Turkish Creation Epic (Radloff Collection)

The Creation Epic is one of the oldest and most fundamental narratives in Turkic mythology. This oral tradition explains the creation of the universe, the origin of good and evil, and how cosmic order was established; it was collected among the Altai Turks in the 19th century by Wilhelm Radloff.

The epic is not merely a mythological fiction but also a symbolic expression of the ancient Turkic belief systems and worldview.

Mythological Context

The Creation Epic was shaped particularly by shamanistic influences. Shamanism is a shared belief system among the peoples of Central and Northern Asia, especially the Turks and Mongols. According to this system, good spirits ascend to the sky and the realm of light after death, while evil spirits descend into the dark underworld. This dualistic structure forms the foundation of the epic’s overarching oppositions: good-evil, above-below, light-darkness.

Content and Structure

According to the Creation Epic, at the beginning there was only the god Kara Han (or Kayra Han in some sources) and an endless expanse of water. Tired of solitude, Kara Han caused the water to ripple, and Ak Ana (or Ak Ene) emerged. After commanding the god, “Create!”, Ak Ana returned to the water. In response, Kara Han created a being he named “Kişi”. Kara Han and Kişi flew above the water like black geese; however, Kişi sought to rise higher than the god. This rebellion led to his fall from the heavens and his expulsion into the underworld, where he became known as Erlik.

Later, the god forgave Kişi and assigned him a task: to extract earth from the water. But Kişi secretly retained a small amount of earth in his mouth. Using the earth in his hand, he created the world; however, the earth in his mouth grew until it threatened to choke him. At the god’s command, “Spit!”, this earth was expelled, forming the mountains and uneven terrain of the earth’s surface. Because of this deception, the god banished Kişi from the realm of light and made him lord of the land of darkness.

Cosmogonic Elements and Social Codes

The nine-branched tree and the human lineages emerging from each branch in the Creation Epic reflect the Turkic cult of the tree and the nine-tiered system. The tree serves as the cosmic axis, connecting the earth, the sky, and the underworld, while also symbolizing social hierarchy and lineage unity.

Erlik’s envy of these humans and his attempts to lure them to his side can be interpreted as a mythological representation of evil and worldly desire.

In the epic, the universe is depicted as a layered structure. Kara Han resides in the seventeenth heaven, while figures such as Ay Ata and Gün Ana inhabit lower levels. This structure reveals that the ancient Turks divided the cosmos into three main realms: the sky (upper world), the earth (middle world), and the underworld (lower world). Erlik dwells in the lowest, darkest, and lightless layer. Through this arrangement, the hierarchical organization of celestial and underworld beings in Turkic cosmology becomes evident.