Fulin Khan, 附鄰可汗, is a khan’s title that the Tongdian reports among the early Göktürks. At times, it says, a Fulin Khan was set up.[1] Fulin was the name of the wolf, and the title was taken from the wolf’s greed to kill.[1] In the same place the Tongdian adds that some khans ranked below the yabgu.[1]

The Zhou Shu calls the men of the khan’s guard fuli, 附離. It says that the word also means wolf.[2] One translation reads both words as the Turkic böri, wolf.[3] The Old Turkic word stands in the Kül Tegin inscription. The inscription says that the army of Ilterish Khan was like wolves and his enemies like sheep.[4]

The Tongdian names no holder of the title.[1] The Sui Shu names a khan whose title has been read in the same way. Taspar Khan made his brother’s son Buli Khan, 步離可汗, and set him in the west.[5] Buli is read böri as well.[6] No source calls him a Fulin Khan.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Tongdian, juan 197
  2. ^ Zhou Shu (Book of Zhou), juan 50
  3. ^ Mau-tsai 1958, Turkish edition, p. 21
  4. ^ Kül Tegin inscription
  5. ^ Sui Shu (Book of Sui), juan 84
  6. ^ Golden 1992, p. 148
  7. ^ Sui Shu (Book of Sui), juan 84; Tongdian, juan 197

Sources

Literature

  • Liu Mau-tsai, Çin Kaynaklarına Göre Doğu Türkleri (1958, Turkish edition)
  • Peter B. Golden, An Introduction to the History of the Turkic Peoples (1992)

Related

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Institutions and Titles
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Cite this article

Yavuz, Emre-E. “Fulin Khan.” Turkic Atlas, revised 28 October 2026. https://turkicatlas.org/institutions/fulin-khan/

Last revised: 28 October 2026