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Myths, which are the products of human imagination that tries to understand and make sense of itself, other beings and the universe, are belief-based creations. Myths, which are accepted by some researchers as the first religious experiments, are also considered as the first scientific efforts of human beings by some other researchers. Myths, which have managed to survive in the transition period from archaic to modern era due to their belief-based nature, show themselves in many elements and stages of the daily life of human beings. Mankind, who wants to interpret, understand and tell what is happening about himself and his environment, has produced literary products since the first periods of history; wished to convey his thoughts, feelings, observations and dreams to his interlocutor through these products. While this transfer was sometimes instantaneously between contemporaries, sometimes it took place between generations over a long period of time, depending on the content and function of the literary genre. The reality of life and the reality of literature are undoubtedly different. Tales, which have an important place among folk narratives, are literary products that reflect the reality of life indirectly. The purpose of this study; to examine the reflections of a mythical concept which mentioned in a tale known as "Kence Bala (The Little Child/The Youngest Child)" among the Kyrgyz Turks, including a belief about the emergence of the hollow on the inner side/underside of the kneecap of the human being, and which can be considered as a creation myth in this respect, in Turkish tales inside and outside of Anatolia in the context of intertextuality. In addition to this main purpose, it is aimed to deal with the myth's process of becoming an idiom, which continues its existence among the people in the Anatolian field, in the context of intertextuality. Since the wideness of the study universe does not make it possible to carry out a field study on the subject, the study has been limited to scientific works belonging to Turkish culture in printed and digital media. Within the scope of the research, the resources were reached by making searches with the keywords related to the subject, the obtained resources were subjected to document review and content analysis was carried out. As a result of the research, it has been observed that some of the folkloric elements that can find place in oral or written texts can preserve their existence in the public memory, and it has been determined that this situation is related to the possibilities provided by intertextuality. In this context, examples of scientific views that the elements participating in the intertextual process have been re-used in different environments, that is, in new creations, thus saved from becoming ordinary and being forgotten over time, in a sense being updated and remythologized, have been presented to the attention of researchers. The tales, in which the general acceptances and motifs of the common human mind, and the local acceptances and motifs of the nation to which they belong, can be seen together are folk narratives with universal and national aspects. One of the protagonists of the creation myth, which aims to explain the cause of the cavity on the inside/under the kneecap of human, is an extraordinary bird named Alp Karakuş/Alpkarakuş. Extraordinary birds and the travels on these birds are seen in the tales of almost all the nations of the world. This situation can be evaluated within the framework of the universality of tales. Although it is not related to the main element of the myth, the extraordinary bird as an auxiliary element and some of the examples of the journeys made riding this bird will be included in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Football, which has a history dating back to ancient times and carries meanings far beyond being an amateur entertainment tool today, is a field that should be evaluated socio-culturally beyond being a mere sport in terms of affecting world cultures and bringing all local cultures to the world through the media. Football and the culture around it, which social scientists can deal with in different contexts, draws the attention of researchers. The origins of football in Türkiye dates back to the Ottoman period and after traces of a long process. After the clubs established by non-Muslims, school teams and military teams football descends into the neighborhoods. While interest in football is increasing, it is seen that this interest is interrupted from time to time due to wars. With the proclamation of the Republic, sports became important to the state in relation to physical training. The state, which uses sports as a tool to create a healthy nation, has prioritized health sports, and team sports such as football had not been so popular. Even if the leagues were established, it took a long time to establish the national league. In the 1960s, football became professional and the state started to encourage both clubs and football players. Sportsmanship is now seen as a profession and the rights of clubs and football players are guaranteed. As a result of these incentives, the number of local clubs has increased. Especially after the state's request that "every city should have a club", many clubs in the cities united and a single team was established to represent that city in the national league. The field of football plays a successful role in bringing local cultures to the nation. For this reason, football clubs have chosen to take advantage of this power of football. When local clubs discovered that they could show themselves in the national arena, they began to look for badges and logos. In this study, the emblems of football clubs competing in Turkish leagues were examined. Arms have a very