Metin Özarslan is full professor of Turkish Folklore Department at Faculty of Letters in Hacettepe University. His researches focus on Turkish Folklore, Turkish Folk Literature and Turkish Minstrel Literature areas. Prior to joining to Atatürk University he studied with many famous and prominent scholar of Turkish Literature and Folklore area with Bachelor’s degree. Afterward he started to his first teaching experience with in body of Turkish National Education Ministry for nine years from 1987 to 1996. He started to his MA at Gazi University Social Sciences Institution Turkish Folk Literature Department. His first academic position was in Hacettepe University as research Assistant he earned his PhD with his doctoral thesis titled “Turkish Minstrel Tradition in Erzurum and its Around Today”. His Doctorate thesis appeared as a book named Minstrel Tradition in Erzurum. He has been in many universities ranging from Scotland, England to Kazakhstan as visitor scholar, lecturer and instructor. He has been in charge of many courses at different countries and universities. He got his associate professor position at Hacettepe University in 2006, and full professor in 2013. He has many books in Turkish Folklore area, articles and proposal as well. He has managed numerous academic dissertations. He has been working in Turkish Folklore Department at Hacettepe University. Address: Ankara, Ankara, Turkey
"Taştar Ata" is one of the sacred places located in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Taştar At... more "Taştar Ata" is one of the sacred places located in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Taştar Ata is also a kurgan where stone balbals, oboos, votive trees, petroglyphs, traditional Kyrgyz house Boz Üy, are located, where traces of old Turkish folk beliefs blended with Islam and new forms of old Turkish folk beliefs are seen, where worship and rituals are held for various purposes. Kyrgyz Turks often visit places they consider sacred, ancestral graves and such places to pray to the souls of their ancestors, pay their respects to them, sacrifice, wish health, children, money, work, etc., and to ask for protection from ancestral spirits. During these visits, several cult mountains, stones, ancestors, the dead, fire, trees, etc., intertwined in religious practices and rituals, are revealed. In this study, other intertwined cults, especially the cult of ancestors that reached from animist period to Islamic period in Taştar Ata, is sacred for the Kyrgyz Turks, were examined and evaluated in terms of visits to sacred places and their functions. In addition, the use of treatment based on the conversion of substance abuse and mental problems into stone for the purpose of treatment and rehabilitation at Taştar Ata, is carried out by physicians within the medical center of substance-alcohol dependent people, “Lapidopycoterapy” (LPT], has been discussed. Keywords: Taştar Ata, kurgan, cult, therapy, rehabilitation, Kyrgyzstan.
Uluslararası Türk Dünyasında Destan ve Köroğlu Sempozyumu Bildiriler Kitabı, 2021
The epic and folk tale Köroğlu's narrative is one of the most influential literary products kept ... more The epic and folk tale Köroğlu's narrative is one of the most influential literary products kept alive both in the Anatolian field and in the Turkish world. The plays, dances and musical structures about the name of Köroğlu are other proofs of this existence in the Anatolian field, apart from the aforementioned narrative. This epic narrative continues to exist in the field of Turkishness in its special conditions. With the comparative researches to be made about non-narrative performances on the scale of the Turkish world, Köroğlu can also be revealed with expression and performance styles outside the narrative. In this paper, the game, dance and music material that exists diachronically or simultaneously with the Köroğlu narrative in the Anatolian field will be discussed in Erzurum scale. In addition, thoughts about Köroğlu will be included through the material in question and attention will be drawn to what should be done.
Keywords: Köroğlu, narration, play, dance, music, Erzurum
Compilation is a word corresponding to “collecting, providing” in everyday life. It is accepted a... more Compilation is a word corresponding to “collecting, providing” in everyday life. It is accepted and expressed in the aforementioned sense [providing, collecting traditional raw information etc.] in folklore compilation methodology as well. In general, field research is a chain activity, which takes place in three stages: planning, compilation and analyzing. Compilation is known to be carried out in the form of collecting, recording and archiving raw information using field observation or interview methods, and the consecutive recorded raw traditional knowledge is evaluated on the basis of theories and concepts. In practice, the possible environment in which any folklore product can be obtained is determined. Then, preparation / planning is made for obtaining the information in question and the environment is visited. Subsequently, the raw information in question is obtained through various compilation methods such as interview, observation, and survey and recorded in written, audio and / or video form. In the last stage, new knowledge is produced by analyzing the raw information obtained with scientific theories and concepts. So far, in relevance to compilation methods, a lot of studies deployed, models were created, and proposals have been put forward in Turkey and in the West. Nevertheless, compared to the studies on folklore collection methods in the West and Turkey, the West compilation concepts and methods have been observed to have developed and applied in the field, while in Turkey translated concepts and methods of the west are possibly being implemented and published in the field as identical or modified. All in all, the folklore compilation concepts and methods, thus, are understood to be as translations to have obtained from west and deployed in Turkey with the approach of western researchers in a general description. The preliminary preparation and planning phase that should be done before the field research (compilation) was mentioned directly or indirectly in the publications of researchers and some organizations working on compilation. In our country, where a wide range of folklore sharing occurs in short-time socialization environments as in the bus, market, and hospital, the folklorist should see it as a responsibility to make use of every opportunity and record the raw folklore. The focus of this work is based on the sequencing questions: “Does the process mentioned in the folklore compilation methodology always work like this or should it be?” and also “Can a compilation work be done in sudden developing or coincidental performance environments, and if this is possible, how is the compilation process done?” In the study, the literature was reviewed to find answers to aforementioned questions, and based on “memories”, although it is in practice, a new compilation method is proposed, which is not mentioned, to the folklore compilation methodology, and there is an attempt to determine if the proposed method would be valid in literature. Thus, on the one hand, by providing the actual situation to the literature, the procedural-essential confusion will be avoided, on the other hand, the naming of the unprepared / unplanned compilation that can be made when the conditions occur, and the place of this naming in the classification will be determined and confirmed. Keywords: Folklore, compilation, methodology, concept, sudden / coincidental performance environment.
