THE WINTER BENDS TOWARD SPRING

Ruzbeh Saadati – August 20, 2011

The Book of Dede Korkut is a vital cultural work for many Turkic peoples, especially the Oghuz.

"Today, by studying the past and examining the paths it has taken, we can attain the greatest lamp that illuminates the future."

 — Mirali Seyidov

Throughout history, humans have lived with a desire to dominate events contemporary to their time, to bring them under the control of their own will. This desire has driven the process of the development of human thought, giving rise to new ideas, which later formed structured belief systems.

Since ancient times, concepts like natural fertilization, creation, and death have been evident to humans. People recognized similarities between themselves and nature, sought to draw nature closer to themselves, felt its power, feared it. This gave birth to spiritual beliefs like animism, totemism, and shamanism, as well as polytheistic and dualistic religions. Even in the 21st century, traces of these beliefs can still be found in either concealed or exaggerated forms.

For instance, some young people today wear necklaces that are tied to contemporary forms of shamanistic beliefs. In those beliefs, the people considered Qam-shamans to be possessors of metaphysical power (Mangu). Shamans, relying on this power, would take away people’s pain and sorrow, bringing them peace. At that time, people believed that the Mangu power passed through the shamans. Later, this belief was incorporated into Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, preserved, and carried through to the 21st century. Even today, we see reflections of this belief in various cultures. For example, in many regions, people still believe in the magical power of not wasting bread.

Likewise, in all great peoples of the world, various creation myths can be found.

Among the ancient Hindus, there’s a myth about the creation of the world:
Initially, there was nothing. Before anything else, water came into being. Water gave birth to fire. Fire created a golden egg. From the golden egg came the Great Father (Brahma). He split the egg into two: the upper half became the sky, the lower became the Earth…

According to Japanese mythology, the entire Earth was covered with saltwater. Two great deities, Izanagi and Izanami, sat upon a celestial bridge. Izanagi stirred the salty sea with a spear and, as he lifted it, droplets fell, and from those drops, the first lands of Japan were formed.

Similarly, the ancient Azerbaijanis were not far removed from such reflections. They pondered deeply on questions such as:

"How did the universe come into existence?",
"What is death?",
"What is fate?",
"Who is God?"

They associated the coming of spring with creation, the rain with fertility, dawn with rebirth, the rising sun with hope, and winter, cold, famine, and drought with negativity. These ideas were reflected in their oral literature, music, ceremonies, and traditions—and carried into the modern world.

To further understand this way of thinking, we can reflect on the following Bayati (folk verse):

“Winter is our enemy
Spring is a heavenly garden
Summer gathers and brings
Autumn strikes and scatters”

This Bayati vividly presents the worldview of the ancient Azerbaijani people. They structured the concepts of birth, death, and rebirth around the idea of a year. In this worldview, twelve months form a complete cycle. At the end of these twelve months, the earth flips over, and a new life begins.

Why did our ancestors base this view on the number 12? Answering this is as difficult as discovering what existed before the Big Bang. However, the number 12 has played an important role in many global belief systems:

• In Greek mythology: 12 gods

• In the Bible: 12 tribes of Israel, 12 springs, 12 sons of Jacob

• In Christianity: 12 disciples of Jesus

• In Shia Islam: 12 Imams

Among the Turkic peoples, legends and myths involving 12 are even more numerous. One of the earliest civilizations in history—the Sumerians, considered ancestors of the Turks—left behind 12 clay tablets telling their myths. Similarly, the Book of Dede Korkut contains 12 chapters, and the Turkic lunar calendar divides the year into 12 animal years and months.

As we’ve mentioned, the Azerbaijani people conceptualized life and death based on these 12 months. Spring—the first three months—was considered the time of creation. Before creation, the world was thought to be in darkness. In Turkic beliefs, since light cannot create darkness, it was believed that light must be born from darkness.

This idea contrasts sharply with neighboring European beliefs. For example, in the Persian Zoroastrianism, the god Zurvan creates both light and darkness, a dualist philosophy.

