In the Orkhon inscriptions, Tengri and Umay are invoked together as protectors of the Turkic people. The Kül Tigin inscription credits both with granting victory and sustaining the khaganate.
Umay, the goddess who guards the life-force of children and the fertility of the steppe, is the same deity venerated across both Turkic and Mongolian traditions — her name, function, and association with the birth-tent persist unchanged from the Orkhon inscriptions through Mongolian shamanic practice.
The Orkhon inscriptions invoke Umay alongside Tengri as protectress of the Turkic people. While Tengri grants the mandate to rule, Umay ensures fertility, protects children, and guards the life-force of the nation.
Umay, goddess of fertility and childbirth, protected Genghis Khan's miraculous birth when he emerged clutching a blood clot — an omen that he would seize dominion over the world. Umay guards the souls of destined children.
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