Imagine a small clan of blacksmiths, eking out a living in the unforgiving steppes of Central Asia. Now picture that same clan, mere generations later, ruling an empire that stretched from the borders of China to the gates of Byzantium. This isn't the plot of a fantasy novel - it's the real-life story of the Turkic Ashina clan, founders of the Göktürk Khaganate.

But here's where it gets strange. According to legend, the Ashina weren't just skilled metalworkers - they were the descendants of a wolf. Yes, you heard that right. How does a group go from being simple craftsmen to wolf-born rulers of the largest empire the steppes had seen up to that point? And why would they claim such an unusual ancestry? I have covered the history of the Göktürks and that of their ruling dynasty for more than 4 years now and made countless videos about them. Ultimately, their history is the bane of my existence as a Content Creator, and the reason why Khan’s Den was created in the first place. Yet, many aspects of the Göktürks haven’t been cleared yet. This includes their mythical origins.

As we dig into the foundation of the Ashina, we'll uncover a tale of survival against impossible odds, political cunning, and the power of a well-crafted legend. We'll separate fact from fiction as much as possible, as always on Khan’s Den, work with all sources available, and explore how a single story shaped the destiny not just of the Turkic peoples, but of all steppe peoples in Eurasia.

Get ready to journey back to the Late Antiquity, where empires rise and fall very quickly and where, sometimes, the most unbelievable tales turn out to be true... or do they?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices