Umay (also known as Umai; ; , ''Ūmai ana''; ; , ''Umay ene''; ) is the goddess of fertility 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 ...
and
Tengrism
Tengrism (also known as Tengriism, Tengerism, or Tengrianism) is a belief-system originating in the Eurasian steppes, based on shamanism and animism. It generally involves the titular sky god Tengri. According to some scholars, adherents of ...
and as such related to women, mothers, and children. Umay not only protects and educates babies, but also may separate the soul from the dead, especially young children. She lives in heaven and is invisible to the common people. Souls of babies-to-be-born are kept in her "temple" of Mount Ymay-tas or Amay. The Khakas emphasize her in particular. From Umai, the
essence of fire (''Od Ana'') was born.
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. In
Mongolian, ''Umai'' means "womb" or "uterus", possibly reflecting acculturation of Mongols by Turks or ancient lexical ties between Mongols and Turks.
Goddess of children
The name appears in the 8th century
inscription
Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...
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
Orkhon script monuments. From these it is understood that Umay was accepted as a mother and a guide. Also,
khagan
Khagan or Qaghan (Middle Mongol:; or ''Khagan''; ) or zh, c=大汗, p=Dàhán; ''Khāqān'', alternatively spelled Kağan, Kagan, Khaghan, Kaghan, Khakan, Khakhan, Khaqan, Xagahn, Qaghan, Chagan, Қан, or Kha'an is a title of empire, im ...
s were thought to represent
Kök Tengri. Khagan wives, ''katun''s or ''hatun''s, were considered Umays, too. With the help of 'Umay, ''katun''s had babies and these babies were the guarantee of the empire. According to ''Divanü Lügat’it-Türk'', when women worship Umay, they have male babies.
Turkic women tie strings attached with small cradles to will a baby from Umay. This belief can be seen with the
Tungusic peoples
Tungusic peoples are an ethnolinguistic group formed by the speakers of Tungusic languages (or Manchu–Tungus languages). They are native to Siberia, Mongolia and China.
The Tungusic language family is divided into two main branches, Northern ...
in southern
Siberia
Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...
and the
Altay people. Umay is always depicted together with a child. There are only rare exceptions to this. It is believed that when Umay leaves a child for a long time, the child gets ill and
shamans
Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit world through Altered state of consciousness, altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of th ...
are involved to call Umay back. The smiling of a sleeping baby shows Umay is near it and crying means that Umay has left.
Potapov states that, as protector of babies, deceased children are taken by Umai to the heavens.
In the view of the
Kyrgyz people
The Kyrgyz people (also spelled Kyrghyz, Kirgiz, and Kirghiz; or ) are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia. They primarily reside in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and China. A Kyrgyz diaspora is also found in Russia, Tajik ...
, 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
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
.
Umay's representation of childbirth, growth and her connection to nature is also presented in Turkish culture today in a tree called "The Umay Nine Trees" at the Teos Archaeological Site. "Amidst these remnants of human endeavor, a silent guardian of nature and the circle of life stands tall – an olive tree believed to be nearly 1,800 years old, named after Umay Nine (Nana Umay), one of the most enduring figures of Anatolian and Central Asian mythologies."
References
External links
Kuyash ham Alav (Sun is also Fire)
Bibliography
*
Turkish Myths Dictionary (Türk Söylence Sözlüğü), Deniz Karakurt PDF
* Özhan Öztürk. Folklor ve Mitoloji Sözlüğü. Ankara, 2009 Phoenix Yayınları. s. 491
{{Turkic Deities
Childhood goddesses
Siberian deities
Tengriism
Turkic goddesses