This article was automatically translated from the original Turkish version.
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Türeyiş Destanı is a mythological and historical narrative that recounts the origins, salvation from extinction, and rebirth of the Turkish people. Within Turkish cultural history, this epic is regarded as a “origin myth” that not only explains how a lineage began but also encompasses the values, cosmological understanding, and sacred symbols of Turkish society. The epic describes how Turkish communities, particularly the Göktürks and Uyghurs, reemerged after catastrophic events such as genocide and how they were sanctified through divine intervention. In this sense, it carries not only historical but also metaphysical content.
The fundamental significance of the Türeyiş Destanı lies in its grounding of the Turkish people’s existence on a sacred foundation. Understanding a people’s past is one of the most essential ways to ensure their cultural continuity. In this context, while the epic elucidates the origin of a lineage, it simultaneously establishes that lineage’s right to statehood, legitimacy, and ideological basis.
Like many other epics in Turkish mythology, the Türeyiş originated in oral tradition but transitioned into written culture through Chinese, Iranian, and Turkish sources. Thus, it has become a living heritage in terms of both national memory and cultural identity. Symbols such as the wolf, cave, mountain, light, and tree found in the Türeyiş Destanı play a pivotal role in understanding the Turkish perspective on nature, the sacred, and belonging. These elements also provide important clues for comprehending why Turkish peoples adopted a nomadic lifestyle, why they remained so closely tied to nature, and why they became identified with a warrior identity.
The Türeyiş Destanı is a narrative transmitted orally from generation to generation by Turkish communities living in different geographical regions and time periods. However, this epic is not confined to oral tradition; it also appears in written historical sources and has survived to the present day. Various accounts recorded in texts from different eras reveal the multi-layered structure of the epic.
The most fundamental versions of the epic have reached us through five primary sources. These include texts of Chinese, Iranian, and Turkish origin. This situation demonstrates that the Türeyiş Destanı is not only significant to the Turks but also an intriguing historical and cultural element for neighboring civilizations.
The oldest and most detailed variants of the Türeyiş Destanı were written by Chinese historians. In particular, the Göktürk Türeyiş Destanı is described in great detail in Chinese sources. Among these sources, the most prominent are Zhou Shu (ZS), Sui Shu (SS), Bei Shi (BS), Tongdian (TD), and Cefu Yuangui (CFYG).
According to these sources, after a genocide perpetrated by a neighboring state, only a ten-year-old boy survives. This child, whose hands and feet have been severed, is abandoned in a swamp and is saved and nourished by a female wolf. Later, he takes refuge on a mountain with the wolf, where ten sons are born. One of these children, named Ashina, who becomes the founder of a lineage, lays the foundation for future Turkish states. Chinese sources not only preserve this epic but also provide information on how motifs such as the wolf-headed banner, iron smelting, cave, and mountain developed.
The Iranian historian Rashid al-Din Fazlullah, in his 14th-century work Jami al-Tawarikh, recounts the Türeyiş Destanı through the Mongols. However, the introduction of the work clearly states that the Mongols themselves descended from Turkish tribes. In this version, Ilig Khan’s son Kiyān and his nephew Negüz, fleeing a hostile attack, take refuge with their wives in a region called Ergenekon. There, they multiply for 400 years and eventually melt iron from a mountain to carve an exit. This account merges the Türeyiş Destanı with the Ergenekon Destanı. Rashid al-Din’s narrative reveals how the Türeyiş evolved not merely into a lineage story but into a process of establishing a state tradition.
The fifth version of the Türeyiş Destanı is found in the work Şecere-i Türk by Abu’l-Ghazi Bahadur Khan. This account is heavily influenced by the version in Jami al-Tawarikh. Similarly, it includes elements such as the continuation of the lineage through Kiyān and Negüz, their flight to Ergenekon, multiplication, and the melting of the iron mountain.
Additionally, the Uyghur Türeyiş Destanı recorded in the work Tarih-i Cihangüşa by Alaeddin Ata-Melik Juvayni follows a different trajectory among these versions. Here, a sacred light descends upon a tree, and from this tree, five male children are born. One of these children, named Bögü Khan, becomes the first khagan of the Uyghurs.
Although the versions of the Türeyiş Destanı differ, their fundamental structure is shaped around common themes: the near-extinction of a lineage following a catastrophe, its rebirth through a sacred being (wolf, light, tree), its multiplication into an independent nation, and the emergence of future leaders under the guidance of a savior figure. These narratives are regarded not only as historical but also as representations of social, cultural, and metaphysical continuity.
A Visual Representation of the Türeyiş Destanı (Generated by Artificial Intelligence)
At the heart of the Türeyiş Destanı is the peril faced by the Turkish lineage due to catastrophe and its subsequent rebirth through supernatural beings or sacred symbols. Although the epic has multiple variants, each narrative revolves around a process of deliverance, rebirth, and multiplication.