important place in creating a brand. Considering that sports clubs are also companies, it will be seen that a high quality and unique emblem is necessary. Crests and jerseys are rare visual fields of football clubs. That's why they can use these areas successfully and be different by capturing originality. In the study, fifty club crests were examined and evaluated from the point of view of folklore. It has been determined that teams generally prefer cliché designs. The few local motifs identified have much in common. Local values are represented in several different ways in football club coats of arms: Mythological elements, city images, local productions, geographical forms, historical developments, etc. In this study, the cultural values that football clubs prefer to use in their coat of arms were identified and the relationship between city recognition and football club was examined through these elements. Examples from world clubs have been given and similar uses in Türkiye have been identified. Looking at the historical process, it is seen that the football industry in Türkiye was not created with an urban perception, but with a focus on sportive success. Therefore, it was also discussed whether there is a perception that the clubs can also be the means of visibility of the cities in the national level. In the study, it has been tried to understand what/for what reason the clubs that prefer urban elements in their coat of arms prefer. It has been discussed whether it provides the identification of that city with the urban elements used in the coat of arms through the football team. It has been examined which city images and how they used the emblems in question. The study focuses only on football club crests. Examples are selected from Turkish football leagues. Considering that the cities where the football clubs were founded are promotional tools in the national and international arena, suggestions were made after evaluating the diversity of the emblem designs and their local allusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional games have been among the basic elements of culture since the beginning of human history. Games have physical, biological, individual, social, and cultural aspects. At the origin of many games, there are rituals, ceremonies, and practices. Mythic elements can be seen through the verbal textures of the games. These features of the games have been remained in the background over time, and each game action has continued to exist as just a game, especially in the traditional world and socio-cultural structure of children. In addition, in some traditional games, the gameplay exhibits similar qualities with the mythical elements and revives the mythology. With all these features, the game is a cultural phenomenon that located outside of daily life but has functions for daily life. Traditional games embody the mythical accumulation and way of thinking of the community that accepts and plays that game as their own, in a way that is oriented towards real life. The mythical features of a play and functional interpretation of gameplay will show what the play means. These features of the games also stand out in the traditional games of the Turkic World. In this article, "Mor Menekşe, was chosen as the paradigm in terms of showing and exhibiting these features. The verbal texture and gameplay of the game were functionally examined within the context of myth and life. Firstly, the mythological origin and features, and life-related qualities of traditional games are stated. Then, the general features of "Mor Menekşe" were briefly mentioned and information about its verbal texture were given. Later, the features of the verbal texture of the game were specified in accordance with the Turkish mythical thought. In this paper, it is stated that the in-game rhyme of the "Mor Menekşe" game carries the views on nature and the universe of Turkish mythology, and it is stated that "Mor Menekşe" game has a symbolism related to plants and tree cult, and the verbal texture of the game has the symbolism of nature, life, unity, togetherness, abundance and fertility, chaos, and cosmos. Then, information about gameplay were given and examined, and through examination process, the game was handled in the relationship between the individual and the society, and based on the game, the individual's selfproofing, group belonging, cooperation with the group, relations between social groups were examined and a symbolic analysis of chaos and cosmos was conducted. The mythical background of the game's rhyme that function as battle of words in the verbal texture of the play is about life. And the gameplay is a rehearsal for the player's life. For this reason, the mythical meaning in the verbal texture and the interpretation of the real movements in the actions of the play were considered non-separate. The game has been analyzed in two parts, which are verbal texture and gameplay, based on word and action. While determining the features in the verbal texture and gameplay, it has been classified depending on the situations that we can call "micro-cosmos" and "microchaos", which can be defined as the establishment and disruption of order at every stage. These features in the parts of the play depending on the word and movement have been associated with the establishment and disruption of the order, and have also been evaluated in relation to the mythical meaning. As a result, the game, shows the knowledge about life and nature in Turkish mythology both in its verbal texture and in its gameplay, and that the game is a rehearsal that functionally prepares people for life in terms of individual and social integrity with an accumulation that in Turkish culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mythic memory manifests itself with reproductions in every branch of art. Such a memory, which