The regular motions of Ursa Minor, Ursa Major, and other constellations around the immovable North Star influenced several cosmologies across the northern hemisphere. This is the case with Myōken, a Buddhist deity of Taoist origins I discussed last time. Represented by the Big Dipper and the North Star, Myōken seemed to watch over and regulate the night sky. This panoptic imagery led to their imagery becoming associated with imperial rule. However, the North Star did not need to be represented by an all-powerful deity or emperor. In several faiths across Eurasia, it was the unmoving pinnacle atop the foundation of the universe.
Tengrism is an ancient faith originating in the steppes of Mongolia and Central Asia. The supreme deity is Tengri, the timeless god of the infinite sky and creator of the universe. The majority of the faith’s adherents are Mongol and Turkic peoples, and among its most famous followers is Genghis Khan. Tengrism was the first dominant religion of the expansive Mongol Empire, and the Great Khan attributed his success to his undying devotion to Tengri. It is important to note that Tengrism is non-dogmatic and does not believe in one true faith. Guided by this principle, the Mongol rulers practiced tolerance towards the beliefs of the lands they were quickly absorbing. Among the empire’s successor states, Tengrism was largely supplanted by Islam in the West and Buddism in the East, although the faith is still very much alive today in its homeland. (1)
The universe created by Tengri is divided into three realms connected by an axis mundi, or world axis (2). The lower realm is an underworld populated by souls awaiting reincarnation. The upper realm is a bright heaven where nature is unspoiled. The middle realm is that of humanity. The axis mundi is the World Tree Toroo, and a practitioner well versed and practiced in Tengrism may journey to the other realms by ascending or descending it. If one were to reach the very top of Toroo, they would find that its upper boughs graze the North Star, known as Altan Hadaas. The star is a golden World Nail hammered into heaven to hold up the night sky, and around this point, all the cosmos revolves (3). The Little Dipper and the Big Dipper remain close to Altan Hadaas, and from their position, they dictate the turning of the seasons (4).
The axis mundi at the center of the universe is a symbol found in cosmologies all over the world. The World Tree Yggdrasil binds the nine realms of Norse mythology together in its roots and branches (5). The night sky vaulted the uppermost realm of Asgard, and the countless stars above were likened to the shiny heads of nails. At the center of these nails, Yggdrasil’s canopy met the vault at the World Nail Veraldar Nagli. Like Altan Hadaas, the cosmos revolved around it and the World Tree. These movements did not fluctuate but were totally defined, seemingly since the beginning of time, free from all influences (6). In these stories, the North Star is no mighty deity with agency or ambition. It is a core piece of the cosmos’ architecture and mechanics with the sole purpose of maintaining the regularity of a universe set in motion long ago. Quite literally, it rose above the affairs of humanity, spirits, demons, giants, and even the gods, for without the stability provided by the World Nail, reality would fall and no one would be spared.
References
https://www.discovermongolia.mn/blogs/the-ancient-religion-of-tengriism
Turner, K. B. (2016). Sky shamans of Mongolia: Meetings with remarkable healers.
Rydberg, V. (2007). Investigations into Germanic mythology, Volume 1.
Figures
Müller, C. (2005). Dschingis Khan und seine Erben - das Weltreich der Mongolen. München: Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde.
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