Satan (or Devil, Evil) is as an across-cultural myth in World religions and beliefs from ancient ... more Satan (or Devil, Evil) is as an across-cultural myth in World religions and beliefs from ancient times to present. Satan, as the most prominent element among the features represented by Satan, which appears in common in all myths throughout the World. With this very characteristic, he occupies an important role as a mythical motif to present evil in both oral and written cultural texts. Satan though devil is not an archetype himself, he is the representation of the shadow archetype in the supernatural realm. Standing in opposition to the almighty in monotheistic religions, Satan looms around in polytheistic religions as character personifying evil in different names and bodies, as well. In this paper, the roles and qualities attributed to Satan [tr. Erlik] by Altai Turks based on epics of Altaies has been discussed. Identifying these properties of Satan [Erlik], we have also aimed to reveal cultural borrowings adapted from divine religions that had been active in the area. The source of these barrowings should be sought especially in activities of missionaries who represent the Judeo-Christian tradition in Altay region. Missioners must have adapted shamanistic themes and motifs into Judeo-Christian narratives while narrating divine narratives to Altai Turks. The missionaries must have adapted the Judaic-Christian themes and motifs of their celestial narrative traditions to Shamanism and told them on the field. That is why it is almost impossible to find local and authentic motifs in Altai Turks’ Epics, except their main actors, God [Tengri] and Satan [Erlik]. Although Erlik is personified with his all elements including his appearance and his character in detail, God [Tengri] has been envisioned the almighty and not personified in Altai Turks’ epics as well. Key Words: Folklore, religion, myth, epic, Altai Turkish, Satan
"Taştar Ata" is one of the sacred places located in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Taştar At... more "Taştar Ata" is one of the sacred places located in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Taştar Ata is also a kurgan where stone balbals, oboos, votive trees, petroglyphs, traditional Kyrgyz house Boz Üy, are located, where traces of old Turkish folk beliefs blended with Islam and new forms of old Turkish folk beliefs are seen, where worship and rituals are held for various purposes. Kyrgyz Turks often visit places they consider sacred, ancestral graves and such places to pray to the souls of their ancestors, pay their respects to them, sacrifice, wish health, children, money, work, etc., and to ask for protection from ancestral spirits. During these visits, several cult mountains, stones, ancestors, the dead, fire, trees, etc., intertwined in religious practices and rituals, are revealed. In this study, other intertwined cults, especially the cult of ancestors that reached from animist period to Islamic period in Taştar Ata, is sacred for the Kyrgyz Turks, were examined and evaluated in terms of visits to sacred places and their functions. In addition, the use of treatment based on the conversion of substance abuse and mental problems into stone for the purpose of treatment and rehabilitation at Taştar Ata, is carried out by physicians within the medical center of substance-alcohol dependent people, “Lapidopycoterapy” (LPT], has been discussed. Keywords: Taştar Ata, kurgan, cult, therapy, rehabilitation, Kyrgyzstan.
Uluslararası Türk Dünyasında Destan ve Köroğlu Sempozyumu Bildiriler Kitabı, 2021
The epic and folk tale Köroğlu's narrative is one of the most influential literary products kept ... more The epic and folk tale Köroğlu's narrative is one of the most influential literary products kept alive both in the Anatolian field and in the Turkish world. The plays, dances and musical structures about the name of Köroğlu are other proofs of this existence in the Anatolian field, apart from the aforementioned narrative. This epic narrative continues to exist in the field of Turkishness in its special conditions. With the comparative researches to be made about non-narrative performances on the scale of the Turkish world, Köroğlu can also be revealed with expression and performance styles outside the narrative. In this paper, the game, dance and music material that exists diachronically or simultaneously with the Köroğlu narrative in the Anatolian field will be discussed in Erzurum scale. In addition, thoughts about Köroğlu will be included through the material in question and attention will be drawn to what should be done.
