) are a Turkic ethnic group living mainly in the Azerbaijan region of northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. They are predominantly Shia Muslims. They comprise the largest ...

have transformed Xortdan into bloodthirsty creatures. Hortdans are fictional undead creatures regularly encountered in horror and fantasy themed narratives. They are typically depicted as mindless, reanimated corpses with a hunger for human flesh.

Etymology

The name Hortdan (or Hortlak) is related to the Turkic verb ''hortlamak'',Türk Mitolojisi Ansiklopedik Sözlük, Celal Beydili, Yurt Yayınevi (Page - 243) which in Turkish means ''get out'' and especially ''get out of the grave''. In Azerbaijani language, the word 'khortlamaq" means get out of the bed or of the grave.

Different types of Hortdan

* Hortlak is the name of this creature in Turkish culture. And refers to a

Zombie A zombie (Haitian French: ; ; Kikongo: ''zumbi'') is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. In modern popular culture, zombies appear in horror genre works. The term comes from Haitian folkl ...

-like entity. * Xortdan is in Azerbaijani folklore same of

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

. * Hortan (sometimes Аза-Хортан "Aza-Hortan") is a

poltergeist In German folklore and ghostlore, a poltergeist ( or ; ; or ) is a type of ghost or spirit that is responsible for physical disturbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. Most claims or fictional descriptions of polter ...

like an evil spirit in Tuva tradition.

References

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External links

Türk Mitoloji Sözlüğü, Pınar Karaca
(Hortlak)
Tatar Mitolojisinde Varlıklar, Çulpan Zaripova
(Hortlak)
Rize ve Yöresinde Eski Türk İnançları, Yaşar Kalafat

Dinan-ı Lügat-it Türk'te Yer Alan Efsaneler, Behiye Köksel
Ghosts Turkic demons Mythological hematophages Vampires Undead