HULYA TAFLI
The Alp and the Monster in pre-Islamic Epic (The Book of Dede Korkut) and Beowulf HĂœLYA TAFLI Research Assistant in the field of English Literature, Nigde University In Turkish epics it may be asserted that there are two types of heroes: the hero and the monster. Before Islam the hero is considered to be the godlike creature that has the exemplary characteristics and does his best for the sake of his nation. Especially in the belief system of the Sky-God and shamanism before Islam, the hero is selected by the Sky-God by means of trance or dream. Being a hero is such a privilege that is not acquired by coincidence. It may be asserted that in pre-Islamic epics the hero has supernatural powers or inborn abilities to fight against the monsters. The major character of the epic is an alp, or epic hero, who endures the worst possible scenarios in life to save his people from disasters. Epic is usually known by the alp's name. He is fully supported by a sizable cast of characters and is opposed by powerful and treacherous foes and villains. Regardless of the hopelessness of the circumstances, the alp can never be subjugated and can never abandon the fight. Although, the audience, are aware of the fact that he has inborn abilities, he, on his own, has to find his way to prove his prowess. He is at the age of fourteen expected to kill the monster(s). In this respect the concept of the monster varies; it is sometimes in disguise of a giant, a wicked hag, a serpent, Satan, wicked angel, or underworld creature. The hero deserves his title after killing the monster in Turkish Literature. In this article the relation of hero and monster will be shed into light and the concept of monster in Turkish epic (The Book of Dede Korkut) and in English epic (Beowulf) will be depicted. Epic, The Book of Dede Korkut, Beowulf, alp (epic hero), monster, preIslam, pre-Christianity, monotheism (Islam, Christianity)
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THE ALP AND THE MONSTER IN PRE-ISLAMIC TURKISH EPIC (THE BOOK OF DEDE KORKUT) AND BEOWULF Epic is an extended narrative poem, grand in scope, exalted in style, and heroic in theme, often giving expression to the ideals of a nation or race 1 . Although the locations and the eras of the epics differ, the similarities of conditions bring them into existence. The epic is easy to memorize and the gleemen or the scops 2 memorize the epics to recite them to their societies, for this reason the process of the epic started orally and passed on from one generation to other by word of mouth. Within the epic it is not difficult to recognize the folklore, customs, social structure and the political issues of the society that it belonged to. In epic there is the reflection of the traditions and myths of a culture or group of people, in addition to this, the deeds of the major and functional characters are shaped by these traditions and myths. Hence it can be asserted that the myths, legends, folklore, customs, social and the political issues of the group establish the basis of an epic. Similarly Beowulf and The Book of Dede Korkut are epics that both preserve and reflect the virtues and values of their societies. This study aims to find out the similarities and differences of these two epics within the concept of the alp and monster relation by pointing out the pre and after monotheism. The folklore, tribal life, heroic, social and the political issues, events and characters, relations with the neighbours have common characteristic, and these common concepts shape the structure of the morality, and the concept of being the hero of the society. However, the geographical location, the period of composition, gender relations, and to some extent the forms are different in Beowulf and The
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Book of Dede Korkut. The geographical location of Beowulf is in the northwest of England and The Book of Dede Korkut is in the north of Anatolia. Orchard states that the geographical location of Beowulf is around the Baltic Sea and the North Sea where the Swedes, Jutes, Geats, Danes, Angles, Heathobards and Frisians lived 3 . When these tribes are compared chronologically, it can be seen that the Angles were highly influenced by the Danes, Geats, and other Germanic and Scandinavian tribes. Cherniss asserts that these tribes may be considered to be the ancestors of the English; the scops may have travelled among the tribes of Germania and the documents of the travels highlight the ancestors of the English 4 . On the other hand the geographical location of The Book of Dede Korkut is around the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea, in what is today Asia. The Huns, once members of the ancient Göktürk Empire, moved westward to settle along the banks of the Syr Darya, then westward to the shores of the Caspian Sea, South to Transoxiana and northward to the steppes beyond the Aral Sea 5 . It is generally accepted that The Book of Dede Korkut was put down into writing in the ninth century 6 and Beowulf was put down into writing some time between the middle of the seventh and the end of the tenth century of the first millenium, in Anglo-Saxon or Old English 7 . Although they were put down into writing two centuries apart, there are certain characteristics common to these two epics. It may be asserted that both epics have common characteristics though composed at different times and in different places. As stated by Binyazar each epic posesses the characteristics of the heroic and folk epic tradition: history and imagination, mythology and folklore are intermingled in them 8 , but Çobanoğlu suggests that epics cannot be thought of as historical documents, which show verisimilitude 9 . Structurally, Beowulf consists of