reveals a conscious transmission in the historical process, provides important data at the point of showing the source of the producing new works and analyzing the context change/renewal. The transfer, adaptation or reproduction of the myths, which are among the dominant narratives of the oral culture, to the literary field and to the cinema with the advancing technology, initiates the semiotic relations between the fields/genres. The myths, which are the products of common sense, thought and imagination of the social consciousness, are not only a source for all kinds of narratives produced latterly, but also fulfill the functions of understanding and telling life. At this point, it is seen that the cinema, which is able to present the narratives both visually and audibly, establishes strong ties with mythological elements. In particular, Hollywood cinema, which has become the symbol of American film production, carries the mythic Olympos to its own geography by creating a new generation of gods through recalling, transforming, adapting or directly sourcing and reproducing the ancient Greek gods at semiotic context. Thus, it constructs a mythological universe that is constantly renewed and whose boundaries are determined by itself. The new generation gods, which are adapted from the comic book genre and mostly inspired by the mythical gods from which it originated, are brought to the movie screen with their unique features. These new gods in the appearance of superheroes create a new epic narrative world in cinema with evolving technology. Thus, while transferring from myth to cinema, a return to myth from philosophy is provided even in the fictional field. The transformation of the ancient Greek gods, who lost their cosmic powers in mythical narratives, into epic heroes over time has a similar thematic structure in the stories of the new gods created by Hollywood cinema. Heroes struggling with the rewriting of an endless cycle in different contexts refer in many ways to mythical narratives and to the heroes (gods and goddesses) of these narratives. These heroes, who reveal the relationship/interaction between cinema and rewriting, which is among the basic functions of myths, show the characteristics of epic/invincible warriors. Hollywood movie heroes, which recall mythic gods/goddesses and endowed with superhuman powers in this respect, are regarded as common protector of all humanity. By this way, a hegemonic discourse tool is revealed with the transformation of virtual reality with increased plausibility. This study examines the semiotic references to the ancient Greek mythology of Superman and Wonder Woman, which are the prominent fictional heroes of Hollywood cinema. In this context, the study emphasizes the resemblance of the Superman character to the Greek god Zeus, while revealing the common features and functions of both heroes. It is also underlined that Wonder Woman is transferred to the cinema with a direct adaptation from Greek mythology. Finally, the films Superman Returns (2006) and Wonder Woman (2017), in which the mythological references and exchanges are more pronounced among the film series created around both heroes, have been analyzed on the semiotic context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perceptions of man about himself, his environment, life, and the universe are expressed through various ways such as cultural elements, customs and traditions, and beliefs. People who establish a relationship between the beings they see and they do not see but believe in their existence have exhibited various acceptances and behaviors about these beings since ancient times and have formed several belief patterns with the elements they symbolize by attributing positive or/and negative properties. As these belief patterns become a part of man's personality traits, they become one of the elements that form the identity of society as they are adopted and spread by society. There is a three-dimensional structure in the mythological universe design of Turkish tribes, and every layer of the universe is full of spirits. While ülgen (luminous) spirits prevail in the holy blue sky, the evil spirits under Erlik's command live underground. The spirits of these two realms have an impact on the earth. While the luminous spirits prevailing in the sky bring goodness, beauty, and abundance to human beings with the order of Ülgen, the evil spirits living underground cause trouble, famine, and death. As in the mythological world concept of other Turkish tribes, there are evil spirits / black possessors who negatively affect people's lives and cause evil and troubles in the mythological world concept of the Kyrgyz Turks. The Kyrgyz Turks attributed the illness and death of people and animals, misfortune, infertility, and famine to the negative effects of evil spirits. In epics of the Kyrgyz Turks, which reflect the common thought systems, philosophies, and sociological evaluations of society as an epic genre, it is possible to find certain traces of the belief concept of the Kyrgyz Turks. As long as these belief elements, the common cultural heritage of the Turkish tribes in general and the Kyrgyz Turks in particular, are kept alive in the virtual environments that have emerged with the spread of digital culture environments, they will have the opportunity to reach larger masses. Western countries, which produce contemporary products by using oral culture and folk beliefs and market these products to the world, have started to come to the fore in the race to create a global culture. For example, it is seen that the fantastic heroes created in cartoons, computer games, and horror films are generally adaptations from Western culture. However, there are many sources that can create such characters in the cultural heritage of Turkish tribes. These sources should be identified and