THE BEGINNINGS OF ALTAY EPICS IN THE AXIS OF COSMOGONY MYTHS Cover Image

KOZMOGONİ MİTLERİ EKSENİNDE ALTAY DESTANLARINDA BAŞLANGIÇ
THE BEGINNINGS OF ALTAY EPICS IN THE AXIS OF COSMOGONY MYTHS

Author(s): Fatma Zehra Uğurcan
Subject(s): Cultural history, Customs / Folklore, Turkish Literature
Published by: Motif Halk Oyunları Eğitim ve Öğretim Vakfı
Keywords: Altaic epics; mythology; chaos-cosmos; cosmic time; cosmic space; creation;

Summary/Abstract: The folk literature of the Altay Turks is quite extensive. Altay Turkish epics, which have survived filtered through folk literature, have been translated into Turkish by Ibrahim Dilek. Altaic epics have a very comprehensive and layered content, which is a very important research area for researchers. The Altaic epics are highly productive verbal literary products in terms of analyzing the cultural structure of the Altaic community due to their structure and contents. When examined in a holistic approach , the Altaic epics, which contain the codes of the society, draw attention to the fact that the epic texts exhibit a highly systematic structure. It is necessary to explain with the systematic structure that Altay epics start and end in a systematic line except for exceptions. In this systematic structure, the beginnings often point to the cosmos and this is revealing a typical narrative tradition: The epics, which have mythological backgrounds, always emphasize the fact that the narrative has not preceded it and that life begins with this narrative. In other words, the history begins with the epic hero. This time and space, which is emphasized at the beginning of the epic, is the cosmic time and space in which creation takes place. The time described is uncertain, and the space depicted is a paradise portrayal. Hero is the person in the center of creation. The space resembling a cosmic space is the hero’s perfect homeland. After this initial start with the extraordinary qualities of the place, events will come to the fore; life has begun. In this study, the Altaic epics will be handled and examined one by one in terms of their beginnings. İt will focus on the points that the beginning parts refer to cosmic time and place.

  • Issue Year: 11/2018
  • Issue No: 23
  • Page Range: 50-59
  • Page Count: 9
  • Language: Turkish
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