Tängri
/ˈtɛŋɡri/noun
Tängri is a modern scholarly spelling of Tengri, the sky deity and supreme heavenly power in ancient Turkic religion.
Did you know?In the Orkhon inscriptions, the Old Turkic word täŋri could mean both the physical sky and the divine power believed to rule human destiny.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Turkic (reconstructed)
Proto-Turkic
*teŋri
“Reconstructed term associated with heaven or the celestial divine power; its deeper origin remains debated.”
8th Century
Old Turkic
täŋri
“Sky, heaven, or deity; recorded in the Orkhon inscriptions.”
11th Century
Karakhanid Turkic
teŋri
“God, heaven, or the celestial realm, as recorded in the Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk.”
13th–14th Century
Mongolian
tengri
“Heaven or the supreme heavenly power, borrowed or closely related through long Turkic-Mongolian contact.”
Modern Period
English scholarly usage
Tengri / Tängri
“The principal sky deity or sacred heavenly power of ancient Turkic and related steppe traditions.”