Huhedey Mergen: phenomenon of deity-hero

This article explores the image of Huhedey Mergen - god of thunder in the Buryat folklore and mythological tradition. It considers the semantics of its theonym associated with the concept of heaven and the cult of a hunting deity. The genesis and evolution of Huhedey Mergen in the context of Turkic-Mongolian uranical ideas indicates that the given mythological character is represented by the bi-unity of its image - the god and the hero and is distinguished by an expressive epic hypostasis. The demon-fighting function of Huhedey Mergen constitutes the core of the heavenly hero's image - the prototype of Geser on Buryat uliger foundation.