Tradition: Turkic Mythology, Kyrgyzstan Mythology
Alternative Names: Bulan
Category: Deer
The Myth
The Bulan is a strange animal described in Turkic folklore as a large creature hunted in the lands of the Kipchaks. It possesses a single horn shaped like a cup. The horn is carved and raised toward the sky, allowing the creature to collect snow and water in it.
The Bulan uses this unusual horn in connection with its partner. The female bends her horn toward the male, while the male bends down toward the water that the female carries in hers. In this way, the two animals are described as sharing the water collected in their extraordinary horns.
The exact identity of the animal described as the Bulan is uncertain. The word appears in the eleventh-century dictionary of Turkic dialects, where it is difficult to determine precisely which animal the name referred to. In Turkic languages, the word can refer to animals such as a moose, deer, onager, or wild horse. It has also been suggested that the word may have originated from the ancient Chinese bai, referring to a type of deer, and lin, associated with the unicorn.
Sources
“Bulan.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed September 5, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/Bulan