Perception of Holiness From Myth to Folk Story

Perception of Holiness

Abstract

Holiness is one of the most important phenomena that has shaped human life from past to present. Human values ​​were determined according to their relationship with the sacred, and social laws continued to exist according to their harmony with the sacred. The phenomenon of holiness, which deeply affects/directs people and society, has also found its reflection in literary works. From the first religious and literary products, myths, to modern stories, every narrative has maintained its relationship with the sacred to a greater or lesser extent. In this study, the phenomenon of holiness is discussed in the sacred stories of primitive societies in myths, heroic stories in epics and folk tales mostly shaped around love. The phenomenon of holiness has been evaluated mostly through the relationship between the heroes in the stories and the sacred and the way these stories are perceived by the public. However, the plots in the stories, the concepts of time and place have also been used as important indicators for understanding the connection between the sacred and the story. These three types of folk narratives followed each other chronologically, and there are many texts related to each of them. The limits of the study necessitate making evaluations on certain examples. For this reason, a sample text reflecting the typical characteristics of each genre was selected for evaluation. Accordingly, the Altai creation myth (Verbitskiy variant), the Oghuz Kagan Epic (Uyghur variant) and the story of Kerem and Asli were evaluated in terms of their relations with the sacred. As a result of the study, it was seen that all three folk narrative genres examined had different relationships with divine powers. When compared to the previous one, each narrative/story's ties with the sacred become weaker - in terms of plot, people, time and place. In the first narratives, direct relations with the gods/sacred were provided by intermediaries later on. Scientific and technological developments, industrialization, urbanization phenomena have brought new knowledge theories along with social and cultural life; this has brought a new and different dimension to the perception of sacredness.