Alkış ve Kargışlara İşlevsel Bir Bakış: Er Sogotoh Destanı Örneği
Alkışlar ve kargışlar, Türk halk edebiyatının anonim türleri arasında yer alırlar. Dua ve beddua olarak bilinen alkış ve kargışlar, aslında Türk kültürü içerisinde birçok farklı amaçla kullanılırlar. Alkış ve kargışların özünü anlamanın en iyi yolu onların içerisinde oluştuğu kültürü bilmekten ve onların hangi işlevlere sahip olduklarını anlamaktan geçer. Esasen tüm halk edebiyatı ürünleri için geçerli olan bu araştırma yöntemi, alkış ve kargışların işlevsel değerini görmek açısından oldukça faydalıdır. Günümüzde kullanım alanı değişmiş olan alkışlar, Türk kültüründe genellikle öncelikli olarak dileklerin ifadesinde, daha sonra ise övgü ve beğeninin anlatımında, saygı gösterisinde ve kötülüklerden kaçınma metodu olarak söylenmektedirler. Kargışlar ise kötü, sıkıntılı, sancılı, üzüntülü, korkunç durumlarda ya tehditkâr unsurun tehdit edilerek korkutulmasında ya da üzüntünün, şikâyetin dile getirilmesinde kullanılırlar. Bu ürünlerin kullanımının en iyi görülebileceği yerlerden biri kuşkusuz Türk kültürünün geçmiş kodlarıyla birlikte yaşamaya ve korunmaya devam ettiği coğrafyalardır. Bunların arasında rahatlıkla Sibirya’yı saymak mümkündür. Saha Türkleri, bir Sibirya halkı olarak kadim Türk kültürünü ve destancılık geleneğini muhafaza eden bir topluluktur. Bu topluluğun en meşhur kültürel ürünlerinden biri Er Sogotoh Destanı’dır. Bu çalışmada alkış ve kargış konusuna Er Sogotoh Destanı çerçevesinde bakılacak olup, destandan çıkarılacak alkış ve kargış örnekleri işlevlerine göre incelenecektir. Kültürel unsurları daha iyi anlamamızı sağlayan işlevselci teori kapsamında alkış ve kargışın Er Sogotoh Destanı’nda hangi durumlarda ve hangi amaçlarla söylendikleri üzerinde durulacaktır.
A Functional Approach to Blessing and Cursing: The Sample of the Epic of Er Sogotoh
Blessing and cursing are among the anonymous genres of Turkish folk literature. They are actually used for many different purposes in the Turkish culture. The best way to understand the essence of blessing and cursing is to know the culture in which they originate and to understand what functions they have. This research method, which is essentially valid for all folk literature products, is very useful in terms of seeing the functional value of blessing and cursing. Blessing, whose usage area has changed a little today, is generally used in the Turkish culture primarily in expressing wishes, then as a method of expressing praise and admiration, showing respect, and avoiding evil. Cursing is used in bad, troubled, painful, sad, and horrible situations, either to threaten the threatening element or to express sadness and complaint. The best place to observe the use of these products is undoubtedly the geographies where the Turkish culture continues to exist and to be protected with its past codes. Among them, it is possible to count Siberia easily. The Saha Turks are a community that preserves the ancient Turkish culture and epic tradition as Siberian people. One of the most famous cultural products of this community is the Epic of Er Sogotoh. In this study, the subject of blessing and cursing will be examined within the framework of the Epic of Er Sogotoh, and the examples of blessing and cursing to be extracted from the epic will be examined according to their functions. Within the scope of the functionalist theory that enables us to better understand cultural elements, it will be dwelled on in which situations and for what purposes blessing and cursing are said in the Epic of Er Sogotoh.
Anonymous folk literature includes many phrases. Blessing and cursing are also included. Blessing and cursing, which have an exuberant expression, are effective in enlivening the expression and strengthening the meaning and are quite unique genres. Blessing has been seen since ancient times as phrases used to wish goodness, beauty, and protection from dangers. On the other hand, cursing is the verbalization of the human reaction to dangerous and difficult situations. Religion is the most important factor in the formation and shaping of blessing and cursing. Human beings who want to direct nature according to their personal or social interests have put the most important trump card in their hands, namely, the word. The first forms of blessing and cursing are probably the requests and wishes from the sacred that man conveys through words. Man must find a method, a logical and impressive way by which he can calm the supernatural beings he is afraid of and anxious about and eliminate their dangers. Thus, he finally decides to use the word in an impressive way. It can be thought that such a process is at the root of the formation of blessing and cursing.
Chaos is a danger to man. The chaotic environment in which order is disturbed is an unsafe place making it difficult or impossible for a person to survive. One tries to avoid it, and if encountered, one tries to get rid of it. There is a striving to be protected from all kinds of bad situations and to build goodness, righteousness, order, well-being, comfort, and trust. Blessing and cursing, which we can accept as part of our efforts to preserve or rebuild order, enables man to stay in touch with beings he thinks may be dangerous through wishes and appeals. It can be said that blessing and cursing, shaped by mythological understanding, lost their first magical state in daily life. Despite this, it is possible to encounter the forms of blessing and cursing, reflecting the mythological understanding in folk literature such as myth, fairy tale, and epic.
Folk literature products, and among them blessing and cursing, can be handled from many different angles. However, in order to better understand such products, it is necessary to first discover what functions they serve in the society. This is where the functionalist theory comes into play. Accordingly, every cultural product has emerged to serve a purpose. Every product produced will be used and consumed. It is not possible for a cultural phenomenon that serves no purpose to emerge. A cultural product is always shaped according to the function it serves. Therefore, in order to understand a product, it is necessary to first examine the context and the function that shapes it.
The Epic of Er Sogotoh, which is the most famous example of Saha folk literature, is a text convenient to examine in terms of blessing and cursing while giving information such as beliefs, social structure, and family structure. It is possible to find quite original and aesthetic forms of blessing and cursing in the epic.
In the Epic of Er Sogotoh, blessing and curving are spilled from the language of the heroes or all supernatural beings with whom they relate, from time to time in the most enthusiastic situations, at the highest of emotions, or at critical times. In this study, blessing and cursing in the Epic of Er Sogotoh will be examined and an evaluation will be made on the functions within which they are diversified.