re-processed by artists such as scriptwriters and game designers to meet the socio-cultural needs of the new generations, and they should be kept alive in contemporary narrative environments (digital culture environments). Therefore, it will be ensured that the cultural memory is fed with the essential elements and the intangible cultural heritage products left from the ancestors will be adapted to new cultural environments. Such studies are also compatible with UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage policies. This study aims to determine the symbolic meanings of "black possessors" in the epics of the Kyrgyz Turks called "kence epos" (short epic), and to compare them with common/similar motifs found in the belief concept and oral literature of other Turkish tribes. Bringing these motifs to regional and global culture is among the aims of the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elves, devils, afrits and all similar creatures are exceptional ones that have been existing in the cultures of many countries. The extra-ordinary creatures are seen as the creatures which have been extremely bad towards people have been mentioned in scriptures, tales and epics. These creatures are created by human's imaginations and also by the contrast between goodness and badness. Since old times they have been the key elements in the written and oral literatures. Although they have been called variously in different cultures, these creatures have the same features. Some of them that are categored in Robin Goodfellow's levels can emerge in different ways. They are illustrated in historical sources with haggish faces, unearthly appearances, dire entities, and also having long nails and hair. These creatures have been shown in the shape of human, animal and sometimes are depicted as an exceptional one with a supernatural power that emerges in a defined place and time. One of these dire creatures is Ummu Sibyan. This creature has some features in common with the mythological creatures in Sumerian, Babylon, Assyrian, Grecian, Jewish, Turk and other mythologies. Ummu Sibyan that has some features in common with Alkarısı in Turkic mythology. They both had met Solomon and they had some negotiations; thus, this meeting had been noted in some historical resources like Rahmetu fi't-Tibb ve'l-Hikme by Jalāl al-Dīn Suyūtī that has been considered as one of the important sources. Another piece of work on Ummu Sibyan is Booklet of Ummu Sibyan that was written in Oghuz Turkish but the compiler's name, and the place and time of writing is unknown, but by examining the linguistic features of the work, it can be estimated that the present work has been written in the Anatolian region in the 16-17th centuries. According to this booklet, while Solomon was wondering with elves, devils and afrits in a desert, he faced with Ummu Sibyan, a horrible creature. It was like an ugly woman with elflock, it opened its mouth wide and was bringing out some snakes. Its eyes were lightning as firelight and it was digging the earth with its claws. It can appear in 366 different shapes and also has twelve different names. It can enter the pregnant women's uterus and hurts the fetus. It makes people blind or paralyzes the newborns. It enters human's bones and makes them ill. It also penetrates in human's brains and makes them mad. It causes girls to seem ugly. It enters the stables and hurt animals. And finally, every creature will be hurt by its badness. Tables and small illustrations in Booklet of Ummu Sibyan have dedicated a new identity to this small work. This booklet that can be helpful for linguistics, folklorists and theologians. This work registered in the National Library of Iran with the number 19208. In addition of introducing the aforementioned booklet, in this essay, we will learn more about Ummu Sibyan the mythological creature by using this Turkish manuscript. The studies and comparisons reveal that Ummu Sibyan has common features with similar creatures in different cultures. These common features, while suggesting that Ummu Sibyan and similar creatures probably have emerged from a common mythological creature, also indicate similar reactions of different nations to concepts such as danger, fear, and child death. Although Ummu Sibyan can be seen in Islamic sources, according to the characteristics of this creature, it can be found that it relates to pre-Islamic cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every nation has a mythological world, and the mythological worlds of human societies, although they have lived in many different geographies, have a great deal of extraordinary similarities to each other, surprising even the mythologists. Though they take different forms in different societies and eras, myths are, in fact, the products of a common culture of humanity. The most important feature distinguishing a myth from other narratives is its sacred nature. Myths have undoubtedly emerged as sacred narratives, and these narratives are regarded as sacred scriptures by masses who believe in them. Since myths are part of "the sacred" and sacred narratives, their path intersects with that of eschatology. "Eschatology" is the teaching of the last things, or more accurately, the events with which our known world is expected to end. It is the teaching of the end of the world and its collapse. In this respect, it stands at a mid-point between theology and mythology. The concept of the end of history is both a theological phenomenon and a mythological expectation. Eschatology tells us that the universe and in particular our civilization is approaching an end as it preaches that time must be terminated because it is in a forward flow. This is not just a mythological or theological assumption. Many scientific disciplines, from economics to geography, from geopolitics to astrophysics, support and