4 three tales and the deeds of a single hero, whereas The Book of Dede Korkut consists of twelve tales, a prologue and the deeds of the wise man ‘Dede Korkut’ 10 . They also differ in form; Beowulf was put down into writing in verse, but The Book of Dede Korkut was put down into writing in alternating verse and prose. Notwithstanding the differences, there are many common characteristics in these epics. First of all the tribal life described in Beowulf and The Book of Dede Korkut are to some extent similar. The episodes in the folklore and legends of the Nordic peoples foreshadow episodes in Beowulf. Chambers draws attention to the fact that Beowulf is rooted in the stories of Nordic societies like Offa of Mercia in eight century, apparently composed orally in connection with various social activities 11 . In this respect it may be argued that the tribal life of the Nordic societies is reflected in their literary works, and these literary works are indirectly stated in Beowulf. Similar to this, Kaşgarlı Mahmut’s Divan-ı Lugat-it Türk gives information about the tribal life of The Book of Dede Korkut and emphasizes the first Turkic heroic poems taken from oral sources of the ancestors of Oğuz 12 . Moreover, nothwithstanding the different geographies of Beowulf and The Book of Dede Korkut, the tribal life styles depicted in these epics display similarities. Beowulf is the very type of a hero who delights in his own prowess and magnanimity compared to lesser men. With his heroism, he exemplifies his heroic age by reflecting the life style and values of his society 13 . Similar to Beowulf, Başgöz asserts that of the twelve epic stories of The Book of Dede Korkut, eight are the narration of the heroic deeds of the Muslim Oğuz Turks in their fights against the heathens 14 . The heroic deeds and the characteristics of the heroic fights are explicit reflections of the life style of the Oğuz people. Hence, it can be pointed out that the life style and the heroism of
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the societies is intermingled with the concepts of the heroic age in Beowulf and The Book of Dede Korkut. The epics both reflect the social, cultural and religious values of their times. Both Orchard and Heaney state that the social setting of Beowulf is the Germanic and Scandinavian tribes 15 . Antoniades more specificaly refers to the architectural qualities of the age and states that: The readers encounter architectonic spaces, architectonic comparisons, and introductory descriptions of palaces and buildings of utility. The hall of Hygelac is certainly smaller but typologically perhaps not different from Heorot, the palace of Hrothgar, king of the Danes. Both palaces are probably not different from the large castles one could encounter throughout the Scandinavian countries at the time 16 .
In the Heroic Age, the tribe replaces the family as the unit of Germanic social life, and the chieftain occupies a tribal position analogous to that of the paterfamilias. As Cherniss states, the heroic tradition is generally assumed to have been common to all of the various heathen Germanic tribes of Europe 17 . They have their roots in the fourth, fifth and sixth centuries B.C., and a large body of heroic narrative poetry deals with stories, perhaps originally historical, of the kings and heroes of the great period of Germanic and Scandinavian migrations. Beowulf contains the fragments and the allusions of these sagas and poems, and it portrays the tribal life of the Danes and Geats 18 . The similarity between the architecture in the dwellings may be because of the interaction of the tribes that use the ships as migration vehicles. The
6 folk of Beowulf and their ancestors migrated by sea. As they are a sea fearing society the ship plays a prominent part in the poem, in the rituals of death as well as in the lives of these North Sea fearing bands. The ships described in the poem are most probably of tarred clinker-built construction like the Sutton Hoo Mound I ship and other migration- period boats 19 . Resembling the period and tribal society of Beowulf, the Oğuz society depicted in The Book of Dede Korkut embodies the common features such as the migration vehicle: Oğuz society used horses, and Geats and Danes used ships. Although this is a similarity, the tool that they used is different depending upon their geographical locations. The common point is that both groups migrated and they used the migration vehicles appropriate for the terrain they covered. Unlike early estimates, the beginnings of The Book of Dede Korkut have recently been established between the fifth and the seventh century B.C. 20 . The homeland of the Oğuz Turks was Asia and their epic was committed to writing some time between the ninth and thirteenth centuries A.D. 21 . The Book of Dede Korkut was composed between the fifth century B.C. and the thirteenth century A.D. The Oğuz people were semi sedentary hence The Book of Dede Korkut was recorded in writing centuries later than its oral version. As the Oğuz people were nomads, they went to the mountains in summer and to the plains in winter. They lived in pavilions and lived by breeding animals such as sheep, cows, camels and horses.
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In The Book of Dede Korkut the Oğuz society is divided into two groups: Boz Ok (Gray Arrows) and Üç Ok (Three Arrows), in the epic they are called Inner and Outer Oğuz.
