Abstract
AN EXTRAORDINARIY ENTITY FROM TALES TO TRAVELOGUES: KEFTAR OR KAFTARKUSKI
Legends and folk tales, as it’s all known are considered as remainings of myths which were told in ancient times and thus, they reflect very important knowledge about nations’ way of understanding the world in which they are/were told. In this manner, it can be said that legends and folk tales contain conception of world. Legends and folktales of Turkey contains various demons, in other words extraordinary entities. One of these extraordinary entities is kaftarküski, which is also mentioned in folk tales and legends told in Turkey. This entity is also mentioned in Ibn-i Battuta’s travelogue.
As it’s all known travelogue of Battûta handles economic, political, sociological, cultural, historical and strategic aspects of XIVth world. The travelogue contains very important folklore knowledge from folk beliefs to medicine; from folk law to botanic; from folk architecture to religion. Similar to Turkish culture the travelogue mentions about kaftarkuski which believed in India as a member of a folk called Cuki. This study aims to examine the mentioned entity with the aspects of travelogues and tales.
Keywords
Demon, Extraordinary entities, Travelogue, Keftar.