reinforce the predictions of eschatology. The forms of beliefs about how time will come to an end have an important place for religions and mythologies in history. Eschatological beliefs are of great importance and they have influence in other beliefs in almost all of the civilizations of the world, past and present. At the core of these beliefs, no matter what society or time period it is, lies the expectation that a world that is more fair and happier than this world is awaiting humans. People with eschatological hopes are expecting the time to return in favor of God and be under the control of God. Eschatological beliefs promise a catastrophe and a chain of disasters, while at the same time promising what is "good" for man. A world free from the polluted one, and a fairer, more prosperous golden age will emerge from the ever worsening times. This is the existence of the absolute good in the evil, and by the victory of the absolute good, the evil will be defeated and destroyed. In order for the idea of the 'End' to take place, there must be an illegitimate epoch to be spared. The time for moral transformation is the very time that is to come after the time has worsened and a need for a good, moral and prosperous life is arisen. Thus, evil will definitely be defeated, and eschatological promise will be achieved. In this study, what is eschatology, its relationship with mythology and major eschatological myths are emphasized. An eschatological phenomenon in Turkish mythology has been tried to be examined from the narrative of the flood which is one of the eschatological phenomenon in Turkish mythology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nouns are words that used as separate from similar entities and make them specialize. The action of distinction and privatization lies beneath the desire of classification. The world has become even more livable for mankind, which has classified and named the entities around it. At first, the act of naming which we thought to have emerged with the desire to classify the entities turned into a cultural element over time, and various beliefs and rituals developed around this element. These beliefs and rituals have also been renewed in line with the historical processes of societies. This study includes determinations about the relation between naming beliefs and traditions and ancestral aspirations, which is an element of mythic imagination, generally in the context of the world, in particular in the context of the Turkish people. The "Ancestor Cult" is a belief system of the Turkish people, and referred to by names such as "Sky God Religion, Kamlık Religion and Shamanism" in the literature. People who were afraid of the souls of their ancestors who had died in ancient times developed respect for these spirits based on fear and desperation and developed ways of satisfying them. The beliefs of the Turks against their ancestral spirits seem to have disappeared at the end of the last hundred years. However, the fact that the names of dead ancestors are given to the newborn members of the family reveals the opposite situation. Though the names of dead ancestors today are given to the newborn members of the family, they are considered to be based entirely on respect, but the cultural background of this situation lies in the history of fear-based respect in ancient times. Today's Turks are trying to keep their ancestors' souls alive, just like their ancestors, while adding the names of their dead ancestors to the sacrifices they had presented before them. In this context, the psychological, folkloric, sociological, mythological and theological aspects of the name formation will be examined before the study of the name formation, and then the naming and naming traditions will be evaluated in the context of mythical beliefs (shamanism, ancestral spirit etc). After these reviews and evaluations, analysis of the examinations and determinations made from the previous studies will be carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recurring rituals in certain periods that affect society or a part of it through an unknown period of history on various reasons, take significant part among Turkey-centered folkloric studies. The basic forms of certain rituals, tomb and entombed Saint visits in old Turkish culture carry similar peculiarities to the related samples, referring to the answers including where and how the ritual happens. Yet, this study aims to determine the psychological, sociological and other cultural factors where the individual is included and the society he's involved through value system over mythological origins of the ritual rather than to unravel historical origins and similar peculiarities of the ritual. In this respect, the ritual that does not have a certain place in academic studies, called as 'Kasım Marquee' in mostly Kars-Igdır has been analyzed by collections and surveillances in the mentioned region, various dimensions/ functions of the ritual such as structure of the ritual, historical elements/acceptations related to emergence of the ritual, the contribution of political conditions into emergence and continuity of this ritual have been determined. The meaning of different perspectives related to structure of opposition, power, culture of opposition, cultural transmission, individual and social psychology has been revealed through rite, ceremony and rituals. Similar studies will be helpful to obtain data in the phase of determining local/national policies and to comprehend social psychology in the onward process. There will be a transition from text-centered essence to sociological analysis within the scope of folkloric studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trees affected the imaginations and traditional worldviews of societies, generally because of their longevity and great size. The imagination of