TENGRI. The earliest attested occurrence of a word in an Altaic language is the transcription into Chinese of the word tengri in the Qian Han shu (juan 94). It has kept this or a related form (tenggeri, tanara, tängri, tanri, tari, et al.) down to the present day. Etymologically, the word appears to be linked with a verb that means "to turn." It has been used continuously, not only by the "shamanistic" or "animistic" Turco-Mongols but also by those who have adopted universal religions. I shall concern myself here only with its meaning in the former case.

The original use of the word tengri was in designating the physical sky, as in such statements as "The sun is in the sky" or "The clouds darken the sky." This long-held meaning eventually was lost. With the deification of the sky, the word took on two other interpretations as well...