Yayık Han: His Place and Importance in Turkic Mythology

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Who is Yayık Han?

In Turkic and Altai mythology, Yayık Han is known as the god of rivers and waters. He is considered the guardian spirit of swelling, overflowing waters and rivers. His name also appears in other dialects as Cayık, Tayık, or Dayık Han. Some traditions compare him to Poseidon because of his dominion over water and floods, though the resemblance is limited to this aspect. Yayık Han is often depicted as a great dragon or water serpent, embodying the might of rivers and waters.

Attributes and Duties

In Turkic folk belief, Yayık Han is an “Koruçı” (Protector)—a benevolent deity . His roles and attributes are described as follows:

• Lord of Rivers and Lakes: He rules over all rivers, lakes, and underground waters. It is said that all the waters on Earth belong to him . He is believed to dwell where seventeen great rivers meet, and when waters flood, the Altai people would say: “Yayık came out of the water,” attributing the swelling to his presence .

• Controller of Natural Phenomena: He commands winds, rains, and waters. His whip is lightning, and his reins are the rainbow—symbols of his power over the sky .

• Protective Role: Yayık Han is believed to shield people from evil and guard them against destructive floods . In Kazakh and Kyrgyz tales, a hero named “Yayık” is said to have blinded the monster Tepegöz, saving humanity—reinforcing his image as a protector .

• Shape-shifting: As a water spirit, he may appear as a water dragon or serpent, representing rivers bursting forth from the underworld .

• Celestial Seat: In mythological cosmology, Yayık Han resides in the third layer of the sky . After the Great Flood, when the waters receded, Ülgen lifted him to the heavens, where he has dwelled ever since .

• Guide of Shamans: Yayık Han is essential to shamans during rituals and spirit-journeys. Without his protection, they cannot ascend to Ülgen’s realm . In Altai shamanic prayers, his name is invoked, and a symbolic figure made from white cloth is used in ceremonies.

  
  

Connection with Bai-Ulgen

Yayık Han is closely connected to Bai-Ulgen, the celestial chief god of Turkic mythology. Many traditions describe him as Ulgen’s son or attendant spirit. According to Ziya Gökalp’s record of Altai legends, Yayık is the son of Ulgen and was placed by him in the third layer of heaven, near the “Milk Lake” . In one tale, Ulgen entrusts Yayık with creating the soul of a newborn child, which he does by drawing a drop from the Milk Lake and assigning it a guardian angel (Yayuçı) .

Shamanic prayers describe Yayık as “Ulgen’s messenger, with reins of the rainbow and a whip of lightning” . Among the Tuvans, he is called “Ak Eren” (holy white spirit) .

In rituals, shamans call upon Yayık Han for guidance. Without his escort, they cannot carry offerings to Ulgen. Thus, he functions as Ulgen’s trusted helper, mediator, and divine ally.

Association with Water and Nature

As his name suggests, Yayık Han is intrinsically tied to water. He is central among the “yer-su” (earth-water) spirits of Turkic belief. The overflowing of rivers or sudden floods are interpreted as manifestations of his power .

Water also symbolizes fertility and abundance, and Yayık Han’s role often intersects with life-giving forces. Some traditions even link him to the bestowal of milk and reproductive vitality . His proximity to Ayzıt, the fertility goddess, in the third heaven suggests a joint role in human fertility and prosperity .

Natural phenomena like rainbows (his reins)  and lightning (his whip) are understood as visible signs of Yayık’s presence.

Rituals for Yayık Han

Yayık Han was honored through offerings and sacrifices. One notable practice is the spring ritual known as “Yayık Kaldırma” (“Lifting Yayık”). At the first milking of sheep or mares, people would mix the fresh milk with bulgur to make a thick porridge, which was then offered to rivers .

In ceremonies, shamans would raise a white cloth effigy of Yayık Han, symbolically inviting him to join the ritual . Dairy products such as kumis, milk, or ayran were poured into rivers as sacred offerings, nourishing the waters and ensuring abundance .

Connection with “Yayık Ayranı”

Now, about the link with “yayık ayranı”:

• Linguistically, yayık comes from an old Turkic root meaning “to spread, to overflow, to shake” . This explains why wide rivers were called “yayık su” (spreading waters). The Ural River itself was historically called Yayık, reflecting this etymology . Yayık Han’s name derives from the same root, as he is the lord of overflowing waters.

• In everyday life, yayık refers to the churn used to shake milk or yogurt into butter. Yayık ayranı means “churned ayran,” prepared by shaking milk/yogurt in this vessel .

Thus, both the deity’s name and the household tool derive from the same root concept of shaking, swelling, overflowing.

Symbolic Connection

The overlap becomes clearer when looking at rituals:

• In Yayık Han’s cult, people offered first milk or fresh ayran to rivers .

• The act of churning (yaymak, to shake/spread) mirrors the swelling movement of rivers.

• Both practices symbolize abundance, fertility, and life-giving essence.

So while there’s no direct evidence that the household “yayık” tool was named after the deity (or vice versa), both reflect the same cultural worldview: movement, abundance, and the sacred essence of liquid (milk or water).

Conclusion

• Yayık Han is the god of rivers and waters, a benevolent helper of Bai-Ulgen, protector of humans, and guide of shamans.

• His name and the word yayık in yayık ayranı share the same linguistic and symbolic root: shaking, overflowing, spreading.

• This shared concept links everyday dairy culture with sacred water mythology, showing how Turkic people tied their daily lives to cosmic beliefs.

  
  

Sources: Bahaddin Ögel (Türk Mitolojisi), Celal Beydili (Türk Mitolojisi Ansiklopedik Sözlük), Ziya Gökalp (Türk Töresi), Abdülkadir İnan, Saadettin Gömeç, and comparative folklore studies .