cosmic tree is located in major motifs and episodes of oral narratives such as myths of descent and creation, epic, legend, fairy tale, story, tale of saint. The Umay that is brought down from the sky (heaven) accompanies to descent from the tree (beech) in Turkish culture. At the same time, Umay is imagined as mother’s and baby’s guardian. Mythological knowledge is transferred to folk medicine through ritual treatment and used as an applicable skill. It can be said that tree has features such as “healing” in the folk medicine, “rebirth, Central symbolism, tree saint, mother/ancestor tree, lineage, protecting its place” in the context of traditional worldview, “magick and fetish” in the magical process. In this context, it is understood that triology of tomb, tree and sacred water generates the Central symbolism in the samples of Eskişehir and Kütahya. The owners of the centers also serve to manage the sacred places. The concept of fireplace that also symbolizes family was transformed into centers of folk medicine and religion from Shamanism within the Anatolia. The cosmogony, maintains its cultural continuity by healing practice such as “passing through cleft of tree” in healing lore of defect (Yarım) within the villages of Kümbet (Eskişehir), Çamlıca and Karaağaç (Kütahya) through the ecology of Turkish culture. The oaks and pines (cosmic tree) of the tombs are used for healing. The Lodge of Çubuk (Kümbet), Tomb of Sayyid Ali Sultan, Small and Great dervish lodges (Karaağaç) generate the phenomenon of the visit. In this study, the healers that apply the traditional healing methods in villages of Kümbet (Eskişehir), Çamlıca and Karaağaç (Kütahya) have been selected as samples. The datas were obtained by both methods of document research and interview through the fieldwork. The applications was examined in the context of folklore and interdisciplinary by these datas and the study has been supported by visual datas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being one of the most popular television series in recent times, called as the revival of a nation, Diriliş “Ertuğrul” frequently takes place in the media with its subject, technical qualities and ratings. Besides, with each episode, researchers open the consistency of the series with the reality up for discussion. In this study, twenty-six episodes (season one) of Diriliş “Ertuğrul” are analysed; and, with a different perspective the series is evaluated within the context of intertextuality and applied folklore. On the basis of Diriliş “Ertuğrul”, the aim of this article is to analyse how intertextual relations are used in the field of applied folklore. Therefore, theoretical discussions about the theory are not handled in the study; instead, the position of applied folklore with regard to the series, and the aim of its practice are handled. While these arguments are analysed, it is observed that through collecting different subtexts, the series, Diriliş “Ertuğrul”, can be read as a functional main text. Choice of the subtexts where the series make reference, their usage, and what these texts indicate in intertextuality are questioned by considering mythological background. As a result of the acquired data, it is found out that since Diriliş “Ertuğrul” contributes to the establishment of sense of belonging in its audience through creating an oriented identity, and a historical and cultural connection, it supports the power, mythology, and intertextual relations of applied folklore. This aspect of the series promotes the idea that intertextuality can be evaluated as one of the applied folklore methods. Also, it proves that the transformation of intertextual relations analysed in the example of Diriliş “Ertuğrul” into a practice model can contribute to the revival, regeneration or transmission of culture through TV series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spite of the Ottoman modernization that started in the 19th century and the reforms of the Republic, Turkey has not yet evolved into a society of literate culture. Yeşilçam Cinema, which has made people get in touch with life, leans on the legacy of oral culture products in a society that has a weak literate culture. The TV series maintain the oral culture tradition with their protagonists that look like Keloğlan in the folk tales, repeating themes, everlasting plots, concentrating on external conflict rather than internal conflict and dramatic structures that are largely based on dialogs just like Yeşilçam Cinema does. This study, taking recourse to Walter J. Ong’s (1999) concepts of primary and secondary orality, aims to trace back the oral culture in television series produced in Turkey. Television series that are considered as the products of secondary oral culture are alike the products of primary oral culture in terms of speech patterns, archetypal heroes and audience types. Authors such as Barry Sanders (1999), Marshall McLuhan (2001), Robert Fulford (2014) and Walter Benjamin (1995) all point out the transformation of oral tradition in mass culture. Joseph Campbell (2000) analyzes oral cultures in terms of the hero’s mythological journey. The characters, the theme and the plot of the TV series Kara Sevda, which was chosen for purposeful sampling, are being analyzed by using the mentioned authors’ arguments in this study. Turkish TV series are watched widely in the Balkans, the Central Asia, the Arab Peninsula, the North Africa and the South America states that are still dominated by oral culture as well. The secret of this international commercial success should be sought in the historical, sociological, political, cultural and economic common ground of Turkey and the states watching Turkish TV series. This mentioned common ground can be subsumed under three categories: Experiencing a belated modernity process, being considered a third-world country