The Miracle Stag, as a Common Actor in the Origin Myths of the Turkic and Iranian Peoples and the Urartu Culture

Abstract

The deer motif is an extremely important figure in the folklore of the Turk and Iranian peoples. In the origin story of the Hungarians, the Miracle Stag sent by the Celestials shows the way to the new homeland. The conquering Hungarians believed that the deities appeared in the form of different animals, such as the Turul bird in addition to the deer, and conveyed important information to them. In the case of the fraternal Turk people, the similarity is not surprising. Monuments reflecting Urartu’s sense of identity are unexplored from this point of view: depictions of deer are common in the north and south, in the Caucasus and Anatolia, but such relics are rare in Urartu’s territory. This study, using the method of literary source analysis, draws attention to the phenomenon itself and its possible causes by researching the roots of the Hungarian origin legend that can be traced back to the border of Urartu.