GOG AND MAGOG

Scythian Horse Soldier

"The sons of Japheth:  Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras."  Genesis 10:2And the word of the LORD came to me saying,  "Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am against you,  O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal." Ezekiel 38:1-3 "And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, 'Thus says the  Lord GOD, "Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal;  and I will turn you around, drive you on, take you up from the remotest parts of  the north and bring you against the mountains of Israel." Ezekiel 39:1-2

Russian Soldiers

Albius Tibullus, Latin poet in the 1st century BC, mentions that a people living on the River Tanais (present-day River Don) were called "Magini," "Magogitis" or "Magotis," which in Greek became "Maiotis," whom scholars say were from the colonies of Magog, sometimes referred to as Magogites.  The Greeks called the area where the Magini lived along the Tanais "the Maeotian marshes" where the river emptied into the Maeotian Lake (present day Sea of Azov).  The marshes served as a checkpoint to the westward migration of nomad peoples from the steppe of Central Asia.  The region was named after the Maeotae people (as the Greeks and Latins would call them) who lived around the Maeotian Lake or Sea.  Jerome (translator of the Latin Vulgate), an Illyrian Christian apologist of the late 4th and early 5th centuries, affirms "the Jews of this age understood by Magog the vast and innumerable nations of Scythia, about Mount Caucasus, and the Palus Maeotis (Latin for Maeotis Sea), stretching along the Caspian Sea to India."

Greek historian Herodotus, whom historians call "the father of history," mentions in the 5th century BC a people living around the Caucasus mountains called "Gargarians."  He later refers to agricultural Scythians in the region at "Georgi."  Greek myth depicted the Gargarians as "Gorgons," which eventually became Gorgene or Gorgaene, likely the origin of the name Georgia.  He also wrote about an enormous city, Gelonus, in the northern part of Scythia, surrounded by a lofty wall, where inhabitants had deep blue eyes and bright red hair. Herodotus wrote extensively about the descendants of Magog by their Greek name, the Scythians, about 150 years after Ezekiel.  He wrote of three tribes of Scythians, one being "Royal Scythians" who ruled over all other Scythians of Scythia, and two other tribes having different lifestyles:  one a tribe of farmers and settled agriculturalists, and another a tribe of migrant stockbreeders who immigrated with their horses, cows and sheep.  Herodotus describes them as living in the territory north of the Black Sea, and that they terrorized the southern steppes of Russia beginning in the 10th century BC.  He supposed the word Scythian meant "father."  Perhaps he was correct, as the name Scythian is a derivative of Ashkenaz, who was the father of the Scythians.  Numerous archaeological discoveries have confirmed Herodotus' reports in general, and his Scythian accounts in particular.

Gorgon from  Greek mythology

Today's Armenian and Georgian peoples are not only descended from Magog, but also Magog's nephew, Togarmah.  Magog's brother, Gomer, had three sons, Ashkenaz (mentioned previously as father of the Scythians), Riphath and Togarmah.  Togarmah's descendants show up in history as Armenians, Georgians and some Turkic peoples.  We first find them mentioned by the Hittites in the 14th century BC as the Anatolian kingdom of Tegarama, then later by the Assyrians as a people called Til-Garimmu.  After spreading south to Anatolia (Asia Minor/present-day Turkey), their better-known tribe, the Phrygians (from Armenia), dominated the region, and would become the ancestors of peoples in modern-day Turkey.  Though many Turks claim to be descendants of Togarmah, they are also descended from Magog, as explained below.

Huns.  Ancient tribes of of Scythians and Magogians, mixed with other indigenous peoples of the Asian steppe, would become the Huns.  Hunnic tribes are obscure in origin, though compelling evidence indicates they were descendants of Magog, a "Scytho-Siberian" people known by their Altaic lineage and language.  These tribes are thought to have arrived in the region around 600 BC.  First described in the 3rd century BC by Chinese sources as a controlling empire of the Hsiung-nu, Hiong-nu or Xiongnu (Hunnu-"Asian Hun Empire") to the north (Mongolia), they were considered barbarians to be feared, as their horseback lifestyle proved very efficient for rapid invasion and raiding villages and townships.  As noted earlier, scholars postulate the Great Wall of China, begun in the 5th century BC, may have been built to keep these Hunnic hordes at bay.  The Arabic name for the wall was "The Wall of Al Magog," meant to keep out the invading armies of Magog.  After intermingling with native Asian people groups, they would eventually form a nomadic coalition of warrior tribes who spoke a Hunnish language. The Huns went on the move, attacking western Scythians about 170 BC, slowly dominating Scythian lands.  They also warred with the Han Dynasty beginning in the middle of the 2nd century BC, taking territory deep into China, reported as formidable enemies, a "wild people of the mountains" by the Chinese.  Eventually the Xiongnu would split into the north and south, and the south formed a weak alliance with the Chinese Han (who later would be known simply as the Chinese).  The north Xiongnu (Hunnu) would become the Huns we know in history, giving us Attila.  They traveled west, attempting to maintain themselves on the Caspian steppes (the areas north of the Caspian Sea).  By 200 AD, the Romans first became aware of the Huns as written by Pliny, a Roman author, philosopher and geographer, who described them arriving in the region as mounted horse archers.