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The origin of The Book of Dede Korkut dates to the oral sources, and has the features of Turkic oral culture. The earliest information about the Oğuz society dates to the seventh century B.C. 23 . According to the historical documents, the Hun Emperor and the Göktürk society are the ancestors of the Oğuz people 24 . Oğuz Kağan is considered to be the first leader and the founder of the Oğuz dynasty. In The Legend of Oğuz Kağan each of his sons establishes a specific society: Yıldız Han (Star Kağan), Ay Han (Moon Kağan), and Gün Han (Day Kağan) establish the Boz Ok (Gray Arrows or Outer Oğuz), and Gök Han (Sky Kağan), Dağ Han (Mountain Kağan), and Deniz Han (Sea Kağan) establish the Üç Ok (Three Arrows or Inner Oğuz) 25 . The main plot and the thematic structure of The Book of Dede Korkut are related to the sons of Oğuz Kağan and their nomadic life styles. As Baldick states, the horse is the most important animal for the migration of the Oğuz society. The archeological traces point out that the heroes were buried with their horses and the horses are assigned supernatural qualities and powers; a horse is able to transform its appearance or talk like a human, giving the hero advice. The horse grows miraculosly, often rescues the hero and can even bring him back from the dead, turning into an eagle and flying up into the heavens; it may be born at the same moment as the hero and be his double 26 . It is pointed out that horses are the friends of the Oğuz people and they migrate to places using the power of the horses befitting thier tribal status. The Teutonic society of Beowulf was shaped by the sea culture, and the society of The Book of Dede Korkut was shaped by the steppe culture. Although the geographical locations of the epics differ, the heroic and political issues of the Teutonic and Oğuz societies reflected in the epics display similarities. One of the major charateristics of the epics is the heroic deeds of the hero and the hero himself. In an epic there is only one
8 hero who inculcates the values of the heroic deeds and ideals 27 . The lineage of the hero is emphasized, and family relationships and the tribal names play an important role in the poems: Beowulf himself is four times simply called ‘the Geat’ (l.640, 1301, 1785, 1792). Although there are over seventy characters in Beowulf, Beowulf is the hero of the poem and embodies the highest ideals of his time and place, ie, loyalty, valor, unselfishness, and a sense of justice 28 . Loyalty, the principle of personal allegiance between individual warriors, is the primary concept upon which the ideal society depicted in Germanic heroic poetry is built on. Indeed the word ‘loyalty’ and the abstract qualities and values which that word implies even today, implies the entire system of the “comitatus” relationships which inheres in the values put forth by Old English heroic poetry 29 . Cherniss also points out that the importance of personal loyalty of Germanic society is unmistakebly suggested in Tacitus’ Germania, and is explicitly stated in Beowulf. The Germanic heroic society described in Beowulf is dominated by a warrior-aristocracy and was brought from the continent by the Germanic tribes during their migrations to the island. As Evans states the Anglo-Saxon warriors were organized within a “comitatus” structure that in part was supported by the heroic ideals, whose main focus was on the bonds between a chieftain and his warriors within a lord-retainer relationship 30 . One of the prominent heroic features was the lord’s task to fight for victory, while the warrior’s was to fight for his lord. The lord simply through the military exploits of his comitatus could earn worldly fame and honour. Beyond the cultural and material advantages associated with victory, the lord of a successful warband benefited from its ability to attract warriors from outside its tribal area. As Tacitus noted, the possession of a large retinue of fierce warriors gave honour and prestige to earlier Germanic lords, whether in times of war or peace 31 . As an ideal and loyal hero befitting the heroic ideals, Beowulf
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establishes a bond between warriors of equal rank in the society and warriors and social betters, specifically between retainers and their lords. The bond between a Germanic lord and his retainers, in a hierarchical society, places specific, clearly differentiated, though neverthless similar, responsibilities and privileges upon social superior and inferior, leader and follower. Victory in battle and the deeds of Beowulf’s retainers bring glory to him. Beowulf is loyal to Hrothgar, king of Danes, and Hygelac, king of Geats, and he achives his goals by killing Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the dragon. Before this heroic deed, other deeds of Beowulf are foreshadowed in the poem. For instance Beowulf is considered to have a great physical strength; he gives the glory to God. Beowulf is the ultimate hero who puts his life on the line for an entire kingdom. Beowulf's heroism can be seen when he takes fourteen of the bravest in his land to go to help Hrothgar. Hrothgar was Beowulf's father's close friend who had been plagued by attacks for twelve years that threatened an entire kingdom. Beowulf did not have to offer Hrothgar's kingdom help, but does so because he wants to use his God given strength to the best of his ability (ll.202-208). Another instance for his physical strength is his ability of swimming for seven nights, killing nine sea creatures in the depths of the ocean (572-76). Similar to Beowulf, heroic and the political issues are embodied in The Book of Dede Korkut. The structure of the social institution of the comitatus in Beowulf has common aspects with the structure of the social institution of the Kurultay in The Book of Dede Korkut. Although the names of these social institutions differ from each other, the structure they display has similarities. The OÄ&#x;uz society has many duties that are distributed among the society. In The Book of Dede Korkut each tribe has