and having a strong oral culture tradition. Eventually, the people of countries that suffer from similar pains find solace in similar stories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a layered relationship between astrology, mythology and applied folklore in terms of identification creation, which is not realized at first glance but can be understood with a deeper analysis. In the narratives that talk about the roots of the zodiac signs and provide very important data with regard to astrology, it is seen that there are many references given to various mythological stories. In these narratives it is seen that there is generally a mythological hero and his/her personal characteristics that develop out of the events he/she experiences pass on to that zodiac sign. Besides, it is also observed that the daily horoscopes contribute to the creation of personal myths by providing individuals a new story every day. This paper aims to interpret the astrology and zodiac signs of today within the scope of applied folklore by presenting that they provide personal identities to people through mythic source they feed on and daily stories they tell just like mythology providing new national identities to nations in the struggle of nation building in the 19th century. In the article, primarily the relationship between applied folklore and identity is explained and afterwards the historical development of the field of astrology in Turkish-Islamic culture and in the world is addressed. Stories that talk about the roots of the zodiac signs based on the mythical world and daily horoscopes are assessed within the scope of applied folklore and identity creation. Mythological stories told in relation to zodiac signs are chosen from the Western astrology and Greek mythology, which is the sub-text of Western astrology, and Turkish astrology, which has similarities with but not as popular as the western mythology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to present prominent status of 'sacred trees' in rituals performed at tombs in Siirt folk culture. These trees become a mythical symbol and part of the essential component of Muslim Saints' culture. We can also see that these trees and their leaves have been used in rituals related to folk medicine. Sacred trees and their surrounding areas have become only hope for women who cannot get pregnant. Leaves of sacred trees near the tombs of "Sheikh Hazin" and "Seyid Sheikh Muhammed El Tomani" were used to give hope for infertile women. There has been a belief among local people that if an infertile woman throws three branches and can succeed in getting at least one branch stay hanged on a tree, she could get pregnant. "Sheikh Arab" tomb features the mystic story of the fruitless mulberry tree while "Sheikh Tayyar" tomb features the "dismembered head" figure and sacred trees in the same place. "Mir Yusuf" and "Sheikh Girdi" tombs feature the ritual of "sleeping under the tree". People hang limbs in front of their houses and workplaces from trees at the tomb of "Bapira Sufi" in the hope that these limbs would protect them from snakes, scorpions, insects, etc. People who want to purify themselves set up swing sets between trees near the "Sheikh Veli" tomb. All these manifestations of rituals through "sacred trees" to reach Saint first and ultimately through Saint to Allah are common practices of Siirt's folk culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Turkish mythology some animal species are considered as sacred symbols. Some of the animals, which have remarkable characteristics and encountered by the Turk tribes in their surroundings, are included in their mythical thoughts and imaginations. They have shaped a cult about these animals over time and let them exist in their verbal literary works such as legend. While the wolf, horse and eagle usually have positive characteristics, the bear has either positive or negative characteristics. The bear is commonly considered with positive sides in myths of the Turk tribes living in Siberia, when it comes to those living in Islamic-influenced areas such as Central Asia and Middle East the animal is mostly considered with negative sides. In this article it has been examined that, how the bear was included in myths gathered from different areas inhabited by Turk tribes. First you are going to be informed that how the animal has been included in myths from different cultures and how it has become a cult in Turkish mythology. Afterwards you are going to be acquaint with its positive and negative characteristics in published Turkish legends. At the conclusion, there will be a detailed evaluation on its change, transformation and its place and meaning in our old and new thought system by associating determinations from legends with information from Turkish mythical thougts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's business world logos, especially in the context of creating a sens e of identity are seen as powerful instruments. Logos and emblems, encountered in almost every moment of our daily lives, serves mostly as a tool to track down the mythical belief past to the present. This mythical thought, is also preferable to design logos and emblems of universities. In this study, '.72 state and private universities' logos and emblems are discussed in terms of their mythical meaning. Logos and emblems, identified as being followed Greek, Hittite-Eti, the Arab-Persian and Turkish mythology, include the cult of the ancestors, the mythology of the Hittites-meat, double-headed eagle, tree of life, owl, snake as a symbol of medicine myth, bee, ant, olive branch, the cult of a mountain, star, the sun, tulip and icons are also included mythological origin. The purpose of the study is to emphasis the designers' choice of the design of the logo and emblem, the adoption of which highlights of mythic