Bai Baianai ( sah, Байанай, russian: Байанай or ''Барилах'', alt, Баянай) is the
Yakut spirit of forests, animals and
patron
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
of hunters. Hunters light fires and pray that their work will pass fertile and without accidents. In some cultures, she protects children. She is considered a protector of the lineage.
Description
Baianai in ancient times was the
Turkic goddess of wildlife, wealth and fertility. She was worshipped throughout what is now called as
Altai and
Sakha
Sakha, officially the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia),, is the largest republic of Russia, located in the Russian Far East, along the Arctic Ocean, with a population of roughly 1 million. Sakha comprises half of the area of its governing Far Eas ...
. Her name means "rich, fertile, wealthy". She was the daughter of
Kayra
Kayra or Kaira (Old Turkic: 𐰴𐰖𐰺𐰀) is creator god in Turkic mythology. He is the god who planted the tree of life called ''Ulukayın''. He is the supreme god of the Tatars and the Son of the sky deity (Gök Tengri). This son, Kara Han ( ...
.
Baianai is sometimes a woodland
fairy
A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, ...
or protector spirit found in Turkic-Altaic folklore and mythology. In
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...
she is known as ''Payna''. There are three Baianais:
#Bai Baianai: Goddess of hunting.
[Türk Mitoloji Sözlüğü, Pınar Karaca ]
(Baay Bayanay)
#Tagh Baianai: Goddess of forests.
#Ughu Baianai: Goddess of fishery.
Etymology
The word Baianai has Altaic-Turkic roots with a meaning of "wealth", "richness", "grandness", "greatness" and "divinity".
Appearance
Baianai is commonly depicted as
ethereal
Ethereal may refer to:
*Ethereal (horse), a horse that won Australia's Caulfield Cup as well as Melbourne Cup in 2001
*Ethereal wave, or simply ethereal, a subgenre of dark wave music
*Wireshark, formerly named Ethereal, a free and open-source pack ...
maidens with long loose hair, sometimes also with wings. They are usually dressed in free-flowing gowns, their garments decorated with feathers by means of which they can fly like birds. Baianai is most often described as being a blonde, tall and slender woman with pale, glowing skin and fiery eyes. Baianais are believed to be the very beautiful women, with an affinity to fire. They have the powers to bring about drought, burn a farmer's crops or make cattle die of high fever. It is said that when a Baianai is angered she would change her appearance and turn into a monstrous bird, capable of flinging fire at her enemies.
Habitat
According to folk beliefs, Baianai lives inside huge old trees, in abandoned shacks or dark caves, near rivers, ponds or wells. Baianai come to the human world during only the spring and stay until autumn.
References
Bibliography
* Мифы народов мира — М: Советская энциклопедия, 1991
* Türk Mitolojisi Ansiklopedik Sözlük, Celal Beydili, Yurt Yayınevi (Page - 95)
External links
Якутская мифология и шаманы(на руски)
Yakut mythology
Turkic deities
Turkic legendary creatures
{{Siberia-myth-stub
Hunting deities
Nature deities
Forest spirits
Fertility goddesses
Abundance goddesses