"According to ancient Turkic legends, the ancestor of the Ashina Turks was raised by a she-wolf. The descendants of this hero came from the Altai Mountains to the vast steppes and became the founders of a nomadic state. According to another legend, the ancestor of the ancient Turks was a White Deer with golden horns.
These genealogical legends connect the ethnogenesis of the ancient Turks with the ancient Wusuns and Saka-Scythians, allowing us to discuss the ethnic continuity between the Pazyryks (Pazyryk Culture) and the ancient Turks. The genealogical legend of the Turks also mentions the Huns (Xiongnu) and the So clan (Toba-Xianbei).
These legends can be used to reconstruct the genesis of the Turkic peoples as a result of the symbiosis of the ancient nomadic peoples of Central Asia. Gaochang and the Altai Mountains, mentioned in the legend as the ancestral home of the ancient Turks, indicate two main stages in the early ethnic history of the ancient Turks: Gaochang and Altai.
Genealogical legends assert the thesis of the blood relationship among Turkic-speaking peoples, descended from a single mythological ancestor. The four main ancient Turkic tribal groups - the Yenisei Kyrgyz, Kipchaks, Tele-Oguzes, and ancient Turks - were formed during the early stage of Turkic ethnogenesis, when their genealogical connections were recorded in myths.
The early ethnic history of the ancient Turks has reached us through mythological legends preserved in Chinese sources. According to these legends, the genesis of the early Turks begins in the Altai region. The ancient ancestors of the Turks might have belonged to a union of tribes such as the Dingling (proto-Kyrgyz), Huns, Yuezhi, Xianbei, and Wusuns (proto-Kyrgyz).
S.G. Klyashtorny suggests that it is likely that the Ashina tribe migrated to Gansu after 265 AD during the mass migration of Hunnic and Hunnic-dependent tribes from Central Asia and Southern Siberia beyond the Great Wall. By mixing with the indigenous inhabitants of Turfan, a "mixed Hu" population emerged in Pingliang and Hexi. After migrating to Altai, the tribe began to be called "Turkic," and the term Ashina became the name of the ruling dynasty [1, p. 189].
Based on this, two main stages in the early history of the Turkic (Ashina) tribe are distinguished: the Gansu-Gaochang stage (265-460) and the Altai stage (460-553) [1, p. 189]. There is also a theory that around 500 Ashina families could have arrived in the Gobi Altai.
Oral historical traditions indicate that they received the tribal name "Turk" only after this event. Modern Turkologists recognize the fact that the Ashina came to Altai from the territories of the Gansu province or Gaochang.
In the large Orkhon inscriptions and the narrative about the first khagans, the people who inhabited the newly created empire are called "Kök Türks" - Blue (Sky) Turks. The name Ashina was primarily used to refer to the dynastic group of the Khaganate, designated in ancient Turkic epitaphs by the phrase "Kök Türks" or "Heavenly Turks." However, it is believed that this name has no clear explanation in Turkic materials [3, p. 95].
The transcription of the term "Ashina" is traced back to the Khotan-Saka variant "Asana," which is compared to the designation of the Wusuns as "Asman" meaning "sky" or "heavenly" [4, p. 305, 307]. S.G. Klyashtorny argues that the Saka etymology of "Ashina" (Asseina ~ Assena), meaning "blue," is phonetically and semantically flawless. He notes its ideal semantic correspondence with the reconstructed meaning of the name Ashina [5, p. 248].
In ancient Persian, the word "Turk" meant "helmet." Indeed, in the Chinese chronicle "Sui-shu" (6th-7th centuries), the name of the Turks is derived from the Mongolian word "duulga," meaning "helmet." The German Turkologist G. Doerfer believes that in the common noun sense, it can be understood as "the dominant people." For example, the name "Turkic-Kipchaks" can be understood as "the dominant clan of the Kipchaks ruled at that time" [6, p. 162].
The work "Tai-ping guan zhi" preserved a version of the legend about another ancestor of the Turks, the opposite of the wolf - a white deer with golden horns. During a hunt, this deer was killed by one of the leaders of the Ashi tribe. The ruler of Imo-sheli ordered the execution of the culprit.