images, the externalize of which logos and emblems and to show the way at these points rather than to lay cut the origins of racial Logos mythical belief. In the study, instead of listing one by one university logos and their expansion, logos are transformed into the mythical image of the icon has been classified and discussed by giving examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need to be sustained by oral culture has been widely seen in the Turkish cinema since its early periods. However, this need has more often than not remained in theoretical level and could not deepen. Therefore, the profound impact of the folk stories could not have been reflected effectively to the movies made. For this reason, the majority of the movies made in that period, which were inspired by the folk tales, were considered as simple movies made for the market and thus criticized for being shot for commercial concerns. The theoretical discussions mentioned above were mainly concentrated around the movements called public cinema, national cinema or domestic cinema. Failure of these discussions to come out of the theoretical phase and proceed to the application phase has prevented the creation of an industrial sector. Also failure of the theoretical and artistic perception in the field of cinema to internalize the oral culture has stunted the culture industry as well and made it dependent upon the international market. While the film industry became a sector in international markets by deriving inspirations from the oral culture, it also became dominant within this county and turned into an important obstacle for the domestic cinema industry. The movies made in the period from 1950 to 1980, which is the period taken as sample range in this article, and inspired by the folk stories were also included in this process. Due to the reasons expressed above, although the Turkish cinema started in that period, it has failed to make a progress sustained by the oral culture, and therefore, the Turkish cinema is relatively behind the world cinema sector today. In this article, the genres of the elements of the oral culture used in the Turkish cinema between 1950 and 1980 will be displayed and the process developed when these genres are abandoned will be evaluated. Furthermore, the question of why the Turkish cinema has been unable to transform the local and national culture codes as well as the folk stories in a fantastic manner will be examined with a critical approach within the frame of cinema movements, directors and Yeşilçam [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since their black colors evoking death, their voices characterized as curse and their addiction to carcasses crows generally are depicted in many society almost completely negative meanings. In Turkish cultural history comprehension towards crow follows a transformation from positive to negative sense. The aim of this study is to show this transformation by using the narratives reflected to it. In this context oral and written creations of Turkish culture such as Vusun narratives, the story of Bugach Khan, Son of Dirse Khan in The Book of Dede Korkut, proverbs, lullabies and even like a memory about a crow related with the Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's childhood are studied. In this way crow which occurs with the wolf together in Vusun narratives is characterized as completely positive meanings, with the influence of Islam is reflected in the book of Divan-i Lügat'it Türk and the story of Bugach Khan, Son of Dirse Khan both positive and negative sense. In spite of having some positive meanings for semi-nomadic Oghuz Turks, crow with the effects of sedantarization is perceived as fully curse. Crow in cooperation with the wolf in first narratives it appears, isolated naturally and lost its divine peculiarities in sedentary life and has been reflected in contemporary folk narratives almost only negative features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the first period of history, men lived in nature and tried to arrange their daily activities according to sky and natural objects. Thus, depending on the creation of the Heavens God Religion, many beliefs have aroused on issues such as birth, death and etc. This study focuses on the last episode of the variants of "Leyla and Majnun" story where "the heroes are rising to the sky as stars". It aims to analyze the place of "Leyla and Majnun" story among the mythological folk stories by looking into the reasons for the beliefs based on stars and transforming into stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Folktales are not dominant as much as Kyrgyz epic but they took a very respectful place in Kyrgyz folk narrations. Kyrgyz people call folktales "cöö comok". They separate folktales from legend by putting "cöö" infront of "comok". Folktales find themselves under the influence of legends from time to time, and especially folktales carry archaic and mythological characters. The animals that take place in Kyrgyz folktales carried their roles during animist era. Horse, deer, camel, serpent, fire bird (Zumrud anka) are the animals that are found in Kyrgyz folk tales. The horse, in Kyrgyz folktales, takes place not only as a transportation element but also as a close friend of the hero and company of the hero of the folktale. The horse talks with the hero of the folktale like human beings. Even the horse sacrifices itself behalf of the hero when the time comes. Also, deer has a very important place in Kyrgyz folktales. Even today, some Kyrgyz tribes believe that they have been created by deer and they come from the same blood. For this reason they name deer as "müyüzdüü ene" or "müyüdüü baybiçe" (Hornet mother). In this article mostly animals have been evaluated by their mythological features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]