The Unicorn in Ancient Turkic Language: A Sacred Horse of Shamanism

The term 'unicorn' in ancient Turkic language first appeared in the Han Chinese inscription on Mount Tai in the Tang Dynasty. It was written as 'qï at' in written form, which literally means 'spirit horse'. As time went by, the pronunciation of this word changed. During the Khazar period, it was written as 'ki at/qat/kat/qï at'. The meaning of 'ki at/qat/kat/qï at' is not the same as the Chinese context of 'qilin' (unicorn), but refers to the sacred horse in shamanistic belief and culture called 'spirit horse', which is similar to the original meaning of the Mongolian word 'hei mori' (spirit horse).