In the Oghuznama, Oghuz’s father is Kara Khan (Black King / Darkness). The name Oghuz (from “Uz”) is believed to refer to stars, daylight, and hence, light. Oghuz was born from darkness (Kara Khan). In this view, Oghuz represents light, and Kara Khan represents darkness. This duality—light and dark, spring and winter—can be seen in the earlier Bayati as well:

“Winter bends toward spring”

Whether willingly or not, winter must give birth to spring. Similarly, in the Christian world, Jesus is born in the cold of winter as a bringer of light, a savior, echoing the same sentiment.

In this view, the changing of winter into spring is thought of as a battle. Opposites are placed against one another. In the Oghuznama, we see this war between Oghuz (light) and his father Kara Khan (darkness). This battle lasts 75 years. At the end, Oghuz defeats Kara Khan and removes him from the world. This coincides with the end of winter in the real world. After this, Oghuz becomes even more powerful, reaching the status of a god.

In the Oghuznama, Oghuz repeatedly names various tribes. In mythological thinking, to name something is to create it. The once sorrowful, cursed tribe who wore dog skins and could not set foot in Turkestan were called Moval, and the tribe that came after Oghuz to help him was named Uighur.

After defeating Kara Khan, Oghuz must now create the universe. The god Oghuz chooses two fairies:

• One comes from a ray of light descending from the sky

• The other from a tree in the middle of a lake

Because the creators of the myth adhered strictly to the narrative, the wives of Oghuz must be fairies. At that point in myth, humans had not yet been created. The Oghuz belief system represents the oldest layer of thought among the people who created the Oghuznama.

From the fairy who came down in light, Oghuz had three sons:

• Sun (Gün)

• Moon (Ay)

• Star (Yulduz)

From the fairy in the lake, he had three other sons:

• Sky (Gök)

• Earth/Mountain (Yer/Dağ)

• Sea (Deniz)

These six sons represent the fundamental elements of creation and are meant to last until the end of the world. As time passes, and human thought evolves, the god Oghuz dies, and his sons are elevated to godhood.

According to this mythology, Oghuz splits into two branches:

• One from light

• One from tree

We see this concept also in the legend of Koroghlu. According to research, Koroghlu is one of the three gods of ancient Azerbaijani belief. At that time, the greatest god was called Qor.

The word Qor means light or fire in Turkic languages. This word lives on in modern names such as Khorasan (place where the sun rises), Khorshid (sun), Qurma, Qorqa, etc.

The people believed that Qor had two sons:

• Koroghlu, young, powerful, loud-voiced, inexperienced

• Dede Qorqud, wise, experienced, elderly

The first represents the ray of the setting sun, and the second the ray of the rising sun, both personified.

Qor
                          
        Dede Qorqud    Koroghlu

In the Epic, Koroghlu Says:

من بیر جلالی یم ، ایشیق دیر آدیم

آتام آدی دیر خور ، آنام خوریشان

“I am Jalali—my name means Light.
My father’s name is Khor, my mother is a companion of the Light.”

According to what Koroghlu says, he himself is Light; his father is Khor (Qor), and his mother is the companion—or spouse—of Qor. In this view, Koroghlu, his father Oghuz, and his mother together are one entity of Light. With such a perspective, Koroghlu is conceptually united with Oghuz’s “Son of Sun.” In the myth, Koroghlu holds a lightning sword in one hand and a kopuz (a stringed instrument) in the other—representing the separation of light and tree (symbolic “hands” of Oghuz), and the union of fairies. The lightning comes from light, the kopuz from wood (tree); after their emergence, nothing is said.

However, during the 16th–17th centuries, among Azerbaijani people, Koroghlu—tied to old beliefs—was historicized and transformed. His lightning sword turned into a legendary sword; he became “the son of the blinded one,” and the people revered him as their hero. They aligned him with khans, leading their clans with valor.

Thus, the contemporary Koroghlu has been modernized and transformed into a character influenced by leftist ideologies. Today, among the most beloved folk epics of Azerbaijan is the Koroghlu tale—and not just as legend, but as a real, lasting figure. In today’s world of diplomacy and cultural power, with its soft and hard dimensions, Koroghlu’s sword echoes like a universal cultural melody.