Generally, the Türeyiş Destanı narrates the historical fate of the Turkish people oscillating between extinction and existence, guided by sacred symbols. In this sense, it possesses not only mythological but also existential and sociological dimensions. According to the most widespread version, the Turks suffer a devastating attack by enemies and are nearly annihilated. Only a ten-year-old boy survives. However, the enemies seek to kill him too: his hands and feet are severed, and he is left in a swamp. Miraculously, he is protected and nourished by a female wolf.
The wolf later takes the boy to a cave, where ten sons are born. As these children grow, they emerge into the outside world, each becoming the founder of a lineage. Among them, the noblest and most capable, Ashina, assumes the role of chieftain. The continuation of the Ashina lineage leads to the establishment of the Göktürk Khaganate. In another variant, the Uyghur Türeyiş Destanı, sacred light and tree motifs are emphasized. In Uyghur territory, between the Selenge and Tolga rivers, a sacred tree is struck by divine light from the sky. Nine months and ten days later, five male children are born from the tree.
As they grow, these children are held in great reverence by the people. One of them, Bögü Khan, stands out due to his qualities and leadership abilities and becomes the first khagan of the Uyghurs. His brothers submit to him. This version symbolizes a dynasty born under heavenly sanction.
In the Jami al-Tawarikh and Şecere-i Türk versions, the Turks are represented by only a few survivors of a great catastrophe: Kiyān and Negüz. They flee with their wives from their enemies and take refuge in a valley surrounded by impassable high mountains—Ergenekon. There, they multiply for 400 years and become a powerful nation. Eventually, they must leave the valley, but no exit exists. One of them discovers iron deposits in the mountain. By melting the iron, they carve a passage through the mountain and emerge once again onto the earth’s surface, reclaiming their place in history.
A Visual Representation of the Türeyiş Destanı (Generated by Artificial Intelligence)
The Türeyiş Destanı is an origin myth that explains the Turkish people’s existence through sacred symbols. The motifs in this epic reveal the Turks’ relationship with nature, their conception of the divine, and their beliefs regarding the sanctity of lineage. Each motif both constructs the epic’s narrative and serves a symbolic function reflecting the collective unconscious of Turkish culture.
Wolf (Bozkurt): The most defining symbol of the Türeyiş Destanı is the wolf. In the Göktürk version, the only survivor of a genocide carried out by enemies is saved and nourished by a female wolf. Subsequently, the children born from the union of the wolf and the boy continue the lineage. In the Uyghur variant, the deity assumes the form of a male wolf and marries the khagan’s daughter; the children born from this union found the Uyghur lineage. Thus, the wolf functions as a protective, fertile, and sanctifying figure.
Cave: In the Göktürk Türeyiş narrative, the female wolf takes the boy to a mountain in the east of the sea and gives birth to ten sons within a cave. In this context, the cave serves as a refuge, a birthplace, and the site of the lineage’s renewal. Connected to shamanistic thought, the cave symbolizes the maternal womb; it represents life reborn from darkness.
Male Child: Another prominent motif across all variants is the continuation of the lineage through a male child. In the Göktürk narrative, the ten-year-old boy is the sole survivor of the genocide. In the Uyghur variant, all five children born are male. This reflects the Turkish understanding of patrilineal descent and state continuity. Moreover, the extraordinary manner of the children’s birth—through light or union with a wolf—demonstrates their possession of kut, divine sanction.
Tree: In the Türeyiş Destanı, the tree is the place of lineage’s origin. A sacred tree located between the Selenge and Tolga rivers is struck by divine light from the sky, and after some time, five male children are born from it. Here, the tree symbolizes both fertility and the sacred origin of the lineage. It is also connected to concepts in Turkish mythology such as the Cosmic Tree and the Tree of Life.
Light: Light is one of the central motifs of the Uyghur variant and represents divine intervention on earth. This light descending from the heavens onto the tree is the divine energy initiating the lineage’s birth. The motif of light signifies sanctification, purification, the presence and permission of the divine, and procreation. This motif gained further significance in Uyghur beliefs under Manichaean influence.
Numbers: In the Göktürk version, the number ten is prominent: ten male children born in the cave become the ancestors of different tribes. In the Uyghur version, five children are born. These children are the founding figures of society. These numbers carry meanings of completeness, sanctity, and proliferation. Moreover, each child founding a tribe or clan represents the Turkish transition from family to state.
Supernatural Marriage (Sacred Union): In the Türeyiş Destanı, human unions with sacred beings are a recurring motif. In the Göktürk version, the female wolf unites with a human child. In the Uyghur variant, the deity descends to earth in the form of a wolf and marries the khagan’s daughter. This motif demonstrates that the lineage originates directly from divine will and emphasizes the divine legitimacy of the ruling dynasty.
