Altaic Mythology The people living in the Altai Mountains of Mongolia possess a mythology that is influenced both by their own shamanistic (see Shamanism ) past and their contact with Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, and even Zoroastrianism. Creation stories are especially important among the Altaic tribes. One story tells how the first man, Erlik, created by the god Ulgen from clay, was like the devil in the Hebrew creation, flung out of Heaven for attempting to usurp the creator's position. After Erlik's expulsion, Ulgen created the earth. As in the case of Satan in Genesis, the devil figure, Erlik, makes his way to earth ...