Snake-Shahmaran in Legends and Folktales of Anatolia

From the beginning of mankind, the serpent has been a very important entity in the life of mankind. The human being who tried to make sense of the environment and the entities in which he interacted, put the snake in a different place from other animals since the primitive periods. The periods show progress by influencing each other and benefiting from the cultural accumulation of each other. The societies also carry their beliefs, cultural accumulations, traditions, and meanings that they attach to beings sonraki through their collective consciousness. The snake, which had an important place in the life of mankind in the primitive period, was seen as an important metaphor in the period of monotheistic religions. In some religions, the snake was considered sacred, and in some religions it was considered a cursed being. The snake, believed to be immortal due to regular skin changes, has been accepted as a symbol of fertility because it is associated with the waters and the land. In addition, the snake-male context of snake-male fertility is also loaded. These snake-loaded features have been instrumental in taking the snake as an important metaphor in tales, especially in tales and legends. When the fairy tales and legends of the Anatolian field which host many civilizations are examined, it is seen that the serpent is a factor in almost every area of cultural history and life of Turks, especially Turks. Sahmeran, who is known as the king of the serpent, has continued to exist as an important metaphor in the history of culture and in the collective consciousness of societies. He was described as a snake on the upper part of the waist and the snake on the lower part of his waist. Because of the physical characteristics he possessed, he was both feared and respected by mankind. Sahmeran, who is believed to know the language of all living beings on earth and has endless knowledge, especially people, has been transferred to the present day from generation to generation in myths and other narrative genres. Sahmeran paintings on the houses in Anatolia and the use of the Şahmaran motif in many art genres, especially the sub-glass art, is the best proof of the existence of the past despite the common consciousness of the human being.