Bai Baianai

Bai Baianai was also a goddess of hunting, wealth and fertility, worshipped in the Altai and among the Sakha, or Yakut. Her name means ‘rich’ or ‘fertile’, and she was the daughter of Kayra.

Hunters lit fires and prayed to her that their work might pass fruitfully and without accident. Three Baianais are named: Bai Baianai of hunting, Tagh Baianai of forests and Ughu Baianai of fishing. In some places she also protected children and was regarded as a guardian of the lineage.