Abstract:

The mythological elements, which are the means of the initiation of the hero, which are constantly repeated in the narratives, have a symbolic meaning and show a universal feature. Due to the changing historical, social and cultural environments in the history of humanity, many mythical images are repeated with different symbols. Based on this foresight, the symbolic meaning of the mythological elements in the initiation process of Salur Kazan in Dede Korkut Stories is emphasized. The mythological images involved in the hero's maturation, maturity and self-affirmation were identified and his archetypal status was interpreted. A relationship was established by reading the mythological elements found in the parts about Salur Kazan in Dede Korkut Stories with their counterparts in the old Turkish belief. In this study, the symbolic status of mythological elements was emphasized rather than the search for a urform. Based on Campbell’s theory in The Hero’s Endless Journey, Durand’s Imaginary Structuralism was used as a research method and the symbols and archetypes of the mythical elements used in the hero’s way of initiation were examined. It has been observed that various mythological elements are reproduced in the stages of departure / departure, initiation and return in the hero’s endless journey. A person in a normal society feels that he has important virtues and talents by putting himself in the place of Salur Kazan. Thanks to this belief, society and people in society shape their own life. The hero’s journey becomes the journey of society. Although the helping forces or the counter forces vary, there is a common mythological imaginary thinking in the hero’s initiation in the universal sense. Although the symbols are constantly taking place in different appearances in the narratives, the image maintains the universal and mythical thinking structure.

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