Who is Tangra

Tangra (also encountered as Tengri or Tenger) is the name of the supreme god in the ancient Turkic, Hunnic, Mongolic, Proto-Bulgarian, and Altaic religion known as Tengrism.

Etymology

The word Tengri, written in Old Turkic (Orkhon script), originates from the Turkic root teŋri / taŋrɨ, meaning “god” or “sky.” It is comparable to the Sumerian god Dengir. According to linguist Sergei Starostin, the meaning “sky” is secondary.

In modern Turkic languages, the variant Tanrı means “god.” In Mongolic languages, the root taŋgarag means “oath,” while in Tungusic-Manchu taŋrān means “to narrate.” Interestingly, in Hungarian the word tenger means “sea,” which may hint at a similar meaning in Proto-Bulgarian.

The name is also connected with Mount Khan Tengri in the Tian Shan range, long revered as a sacred peak.