Dionysius Periegetes (the guide), a Greek geographer who lived in the 4th century AD, wrote a geographical description of the known world.  He notes among the northern tribes of Europe there were Huns (Unni), Caspii, Massagets (living opposite from the Huns), Sacii, Alani and Scyths.  At this time only a remnant of the north Xiongnu (Huns) remained in the Altaic mountain steppes.  Attila, King of the Huns, reigned in the 5th century (from 434-453 AD), and embarked upon a series of wars extending Hunnish rule from the Rhine (Germany) across the north of the Black Sea as far as the Caspian Sea (Russia). Though Attila's origins are in question, there is empirical evidence that he belonged to a group of Hunnic and Asian nomadic tribes in what is now Mongolia and northeastern China.  The Huns that attacked Europe were known as an Asiatic tribe. The Greek writer Priscus gives us vital information about King Attila, having visited the Huns and spoken with Attila.  Priscus was sent by the Roman government with messages to Attila in 448 AD.  Priscus first tells of his long journey from Constantinople to Scythia, the territory then occupied by the Huns north of the lower Danube.  He described Attila as "short of stature, with a broad chest and a large head; his eyes were small, his beard thin and sprinkled with gray; and he had a flat nose and a swarthy complexion, showing the evidences of his origin."  Indeed, he probably exhibited the characteristic eastern Asian facial features, which Europeans were not used to seeing, and so he was described in harsh terms.  No doubt Attila was descended from a mixture of western Scythian, Altaic (Siberian) and Asian tribes from the region near China.

Artist rendition of Attila the Hun

Turks.  According to a legend recorded by the Chinese, the Tu-kui were specifically recognized from Chinese transcription, and were a subject tribe ruled by Geougen/Ruruan Khans.  During the middle of the 6th century AD, the Tu-kui (Turks) overthrew their Geougen masters with help from the forces of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and soon were in control of all Mongolia, centering their power in the northern part of the country.  As the struggle for regional power between the Khans continued, the Wei reconstructed the Great Wall during this period (5th and 6th centuries).  The Tu-kui (Turks) became known as the Gokturks (Gok Turks, Kok Turks or K'ou-kiue), meaning "Blue Turks."  The color blue was a symbol representing the eastern direction, thus "Blue Turks" in the primary sense of "East Turks" had connotations of "first," "rising," "dawning;" meaning they were the "First Turks."  That makes sense in light of the fact that Gokturks are considered the first Turkic tribe known to use "Turk" as a political name, and they were the first Turkic nomads to leave written records in a runic-like script deciphered by scholars in 1896.  Known as Old Turkic script, they are called "Turkic runes."  The Huns also wrote in runic form, called "Hunnic runes."  There are a number of early runic inscriptions found in Europe from the Scythians, indicating a common origin.  Herodotus records the earliest form of runecasting was with sticks by Scythian tribesmen. The Gok Turks gained control of a vast territory by the end of the 6th century AD, with their empire stretching into eastern Europe.  The empire became so large it split into east and west, and subsequently went into full decline by the middle part of the 7th century.  The east Gok Turks settled in the steppe territory of southern Siberia and the Orkhon river basin (Mongolia), and became known as Orkhon Turks.  The name Gok Turk disappeared from history by the early 10th century AD.
The tribes of Orkhon (Orhon) Turks flourished as the Tang Dynasty in China (618-907 AD) rose to power, gaining control of Mongolia and much of the surrounding region.  This is when significant intermingling of Sino-Chinese and Turkic-Huns occurred, becoming the base stock of the Mongols.
These early Turkic tribes were quite diverse, and some historians claim that reddish hair was predominant among them.  However, numerous tribal groups in the region became sinicized to the point that the vast region of deserts, mountains and grazing land was soon inhabited by people resembling each other in racial, cultural, and linguistic characteristics.  The similarities among those who inhabited the region has caused considerable ethnic and historical confusion.  Thus, the Turks would take on radically different blends of ethnicities, depending on the location of their various tribes.  These early Turkic tribes were quite diverse, and some scholars claim they developed different languages and cultures.  Many of these tribes would come to be known as Turko-Mongols, including the historic Orkhon Turkic clans of Khazars, Uyghurs, Khitans and Kirghiz.  The Khazars migrated from the Asian steppe between the 7th and 11th centuries, settling in the northern region of the Caucuses Mountains between the Black and Caspian Seas (modern-day Russia).  This left the Turkic Uyghurs (Uighurs) and Khitans to prosper throughout eastern Asia, dominating the region by early 10th century.
In the 6th century AD, living to the north were another notable Turkic people, the Tartars, first called Ta-ta the by the Chinese.  They are mentioned by Orkhon Turks on inscriptions from the 8th century.  The Tartars, Khitans, Krighiz and Uyghurs were known for attacking each other, and during the 9th century the Tartars went into subjugation by the Khitans (Kitans), and the Uyghurs were overthrown by the Kirghiz. By the 10th century, the Chinese were reporting that Khans from these various Turkic tribes were regularly battling for regional supremacy.  Migrating Khazars appeared again in the late 10th century as a large Turkish tribe called the Kinik.  Kinik was the son of Oghuz (both were tribal Khans and Khazar Turks).  The Kinik Turks would give rise to the Ghuzz Turks.  Ghuzz fathered Tukak who was the father of Seljuk.  Under the leadeship of Seljuk, the Kinik/Ghuzz Turks became the powerful Seljuk Turk empire. 
At the end of the 11th century, Seljuk Turks dominated Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey).  They produced the most famous Turk in history, Sultan Osman Ghazi (Osman I) who formed the Osmanli (Ottoman) Empire.  Their descendants make up a majority of today's Turkish population, having integrated with the descendants of Togarmah and others previously established in the region.  About the same time (12th century), the Tartars became a major force in the Asian steppe, where their Khans expanded throughout a vast geographical region, including Europe and Asia, particularly after the 13th century.  They also exercised power over the Mongol tribes, descendants of the Geougen/Ruruan, from the 6th through 13th centuries.

