The worship of water sources (rivers) is common in almost all cultures and in different regions of the world. The mythological identification of water is characteristic as the way that connects the three parts of the world (upper, middle and lower worlds), the river Styx (or Acheron) in ancient Greek mythology and the river Vaitarani in Indian. The river of water symbolized impermanence and changeability and was used by shamans in higher magical practices for physical transition to another reality – the underworld or the upper world. It is noticeable that the guides of shamans are animals or birds directly connected with the element of water: Loons, swans and ducks among the Kazakhs, Altaians, etc. The traditional names of springs among the Kazakhs have similar meanings: springs that gush from the ground are called “Qara-Su” (“Black Water”), and rivers that flow from glaciers” are called “Aq-Su” (“White Water”), the black color of the water being associated with the underground world and the white with the upper world.
