Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Milli Folklor, cilt.2017, sa.115, ss.119-132, 2017 (Scopus)
© 2017, Milli Folklor Dergisi. All rights reserved.Processing the real events or persons in different aspects is a natural result of the oral culture products. An example of this can be found in the Epic of Manas. In the variant compiled by W. Radloff, the second hero named Aykoco who is processed shortly appears in details in the variant of Sagımbay Orazbak uulu. Aykoco is a good example for both how the same hero was processed in different variants within oral traditions and how the real personality converts into an oral culture personality and how a mission can be given to these heroes. Aykoco’s identity is defined as Ebu Nasr Samânî in the epic. When this name is considered diachronically, it is seen that Ebu Nasr Samânî is a religious personality who lived in the period of Satuq Bughra Khan, however, it is not possible to consider this religious personality who lived in the 10th century and Ebu Nasr Samânî in the epic with the perspective of a literature historian. It is possible to explain Aykoco, who turns into a legendary hero with its mythological character due to the word “ay” and a man of wisdom due to the word “koco” in its name, with Walter J. Ong’s “oral culture” theory. Aykoco, which was created in accordance with oral culture, takes role as a supernatural helper with its personality of wise old men in the period of Manas’ passage and it performs a mission which extends to the tenth century from the beginning of the seventh century by making the connection between Manas and prophet beyond the realistic lines of consciousness. Manas gains the identity of a blessed hero which is known to come to the earth even in the period of the prophet like the oral culture heroes such as Ahmet Yesevi, Battal Gazi mentioned in the tradition with the contribution of the cultural memory and through the relics conveyed in extraordinary conditions by Ebu Nasr Samânî/Aykoco. As a result, Abu Nasr Samânî is an example of reflection of a real religious person who lived in the history and converted into a helper legendary hero with its name turning into Aykoco and its physical and functional features given in the epic and its miracles.