The deer lives in the cave of their ancestors, and a taboo is imposed on it. The beginning of the legend suggests that it is not just about a deer, but about a doe - the ancestress, the spirit of the earth and forest, opposing the spirit of water [4, p. 88].
Under the image of an animal, a certain deity - a totem, an ancient ethnos, or a tribe is hidden. The image of a deer (doe) was a revered deity among the ancient Saka-Scythians, as evidenced by the finds of numerous "deer stones" from the Black Sea region to Mongolia. The wolf as a totem animal was also revered by Indo-European peoples, as seen in the legend of Romulus and Remus.
The Ashina Turks worshiped the deer as a sacred animal—it was considered taboo. According to Yu. A. Zuev, the deer was not only sacred but was also personified with the Ashina tribe [4, p. 110].
An ancient Turkic legend tells of the birth of the people as follows: "Probably, the Turks are a special generation of the Xiongnu. Someone from the Ashina clan separated and formed the tribe. Later, the Ashina clan was defeated by a neighboring state, which completely destroyed this clan.
Only one boy remained, about ten years old. The warriors, seeing that he was small, did not kill him. Instead, they cut off his legs and threw him into a swampy lowland overgrown with grass. A she-wolf fed him meat. When he grew up, he mated with the she-wolf, and as a result, she became pregnant.
The neighboring prince, hearing that this boy was still alive, sent soldiers again to kill him. The messengers found that a she-wolf was nearby and wanted to kill the she-wolf along with the boy, but the she-wolf ran away to the mountains north of the state of Gaochang (Turpan Oasis - S.K.) [8, p. 287].
The Chinese chronicle "Zhou Shu" states:
"After this, the she-wolf gave birth to ten sons. Among them, one of the Ashina clan was the wisest, and he became the sovereign. He raised a banner with a wolf's head. A certain Asyanshe, leading the Bulo, led them out of the cave. After several generations, they submitted to the Rouran...
They settled on the southern slopes of the Jinshan Mountains (Altai), working as iron smelters and blacksmiths. The outline of the Jinshan Mountains resembles a helmet. According to their custom, the helmet was called 'tujue,' and for this reason, the descendants of Ashina were called 'tujue' (Turks)" [9, p. 287].
The she-wolf, as if protected by a deity, found refuge on a mountain. "This mountain is northwest of Gaochang, east of the sea. At the foot of the mountain, there was a cave. The she-wolf entered it and found flat land covered with thick grass. The she-wolf hid there and gave birth to ten sons. The ten sons grew up, and all of them asked for wives.
Their descendants formed clans, each with a special name. Ashina was just one of them. The sons and grandsons multiplied, and gradually their number reached one hundred families" [19, p. 287].
According to Yu. A. Zuev, the first version of the genealogical legend of the ancient Turks mentions the homeland of the Turks, called the "country of So," while the second version refers to a physical ancestor whose name should have been "Sogo."
According to S. E. Yakhontov, the Middle Chinese pronunciation of the hieroglyph "so" suggests one option—"sak." Ding Qian and a number of other authors trace the origin of the "country of So" to one of the Xianbei tribes (Sol), identical to the Toba [4, p. 62].
Yu. A. Zuev considers the migration of the Iranian ethnonym into the Turkic environment to be an unusual phenomenon. However, the probability of the ancient Turks originating from the ancient Sakas is reinforced by the statement of the Byzantine author Menander, who mentioned one of the embassies of the Turks, "who were previously called Sakas" [4, p. 62].
Yu. A. Zuev compares the ancient Turkic legend with the totemic myth of the ancient Wusuns, noting their common features. The chronicle identifies the ancient place of residence of the Wusuns as "between Qilian and Dunhuang," near a lake "overgrown with grass" (i.e., a swamp). The Ashina were located to the west of the Western Lake (sea), in the same area.
The Wusuns were a "small principality on the western border of the Xiongnu." In all versions of the legend, the Ashina tribe is depicted as an isolated branch of the Xiongnu, which in the 5th century referred to the Toba. The Wusuns and Ashina were defeated by their neighbors, leaving only one boy to survive. In both cases (in the genealogical legends), the boy is saved by a she-wolf [4, p. 7].
