Abstract
SOCIAL TEACHINGS IN DEDE KORKUT STORIES
Experienced events repeat themselves in the memory of human mind and in the memory of society. In this way, they institutionalise and turn into institutions, rituals and laws. These institutions, rituals and laws survive in the minds of society and individual through “logos”. Social and an individual memory work simultaneously to create logos. In modern time it is authors, historians, philosophers, sociologists and ecclesiastics who interpret the experienced events and guide society. However, in the past, there was only one person who undertook the duty which has many subbranches today. It was the all-knowing bard. In the West, it was Homer and Hesiod. In the East it was Dede Korkut. In “Dede Korkut Stories” we realize that a society’s structure is handled with all its mechanisms and all the norms related to each mechanism is delivered to both old generation and new generation. Dede Korkut is the generator and instructor of arche-types who carry ideal norms. While these stories honour the old generation because of their belonging to this society by reminding them of the value judgements and the sacred of their society, they encourage the new generation to become whole-hearted individuals working for their society by showing them the value judgements and the sacred of the society. These norms are essential for the survival of society, such as having a child, having a good family, working for the goodness of the society, the state awareness, “tribe(boy)” awareness and being an “alp”, a hero of ancient Turkish.
Keywords
Turkish Literature, Dede Korkut, social teachings, myth, archetypes
