The Two Faces of the Medallion: The Narrative of Salur Kazan and The Seven-Headed Dragon in the Context of Universalist Dichotomy
Aynur Koçak, Berna ÖzpınarWith human existence, abstract and concrete products have emerged through thinking, and cultural development has taken place. Some nations that have advanced their cultures have also created bodies of wisdom. Turkish people, who have reached an advanced level of culture and civilization, have developed their own type of wisdom through collective contemplation, forming a realistic worldview that can serve as a source for others. Because wisdom is a worldview, it is related to cosmogony. In the oldest and most original cosmogonic understanding of the Turks, all manifestations of the universe are based on the two fundamental systems called the “universalist dichotomy”, represented by the Sky and Earth. Although these two universal breaths (two universal principles) oppose each other, they are believed to complement each other and establish a harmonious unity. The universalist dichotomy, which is reflected in every aspect of life, also maintains its place in Turkish mythological narratives. Mythological narratives are compositions of symbols. Analyzing the symbols allows us to reach the underlying layers of meaning beneath the visible part of the narratives. This study aims to decipher the symbols in the “The Narrative of Salur Kazan Kills the Seven-Headed Dragon” through the hermeneutical method to reach the underlying layers of meaning and to demonstrate that the narrative is based on a dualistic system. For that purpose, the narrative, consisting of two parts, will be examined separately and then as a whole, and the compositions formed by symbol analysis will be evaluated together. Although this particular narrative has been extensively researched and examined, it is significant that this study approaches it for the first time in the context of universalist dichotomy.
Madalyonun İki Yüzü: Evrenselci Dikotomi Bağlamında Salur Kazan ve Yedi Başlı Ejderha Anlatısı
Aynur Koçak, Berna Özpınarİnsan var oluşuyla birlikte düşünerek ortaya soyut ve somut ürünler çıkarmış, kültürel gelişme göstermiştir. Kültürlerini ileri noktalara taşıyabilen milletlerin bir kısmı hikmet oluşturabilmiştir. İleri bir kültür ve uygarlık düzeyine ulaşan Türkler de kolektif tefekkür eşliğinde kendilerine özgü hikmeti ortaya çıkararak diğerlerine kaynak oluşturacak gerçekçi dünya görüşüne sahip olmuştur. Hikmet bir dünya görüşü olduğundan kozmogoniyle ilişkilidir. Türklerin en eski ve öz kozmogonik anlayışında kâinatın bütün tezahürleri, Gök ve Yer’in temsil ettiği “evrenselci dikotomi” de denilen iki ilkeli sisteme dayanır. Bu sistemi oluşturan iki evrensel nefesin (iki ilke) birbirine zıt olsalar da birbirlerini tamamladıkları, denk bir şekilde uyumlu birlik kurdukları düşünülmektedir. Yaşamın her alanına yansıyan evrenselci dikotomi anlayışı, Türk mitolojik anlatılarında da yerini korumaktadır. Mitolojik anlatılar bir semboller bileşkesidir. Sembollerin çözümlenmesi anlatıların görünür kısmının altındaki anlam katmanlarına ulaşmayı sağlar. Bu çalışmada “Salur Kazan’ın Yedi Başlı Ejderha’yı Öldürmesi” anlatısındaki sembollerin hermeneutik yöntemle çözümlenip alttaki anlam katmanlarına ulaşmak ve anlatının iki ilkeli sistem üzerine oturduğunu göstermek amaçlanmaktadır. Bunun için iki bölümden oluşan anlatı önce ayrı sonra bütün halinde ele alınarak incelenecek ve sembol çözümlemelerinin oluşturduğu bileşkeler birlikte değerlendirilecektir. Üzerinde çokça araştırma ve inceleme yapılan söz konusu anlatının evrenselci dikotomi bağlamında ilk kez ele alınışı çalışmayı önemli kılmaktadır.
Since the beginning of their existence, humans have produced abstract and concrete products through thinking and have made cultural developments. Some nations that advanced their cultures have achieved that progress in parallel with their thoughts, and have created bodies of wisdom. Every body of wisdom is created by the nature of the entire nation to which it belongs. The Turkish nation has created its own unique type of wisdom. Turkish wisdom has emerged through collective contemplation, which can be referred to as the collective thought of society, in which no one has sole authority. The Turks, who have interacted with people from numerous geographic areas and have reached an advanced level of culture and civilization, have acquired a realistic worldview that can act as a source for others. Because wisdom is a worldview, it is related to cosmogony.
In the oldest and most original cosmogonic understanding of the Turks, the universe is based on a dual system represented by the Sky and Earth, which is also known as the “universalist dichotomy.” This cosmology of the Turks is attributed to the Chou Dynasty, which dominated the current Chinese territories between 1059 and 249 B.C. The Chou Dynasty, coming from its homeland in Inner Asia, brought its own worldview and the dualistic system called “dichotomy” to these lands, namely to the current Chinese territories. Because this cosmology is claimed to be universal, researchers refer to it as universalistic. In essence, this system, which encompasses two principles (universalist dichotomy), consists of two universal breaths (two universal principles) that are opposite but complementary, equal, and integrative. Since it is believed that the entire universe is formed by the harmonious unity of these two principles by these people, this understanding has an impact on all aspects of life. The understanding of universalist dichotomy (the two-principle or dualistic system) is also found in Turkish mythology, because it is reflected in material culture and narratives. It can be understood that this concept maintains its place at the very core and depth of the narratives and that the narratives are based on a dualistic system.
When mythology is considered as a composition of symbols in a general sense, decoding the symbols allows us to reach the underlying layers of the narratives. Thus it is revealed what the mythological narratives really want to tell. Similarly, to reveal each meaning of the deep layers of the narratives of Turkish mythology, it is necessary to analyze the symbols. In this study, the aim is to reach the meanings in the underlying layers of the narrative by decoding the symbols in the “Narrative of Salur Kazan Kills the Seven-Headed Dragon” in the Oguzname (oral and written texts about the history and lifestyle of the Oghuzs), which was discovered in 2019. Explanations of the symbols in the narrative will be examined using hermeneutical methods, and the combinations of meanings will be evaluated in the context of universalist dichotomy. In that way, it will be possible to reach the understanding of universalist dichotomy that is hidden symbolically in the underlying layers of the narrative and even to understand that the narrative is based on the understanding of universalist dichotomy (the two-principle or dualistic system).
The “Narrative of Salur Kazan Kills the Seven-Headed Dragon” consists of two parts. The first part is about the battle that Salur Kazan wages with his army, narrated in his own words. The second part tells the story of Salur Kazan’s struggle with the Seven-Headed Dragon, narrated by a third person. Although the two parts might initially appear to be disconnected, they are understood to be related, and they form a whole, like two sides of a coin, through analysis of symbols. In this article, the two parts of the text are first examined separately, and the symbols are interpreted using hermeneutical methodology. Then an attempt is made to connect the two parts by adhering to the conditions of the universalist dichotomy, based on the explanation of symbols. The aim is to reach the deepest layer of the text and demonstrate that the two parts indeed complement each other, forming a complete entity of contrasting yet harmonious components. Thus it is revealed that the text consists of stories about the outer and inner worlds (external and internal worlds) of humans.
Since its discovery, the “The Narrative of Salur Kazan Kills the Seven-Headed Dragon” has been the subject of extensive research and examination. However, this study is significant because it approaches the narrative for the first time within the context of the universalist dichotomy, which is the oldest and most original understanding of the Turks.