As E. I. Kychanov notes, the Wusun and ancient Turkic legends have much in common: 1) an attack by enemies; 2) the boy survives; 3) the she-wolf feeds him with milk (Wusun) or meat (ancient Turkic legend).
Then there are differences: 1) in the Wusun legend, the boy is sheltered by the Shanyu of the Huns and becomes the ruler of the Wusun; 2) in the Turkic legend, the boy mates with the she-wolf. The endings of these legends differ: in the Wusun legend, the boy becomes a ruler, while in the Turkic legend, the boy is killed by returning enemies. The animal is miraculously saved and gives birth to ten sons, one of whom is the ancestor of the Ashina Turks. The she-wolf does not merely nurse; she gives birth to the ancestor [4, p. 287].
The genealogical legend outlines four main stages of the origin of the Turks: 1) the “common Altai” period of habitation of the Proto-Turks “from the Xiongnu in the north” under the auspices of the deer; 2) a brief defeat of the Proto-Turkic community, followed by its consolidation, when another totem, the wolf, appears; 3) the emergence of the Turks with the wolf as their totem, where the “cult of the cow” is noted, which replaces the deer; 4) the formation of the union of “ten tribes” under the auspices of the Ashina dynasty, associated with the cult of the tree [4, p. 69].
The analysis of the genealogical legend, conducted by Yu. A. Zuev, leads to the conclusion that the geographical environment of the “Proto-Turkic” and “early Turkic” ethnogenesis was the region encompassing the Altai and Tien Shan. The Tongzhi encyclopedia, compiled during the Song period, states: “The Turks lived in the Golden Mountains (Altai) from generation to generation; they were later divided into three parts” [4, p. 85].
It has been established that the Ashina clan of the Turks was the ruling clan. The descendants of the virtuous Ashide khagans were the second most important clan (phratry, tribe) in the khaganate. Tonyukuk came from this clan. The empress (katun) was also to be taken from this clan, and its male representatives held significant positions within the khaganate [4, p. 151, 153].
The similarity of the genealogical myths of two different peoples who lived in different eras in Central Asia can be explained by "nomadic" motifs in mythology. Similar legends about the origin of ruling houses from an ancestor who was a deer (doe) and a wolf were common among the ancient Mongols.
However, this legend seems to testify to the continuity of ruling dynasties in the steppes of Central Asia. After the nomadic union of the Wusuns was destroyed by their neighbors, the Xianbei, they were eventually replaced by the Ashina dynasty, which also traced its lineage to a she-wolf.
The ancient Mongols also attributed their distant ancestors to the wolf Borte-Chino, similar to the ancient Uyghurs. According to E.I. Kychanov, the similarity of these legends about ruling dynasties can serve as an important argument in favor of the Turkic ethnicity of the Wusuns [9, p. 288].
The cave where the ancestors of the Turks grew up is believed to be in the Altai Mountains. In the mountainous regions of Altai, which at that time were impassable for cavalry, the remnants of the Xiongnu, who during the Xianbei period became part of the Toba-Xianbei tribal union, could have found refuge.
The fertile steppe where the ancestors of the Turks emerged from the cave is possibly the Chui steppe, where the number of nomads increased as they received iron items and weapons from their fellow metallurgists who remained in the mountains.
It is also claimed that the ethnonym and toponym sak, meaning "deer," is found in "Beishi" and in Menander as an ancient designation of the ancestors of the Ashina [10, pp. 110, 116, 132]. Interestingly, the first edition of the ancient Turkic genealogical legend mentions the homeland of the Turks, called the "country of So."
There is a theory connecting the proto-Turkic state of So with the name of the "country of So" (in modern Eastern Mongolia), from which the Xianbei or their part, known as the Toba, originated. They were called Solu, meaning "barbarians" from the country of "So" [10, pp. 61-63].
There is also another version of the legend, which E.I. Kychanov calls the northern or Yenisei version: "It is said that the ancestors of the Turks came from the state of So, which was located north of the Xiongnu... There were 17 brothers, and one of them was called Izhinishidu, 'born of a she-wolf'... He took two girls as wives, who were said to be the daughters of the spirit of Summer and the spirit of Winter.