Imprisonment of Women: In one version of the Uyghur narrative, the khagan imprisons his daughters in a tower, believing them to be beautiful enough to be worthy of marriage to the divine. This relates to shamanistic beliefs concerning “dedication to the divine” and “search for a celestial spouse.” Eventually, the sacred wolf approaches the tower and unites with one of the daughters. This motif supports the idea that the lineage is born not through ordinary means but through divine sanction.
Respect Motif: In the Uyghur variant, when the children grow up and are asked about their parents, they point to the tree and show it great reverence. This behavior reflects the Turks’ respect for nature, particularly life-giving elements such as trees, mountains, water, and light. Here, the tree is perceived as both parent and sacred being. This reflects the ancient Turkish belief system grounded in the sanctity of nature.
A Visual Representation of the Türeyiş Destanı (Generated by Artificial Intelligence)
The Türeyiş Destanı and the Ergenekon Destanı, despite differing narratives, are deeply intertwined and constitute two fundamental Turkish epics of profound meaning. Together, they present the historical process of Turkish deliverance, rebirth, and rise to power in complementary fashion. In this context, the Türeyiş is generally regarded as the beginning, while the Ergenekon represents continuation and revival.
The Türeyiş Destanı narrates how the Turkish lineage was sanctified and reborn miraculously after a catastrophe, continuing through sacred figures such as the female wolf, tree, or light.
The Ergenekon Destanı, by contrast, focuses on how this reborn lineage multiplied and grew stronger but became trapped in a closed space, eventually escaping by melting iron from a mountain. Thus, the sacred lineage initiated in the Türeyiş is strengthened, multiplied, and enters the path to independence in the Ergenekon.
In particular, in historical sources such as Jami al-Tawarikh and Şecere-i Türk, the Türeyiş and Ergenekon narratives are presented as parts of a unified whole. The following structure is evident in these accounts:
This process demonstrates how the Türeyiş’s function of “salvation of the lineage” merges with the Ergenekon’s narrative of “strengthening and emergence.” Here, Türeyiş serves as the starting point; Ergenekon is its materialization in history.
Mythological and Symbolic Transition: The mystical and supernatural elements of the Türeyiş Destanı (wolf, light, tree) emphasize divine intervention and the sanctity of lineage. Ergenekon, by contrast, focuses on themes of intellect, patience, and resilience. This transition reveals the epic’s structure, which blends the mythological with the historical.
Moreover, if one considers that the lineage born in the Türeyiş becomes trapped in a historical period and escapes through a feat of engineering (iron smelting), this can be interpreted as the transformation of spiritual origins into practical history.
Nevruz and Shared Ritual Tradition: The most concrete cultural element uniting both epics is Nevruz. Nevruz symbolizes the emergence from Ergenekon and simultaneously marks the anniversary of the rebirth represented by the Türeyiş. This festival is celebrated annually through fire lighting, iron forging, and the commemoration of a new beginning, becoming the cultural embodiment of both narratives.
When read together, the Türeyiş and Ergenekon form the following narrative chain:
This chain is not merely a sequence of epics; it is the Turkish people’s historical worldview: Encounter hardship, take refuge, regroup, and be reborn.
The Türeyiş Destanı is not merely a myth explaining how the Turkish lineage originated; it is a multifaceted narrative of great importance for historical identity formation, mythological memory, and the legitimacy of social order. Throughout history, this epic has become one of the foundational stones of how Turkish communities defined themselves.
The historical significance of the Türeyiş Destanı lies in the Turks’ effort to ground their lineage on a sacred foundation. The savior figure described in the epic—whether the female wolf, light, or tree—implies not only biological rebirth but also that the right to statehood was divinely granted.
For ancient Turkish communities such as the Göktürks and Uyghurs, the belief that their lineage descended from a divine figure affirmed that the khaganate was based on celestial sanction. This understanding is directly linked to the belief in the ruler’s possession of kut. Thus, the epic not only recounts the past but also legitimizes the existing power and political order historically.
The Türeyiş Destanı is a powerful representation of the Turkish mythological worldview centered on nature. Motifs such as the wolf, tree, light, and cave symbolize both the sanctity of nature and divine intervention on earth.
In this sense, the Türeyiş is a narrative in which the boundaries between humanity, nature, and the sacred become blurred. From a mythological perspective, it reflects the idea that the Turks came into the world not by divine command but by an impulse emerging from nature itself.
The Türeyiş Destanı is one of the foundational cultural sources for constructing Turkish collective identity. Themes such as the savior figure, patriarchal structure, emphasis on male children, and the sanctity of lineage convey significant messages regarding family structure, leadership, and gender roles in society. Moreover, during periods when literacy was limited, this epic served as a vehicle of oral culture, preserving the community’s memory and fulfilling the role of identity transmitter.
Sources and Versions of the Türeyiş Destanı
Structure and Narrative of the Türeyiş Destanı
Motifs of the Türeyiş Destanı
Relationship Between the Türeyiş Destanı and the Ergenekon
Historical, Mythological, and Sociological Significance