Mythical Roots And Current Functions Of The Saint Stories And Legends Connected To Holy Places İn Mardin;

Abstract

Sacred values dating back to the mythic periods are born from humanity’s need to believe. Sacred places and saints who are seemed as proprietorship are occurred in many parts of Anatolia. These beliefs change region to region but they are fed from similar culture bases and they contain similar practices and beliefs for responding to the same needs. In this context, sacred places which are the subject of this study named “yatır” have narratives which are occurred around those places. But in Mardin, some sacred places are independet from saint belief and they are consired as sacred by the people of Mardin. All these places have functions like giving healty, curing infertility, protecting from harmful animals, evil spirits and magic, being fertility source. This study aims to handle the beliefs and narratives which are occured near sacred places “especially Sultan Şeyhmus” with direction of its motifs, functions and culture transmission. Central Mardin and its nearby district form basis of this research. Some of the texts in this research have been obtained by myself as either observer or participant observer while others were obtained by undergraduate students and sent to me in writing. All the necessary permissions regarding the texts were obtained from both the original sources and the compilers whose contact information were available under the compiled texts. When the stories and legends in this research are examined, it is seen that they are founded on old Turkish beliefs and traditions. Today, however, these foundations have been long forgotten by the sources who perform the practices. It has also been determined that Islamic faith, other monotheistic religions and old Turkish beliefs have gained new dimensions and these sacred places have been transformed into centers where they meet the sipiritual needs of the people. © 2019 Cyprus International University. All rights reserved.