One of them became pregnant and gave birth to four sons, one of whom turned into a white swan. One of them created his own state between the rivers Apou (Abakan) and Gyan (Kem, Yenisei), called Tsigu (Kyrgyz), another created a state on the Chuzhe River, and one, namely Daer (Nodulu-shad, the name literally means 'eldest son' - E.K.), settled in the mountains of Jiansychuzheshi" [9, p. 288].
Genealogical legends assert the thesis of the blood relationship of Turkic-speaking peoples, all descended from a common mythological ancestor. According to these legends, the ancient Turks who lived in the Altai Mountains are portrayed as the closest relatives of the Yenisei Kyrgyz.
According to S.G. Klyashtorny, four main ancient Turkic tribal groups were formed during the early stage of Turkic ethnogenesis, when their genealogical connections were still felt and recorded in myths.
These groups include the Qigu, the ancient Kyrgyz formed within the Tashtyk culture; the "white swan" group, identified with the Kipchaks associated with the Upper Ob culture in the Altai Mountains; and the Berel-type monuments in the Altai Mountains, associated with the relatives of Ashina, who settled on the Chuzhe River [1, pp. 199-200].
Thus, the analysis of ancient Turkic genealogical legends allows us to establish their connection with the Yuezhi, Huns, Wusuns, Dinglings, Sakas, and later Xianbei.
All these ancient peoples could have participated in the ethnogenesis of the ancient Turks, or the ancestors of the Turks may have successively joined the tribal unions created by these peoples." - PhD Ushnitsky Vasily Vasilyevich, "Genealogical Legends of the Ancient Ashina-Turks: The She-Wolf and Deer-Doe as Totemic Ancestors"
🧬 DNA Science Data:
“Haplogroup R1a1, more specifically, its subclade R1a1a1b2 (defined by mutation Z93), is the genetic marker of the Indo-European pastoralists, who migrated from modern-day Ukraine to modern-day Iran, India, the Kazakh steppes, the Tarim Basin, the Altai Mountains region, the Yenisei River region, and western Mongolia during the Bronze Age.
Naturally, R1a1, more specifically, its subclade R1a1a1b2 (R1a-Z93), occurs at high frequency among the Turkic peoples now residing in the Yenisei River and the Altai Mountains regions in Russia.
Compared to the Tuvinians, the Khakass (whose name was created by the Soviets from Xiajiasi (黠戛斯), a Chinese name for Kyrgyz, since they were regarded as descending from the Kyrgyz have noticeably higher percentages of R1a1 (35.2%) and much lower percentages of haplogroups C (1.1%) and Q (4%). However, N is also the most prevalent haplogroup (50%) of the Khakass (Gubina et al. 2013: 339; Shi et al. 2013)
As for the Altaians, the Altai-Kizhi (southern Altaians) are characterised by a high percentage of R1a1 (50%) and low to moderate percentages of C2 (20%), Q (16.7%) and N (4.2%) (Dulik et al. 2012: 234).
The major differences between the Khakass and the southern Altaians are the lower frequency of haplogroup N (in another study, haplogroup N is found at high frequency (32%) among the Altaians in general: see Gubina et al. 2013: 329, 339) and the higher frequencies of haplogroups C2 and Q among the latter.
The descent of the Kyrgyz (Kyrgyz) of the Tien Shan Mountains region (Kyrgyzstan) from the Yenisei Kyrgyz is debated among historians.
However, among the modern Turkic peoples, the former have the highest percentage of R1a1 (over 60%). Since the West Eurasian physiognomy of the Yenisei Kyrgyz recorded in the Xin Tangshu was in all likelihood a reflection of their Eurasian Indo-European marker R1a1a1b2 (R1a-Z93), one may conjecture that the Tien Shan Kyrgyz received their R1a1 marker from the Yenisei Kyrgyz. That is, the former are descended from the latter.
The other Y-chromosome haplogroups found among the Kyrgyz (Kyrgyz) are C2 (12~20%), O (0~15%) and N (0~4.5%).50 The lack of haplogroup Q among the Qirghiz (Kyrgyz) mostly distinguishes them from the Altaians.