10 its own leader, and the leader gives permission his tribe to go hunting or assembles them in his pavilion to solve certain tribal problems, and invites them to assembly once a year. Each tribe and the leader of the tribe assemble with the other tribes, and they form the Oğuz society. The Oğuz society also gathers together to solve the individual or the collective problems and cope with the external threats. Bayındır Kağan is the Kağan of Kağans in The Book of Dede Korkut, and he and his retainers try to solve the internal and the external difficulties in every respect. Bayındır Kağan is the supreme authority when group action is to be taken; the supreme judge in all decisions that will affect the Oğuz nation; the Kağan and his Kağans attend a council where a comitatus relationship exists 32 . In this council all the members assemble to solve a certain problem and each member has a right to defend his idea. In The Book of Dede Korkut there are two kinds of Kurultay: first one is for the society to solve the societal problems, the other is for the kağans to solve the governmental problems. Like the similarities of the political issues displayed as comitatus and Kurultay in both of the epics, there are similarities of the heroic deeds in Beowulf, and The Book of Dede Korkut also. In general the hero of the Oğuz society has to deserve a title at the age of fifteen after killing a wild animal or an infidel 33 . In The Book of Dede Korkut, the hero of each tale embodies the values of loyalty, valor, unselfishness and justice observed in Beowulf 34 . As explicitly stated and classified by Duymaz, seven of the twelve tales embody the heroic deeds of the heroes: Boğaç Han, Bamsı Beyrek, Kan Turalı, Yigenek, Basat, Emren and Segrek 35 . In The Book of Dede Korkut killing an enemy or a wild animal proves valor and justice. When the hero finds the poor and helps them, he proves his generosity and social responsibility. The loyal hero of the Oğuz society never betrays his tribe, and does his best befitting his social and political status. The heroes
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of The Book of Dede Korkut prove their status by killing a wild animal, by killing an infidel, saving the lives of their families, then earning a title from Korkut Ata. Although the comitatus and the Kurultay have different names, they have common features depicted in these epics. These two institutions set the rules and solve the problems between the king or the kağan and their retainers depending upon their heroic ideals. In Beowulf, the warrior’s duties and obligations in the lord-retainer relationship are known as ‘earning one’s mead’ 36 . This concept represented a warrior’s repayment to his lord for the gifts and honours which he had received. Of the various duties that a warrior could perform to repay his lord, none were as important as the obligation to follow his lord in battle. In battle, a warrior was expected to fight and slay the enemies of his lord, to protect his lord to the best of his abilities, and to avenge his death in the event of the lord’s death 37 . The major problem in Beowulf is the danger and the threat of Grendel, later the mother of Grendel and in the final sections the dragon. Beowulf is aware of the fact that his grandfather Hrethel the Geat was an old friend of Hrothgar, and Hrothgar once helped Beowulf’s grandfather (371-86) 38 . Now Beowulf comes to Heorot to help Hrothgar. This bond between the two tribes strengthens the bonds of these two socities. When Beowulf kills Grendel, Hrothgar’s statement strengthens the bond of the Geats and the Danes (948-55). Personal service leads directly to tribal friendship and neighbourly relations; personal, national or both types of alliances are made by verbal agreement (ll.1853-64), and befitting the comitatus structure, Beowulf fullfills his battlefiled duties with his retainers to solve the problems and he becomes a hero. For instance the ideal retainer of Beowulf, Wiglaf, condemns the cowardly and unfaithfull retainers who
12 deserted their lord in his hour of need (2980-1). For their failure to uphold their part of lord-retainer relationship, Wiglaf also declares that the unfaithful retainers and their families are to be exiled from the kindom and from ‘all hall joys’ befitting the comitatus system (2884-87). In a similar manner, the heroes of the Oğuz society solve the problems of their tribes. In the tales the Kağan achieves his heroic ideal and does his best. The Kurultay is considered to be a kind of council where all the important political and social matters are discussed, and the leader of the Kurultay, Bayındır Han, chooses kağans from the Oğuz tribes depending on their heroic success. The kağan and his retainers are not only responsible for their tribes, but also the other tribes when they are in need. When Salur Kazan tries to find the infidels who kidnap his family and tribe members, the shepherd follows Salur Kazan to fight with the foes. When the bad news is heard by the other kağans of the Oğuz society, they help Salur Kazan to defeat the infidels (37-38) 39 . In this tale Salur Kazan is the kağan and other kağans are considered to be his retainers. Each Kağan has his own story: the kağan-retainer relationship is established in terms of equality in the Kurultay and the heroic deeds of the kağans alter depending upon the situation. The only difference from Beowulf is that none of the retainers in The Book of Dede Korkut is unfaitful to his kağan. One of the other common characteristics of Beowulf and The Book of Dede Korkut is the relations with the other tribes. Munro Chadwick says that alliances in the heroic age are personal rather than national in character, but this is mainly because of the nature of lordship in the idealized Germanic society 40 . The lord and his comitatus are ideally one in thought and action; an alliance between the two lords is in effect an alliance between their two tribes. Beowulf the Geat’s services to Hrothgar the Dane creates a firm bond of friendship between the two men and their
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positions as lord of the Danes and representative of the Geats give the personal bond national significance 41 . The national aspect of personal alliances is evident in the practice of forming inter-tribal bonds of the societies through the marriage of a lord and one of the female members of the family of a rival lord. Hrothgar intends to marry his daughter Freawaru, to Frode, the son of the lord of the Heathobards, to end the strife between the tribe and the Danes (220-30). If sons and daughters are unavailable for intermarriage, a lord may cement an alliance by taking a lord or warrior of another tribe as a sort of adopted son 42 . Similar to Beowulf, the relations with the other societies, the Inner and the Outer Oğuz, are narrated in The Book of Dede Korkut. Binyazar draws attention to the importance of the inter-tribal relations. One of the major virtues of the Turks is the bonds of inter-tribal relations. The rights of the individuals in a society are as important as the rights of God.
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marriage between the two Oğuz tribes creates a bond, makes them kinsmen 43 . For instance Kan Turalı marries the infidel lord’s daughter, and the unrest between these two socieities ends. The last tale of The Book of Dede Korkut is about the revolt of the Outer Oğuz against the Inner Oğuz. Sometimes inter-tribal societies wage wars against one another to show their prowess, but in the end they stop fighting or plundering and live happily together. In the Oğuz society showing hospitality to the guests and the other societies is one of the important rituals. The friendship and the ties among the Oğuz society strengthen the relations. For instance in the Oğuz society, people of each tribe prepare meals for themselves and other tribes or they help the poor by giving clothes or food, hence this kind of generosity and hospitality is quite common among the Oğuz people 44 .
