Information Package / Course Catalogue
Turkic Mitology I
Course Code: TDE387
Course Type: Area Elective
Couse Group: First Cycle (Bachelor's Degree)
Education Language: Turkish
Work Placement: N/A
Theory: 2
Prt.: 0
Credit: 2
Lab: 0
ECTS: 4
Objectives of the Course

The mythological elements which had been ceated by Turkish folks who existed thousands of years and lived on a huge area, exist in the basis of culture and have changed by the time, but they have been provided in the spirutuel culture as a pattern and a theme. The aim of the course of Turkish Mitology is gaining the ability of finding and explaning the mytological elements in material culture items like painting, sculpture, architectural structures and in the spirutuel culture like legend, the folk story and poetry

Course Content

To examine the descriptions which creats the mytological subjects by comparing the ones which are contemporary and chronological. Turkish Mytology, the mythological heroes, the interpretting of mythological events; the uses of story, character and the drawing tecniques, the colours in the Mytologic event iconograpy; perspective, visualisation, designing and implementing of the mythological events, the semi- heroes, the semi- deity, the deities , the plastic elements about the deities, the details about the deities

Name of Lecturer(s)
Ins. Gökhan TÜRK
Learning Outcomes
1.to be able to define the ancient belief systems of Turks
2.to be able to explain myhtology of Turks
3.to be able to compare Turkish Mitology and the mitology of the other folks
4.to be able to define animism, totemism and shamanism of Turks
5.to be able to recognise the patterns and belief traces in Turkish oral culture.
6.to be able to defineand explain the foreign elements in materialist and spiritual culture of Turks
7. to be able to make a relationship between the ancient beliefs and the present antiquities
8. to be able to give examples to Turkish folk epics.
9. to be able to use the information Turkish Culture and mytology in scientific researches
Recommended or Required Reading
1.B.Öğel. Türk Mitolojisi, C.1, TTK Yay. Ankara,1971;
2.Edith Hamilton. Mitologiya (Çev. Ü.Tamer), Varlık Yay. İstanbul,1983;
3.M.Uraz. Türk Mitolojisi, Düşünen Adam Yay. İstanbul,1994;
4.Ali Öztürk. Çağları içinde Türk Destanları, İstanbul,1980;
5.M.Ergin. Dede Korkut Destanları, C.1, TDK Yay. Ankara,1997
Weekly Detailed Course Contents
Week 1 - Theoretical
The information about the aim, concept and the sources of the course
Week 2 - Theoretical
The creation and descend in the mytologies around of the world(Greek, Egyptian, Norse, Roman,Sumerian) Myths about the creation of the world, gods and humans in Greek and Roman mythology.
Week 3 - Theoretical
The creation and descend in the mytologies around of the world(Greek, Egyptian, Norse, Roman,Sumerian) Myths about the creation of the world and man in ancient Sumerian, Akkadian, Egyptian and Chinese mythologies.
Week 4 - Theoretical
Mythological legends of Turks about creation and the descent (Radloff and Verbitski variants) The creation of the world and man in the creation epic compiled by Radloff and its comparison with world mythologies.
Week 5 - Theoretical
Mythological legends of Turks about creation and the descent (Radloff and Verbitski variants) The creation of the world and man in the creation epic compiled by Verbitski and its comparison with world mythologies.
Week 6 - Theoretical
The animist opinions of Turks and practices about them. What is animism and in what ways does it manifest itself among the peoples of the world? The emergence of animist views among the Turks. Animism.
Week 7 - Theoretical
The animist opinions of Turks and practices about them. Cults related to animism appear among the ancient Turks: Mountain, Forest/Tree, Water, Fire, Road, etc. cults and their related practices.
Week 8 - Theoretical
Totemism among the Turks and the animals of totemism. What is totemism, the origin of the word and its forms seen in other peoples.
Week 9 - Theoretical
In totemism, the animal, its characteristics, the role of mediator between human society and iyes. Animals and their characteristics in the 12-animal Turkish Calendar.
Week 10 - Theoretical
The cult of the hunter and related practices. Reflections of totemist views on the hunter cult, the dead and resurrected animal, the first ancestor animal, the guiding and protective animal. Practices before and after the hunt.
Week 11 - Theoretical
Turks shamanism. Shamanism among the peoples of the world. The three-layered world model that emerged with shamanism in the Turks. Duties of the shaman in society, shaman disease.
Week 12 - Theoretical
Turks shamanism. The equipment and clothing used by the shaman (drum, mallet, robe, hat, boots, etc.). The universe in which the shaman travels and his helping spirits.
Week 13 - Theoretical
Shamanic ceremonies: Disease-related treatment ceremonies, hunting failure and fertility ceremonies, social ceremonies held for the Sky God and Earth-Waters.
Week 14 - Theoretical
Traces of shamanism in Anatolia. Traces of chanism in Turkish culture (Ashik art, Orta Oyunu, Meddah, Juggling, Herbalism).
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Type of AssessmentCountPercent
Midterm Examination1%40
Final Examination1%60
Workload Calculation
ActivitiesCountPreparationTimeTotal Work Load (hours)
Lecture - Theory140228
Assignment125025
Midterm Examination115116
Final Examination130131
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours)100
Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes
PÇ-1
PÇ-2
PÇ-3
PÇ-4
PÇ-5
OÇ-1
3
OÇ-2
3
4
OÇ-3
4
OÇ-4
OÇ-5
4
OÇ-6
OÇ-7
OÇ-8
5
OÇ-9
Adnan Menderes University - Information Package / Course Catalogue
2026