Tuğsilk (Too-silk)

The origin of the Tuğsilk predates the formal clans, tracing back to the First Riders, who are said to have knotted sashes from their horse’s mane as a show of thanks and mourning when a steed fell in battle. Over time, this evolved into a woven symbol of bond, identity, and remembrance. During the Migration Era, when the Aygir scattered and regrouped, Tuğsilks were how kin found one another again, each knot or thread pattern telling a story only family would recognize. In wars, they became marks of oathbinding and vengeance. In peace, they signaled alliances and promises between clans.

The Tuğsilk holds profound cultural, spiritual, and social significance for the Aygir people. It is not merely a garment, but a living symbol of identity, loyalty, and personal legacy. Worn from adolescence until death, the Tuğsilk marks important life milestones, births, bonds, victories, losses, through embroidered symbols, tied charms, and braided additions. Each thread tells a story; each knot records an oath.   To the Aygir, a Tuğsilk is both shield and standard. It announces who you are and where you come from. It carries the memory of your first mount, your family line, your deeds on the steppe. Warriors bind them to their blades or saddlehorns before battle. Shamans weave protective sigils into them before long migrations. To lose one is considered a spiritual amputation. To wear another’s Tuğsilk, without rite or right, is tantamount to theft of soul.   Even in death, the Tuğsilk remains with its owner, often burned with them or knotted around their grave marker. Clan elders say that the ancestors recognize the living by the threads they carry, and that no Aygir travels alone so long as their Tuğsilk is bound tightly.