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 Mongo ...

, Konrul, also Kongrul and Konqrul (

Azeri Azerbaijanis (; az, Azərbaycanlılar, ), Azeris ( az, Azərilər, ), or Azerbaijani Turks ( az, Azərbaycan Türkləri, ) are a Turkic people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. They are the second-most numer ...

: , , ) is a long-lived bird that is cyclically regenerated or reborn, similar to a

phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

Description

Konrul is depicted as a winged creature in the shape of a bird, gigantic enough to carry off an elephant. It appears as a peacock with the head of a dog and the claws of a lion; sometimes however also with a human face. It has an enmity towards snakes and its natural habitat is a place with plenty of water. Its feathers are said to be the color of copper, and though it was originally described as being a dog-bird, later it was shown with either the head of a dog.

Toghrul

Konrul also has a twin named "''Toghrul''" ( Tu'rul). In one account a hero rescues Konrul's offspring by killing a serpent that was crawling up the tree to feed upon them. As a reward, Konrul gives him three of her feathers which the hero uses to call her for help by burning them. Later, Konrul carries him to a distant land. In another, Konrul carries the hero out of the netherworld. Turul and Konrul as intimate twins are also known as ''Buğdayık'' and ''Kumayık'' or ''Semrük'' and ''Kerkes'' and sometimes ''Züzülö'' and ''Öksökö''. They roost in the "

Tree of Life The tree of life is a fundamental archetype in many of the world's mythological, religious, and philosophical traditions. It is closely related to the concept of the sacred tree.Giovino, Mariana (2007). ''The Assyrian Sacred Tree: A Hist ...

", which stands in the middle of the world.

Identification with other mythical birds

Konrul is often identified with the Greek

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

or Persian Simurg (in Turkic languages SemrükJuan Eduardo Cirlot, A Dictionary of Symbols, Courier Dover Publications, 2002, p.253). It also has many striking similarities with the Indian

Garuda Garuda (Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garuda ...

Zumrud Anka

Anka also spelled Ankha or Angha ( fa, عنقا, from

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

Anqa Anqa ( ar, عَنْقَاء, ʿanqāʾ), also spelled '' 'Anqa' '', or ''Anka'', or ''Anqa Mughrib'' or ''Anqa al-Mughrib'' ( ar, العَنْقَاء المُغْرِب)) is the person who throw people down toward west or during sunset is a la ...

, phoenix") and also known as

Simurgh Simurgh (; fa, سیمرغ, also spelled ''simorgh, simorg'', ''simurg'', ''simoorg, simorq'' or ''simourv'') is a benevolent, mythical bird in Persian mythology and literature. It is sometimes equated with other mythological birds such as the ...

, is a benevolent, mythical flying creature and common figure in Middle Eastern cultures. The figure can be found in all periods of Greater Iranian art and literature, and is evident also in the iconography of

medieval Armenia Medieval Armenia refers to the history of Armenia during the Middle Ages. It follows Ancient Armenia and covers a period of approximately eight centuries, beginning with the Muslim conquest of Armenia in the 7th century. Key events during this p ...

, the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

, and other regions that were within the sphere of Persian cultural influence. The mythical bird is also found in the mythology of the Turkic peoples of

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 ...

and is called ''Semrug, Semurg, Samran and Samruk''.Der Artikel in the Encyclopedia of Bashkortostan Simurgh is shortened to "Sīmīr" in the

Kurdish language Kurdish (, ) is a language or a group of languages spoken by Kurds in the geo-cultural region of Kurdistan and the Kurdish diaspora. Kurdish constitutes a dialect continuum, belonging to Western Iranian languages in the Indo-European languag ...

.Hanns-Peter Schmidt, Encyclopedia Iranica - "Simorgh". Konrul also goes by the name of Zumrud ( fa, زمرد, zomorrod, zumurrud) meaning "emerald". In Azeri folklore, a hero named Malik Mammad was the son of one of the wealthiest kings of

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...

who owned a large garden. In the center of the garden was a magic apple tree which yielded apples every day. An ugly giant called Div (from Persian ''dîv'' "demon, fiend") decides to steal all the apples every night. The king then sends Malik Mammad and his elder brothers to fight the giant whence Malik Mammad saves Zumrud's babies from an

Azhdaha Azhdaha, Azhdahak, Ezhdeha ( fa, اژدها) or Azhdar (اژدر) is a mythical creature in Iranian mythology, roughly equivalent to the dragon. They are gigantic snake-like creatures living in the air, in the sea, or on the earth. ''Sad dar-e na ...

(Persian dragon). Zumrud, pleased with Malik Mammad, decides to help him. When Malik Mammad wanted to pass from the "Dark World" into the "Light World", Zumrud asks him to provide "forty half carcasses of meat and forty wineskin filled with water". Zumrud puts the water on its left wing and the meat on the other and Malik Mammad is able to enter the "Light World".

Description

Toghrul

Identification with other mythical birds

Zumrud Anka

References

See also