Erlik
Terrifying Rulers of The Underworld
Erlik
Erlik was the counterpart to the devil in several Altaic creation myths. Though accounts differ, he is generally seen as playing a large part in the creation of both the world and mankind. In one tale, he is cast into the primordial waters of the heavens after offending the creator god. There, he is forced to draw out the world from its depths then receives dominion over those evil like himself. After tempting the first womanvery much like the story of Evehe is cast into the underworld to become the ruler of demons.
The Altaic devil makes occasional visits to the surface world, where yet another version has him creating womankind.In this version, Erlik was the first man. He was cast into the underworld after boasting that he could create life better than Ulgen, the creator. Later, at Ulgens insistence, the eighth man tried to make the first woman. He succeeded in creating her body but failed to give her life. When he left to get help from Ulgen to finish his project, Erlik appeared and played seven flute notes in her ear. The music gave her life but also seven tempers and many bad moods.