Umay

Mother-goddess of birth; only goddess named on the Orkhon steles.

Domains

• motherhood
• fertility

Powers

• Shield infants and birthing mothers from harm
• Grant victory alongside Tengri and Yer-sub
• Open the womb and bestow children

Epithets

• Umay latin · Umay · inscriptionThe mother-goddess of the womb, birth, and children; invoked beside Tengri in the royal inscriptionsOrkhon inscriptions (Kül Tigin, “my mother the Khatun, like Umay”) (primary)

Relations

• companion: TengriMother-goddess of birth invoked alongside the sky-father Tengri as the paired tutelary deities of the ruler in the Orkhon inscriptions.Orkhon inscriptions, Kül Tegin stele (Tengri and Umay invoked together as the protective sky-father and birth-mother of the qaghan) (primary)

Sources

• existence: Orkhon inscriptions (Kül Tegin), 8th c. (primary)