Tradition / Region: Turkic mythology (Oghuz, Kyrgyz, Buryat traditions)
Alternate Names: Boğa Ata
Category: God / bull
The Myth
Ud Ata is the bull god, a powerful divine being who protects bulls and embodies strength. He is associated with physical force, vitality, and the sacred power believed to dwell within horned animals. In the traditions of the Oghuz Turks, Ud Ata is remembered as the being who gave his name to Oğuz Kağan, linking the legendary ruler directly to the strength and authority of the bull.
The horns of heroes are said to be inspired by the bull. These horns are signs of power and are closely connected with the moon. A single horn, or two horns placed side by side, resemble the crescent shape of the moon. Because of this, horns are understood as symbols of both strength and celestial order.
Among the Kyrgyz, it was believed that the world itself rested upon the horns of an ox. This belief placed the bull at the foundation of existence, supporting the earth and maintaining balance through its strength.
Ud Ata is also said to take on a physical form. In some tales, he appears as a gray bull and wrestles with other bulls. In another tradition, Ud Ata, in the form of a bull, unites with a young woman, and a child is born from this union. The Buryat people are said to descend from this child. Because of this ancestral connection, it is known that the Buryats once offered gray bulls as sacrifices to Ud Ata.
Through these stories, Ud Ata appears as a divine bull who grants names, strength, lineage, and protection, moving between godhood and animal form while shaping the fate of peoples and the structure of the world itself.