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Char Aznable has declared Erlik (Mythology) is to be renamed to Erlik Khan for the following reason(s): Its his real name and most of people uses it. Please discuss it on the talk page for this article. "I told you I am not Casval, I am Char Aznable."  ✓
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Erlik (also spelled Erlik Khan) is a significant figure in Tengrism, the ancient shamanistic and animistic belief system practiced by Turkic and Mongolic peoples. Erlik is often depicted as a god of the underworld, death, and darkness, standing in opposition to the celestial deity Tengri, who represents the sky, life, and light. While Tengri embodies the forces of creation and order, Erlik embodies chaos, mortality, and the afterlife.
Erlik is typically depicted as an imposing, fearsome figure with dark or animalistic features, such as a long beard, sharp fangs, or a large stature. He is often surrounded by demons or evil spirits, whom he commands. His underworld is described as a dark, cold, and desolate place, reflecting the harshness of death and the trials souls must endure in the afterlife.
Erlik is a complex deity, acting as both a ruler of the dead and a creator figure. His role varies across different Turkic and Mongolic traditions, but he is generally understood to govern the underworld and to play a key part in the cosmic balance of life and death. As the creation and former protégé of the creator god Tengri, he was cast out of the mortal realm after he betrayed Tengri and attempted to tempt humanity into sinning, and now presides over the damned. In most mythologies, Erlik is portrayed as a Satan-like figure, although he is more benevolent in the mythology of the Altai-Sayan people whilst still retaining his role as the Devil.
Biography[]
Characteristics of Erlik:[]
- God of the Underworld: Erlik rules over the realm of the dead, a place where souls go after death. He governs spirits and ancestors and is often associated with darkness and the earth.
- Lord of Death: Erlik’s dominion includes mortality, disease, and misfortune. He brings death and decay, which contrasts with Tengri’s life-giving and nurturing aspects.
- Duality: While Erlik is often seen as a malevolent figure, he is not purely evil. He is necessary for maintaining the balance of the cosmos, representing the unavoidable aspects of life, such as death and transformation.
Creation Myths[]
In some Tengrism creation myths, Erlik plays a pivotal role:
- The Fall of Erlik: One common myth describes how Erlik, initially a divine being, fell from grace due to his pride or rebellion against Tengri. After his fall, he became the ruler of the underworld, representing the darker side of existence.
- Co-Creator with Tengri: In certain versions of the creation myth, Erlik assists Tengri in shaping the world. However, his intentions are often portrayed as selfish, leading to his relegation to the underworld. Despite this, his contribution to creation underscores his complex role in the cosmic order.
The Afterlife and Erlik's Judgment[]
In Tengrism, the soul’s journey after death often involves a trial overseen by Erlik. Souls of the dead are believed to pass through his realm, where they may be judged for their actions in life. Depending on their deeds, they may either remain in the underworld under Erlik’s rule or ascend to a more favorable afterlife.
Erlik's Opposition to Tengri[]
While Erlik opposes Tengri, the relationship between them is not one of absolute good versus evil. Instead, it represents the duality found in much of Tengrism—the balance between life and death, light and darkness, creation and destruction. Both gods are necessary for the functioning of the universe, with Erlik representing the inescapable aspect of mortality and the mysteries of the afterlife.
Different versions[]
Yakut Mythology[]
When the world was simply mud, the creator god Tengri made a man from the mud and named him Erlik. Both Erlik and Tengri had the ability to shapeshift, and took the form of birds to fly around the endless mud looking for land. Once, Erlik crashed into the mud, and Tengri ordered him to dive and bring mud up from the bottom so that he could form land. Erlik did so repeatedly, each time keeping some mud in his beak so that he could create a world. However, in order to create land, Tengri ordered the mud to expand, causing the mud in Erlik's mouth to grow and nearly suffocate him, forcing him to spit it out.
After forming land and sea, Tengri made humans out of mud, and set a dog to guard them. However, Erlik gave the dog a fur coat to make it look the other way, before breathing life into the humans and attempting to make them eat the forbidden fruit. Ulgan, infuriated that Erlik had attempted to become humanity's god in this way, banished him from the mortal plane. Erlik then became the god of the Underworld, and created evil spirits which fetch the souls of the dead and bring them to the Underworld to be tortured. This version of Erlik is the most like Satan from the Bible.
Turkic Mythology[]
Erlik was the first creation of Tengri, before he made the world. He envied Tengri and planned to make his own world, sinning against Tengri and being disfigured and imprisoned on the 7th layer of Earth, the Underworld. He vowed to revenge himself on Tengri, and created evil spirits to take humans down to the Underworld and tempt humans into worshipping him instead of Tengri. Whenever a plague struck, the Turkic peoples would sacrifice animals to Erlik to make it go away.
Buryat Mythology[]
Erlik was created by Ulgan, and blew life into humanity. However, he incurred Tengri's wrath by slaying the messenger god Maidere, and was banished to the Underworld. Seeking revenge against Tengri for his banishment, he created evil spirits to teach humans sin, which would allow him to claim their souls when they died and torture them in his realm for all eternity.
Altai-Sayan Mythology[]
In the stories of the Siberian Altai-Sayan people, Erlik, as mentioned before, is more benevolent than in other mythologies. Erlik blew the soul into humanity when Ulgan created them. After the birth of humanity, Tengri became the god of Heaven, and Erlik was appointed as the Judge of the Dead, sending those who lead good lives to paradise and those who sinned to the Underworld.
