The Origin, Historical Roots and Geographical Area of the "Koroğlu" Epic

Abstract

Many studies have been conducted on the origin and spread of the “Koroghlu” epic. This is clearly evident from the information given at the beginning of this topic. The main purpose of the article is to investigate issues such as the origin, historical roots, and geographical area of the epic, which maintains its current status in Turkish and world epics. The antiquity of the epic’s origin is inferred from the ‘Ali kishi’ branch. The first elements of Turkish epics are preserved here. This is also evidenced by the fact that the plot of the epic is linked to the motif of “childlessness.” The poems recited by Koroghlu, Nigar, and Selma Hanim likewise substantiate this point. Koroghlu was immortal and invincible because of his divine origin. The epic is not only rooted in mythology but is also interconnected with history and actual events. The perspectives of Tahmasib and Abbaslı on the epic, as well as their views regarding Rovshan, Koroghlu, and Chanlıbel, provide a basis for asserting this. Research, along with the views of Azerbaijani and Turkish scholars, indicates that the Koroghlu epic and certain events associated with Koroghlu are connected to the Achaemenid–Gokturk wars. The historical roots of the epic are linked with the events that occurred in the 16th - 17th centuries. Historical information shows that Koroghlu and several of his comrades-in-arms joined the Jelali movement. Koroghlu, a poet-minstrel, rose to the level of an epic hero under the influence of the historical and cultural conditions of this period. The epic began to take shape on the basis of the pre-Islamic Achaemenid-Gokturk conflicts and was fully formed as an independent epic within the powerful minstrel tradition of the seventeenth century. Its primary geographical scope includes Transcaucasia, South Azerbaijan, Anatolia, Iraq, the Balkans, and Crimea. The claims that Chanlıbel or Chamlıbel is located in the mountainous region between Erzurum and Kars in Anatolia, and according to other studies on the western side of Sivas, appear to be close to reality. The epic is especially well-known in this geographical area.