During the Bronze Age and early Iron Age, the Yenisei River region was inhabited by Indo-Europeans. The dna study of 26 ancient human specimens from the Krasnoyarsk area dated from the middle of the second millennium bc to the fourth century ad shows that the Yenisei pastoralists mostly belonged to haplogroup R1a1 (Keyser et al. 2009: 401)
The high frequency of R1a1 among the modern-day Kyrgyz and Altaians may thus prove that they are descended from the Yenisei Kyrgyz. In addition, this may explain the reason why medieval Chinese histories depict the Kyrgyz as possessing West Eurasian physiognomy.
The Y-chromosomes of the Kök Türks have not been studied. After the collapse of the Second Türk Khaganate in 745 ce, the Kök Türks became dispersed and it is difficult to identify their modern descendants.
If they were indeed descended from the Eastern Scythians aka Saka (Suo) or related to the Kyrgyz, as the Zhoushu states (Zhoushu 50.908), the Ashina (royal Türkic dynasty, possibly related to the Turko-Jewish Khazar Khaganate, according to Peter B. Golden of Rutgers University) may have belonged to the R1a1 lineage.” - Joo-Yup Lee and Shuntu Kuang, University of Toronto, Canada
Source: “A Comparative Analysis of Chinese Historical Sources and Y-DNA Studies with Regard to the Early and Medieval Turkic Peoples’
Authors: Joo-Yup Lee and Shuntu Kuang from, the University of Toronto of Canada
“Kyrgyz are an admixed population between the East and the West. Different patterns have been observed in the patrilineal gene pool of the Kyrgyz. Historically, ancient Kyrgyz were considered to be the Yenisei Kyrgyz that may perhaps be concerned with the Tashtyk culture.
Extremely low Y-diversity and the presence of a high-frequency 68.9% Y-chromosome haplogroup R1a1-M17 (a diagnostic Indo-Iranian marker are striking features of Kyrgyz populations in central Asia. It is believed that this lineage is associated with Indo-Europeans who migrated to the Altai region during the Bronze Age and mixed with various Turkic groups.
Among the Asian R1a1a1b2-Z93 lineages, R1a1a1b2a2-Z2125 is quite common in Kyrgyzstan (68%) and Afghan Pashtuns (40%), and less frequent in other Afghan ethnic groups and some Caucasus and Iran populations (10%). Notably, the basal lineage R1a1a1b2-Z93* is commonly distributed in the South Siberian Altai region of Russia.
According to the published ancient DNA data, we found that, in Middle Bronze Age, Haplogroup R1a1a1b2a2a- Z2125 was mainly found in Sintashta culture population from Kamennyi Ambar 5 cemetery, western Siberia, in Fedorovo type of the Andronovo culture or Karasuk culture population from Minusinsk Basin, southern Siberia, and in Andronovo culture populations from Maitan, Ak-Moustafa, Aktogai, Kazakh Mys, Satan, Oy-Dzhaylau III, Karagash 2, Dali, and Zevakinskiy stone fence, Kazakhstan.” (Wen, Shao-qing; Du, Pan-xin; Sun, Chang; Cui, Wei; Xu, Yi-ran; Meng, Hai-liang; Shi, Mei-sen; Zhu, Bo-feng; Li, Hui (March 2022)
Source: "Dual origins of the Northwest Chinese Kyrgyz: the admixture of Bronze age Siberian and Medieval Niru'un Mongolian Y chromosomes", Nature
Authors: Wen, Shao-qing; Du, Pan-xin; Sun, Chang; Cui, Wei; Xu, Yi-ran; Meng, Hai-liang; Shi, Mei-sen; Zhu, Bo-feng; Li, Hui (March 2022)
“The modern-day descendants of the Yenisei Kyrgyz, the Kyrgyz people, have one of the highest frequencies of haplogroup R1a-Z93. This lineage believed to be associated with Indo-Iranians who migrated to the Altai region in the Bronze Age, and is carried by various Türkic groups. The Zhoushu [the book of the Zhou Dynasty] (Linghu Defen 2003, Chapter 50, p. 908) informs us that the Ashina, the royal clan of the Kök Türks, were related to the Kyrgyz.