Keywords: Köroğlu, narration, play, dance, music, Erzurum
Compilation is a word corresponding to “collecting, providing” in everyday life. It is accepted a... more Compilation is a word corresponding to “collecting, providing” in everyday life. It is accepted and expressed in the aforementioned sense [providing, collecting traditional raw information etc.] in folklore compilation methodology as well. In general, field research is a chain activity, which takes place in three stages: planning, compilation and analyzing. Compilation is known to be carried out in the form of collecting, recording and archiving raw information using field observation or interview methods, and the consecutive recorded raw traditional knowledge is evaluated on the basis of theories and concepts. In practice, the possible environment in which any folklore product can be obtained is determined. Then, preparation / planning is made for obtaining the information in question and the environment is visited. Subsequently, the raw information in question is obtained through various compilation methods such as interview, observation, and survey and recorded in written, audio and / or video form. In the last stage, new knowledge is produced by analyzing the raw information obtained with scientific theories and concepts. So far, in relevance to compilation methods, a lot of studies deployed, models were created, and proposals have been put forward in Turkey and in the West. Nevertheless, compared to the studies on folklore collection methods in the West and Turkey, the West compilation concepts and methods have been observed to have developed and applied in the field, while in Turkey translated concepts and methods of the west are possibly being implemented and published in the field as identical or modified. All in all, the folklore compilation concepts and methods, thus, are understood to be as translations to have obtained from west and deployed in Turkey with the approach of western researchers in a general description. The preliminary preparation and planning phase that should be done before the field research (compilation) was mentioned directly or indirectly in the publications of researchers and some organizations working on compilation. In our country, where a wide range of folklore sharing occurs in short-time socialization environments as in the bus, market, and hospital, the folklorist should see it as a responsibility to make use of every opportunity and record the raw folklore. The focus of this work is based on the sequencing questions: “Does the process mentioned in the folklore compilation methodology always work like this or should it be?” and also “Can a compilation work be done in sudden developing or coincidental performance environments, and if this is possible, how is the compilation process done?” In the study, the literature was reviewed to find answers to aforementioned questions, and based on “memories”, although it is in practice, a new compilation method is proposed, which is not mentioned, to the folklore compilation methodology, and there is an attempt to determine if the proposed method would be valid in literature. Thus, on the one hand, by providing the actual situation to the literature, the procedural-essential confusion will be avoided, on the other hand, the naming of the unprepared / unplanned compilation that can be made when the conditions occur, and the place of this naming in the classification will be determined and confirmed. Keywords: Folklore, compilation, methodology, concept, sudden / coincidental performance environment.
Satan (or Devil, Evil) is as an across-cultural myth in World religions and beliefs from ancient ... more Satan (or Devil, Evil) is as an across-cultural myth in World religions and beliefs from ancient times to present. Satan, as the most prominent element among the features represented by Satan, which appears in common in all myths throughout the World. With this very characteristic, he occupies an important role as a mythical motif to present evil in both oral and written cultural texts. Satan though devil is not an archetype himself, he is the representation of the shadow archetype in the supernatural realm. Standing in opposition to the almighty in monotheistic religions, Satan looms around in polytheistic religions as character personifying evil in different names and bodies, as well. In this paper, the roles and qualities attributed to Satan [tr. Erlik] by Altai Turks based on epics of Altaies has been discussed. Identifying these properties of Satan [Erlik], we have also aimed to reveal cultural borrowings adapted from divine religions that had been active in the area. The source of these barrowings should be sought especially in activities of missionaries who represent the Judeo-Christian tradition in Altay region. Missioners must have adapted shamanistic themes and motifs into Judeo-Christian narratives while narrating divine narratives to Altai Turks. The missionaries must have adapted the Judaic-Christian themes and motifs of their celestial narrative traditions to Shamanism and told them on the field. That is why it is almost impossible to find local and authentic motifs in Altai Turks’ Epics, except their main actors, God [Tengri] and Satan [Erlik]. Although Erlik is personified with his all elements including his appearance and his character in detail, God [Tengri] has been envisioned the almighty and not personified in Altai Turks’ epics as well. Key Words: Folklore, religion, myth, epic, Altai Turkish, Satan
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Papers by Metin Özarslan
Keywords: Taştar Ata, kurgan, cult, therapy, rehabilitation, Kyrgyzstan.
Keywords: Köroğlu, narration, play, dance, music, Erzurum
Keywords: Folklore, compilation, methodology, concept, sudden / coincidental performance environment.
Key Words: Folklore, religion, myth, epic, Altai Turkish, Satan
Keywords: Taştar Ata, kurgan, cult, therapy, rehabilitation, Kyrgyzstan.
Keywords: Köroğlu, narration, play, dance, music, Erzurum
Keywords: Folklore, compilation, methodology, concept, sudden / coincidental performance environment.
Key Words: Folklore, religion, myth, epic, Altai Turkish, Satan