View source for Ak Ana

{{Short description|Religious deity}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2016}}
{{Turkic mythology}}

'''Ak Ana''' ('''Ağ Ana''' or '''Ak Ene'''), the "Holy Mother", is the primordial creator-goddess of [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] people and the [[Khanty people|Khanty]] and [[Mansi people|Mansi]] peoples of [[Siberia]]. She is also known as the goddess of the water. She was the consort and daughter of [[Kayra|Kayra Han]].

Water had been created earlier than Earth. Therefore, she was believed to be the elder sister of Earth. The beginning of the Earth emanated from Water.<ref>Bahaeddin Ögel, Türk Mitolojisi (Vol-1, Page 570)</ref> In ancient Turkic beliefs, [[Tengri]] (God) [[Kayra|Kaira Khan]] is a pure, white goose that flies constantly over an endless expanse of water (time). But before Ak-Ana appears to urge Kaira Khan to create,<ref>Türk Mitolojisi Ansiklopedik Sözlük, Celal Beydili, Yurt Yayınevi (Page - 24)</ref> he experiences a disturbance of his calm. From the bottom of the Water a "sacred duck" Lura lifted the sand, clay and silt, from which the Earth was created. Water was the initial state of everything in existence. Water evenly gave rise to both foreign and hostile elements. It was the possessor of spirits and the entrance into the other realm. The life, fertility and productivity of land depended on the Ak Ana. {{Citation needed|date=June 2021}}

==Similar deities ==
# '''Aka''' is an Anatolian river goddess / female deity.<ref>Anatolian Goddess (Aka) [https://www.angelfire.com/mo/demonice/Goddess/eastern/anatolian.html] {{in lang|en}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=January 2016}}
# '''Aha''' is a river god (or male deity) of the Sakha (Yakut) mythology.

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.turkmitolojisi.org/?p=98 Ak Ene] {{dead link|date=January 2016}}
* [http://turk-mitolojisi.blogspot.com/search/label/ak%20ana%20efsanesi Legend of Ak Ana (Ak Ana Efsanesi)] {{in lang|tr}}

{{Turkic Deities}}

[[Category:Siberian deities]]
[[Category:İye]]
[[Category:Creator goddesses]]
[[Category:Turkic goddesses]]
[[Category:Water goddesses]]


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