14 In an epic the supernatural elements are intermingled with the social rituals, folklore, and the religious beliefs. In this respect it may be asserted that the supernatural elements of Beowulf and The Book of Dede Korkut have common characteristics. Generally in epics giants, monsters, dragons or fairies are mentioned. Çobanoğlu asserts that the fight between the supernatural character and the hero is almost always one of the major charateristics of the epic tradition 45 . The supernatural beings in Beowulf can be listed as Grendel, Grendel’s mother, the dragon and Beowulf himself (which some critics still debate); and similarly Hızır, Tepegöz and the fairy mother of Tepegöz are the supernatural characters in The Book of Dede Korkut. Each of the supernatural characters in epics creates chaos or displays an unpleasant attitude that the hero has to overcome 46 . The hero tries to bring peace to his society and wants to put an end to this threat or chaos caused by the supernatural being or beings. Beowulf, for instance slays Grendel, his mother and the dragon in order to protect other people. Similarly Basat, a hero in The Book of Dede Korkut, kills Tepegöz to protect his society from this unnatural character in the story of Basat, Killer of the One-Eyed Giant. Although the fairy mother of Tepegöz is encountered in the epic, she is not depicted in detail. Hızır is another supernatural character that is introduced in the story of Boğaç Kağan, and he differs from the other nonnatural characters. He is considered to be a holy supernatural character; he always helps the people who are in need. He is like a holy spirit; he suddenly appears in order to help people and disappears after achieving his mission. In Beowulf and The Book of Dede Korkut the folklore, tribal life, heroic, social and the political matters, supernatural elements, events and characters, relations with the inter-tribal societies that directly influence the establishment and the development of the belief systems, and the
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relation of alp and supernatural elements (monsters) display similarities depending upon the belief systems. Whether the characteristics of the societies are similar or different in Beowulf and The Book of Dede Korkut, the major common virtue is considered to be the belief system. In epic it is observed that values such as folklore, culture, social and the political issues, supernatural elements, gender relations, and setting establish and directly influence the belief system of a society.
The Beowulf and The Book of Dede Korkut poets accomodate a double tradition: Christian and pre-Christian, Islamic and pre-Islamic; Boratav points out that epics passed on from one generation to other by word of mouth, and throught the transition from oral culture to written culture, more than one poet recited epics 47 . The date of composition of Beowulf covers the heroic and Christian periods. This heroic matter is generally assumed to have been common to all of the various heathen Germanic tribes of Europe and has its origin in the fourth, fifth and sixth centuries. After the influence of Christianity, the roots of Beowulf have not been completely altered. For this reason Beowulf embodies the traces of both pagan motifs and Christianity. The origins of Beowulf, Hrothgar, Hygelac, Finn, Sigemund and the other heroes whose names and deeds appear in the poem are rooted in the history, legend and folklore of the Germanic past. Beowulf appears to be a Christian poem in so far as its poet is certainly a Christian and his poem depicts the Christian motifs and allusion 48 . As it is usually formulated, the main point of contention is whether Beowulf is a Christian or a pagan poem. The predominant early view of the poem sees it as a pagan poem, drawn from pre-Christian materials and once existed without Christian sentiments and allusions. Chadwick draws attention to the fact that the epic is influenced by the Teutonic religion 49 . Although the
16 names of gods or goddesses of Scandinavian literature are not explicitly stated in Beowulf, the traces of paganism and polytheism can be observed. It is under debate why the names of the gods or the goddesses are not directly mentioned in Beowulf. The comparative study of the belief systems within the concept of the alp and monster relation in Beowulf and The Book of Dede Korkut aims to analyse the explanation of the heroism and antiheroism with belief systems in epics. Germanic and Scandinavian paganism, later the doctrines of Christianity with the changing significance of monsters and heroic deeds will influence in Beowulf. Similar to Beowulf the Sky-God belief with its cults and shamanism, later Islamic doctrines within the structure of the alp and Turkish monsters will be analysed in The Book of Dede Korkut. Hence it may be asserted that the alp (epic hero) and the function of monster alter depending upon the belief systems that they are in. First of all the concept and the deeds of hero in both of the epics depict similarities. The unsimilar thing is that both of the epics have monsters or supernatural characters and their existence or physical shape and the concept itself symbolize another thing. The major deed of the hero is to prove his prowess and intends to kill the monster to save his country from disasters. Although this is a similar concern, deserving the title of being a hero alters in Beowulf and The Book of Dede Korkut. In Beowulf the name “Beowulf� is given when the baby is born and he is not given any name after killing the creature or monster. Unsimilar to Beowulf, the name of Basat in The Book of Dede Korkut is given when he kills a wild animal. Basat is 15 years old and he deserves to attain a name for the sake of his
