Ärlik (Altai: Äрlік; Magyar: Ürdüg) is the primordial human turned god. His name comes from Turkic *är "man" and the "-ness" suffix *-lik; thus, he is "of man." Originally, he was nameless, simply referred to as Är Kişi or "male person." The naming of Ärlik was meant to be part of his punishment for betraying Tanrı.

Comparisons to the archangel Lucifer

He is often compared to the Abrahamic archangel Lucifer; however, there are fundamental differences in their origin stories. Ärlik, unlike Lucifer, never defied Tanrı; though, he did betray him. Lucifer envied the primordial human known as Adam, but in Turkic tradition, Ärlik was himself the primordial human, created as a companion for Tanrı. Furthermore, as an archangel, Lucifer was created with superhuman attributes. Ärlik, on the other hand, was created as a human. He did not have any superhuman powers prior to swallowing the soil of creation, a substance that Ärlik used under Tanrı's direction to create land. Unlike Lucifer, who was motivated by envy and arrogance, Ärlik's actions were done out of ignorance and fear. When Tanrı created the world, it was an endless ocean; thus, Ärlik's first experience following his creation was to drown. And it is immediately after this experience that he is instructed to dive into the water and grab the soil of creation. Ignorant of what he possessed, he hid a portion of the soil in his mouth. So, when Tanrı ordered the soil in his hands to expand, Ärlik was forced to spit out the soil in his mouth, creating mountains all over the once flat land. The enraged Tanrı deemed him unworthy of his company, naming him Ärlik, for he was "of man," not God. Following his punishment, Ärlik does not revolt against Tanrı like Lucifer; thus, he also never deceives his fellow gods to turn against Tanrı.

Yet, there are also similarities between Ärlik and Lucifer. Though, this is probably the result of the former absorbing elements of the later. For instance, in some accounts, Ärlik is also portrayed as the deceiver of man and like Lucifer, condemned to inhabit the underworld. In these same accounts, Ärlik is also portrayed as being jealous of man.

Legacy

The name of the Nordic god of mischief, Loki, may have been a truncation or metathesis of *Ürlük, a derivative form of Ärlik that may have also resulted in Magyar Ürdüg.