Payna

Lore & Background

Payna is described as a beautiful woman who lived atop mountains, where she and her companions discussed the fate of crops and human inhabitants. She would travel in wooden carts down to the valley below. Only certain people were capable of hearing them singing. Along with her male companion Pakta, the autumn spirit, she was associated with rituals conducted in rural areas during winter.

Reader's Guide

Payna holds significance in early Turkic mythology as a goddess of abundance and fertility, particularly tied to winter and snow. The word 'Payna' remains a poetic term for 'abundance' in the Altai language and Old Turkic, underscoring her role as an abundance goddess. The Payna or Paynaqan feast is a winter festival in Turkic Tengrism and Altai folklore, arranged as a blessing and fertility ceremony. Her connection to the goddess Umay and the name Baianai suggests broader mythological links. The rituals associated with her and Pakta reflect rural winter practices, and her mountain-dwelling, cart-traveling imagery emphasizes her role in overseeing crop and human fate. Her legacy persists in linguistic and folkloric traditions of Altai, Siberia, and Central Asia.

Did You Know?

• Payna is a mythological female character associated with winter and snow in early Turkic mythology.
• The word 'Payna' is still the poetic word for 'abundance' in the Altai language and Old Turkic.
• Payna is the proctor spirit of the pine tree.
• She traveled in wooden carts down from the mountains to the valley, and only certain people could hear her singing.