In The Context of Turkish Culture Animal Symbolism in Heterodox Dervishes

• Published in: Folklor/edebiyat Vol. 28; no. 110; pp. 333 - 346
• Main Author: Harmancı, Meriç
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cyprus International University 2022; Uluslararası Kıbrıs Üniversitesi
• Subjects: Cultural history; History of Religion; Islam studies; Semiology; heterodoxy; symbol; sufism; animal symbolism; naming
• ISSN: 1300-7491

The belief systems of societies that have continued since mythical periods exhibit their vestiges in newly accepted religions. The memories of the past and the mythical codes that have been placed in the subconscious of the Turkish society that accepted Islam also find themselves reflected in the cultural assets in an ongoing process. As one cornerstone of this life, animals have had an important place in their mythical worlds and systems of thought, as have many elements that have been included in the cultural world of the Turks, having lived on the nomadic steppes for ages. The animal motifs in the zoomorphic world design of the Turks, in the myths of descent, in the narratives as guides and assistants, overlap with the names of some dervishes in the Sufi literatüre. In this study, the mythological traces in the naming of dervishes, who are called by the names of some animals, were tried to be determined through animal symbolism in Turkish mythology. At the same time, the characteristics of dervishes who take animal names in the Sufi literature that cause this naming are emphasized.