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| Turkic mythology |
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Alaz is the god of fire in Turkic mythology. Also known as Alas-Batyr [1] or sometimes Alaz Khan. He is an important deity in folk beliefs and son of Kayra.
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 (protector spirit or deity). The Turkic concept of the god seems to associate him both to the destructive and the purifying powers of fire.
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 traditional, oral narratives told horrible stories of irreverence to fire. The Great Law of Genghis Khan (Dead Law) had serious penalties for anyone that showed disrespect to fire.
The origin of the name is very clear. The word Alaz (or Yalaz) means fire or flame in Turkic languages. 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.
All of these names refers to fire or flame: Yalın (Yalgın, Yalkın), Andar (Andır), Cahın (Çahın, Çakın), Gal (Qal, Xal), Kalçan, Sahaday.
Kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, beings and the qualities that these beings express, and/or the spirits of venerated dead people. Many kami are considered the ancient ancestors of entire clans. Traditionally, great leaders like the Emperor could be or became kami.
Tengri is the all-encompassing God of Heaven in the traditional Turkic, Yeniseian, Mongolic, and various other nomadic religious beliefs. Tengri is not considered a deity in the usual sense, but a personification of the universe. However, some qualities associated with Tengri as the judge and source of life, and being eternal and supreme, led European and Muslim writers to identify Tengri as a deity of Turkic and Mongolic peoples. According to Mongolian belief, Tengri's will (jayayan) may break its own usual laws and intervene by sending a chosen person to earth.
Baltic Finnic paganism, or BalticFinnic polytheism was the indigenous religion of the various of the Baltic Finnic peoples, specifically the Finns, Estonians, Võros, Setos, Karelians, Veps, Izhorians, Votes and Livonians, prior to Christianisation. It was a polytheistic religion, worshipping a number of different deities. The chief deity was the god of thunder and the sky, Ukko; other important deities included Jumala, Ahti, and Tapio. Jumala was a sky god; today, the word "Jumala" refers to a monotheistic God. Ahti was a god of the sea, waters and fish. Tapio was the god of the forest and hunting.
Erlik, Erlig, Erlik Khan is the god of death and the underworld, sometimes referred to as Tamag (hell) in Turkic mythology. Er means Earth, in the depths of which Erlik lives in. From the underworld, Erlik brings forth death, plague and evil spirits to torment humans and take their souls into his realm. Since Tengrism is not based on a written corpus but encompasses the experienced spiritual life of Turkic people, there are no unanimous beliefs among all Turkic people. Erlik has already been mentioned in the Orkhon writings and shows a consistent pattern as the lord of the underworld among Turkic belief systems. In Mongolian, Erlik is referred to as Erleg or Yerleg, and in Hungarian mythology he is equivalent to Ördög.
The Great Spirit is an omnipresent supreme life force, generally conceptualized as a supreme being or god, in the traditional religious beliefs of many, but not all, indigenous cultures in Canada and the United States. Interpretations of it vary between cultures.
Od iyesi is the Turkic and Mongolian spirit or deity of fire. In Turkic languages, Od means fire, and iye is the familiar spirit of any natural asset, literally meaning "master" or "possessor." Od iyesi protects the fire.
Tengrism is a religion originating in the Eurasian steppes, based on shamanism and animism. It generally involves the titular sky god Tengri, who is not considered a deity in the usual sense but a personification of the universe. According to some scholars, adherents of Tengrism view the purpose of life to be in harmony with the universe.
Worship or deification of fire, or fire rituals, religious rituals centred on a fire, are known from various religions. Fire has been an important part of human culture since the Lower Paleolithic. Religious or animist notions connected to fire are assumed to reach back to such early prehuman times.
Ev iyesi is a household spirit in Turkic mythology. Also known as Uy (Oy) iyesi or Yurt iyesi. Ev iyesi is a deity or spirit that protects the home, looking after the entire household or certain key members.
Enji is the old name of the fire god in the Albanian pagan mythology evidently contained in the week day name that was dedicated to him – e enjte – the Albanian word for Thursday. The Fire – Zjarri – is deified in Albanian tradition as releaser of light and heat with the power to ward off darkness and evil, affect cosmic phenomena and give strength to the Sun, and as sustainer of the continuity between life and afterlife and between the generations. The divine power of Fire is used for the hearth and the rituals, including calendar fires, sacrificial offerings, divination, purification, and protection from big storms and other potentially harmful events. Fire worship and rituals are associated with the cult of the Sun (Dielli), the cult of the hearth (vatër) and the ancestor, and the cult of fertility in agriculture and animal husbandry. Fire rituals that are commonly found among Indo-European peoples, including the Albanians, have been firstly attested by the Vedas, with hymns dedicated to the fire god Agni. Described in written sources since 1482, the Albanian fire rituals have been historically fought by the Christian clergy, without success. The cult of the mystic fire and the fire ritual practices have played a prominent role in the lives of all the Albanian people until the 20th century, and in rural areas they continue to be important for Albanian traditional customs even in the present days.
Yel iyesi is the Turkic spirit or deity of wind. The name comes from the Turkic words "Yel," which means wind, and "iye," the familiar spirit of any natural asset.
İye is a spirit in Turkic mythology who is a tutelary deity of a place, person, lineage, nation, natural assets or an animal. Although such spirits are called "masters" or "possessors", they are not necessarily subject to worship. They may be revered as sacred essence of things without being deified or even personified.
Jaiyk, also known as Cayık or sometimes Jayık Khan, is the god of rivers in Tengrism. He is an important deity in folk beliefs.
Saya or Sayaqan is a summer feast and festival Turkic Tengriism and Altai folklore. Arranged for the god that called Saya Khan. So this is a blessing, fertility and abundance ceremony.
Comfa or Komfa is a folk religion in Guyana also known as Spiritualism or Faithism. The word "Comfa" is used by non-practitioners as a generic term for spirit possession in Guyana. However, the word "Comfa" is also a term to define the greater folk religion involving spirit possession originating in Guyana.
Nëna e Vatrës or Nana e Votrës is an Albanian mythological figure, the protector of the hearth, associated with the household fire worship, the cult of the ancestor and family life. She is sometimes regarded as a goddess in Albanian traditions.
