Alara (Azerbaijanese: ''ӘЛӘРӘ'', Tatar: ''ӘЛЕРӘ'') is a water fairy from
Turkic mythology
Turkic mythology refers to myths and legends told by the Turkic people. It features Tengrist and Shamanist strata of belief along with many other social and cultural constructs related to the nomadic and warrior way of life of Turkic and Mongol ...
. ӘЛӘРӘ is also referenced in the mythologies of
Siberian
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...
peoples and told in the folklore and elders' stories among the
Yakut people
The Yakuts, or the Sakha ( sah, саха, ; , ), are a Turkic ethnic group who mainly live in the Republic of Sakha in the Russian Federation, with some extending to the Amur, Magadan, Sakhalin regions, and the Taymyr and Evenk Districts ...
.
Said to originate from
Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal (, russian: Oзеро Байкал, Ozero Baykal ); mn, Байгал нуур, Baigal nuur) is a rift lake in Russia. It is situated in southern Siberia, between the federal subjects of Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Repu ...
and made of the love tears of a thousand women, Alara takes the appearance of a beautiful little girl with butterfly-like wings made of light but sprinkle water as she beats them to hover above the lake. Her beauty and youth depend on water so she must always remain close to water sources. She has the power to remove hate and greed from people's hearts and hence make them capable of true love. Those who seek Alara's help must travel to a lake where she was last seen and tie a colorful ribbon on the branch of a blooming lakeside tree. If the ribbon was cut from a
handkerchief
A handkerchief (; also called a hankie or, historically, a handkercher or a ) is a form of a kerchief or bandanna, typically a hemmed square of thin fabric which can be carried in the pocket or handbag for personal hygiene purposes such as wi ...
last used to wipe off the tears of a heartbroken person, the wish becomes more likely to come true. Wishes must be made under a cloudless night sky shortly before dawn. Alara then answers the wish maker with a light breeze, a
shooting star, a light show of
bioluminescent algae or by outright manifesting herself and even talking to the wish maker.
See also
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Äbädä
Äbädä ( tt-Cyrl, Әбәдә; az, Əbədə; tr, Ebede) is an innocent forest spirit in Tatar mythology. It looks like an old woman. Äbädä also is represented in mythologies of Siberian peoples.
Äbädä is a demon or spirit. He is a Turk ...
*
Archura Archura (Old Turkic: 𐰀𐰺𐰲𐰆𐰺𐰀) is a shapeshifting woodland spirit in Turkic mythology who protects wild animals and forests.
Description
Archura usually appears as a man, but he is able to change his size from that of a blade of gra ...
External links
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Turkic legendary creatures
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