Since you wish to explore this further, let’s return to the earlier point.

Trees and Light in Turkic Mythology

In all Turkic peoples’ myths and beliefs, tree and light hold exalted places. For example, among the Kyrgyz, there's a tale that connects the origin of humanity with these symbols:

One day, the daughter of Sagan Khan went with ninety-nine attendants on a stroll. They washed themselves in the lake at sunset, illuminated by sunlight streaming through the leaves of a tree. The children were born under the forty branches of that tree. These children were considered the ancestors of the Kyrgyz: their father the Sun, their mother the Forty Daughters, and their lineages the branches of the tree. This is why the beech-like tree is called “kayyn” in Turkic—today used in terms like “father-in-law” and “mother-in-law.” Even now, in some villages, these trees are treated as “sacred trees,” where ceremonies are performed and blessings given.

In the tale “Asli-Kerem”, too, the union of Sun and Tree is driven by love—just as earlier, Koroghlu and Oghuz’s son were born of the union of light and tree. Here, Kerem’s parentage is also symbolic, and understanding who his father and mother are requires investigation.

Kerem’s father, Ziyad Khan, is a Muslim renowned among all peoples. His fame derives from virtue, purity, and light—associated with the sun. Yet, in mythic thought, his parentage is more symbolic than literal. In the tale, after Ziyad Khan’s wife makes a vow and eats a golden apple born from a tree, Kerem is born. The apple’s golden light embodies a divine creative impulse—common in myth for fairies and gods.

The act of producing Kerem from a golden apple is a mythical one, not a literal mythic event. However, in mythological terms, radiant or golden apples frequently symbolize the sun, light, and the origin of life.

This theme also appears in the Book of Dede Korkut:

“The cauldron of Salur Kazan stood ninety golden-headed mountains, ninety being the eighty-eight degrees of the sun’s radiation expanded.”

Here, the golden-headed mountains symbolizing the sun, an arc of ninety—and thus the relationship of Kerem with light and tree is reinforced. The name Kerem, in this mythical frame, further reflects this connection with the sun, the tree, and deity.

Some inaccurate studies have tried to link the origin of Kerem’s name to a verse in the story of “Asli and Kerem”, attempting to reinforce their own interpretations through this.

In the poem, Asli says:

من بيليرم بو ترلانين ايشي ني       كرم ائيله ، ترلانيني گل آپار

باغلاميرام قاناتلارين ايشي ني      كرم ائيله ، ترلانيني گل آپار

"I know what this falcon is after –
Let it go with Kerem, let the falcon fly with him.
I won’t bind the wings’ path –
Let it go with Kerem, let the falcon fly with him."

The formation and shaping of the “Asli and Kerem” tale is rooted in ancient animistic beliefs (the view that everything in the world – mountains, stones, water – is alive). This belief was a spiritual worldview of early humans. However, as time passed, the people gradually romanticized the tale and beautified it.

Therefore, assuming that Kerem’s name originated from a single poem is a misguided notion. Instead, we refer to what the late Mahmud al-Kashgari wrote a thousand years ago in his book “Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk”. Mahmud Kashgari recorded the word Kerem with a specific ancient meaning. According to him, the word Kerem signifies a particular form of Yer Khan, the son of Oghuz, in mythological terms.

From this perspective, Koroghlu and Kerem can be considered half-brothers — they share the same symbolic father but have different symbolic mothers. In the development of popular belief, it’s as if the people "killed" the original Oghuz, and instead, elevated his sons to divinity.

Mahmud al-Kashgari recounts another symbolic belief:
People said that the earth is balanced on the head of a giant ox (“tain boshi”). When it moves, earthquakes happen.
Interpreting this myth—once made literal—can lead to confusion in modern times. But what’s important is how such metaphors shaped cultural views of the world.

Oghuz myths spoke of beasts supporting the earth—when they move, the ground trembles. The ancestral image of the ox (or whale) supporting the earth suggests how early people expressed natural phenomena through myth.