Mongols.  The tribal names Mengwu and Shiwei are used interchangeably by historians, with Shiwei being the primary.  The Megnwu are mentioned only as Mongols by the 12th century.  The term "Mongol" became the common name for the many tribes of Shiwei, as recorded during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).  The Chinese called Shiwei tribes by different names, including the "Huangdou Shiwei" meaning "yellow (blonde) head Shiwei," and "Maodou" or "Maoshou" meaning "hairy head (bearded)" people.  The physical attributes of the Shiwei tribes were that of their Geougen/Ruruan ancestors, from Siberian stock.  This is futher evidenced from the name of a prominent Shiwei tribe, the Borjigin (also Borjigid or Bourchikoun).  The Borjigin were known to have gray eyes and reddish hair.  This clan also had a Khan named Yesugei, the father of Temujin or Genghis Khan (1162-1227 AD).  Chinese descriptions of Genghis Khan indicated he was tall and heavy bearded.  After his death, few portraits show him as described in history, while many artistic interpretations show him with distinctive Asiatic features, contrary to evidence by major authorities.

Mongolian Mural of Genghis Khan European Portrait of Kublai Khan Statue of Tamerlane in Uzbekistan

For example, many people groups living in Mongolia, Tibet and northern China today are the result of the empire's split.  The migration west of Khan's descendants are evidence of that.  The Asian peoples living in present-day Mongolia arrived later, and are not the Hunnic Mongolians of Genghis Khan's lineage.  Evidence for this can be found in the Ural-Altaic languages spoken in the region, and spoken by Ghengis Khan himself.  These ancient Siberian languages would later become the root for Turkic, Mongolian and Tungusic languages. As early as the 5th century AD, Turks and Asians had formed new ethnicities, depending on the location of their various tribes.  By the 14th century, Genghis Khan's empire helped spread these new ethnic peoples west, and many of today's southern Russian republics (including Central Asia) are where these peoples settled, sometimes referred to as Eastern Turks.  There are a number of Turkic languages, including Kazakh, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Tatar, Uyghur, Turkish, Azeri, Turkmen, and many others spoken in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Siberia, and parts of China.  The Kazakhs (Turkic people of the northern parts of Central Asia) have an internal group called the Tore who consider themselves to be direct descendants of Ghengis Khan and his family.

10th century  Turk from present-day  Kazakhstan Eastern Turk from Kazakhstan