MYTHOLOGICAL BIRDS, THE EAGLE AND THE GRIFFON, SYMBOLS OF DIVINE POWER AND AUTHORITY IN TURKISH MYTHOLOGY TÜRK MİTOLOJİSİNDE TANRISAL GÜÇ VE İKTİDARIN SEMBOLÜ MİTOLOJİK KUŞLAR: KARTAL VE GRİFON
Turk Kulturu ve Haci Bektas Veli - Arastirma Dergisi, sa.119, ss.715-730, 2026 (Scopus, TRDizin)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.60163/tkhcbva.1921733
- Dergi Adı: Turk Kulturu ve Haci Bektas Veli - Arastirma Dergisi
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Directory of Open Access Journals, TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM), MLA International Bibliography
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.715-730
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Divine Power and Sovereignty, Griffon and Eagle Symbolism, Mythological Bird Motifs, Turkic Mythology
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- Akdeniz Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Throughout history, numerous societies have produced representations of various beings inspired by their natural surroundings and endowed these figures with layered symbolic meanings. Within the context of the nomadic steppe culture, Turkic communities prominently featured motifs of predatory and mythological birds in their visual and symbolic repertoire. This phenomenon, however, was by no means exclusive to the Turks; comparable avian motifs are widely attested across a broad spectrum of ancient civilizations, including those of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Anatolia, Iran, Europe, the Americas, and the Far East. In these cultural contexts, such motifs were commonly construed as emblems of sovereignty and as antagonists to malevolent forces. Moreover, they were frequently conceived as intermediaries between the divine and the human realms, embodying and transmitting divine power and authority on earth. Within the Turkic cultural sphere, two principal avian figures emerge with particular prominence: the eagle and the mythical griffon, the latter being a composite creature formed through the amalgamation of anatomical features derived from multiple animals. This study undertakes a critical examination of the extant scholarship and archaeological evidence pertaining to these mythological birds, spanning the period from pre-Islamic Turkic societies to the Seljuk era. Drawing upon the available data, the study seeks to elucidate the symbolic meanings attributed to these figures within the frameworks of religious life, mythology, socio-cultural organization, and political governance. The analysis ultimately demonstrates that, while these mythological bird symbols encompass a multiplicity of meanings within Turkic culture, they assume particular significance as emblematic representations of the divinely sanctioned power and political authority vested in Turkic khagans.