Conclusion

Documenting the worldview and beliefs of our ancestors can't be done with just one stroke. But recognizing how they stood steadfast against darkness—with their myths, their light, and their love of land—inspires us. Ancient Azerbaijanis, rising from darkness into life, carry a sacred duty to honor their ancestors’ views, their stories, and their legacies with eternal respect and continuity.

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Glossary:

• Istənç: will, desire (volition)

• İlkəl: primitive, primordial

• Köklə-şik: classical

• Görəkməli: handsome, elegant

• Örnək: example

• Teməl: basis, foundation

• Təyin: determination, exactly

• Yanıtlamaq: to respond

• Ötəri: passing, transient

• Bəlgə: symbol, sign

• Qünum: position, rank

• Qaynaq: source

• Döllənmək: to become fertilized or impregnated

• Biçimləsmək: to be constituted or formed

• Qanıt: proof

• Zolaq: ray, beam

• Ötək: date, epoch

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Footnotes / Annotations:

[1]
This word’s ancient form is “Bangū”. In the titles of the Orkhon inscriptions, it appears as “Bangū.” In Turkic, this word has undergone transformations into forms like ben–men, bay–may, moyun–boyun, etc.

[2]
Later on, under the influence of the Samurais, it (the sword) was transformed into a steel sword.

[3]
In Greek mythology, the gods of Mount Olympus include:
Zeus, Hera, Athena, Artemis, Aphrodite, Demeter, Apollo, Hermes, Ares, Hephaestus, Poseidon, and Hestia.

[4]
Abū Rayḥān al-Bīrūnī, in his book “Al-Āthār al-Bāqiyah ‘an al-Qurūn al-Khāliyyah” (The Remaining Signs of Past Centuries), explicitly stated that this calendar belonged to the Turks.

[5]
The Zurvan belief system later spread to Persian mythology through the mediation of European researchers. In this process, Europeans crafted myths for themselves, while Persians were labeled as Aryans.

[6]
The word “Dədə” (Dede / Grandfather) holds a high position in Azerbaijan’s Ashiq (folk bard) tradition. As a result, we often see Ashiqs in Azerbaijan who have acquired the title Dədə. For example, the late Dədə Şəmşir (Dede Shamshir).

[7]
In the southwestern part of Miyaneh, there is a village named Kerme (or Kereme).

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Sources / References:

1. Panahi, H. – Dədə Qorqud və Ədəbiyyat Dünyamız (Dede Qorqud and Our Literary World) – Tabriz: Eldar, 1384 [Persian Calendar, ~2005 CE]

2. Tahmasb, Mohammad Hossein – Koroğlu; translated by M. Karimi – Tabriz: Akhtar, 1384 (~2005)

3. Rashid al-Din, Fazlullah – Oghuznameh; translated by R. M. Shukurava; transcribed by Abdolkarim Manzuri Khameneh – Tabriz: Eldar, 1384 (~2005)

4. Seyed Salamat, Mir Ali – Asli and Kerem – Tabriz: Ashina, 1384 (~2005)

5. Seyidov, Mir Ali – Considering the Mythical Roots of the Azerbaijani People; translated by Rahim Shavanli – Tabriz: Akhtar, 1384 (~2005)

6. Kashgari, Mahmud ibn al-Husayn – Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk; Persian translation by H. M. Sadiq – Tabriz: Akhtar, 1383 (~2004)

7. Kuyaji, Jahangir Kuvurji – The Foundations of Myth and Epic in Iran: Sixteen Essays on Comparative Mythology and Epic Studies; edited and compiled by Jalil Doostkhah; with two psychological analyses by Mehrdad Bahar – Tehran: Agah, 1380 (~2001)

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قیش یازا بویلودور ـ بیرینجی بؤلوم
قیش یازا بویلودور - ایکینجی بؤلوم
Original Turkish Article:
https://web.archive.org/web/20120224023827/http://ruzbeh-s.blogfa.com/post-6.aspx 
https://web.archive.org/web/20120222152653/http://ruzbeh-s.blogfa.com/post-7.aspx