If so, the Ashina may have belonged to the R1a1 lineage like the modern-day Tienshan Kyrgyz, who are characterised by the high frequency of R1a1 (over 65%). Haplogroup R1a1, more specifically, its sub- clade R1a1a1b2 defined by mutation Z93, was carried by the Indo-European pastoralists, who reached the Kazakh steppes, the Tarim Basin, the Altai Mountains region, the Yenisei River region, and western Mongolia from the Black Sea steppes during the Bronze Age (Semino et al. 2000, p. 1156, Lee, Joo-Yup (2018)
Source: Lee, Joo-Yup (2018). "Some remarks on the Turkicisation of the Mongols in post-Mongol Central Asia and the Kipchak Steppe ''. Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae. 71 (2): 121–124. doi:10.1556/062.2018.71.2.1. ISSN 0001-6446. S2CID 133847698.
Kazakh DNA researcher Zhaxylyk Sabitov states: “Until the 9th century, the Kyrgyz lived along the Yenisei River in the Minusinsk Basin. In the 9th century, the Yenisei Kyrgyz migrated to the Altai and Irtysh regions.
“From 1326 to 1329, some Altai Kyrgyz moved to Semirechye and the territory of modern Kyrgyzstan.” He also published DNA sample data from the Sintashta culture, which he claims “is related to the Altai and modern Kyrgyz, while the Arban-1 samples from the Karasuk culture are ancestral to modern Kyrgyz. Genetic data from Arzhan complex (8th century BCE) also show parental genes of the Kyrgyz.”
It is known that the structure of Arzhan has similarities with the Sintashta-Andronovo kurgans (M.P. Gryaznov). It is known that Saka tribes lived in the territory of Kyrgyzstan, and later the Wusun tribe arrived from the east. The high percentage of R1a1 among the Kyrgyz appeared through three routes: from the Saka tribes, from the Wusun Sakas, and from the Dingling tribes. There is also a theory about the migration of part of the Yenisei Kyrgyz to the territory of modern Kyrgyzstan.” (Zhaxylyk Sabitov)
Source: “Historical-Genetic Approach in the Study of the Ethnogenesis and Material Culture of the Ancient Kyrgyz” - International Journal of Experimental Education
“The land of Modern Kyrgyzstan, populated at the turn of the eras by the Saka and Wusun tribes, was overrun by the Yenisei Kyrgyzes (Khakasses) in the 8th c. AD.
Since Kyrgyzstan is a natural mountain fortress of the Tian Shan mountains, it is an island similar to the Lithuanian Tatars, with high genetic inertia and limited influences. Essentially, all four are Scythians, the Saka Scythians, Wusun Scythians, Yenisei Kyrgyz Scythians, and the Lithuanian Tatar Scythians.”
Source: “The Lithuanian Tatars: DNA Ancestry Traced To The Eurasian Steppes”, Academy of DNA-Genealogy, Tsukuba, Japan, Igor Rozhanski
"Samples from the burials of the Andronovo, Tagar, and Tashtyk cultures were identified using Y-STR analysis, which allows for the comparison of these samples with each other and with samples from representatives of different populations, both ancient and modern.
The Andronovo haplotypes S10 and S16 have the following structure:
ANDRON S10, S16:
13-25-16-11-11-14-10-14-11-18-15-14-11-16-20-12-23
The greatest number of matches is observed with the Tian Shan Kyrgyz and the Southern Altaians. Complete matches of haplotypes in populations that are geographically close and share a common history are possible only in cases of genetic relationship; random matches are unlikely.
Thus, the Southern Altaians and the Tien Shan Kyrgyz are likely descendants of close relatives of the Yenisei Andronovites, most likely the descendants of the Altai Andronovites. It is well established by linguists and ethnographers that there is close linguistic and ethnic kinship between the Kyrgyz and the Southern Altaians (Baskakov, 1966: 15-16).
These peoples share the same names for their clan divisions (Mundus, Telos-Doolos, Kipchak, Naiman, Merkit, etc.). Kyrgyz legends refer to Altai as the ancestral home of their people. Several historians believe that the Kyrgyz and Southern Altaians once formed a single community and that the migration of the Kyrgyz from Altai to Tien Shan occurred relatively recently (Abramzon, 1959: 34; Abdumanapov, 2007: 95, 114).
Source: Volkov V.G., Kharkov V.N., Stepanov V.A. Andronovo and Tagar cultures in light of genetic data."
Comentarios