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prowess. Both Beowulf and Basat are the heroes of the epics, and they both fight with the supernatural elements such as giants or monsters. It may be asserted that there are three kinds of monsters in Beowulf. Cohen points out that Beowulf is a poem valuable for the historical allusions that limn its periphery, worthless for the three battles against monsters that form its narrative heart 50 . In this respect it may be drawn attention to the fact that the cannibalistic giant Grendel, his vengeful mother, and the fiery dragon are personification of malice, greed and destruction. Although Gardner rewrites Grendel as an innocent baby monster that gets bored of playing alone at home and wants to find new companions at Heorot, this is not the case: So times were pleasant for the people there Until finally one, a fiend out of hell, Began to work his evil in the world. Grendel was the name of this grim demon Haunting the marches, marauding round the heath And the desolate fens; he had dwelt for a time In misery among the banished monsters (5-6). Similar to Grendel depicted in Beowulf, the monster or in other words the giant Tepegöz is also a personification of malice, greed and destruction. When the Oğuz people and Bayındır Han come to the fountain, they encounter a frightening thing, a shapeless mass, lying on the ground. Although he has a human body, he has only one single eye, on the top of his head. Uruz Koca takes Tepegöz, this creature with one eye, home, where he calls for a nurse: When the nurse gave the child her breast, he sucked once and drew all the milk she had. He sucked once more, and this time he drew her blood. He sucked a third time and took her life. They brought several
18 other nurses after that, but they were all killed by him in the same manner (124). In this respect it may be asserted that both Grendel and Tepegöz are the monsters that belong to different nations one in the west, one in the east with a similar theme. Similar to the characteristics of the monsters in Beowulf and The Book of Dede Korkut, the dwelling places are to some extent similar. As it is stated Grendel and Grendel’s mother’s dwelling place is in water, and the dragon lives in a barrow in Beowulf 51 : Until one began To dominate the dark, a dragon on the prowl Where he guarded a hoard; there was a hidden passage, To enter by it and interfere With the heathen trove (56). The sleeping dragon dwells in a barrow and guards treasure, awakes in order to guard treasure from the intruder who broaches it. When the fiery dragon wakes up, he belches out flames and burns bright homesteads. Not only does he damage the dwelling places of people but he also kills them. Like Grendel and his mother, the dragon destructs everwhere and brings chaos to the society. Similar to the dwelling places of the monsters in Beowulf, the dwelling place of Tepegöz is in a cave called Salhana 52 . In this cave like the sword of Grendel, the sword of Tepegöz is hung over the wall. Tepegöz guards his treasure in his cave like the dragon keeps it: Basat went to the Slaughter Rock where Tepegöz now lived, and there he saw Tepegöz lying with his back turned toward the sun. (128)
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Tepegöz is considered to be the evilish giant that is in disguise of a humanbeing and the leader of the one eyed giants in Kaf Mountain 53 . It is interesting that he first lives with people and plays with the children, but while he is playing with them, he eats the noses and the ears of them, for this reason he is dismissed from the homeland of Oğuz society and sent to the Salhana barrow. In epics it is observed that the alp achieves his goals by killing the supernatural characters. The readers are always aware of the characteristics and the identity of the alps, and similar to this the description of the monsters fought with the alps are given in detail in epics. For example Grendel is described as a cannibalistic giant that devours people. Grendel’s vengeful mother also eats people, and the dragon devastates the country that is like a serpent. Although the descriptions of the monsters are given, there is no clue about the father of Grendel, or the parents of the dragon in Beowulf. Unsimilar to Beowulf, the description of Tepegöz is given in detail: There was a famous watering place there called Long Fountain, which had been possessed by fairies. This time, the sheep were frightened all of a sudden. The shepherd, angry at the young lead ram that he thought was responsible, walked to the front of the flock to see what was amiss. He saw a troop of fairies, linked wing to wing and dancing about. He threw his shepherd’s cloak upon them and caught one of them. He took this fairy to bed with him, but soon the sheep began to be frightened. When the shepherd ran to the head of the flock, the fairy flipped her wings and flew flew away, saying: “Shepherd, when a full year has passed, I shall have something for you. Come then and get it. But know that you have brought misfortune to the Oğuz people”. (123)
20 It may be asserted that the mother of Tepegöz is the fairy, and the father is the shepherd. A year passes through and the shepherd goes to the same fountain and sees a huge glittering mass lying on the ground, that is, of course, Tepegöz that has a human body but only a single eye on the top of his head in The Book of Dede Korkut. One of the other characteristics described in The Book of Dede Korkut is Tepegöz’s bargain with the Oğuz society. When he goes to live at Salhana cave, he devastates the Oğuz society, for this reason Korkut Ata, who is considered to be the shaman before Islam, and a holy person after conversion to Islam, goes to the cave to make a bargain with Tepegöz: He went to the giant, and, after greeting him, he said, “ My son, Tepegöz, you have devastated the country and oppressed the Oğuz people so much that they have sent me to you to kiss the dust of your feet and tell you in their behalf that they will give you whatever you want.” Tepegöz said, “I want to eat sixty men a day.” Dede Korkut said: “This will leave hardly a man into the country. Let us give you two men and five hundred sheep a day.” To this offer Tepegöz said: “ Very well. Let it be so! Provide me also with two men to cook my food.” (124) As it is seen Tepegöz also interacts with Korkut Ata to make a bargain in The Book of Dede Korkut that is not observed in Beowulf. In epics the characteristics of the monsters, their identities, and dwelling places are important in order to observe the relation of the monsters and the heroes. It may be stated that the heroes come into being in order to stop chaos, or to kill the monsters that disturb the society. In this respect
