Turkey (the Republic of Turkey) is situated between Europe and Asia. It is bordered by the Black Sea, Greece, Asia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Aegean Sea.

Turkish is the main language spoken there. Ankara is the capital and Istanbul is the largest city. As of December 31st, 2020, it was the 19th largest country in the world.

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DEITIES

Tengri (also called Kök Tengri, or Gok Tengri): god of creation or the great sky.

Umay: goddess of virginity and fertility. Daughter of Tengri.

Tengri (also called Kök Tengri, or Gok Tengri): god of creation or the great sky.

Umay: goddess of virginity and fertility. Daughter of Tengri.

Öd Tengri: god of time. Son of Tengri.

Boz Tengri: god of grounds and steppes. Son of Tengri.

Kayra: spirit of god, god of life, light, atmosphere, upper air, highest sky. Son of Tengri.

Ülgen:  god of goodness. Son of Umay and Kayra.

Mergen: god of mind and intelligence. Son of Kayra and brother of Ülgen.

Kyzaghan: god of war. is associated with war and depicted as a strong and powerful god. Son of Kayra and the brother of Ulgan.

Erlik: god of death and the underworld.

Ak Ana (also called the White Mother): creator-goddess of Turkic peoples. Goddess of water.

Ayaz Ata: god of winter.

Ay Dede: god of the moon.

Gun Ana: goddess of the sun.

Alaz: god of fire

Talay: god of the ocean and sea

Elos: goddess of chaos and control.

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CREATURES

Al Basty: Similar to a succubus. Personification of guilt. May be called the "red mother".

Archura: Shapeshifting woodland spirit. Forest and animal protector. Usually in the form of a male peasant with a living grass beard and hair. Has no shadow. Can change his size. Very mischievous and not friendly toward humans.

Ardow: spirits of drowned humans. Desires to drown other humans.

Basty: Nightmare spirit. It likes to sit on people's chests which gives them bad dreams.

Bichura: House spirit. Shapeshifts between either a cat or a dog and a human form. When in the form of a human it wears red dresses. It will make noises or pull on your hair to warn you of danger; if you see it, someone in your house will die soon. If the spirit is unhappy it will play tricks until the household fixes the problem.

Chak: corrupts peasants.

Erbüke: king of snakes. Upper body of a man and lower body of a snake. Also may be female. Legend says s/he once ruled a kingdom of peaceful, intelligent serpents. Is himself/herself kind and intelligent.

Karakoncolos: malevolent hairy goblin. Appears in the coldest weather. Imitates voices to loved ones to lure them out into the cold. Asks random questions or riddles on gloomy corners and will kill anyone who does not answer with the word "siyah" (Turkish for "black").

Khyrtyq: swamp demon. Lives near water.

Peri: beautiful fairy-like creatures. Can be good or evil.

Shurala: once his victims are lured into his forest he tickles them to their death.

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LEGENDS, MYTHS, AND FOLKTALES

Grey Wolf Legend

A young boy survived a village raid but was badly injured. He was discovered by a female wolf who took care of him until he was well. She escaped those pursuing her by crossing the Western Sea then arrived at a cave near the Qocho Mountains.

Once she was safe in the cave, the wolf gave birth to ten male babies who were half-wolf and half-human. , also referred to as Ashina, and Asena were the names of two of the babies. Ashina founded the Ashina clan which went on to rule over the Göktürk (T'u-chueh) and other nomadic empires in Turkey. Asena is an important figure in the Ergenekon legend.

Today, the wolf symbolizes honor and most Turkic people are considered descendants of the wolf.

Ergenekon Legend

The Turks were trapped in a legendary valley, called the Ergenekon valley. They took refuge there following a military defeat. After four centuries, a passage was melted into the mountain by a blacksmith. Asena, one of the ten wolves from the previous legend, led the Turks to safety.

This event is celebrated every Turkish New Year.

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Check out the next two chapters for more Turkic legends!