Abstract
Good and Evil in the Traditional World View of the Kazan-Tatar Turks According to Proverbs
There are certain values and rules that the individual has to comply with in order to maintain the social life in a certain order and harmony. Among these values and rules are knowing good and bad, inclining towards good and staying away from evil; These should be taught to the individual and reminded from time to time. At this point, it is seen that proverbs have an important function alongside with traditional narratives such as myths, tales and legends. For this reason, proverbs, which are symbolic images of the perception, thinking and understanding of the society, and which we accept as a reference in reflecting cultural patterns and behavioral patterns, forms the starting point when determining the understanding of good and evil in the traditional worldview of Kazan-Tatar Turks. In this study; the understanding of good and evil in the traditional worldview of Kazan-Tatar Turks; the perception of good and evil, the source of good and evil, their similar and different aspects, the characteristics of good and bad people, the consequences of being good or bad, have been aimed to be determined by drawing on sample texts based on proverbs. The material of the study consists of 145 proverbs about good and evil in the third volume of the three-volume series, Tatar Halık Mekalleri (Tatar People's Proverbs), by Nekıy İsenbet. In the examinations, it is stated that the proverbs constitute the essence of the traditional world view and folk philosophy of the Kazan-Tatar Turks, and it has clear codes in reflecting the socio-cultural values and norms system in relation to the perception of good and bad in folk thought; It has been seen that it has a teaching function in transferring this information from generation to generation, guiding the attitude and behavior of the individual by distinguishing good and bad, and encouraging the good, truth and beauty with the philosophy of life it points out.
Keywords
Proverbs, traditional world view, Kazan-Tatar Turks, good, evil