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the relation between the hero and the monster is depicted. In Beowulf, Beowulf is the alp or the epic hero and comes from Geatland to Denmark to save the Hrothgar’s society from Grendel. Beowulf is aware of the fact that once Hrothgar helped Beowulf’s father, and for this reason Beowulf, himself, intend to help Hrothgar by killing the monster. Unsimilar to this, Basat belongs to the Oğuz society, and he decides to kill Tepegöz that disturbs his society. After the bargain between Korkut Ata and Tepegöz, Tepegöz eats men day by day, and those who have three sons give one away have two left and those having two sons give one away and have one left: There was a name by the name of Kalpak Khan who had two sons. He had given one son away and was left now with only one. But now it was his turn to give the remaining son away. His wife cried and expressed much grief. It happened that Basat, the son of Uruz Koja, who had been away on an expedition against the infidels, returned home at this time. The poor woman thought: “Basat has just returned from a raid, but let me go to him; perhaps he will give me one of his prisoners, whom I can give to Tepegöz instead of my son”. (126) After listening to the grief of the mother, he decides to meet Tepegöz in order to kill him. In this respect Basat is not aware of the fact that Tepegöz is carrying a magical ring, which saves him from death. In Beowulf there is not any token such as the magical ring that Tepegöz has in The Book of Dede Korkut. This ring is given by the fairy mother of Tepegöz: “My son, may an arrow never pierce your body and a sword never cut your skin” (124). In this respect it may be asserted that Beowulf does not belong to the society of the Danes, but comes from Geatland to protect them from the
22 disaster in Beowulf. Unsimilar to this Basat belongs to the Oğuz dynasty and saves Oğuz people by killing Tepegöz. As both of the epics have the alps, they fight with the monsters that bring disasters to societies. Beowulf, for example, kills three monsters and it cannot be observed that he talks to them. He only does his job as an examplary hero, and kills Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the dragon respectively: Beowulf was granted The glory of winning; Grendel was driven Under the fen-banks, fatally hurt, To his desolate lair (22). Unsimilar to the fighting scene in Beowulf, Basat kills Tepegöz after long speeches in The Book of Dede Korkut. Basat tries to kill Tepegöz many times but due to the magical ring of the monster, he cannot achieve his goal at first, and after that he realizes the only flesh is his one eye: Basat got near Tepegöz’s head, lifted his eyelid, and saw thathis eye was really made of flesh. He then said, Ho, cooks, put the skewer in the fire and make it red-hot. Basat took it in his hand, and, repeating his belief in Mohammed- his name be praised- he then pushed the skewer so hard into Tepegöz’s eye that he completely destroyed it. Tepegöz roared so much that his cry echoed in the rock and mountains. (129) After giving harm to the eye of Tepegöz, Basat springs away and jumps into the flock of sheep in the cave. Tepegöz knows that Basat is still somewhere in the cave and Tepegöz starts to play a magical game with him. Tepegöz talks to Basat to understand where he is in the cave; the monster intends to give his magical ring, and tells the place of his hidden treasure in order to kill him, but Tepegöz cannot deceive him. After a long
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speech Tepegöz understands that Basat is a clever hero not to be killed and says that: My eye, my only eye. Young man, you denied me my single brown eye. May Allah Almighty withdraw your sweet life. This eye pain which now I endured is so great Let Allah give no man such pain to be borne (131). It is interesting that the giant Tepegöz is in pain and although he is not Muslim he prays as if he were religious. After the speech of Tepegöz, Basat also answers the questions of the monster and kills him without getting the fatal wound: Basat stood up, angry. Making Tepegöz kneel down like a camel, he cut off his head with his sword. He made a hole through the head, put the string of his bow through it, and dragged it to the entrance of the cave. (132) In the end of the epic, Beowulf gets the fatal wound after killing the dragon, and he dies: Then the bane of that people, the fire-breathing dragon, Was mad to attack for a third time. When a chance came, he caught the hero In a rush of flame and clamped sharp fangs Into his neck. Beowulf’s body ran wet with his life blood (67). Unsimilar to Beowulf’s death, Basat kills Tepegöz with victory and Korkut Ata appears to pray for him: May the dark mountains listen to you. May the bloody rivers allow passage to you. You have taken vengeance for your brother’s blood in a manly way, and you have relieved the strong Oğuz beys of a
24 heavy burden. My khan, may Allah never separate you from the clean faith as long as you live, and may He forgive your sins for the sake of Mohammed- his name be praised- oh, my khan. (133) As a consequence it may be asserted that the relation of the alp and monster in the western epic, Beowulf, and in pre-Islamic epic, The Book of Dede Korkut, displays both differences and similarities. The concept of the belief system in epics varies depending upon the periods before and after the monotheistic beliefs that are respectively Christianity and Islam. At this stage it may be inferred that Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the dragon may stand for the deities depicted in Celtic and Scandinavian mythologies in terms of polytheism, but after conversion to Christianity they stand for the descendants of Cain. Although Beowulf is put down into writing in the seventh century B.C. the hero Beowulf is considered to be a pure Christian after conversion to Christianity as well. Similar to Beowulf, The Book of Dede Korkut both preserves the Sky-God belief and a monotheistic belief Islam although it is put down into writing in the ninth century A.D. There is no such a clue that TepegÜz was in disguise of the Sky-God belief god, but after conversion to Islam, he prays like a Muslim. Basat, the alp of The Book of Dede Korkut, is also observed as a Muslim. Altough both of the epics have the similar process in converting into monotheistic beliefs, the deeds of the heroes do not change, but they act as if they were the believers of the new faiths. It may be asserted that in pre-Christian Beowulf and pre-Islamic The Book of Dede Korkut the hero has supernatural powers or inborn abilities to fight against the monsters. The major character of the epic is an alp, or epic hero, who endures the worst possible scenarios in life to save his people from disasters. Epic is usually known by the alp's name. He is fully
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supported by a sizable cast of characters and is opposed by powerful and treacherous
monsters.
