Esegel is a being in Turkic folklore, from Eurasian Steppe (Western Turkic Khaganate regions). Esegel (variants: Izgil, Äsägel, Askel, Askil, Ishkil, Eskel) is attested in medieval Eurasian sources as an Oghur Turkic dynastic tribal grouping — a lineage/tribe and political unit recorded among Western Turkic (Nushibi) confederations and later as one of the constituent tribes of Volga Bulgaria. Scholarly literature records multiple competing etymologies and identifications across Old Turkic, Chinese, Byzantine and Arabic/Persian sources.
Historically attested across multiple medieval sources, the Esegel appear as an Oghur Turkic tribal-dynastic group that participated in Western Turkic confederational politics (notably among Nushibi constituents) and later in the composite polity of Volga Bulgaria. Chinese annals (New Book of Tang) record a tribal name transcribed Āxījiē (阿悉結) in the 7th century; Byzantine chronicle material records ambassadors of an Askil/Askel group to Constantinople in 563 CE (Theophanes summary); and 9th–10th century Islamic geographers (Ibn Fadlan, Ibn Rustah and others as reported in secondary summaries) list Esegel/Askel among the Bulgar constituent tribes on the Itil. Modern scholars debate the name's linguistic origin: proposals include Uralo‑Altai/Turkic derivations (Es-kil/Es-gil), Iranian-origin reconstructions (e.g., Róna‑Tas' proposal), and specific identifications with Chinese-recorded tribal names (Axijie, Sijie/Xijie) — none is universally accepted in the provided source set.
Medieval sources describe the Esegel institutionally rather than iconographically. They are presented as a tribal quarter/tribal contingent with named chiefs and irkin-level leaders within larger confederations, capable of fielding substantial military contingents (one Chinese annal citation reports Āxījiē as prosperous with "the number of his soldiers reached several tens of thousands"). Sources mention an Esegel quarter and Esegel chiefs among lists of submitting tribal leaders. The corpus does not provide physical anthropology, costume, or iconographic descriptions of individual Esegel persons.
As a historical group the Esegel's "abilities" are political and military roles documented in medieval records: they supplied chiefs/irkin in Nushibi tribal structures, engaged in diplomacy (ambassadors of Askil/Askel reaching Constantinople in 563 CE in Byzantine reportage), and maintained military contingents noted in Chinese annals. In the Volga region they are recorded by Islamic geographers as one constituent tribe of the Bulgars and are associated with processes of assimilation into Volga Bulgarian polity. Sources also indicate participation in the region's religious-political transformations, with Esegel branches recorded among groups accepting Islam in the early 10th century (e.g., the general Bulgar acceptance of Islam in 922).
Weaknesses
- conditionpolitical assimilation / incorporation into larger polities
Wards
None recorded.
Ababil
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Abadir
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Abdul Qadir Gilani
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Abel
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Abraham (Ibrāhīm) in Islam
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Abzar İyesi
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Abū Lahab
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Adam (ʾĀdam)
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Ahmed al-Badawī
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Aicha Kandicha (Qandisa)
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Aicha Qandicha
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Ak Ana
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Community Record
- [1]Esegel (Wikipedia). Wikipedia article 'Esegel' (summarizing medieval attestations and modern scholarly hypotheses)wiki
- [2]New Book of Tang (Chinese annals) — Āxījiē entry (as summarized). Chinese New Book of Tang entries summarized in secondary literature noting Āxījiē (阿悉結) as a prosperous tribal unit with large numbers of soldiersother
- [3]Ibn Fadlan (as reported in secondary summaries). Ibn Fadlan's 10th-century itinerary and descriptions as reported in modern summaries listing Askel/Askel among Bulgar constituent tribes on the Itilother
- [4]Theophanes (chronography as summarized). Summary references to Theophanes noting ambassadors of Askil/Askel to Constantinople in 563 CEother
- [5]Ibn Rustah (as reported in secondary summaries). Ibn Rustah's listing of Bulgar constituent branches including 'Esegel' among others (as cited in secondary summaries)other
- [6]Secondary scholarly positions (Zuev, Róna‑Tas, Tatár, Gumilyov, Räsänen). Modern scholarly etymological and identification proposals for Esegel: Uralo‑Altai/Turkic, Iranian, and links to Chinese transcriptions; names include Zuev, Róna‑Tas, Tatár, Gumilyov, Räsänen (as summarized in the provided materials)other
- [7]Nation of Turks — 'The most ancient history of Bulgars' (secondary compilation). Online secondary compilation referencing medieval Bulgar tribal lists and identificationsother
- [8]Alchetron — 'Bulgars' (secondary compilation). Online secondary encyclopedia compiling medieval attestations of Bulgar constituent tribes including Esegel/Eskelother