All Turkish sources of some mythical characters of the “Book of Dede Gorgud”

Abstract

As is known, the mythological outlook played a leading role in the first stage of human history. This was a kind of childhood of humanity, when people imagined various elements of nature as extraordinary beings. Of course, like all peoples, the Turks also lived through this period. Folklore is irreplaceable for the people who created it, as it preserves the mythological outlook of
the people. From this point of view, the “Kitabi-Dade Korkut” epic, which was mainly shaped in the Middle Ages but also preserved the ancient Turkish belief system, is an excellent example of folklore. It should also be noted that the myths in “Kitabi-Dede Gorgud” are not only myths belonging to Turkish folklore. Here, ancient Sumerian, Greek, Hebrew myths, etc. traces are
visible. Therefore, since Turkish culture and folklore are integrated with world folklore, both global motifs and national motifs live in this epic. From this perspective, analyzing the mythological images in the epic will also be effective in expanding our understanding of Turkish mythological thought.