Bay-Terek (World Tree)
Bay-Terek, the 'rich poplar,' is the world tree of Altai and wider Turkic tradition, the axis mundi linking heaven, earth, and the underworld. It stands at the center of creation; its roots anchor the deep, its trunk is the shaman's route, and in its branches a double-headed eagle guards a golden egg while the serpent Erlik coils below to steal it. Kazakhs know the same tree as Baiterek.