Regardless
of
the
hopelessness
of
the
circumstances, the alp of Beowulf and The Book of Dede Korkut can never be subjugated and can never abandon the fight, and in the end they deserve their titles to be heroes. 1
Legouis, 1943, 22. The scop is a story-telling singer, and his role in the poem includes the position of historian and announcer of heroic codes. 3 2003, xiii. 4 1972, 14. 5 Elibeyzade, 1988, 1. 6 Ergin, 1989, 56. 7 Heaney, 2002, xxiii. 8 1996, 78. 9 2003, 20. 10 In The Book of Dede Korkut, Dede Korkut is sometimes observed as Korkut Ata. 11 1967, 529. 12 Başgöz, 1978, 312. 13 Alexander, 1973, 15. 14 1978, 313. 15 2003, 98, 2003, XVIII. 16 1992, 132. 17 1972, 32. 18 Cherniss, 1972, 33. 19 Webster, 2002, 221. 20 Nebiyev, 2000, 66. 21 Ergin, 1989,56. 22 Ergin, 1989, 28. 23 Nebiyev, 2000, 66. 24 Sümer, 1997, 6. 25 Su, 1972,3-17. 26 Baldick, 2000, 87. 27 Sakaoğlu, Duymaz, 2003, 129. 28 Raffel, 1991, 23. 29 Cherniss, 1972, 30. 30 1997, 86. 31 Cherniss, 1972, 32. 32 Sümer, 1991, xv, Ergin, 1989, 23. 33 Ekiz, 1986, 11. 2
26 34
Sakaoğlu, Duymaz, 2003, 126. 2003, 125. 36 Evans, 1997, 58. 37 Evans, 1997, 59. 38 The references to the text will be by the line numbers given in paranthetical references in Beowulf. 39 The references to the text will be given as page numbers in the paranthetical references as The Book of Dede Korkut is a combination of alternating verse and prose sections. 40 1912, 424. 41 Cherniss, 1972, 45. 42 Cherniss, 1972, 46. 43 Binyazar, 1996, 39. 44 Ekiz, 1986, 27. 45 2003, 20. 46 Owen, Crocker, 2000, 86. 47 1988, 57. 48 Cherniss, 1972, 125. 49 1912, 394. 50 1999, 1. 51 Chambers, 1967, 534. 52 Kaplan, 1958, 151. 53 Beydili, 2004, 168. 35
References Alexander, Michael. (1973), Beowulf. London: Penguin Books. Baldick, Julian. (2000), Animal and Shaman. New York: New York University Press. Başgöz, İlhan. (1978), Heroic Epic and Saga. London: Indiana University Press. Beydili, Celal. (2004), Türk Mitolojisi Ansiklopedik Sözlük. Ankara: Yurt Kitap Yayın. Binyazar, Adnan.(1996), Dede Korkut. İstanbul: YKY. Binyazar, Adnan. (1973), Dedem Korkut. İstanbul: Milliyet Yayınları. Boratav, Pertev N.(1988), Halk Hikayeleri ve Halk Hikayeciliği. İstanbul: Adam Yayınları.
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Chadwick, Munro.(1912), The Heroic Age. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Chambers, R.W. (1967), Beowulf. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Cherniss, Michael. (1972), Ingeld and Christ. Paris: Mouton. Cohen, Jeffrey Jerome. (1999) Of Giants, Sex and Monster and the Middle Ages. London: University of Minnesota Press. Çobanoğlu, Özkul. (2003), Türk Dünyasında Epik Destan Geleneği. Ankara: Akçağ. Donoghue, Daniel.(2002), Ed. Beowulf. Trans. Seamus Heaney. London: Norton&Company. Ekiz, Osman Nuri.(1986), Dede Korkut. İstanbul: Kastaş Yayınları. Elibeyzade, Elmeddin. (1988), Kitab-ı Dede Korkut. Bakı: Yazıcı. Ergin, Muharrem. (1989), Dede Korkut Kitabı I: Giriş- Metin-Faksimile. Ankara: TTK Basımevi. Ergin, Muharrem. (1991), Dede Korkut Kitabı II: Indeks- Gramer. Ankara: TTK Basımevi. Ergin, Muharrem. (1980), Dede Korkut Kitabı. İstanbul: Boğaziçi Yayınları. Evans, Stephen S. (1997) The Lords of Battle, Image and Reality of the Comitatus in Dark Age Britain. Suffolk: The Boydell Press. Kaplan, Mehmet. (1958) Oğuz Kağan Destanı ile Dede Korkut Kitabında Eşya ve Aletler. Ankara: TTK Basımı. Kaplan, Mehmet; “Dede Korkut Kitabı’nda Kadın”, Türkiyat Mecmuası (1946-51) 99. Legouis, Emile.(1943), A History of English Literature. London: J.M Dent and Sons LTD.
28 Nebiyev, Bekir; “Kitab-ı Dede Korkut Ansiklopedisi”, Bilge Dergisi 25(2000), 66-69. Orchard, Andy.(2003), A Critical Companion to Beowulf. Cambridge: Brewer. Owen, Gale, Cracker. (2000), The Four Funerals in Beowulf. Manchester: Manchester University Press. Sakaoğlu, Salim, Ali Duymaz. (2003) İslamiyet Öncesi Türk Destanları. İstanbul: Ötüken. Su, Mükerrem Kamil.(1972), Oğuz ve Ergenekon Destanı. Ankara: MEB Yayınları. Sümer, Faruk, Ahmet Uysal and Warren Walker. (1991), The Book of Dede Korkut. Austin: University of Texas Press. Sümer, Faruk.(1999), Oğuzlar( Türkmenler). İstanbul: Türk Dünyası Araştırmaları Vakfı. Webster, Leslie. (2002), Archeology of Beowulf. New York: Norton Publishing.