Oguz Kagan Epic in the context of updating folk narratives (1923-2021)

Oghuz Kagan Epic, one of the cultural narratives belonging to the Oghuzname tradition, is considered one of the remarkable texts of Turkish epic culture. The epic in question differs from other epics because it contains both the ideal of Oghuz Khan, who is presented as the legendary ruler of the Turks, and some motifs belonging to mythological thought. Until today, a considerable number of scientific studies have been conducted on the epic, which has attracted the attention of local and foreign researchers. However, these studies have mostly focused on the language and content features of the epic. On the other hand, the epic has been the subject of updating activities by writers and poets in the process of rewriting folk narratives in Turkish literature, especially in the Republican period. Accordingly, it is seen that the content and motif structure of the reinterpreted epic sometimes changes depending on the adaptation / intertextuality process and is constructed as a new text. In this respect, it is important to compare Oğuz Kağan Epic with the texts written in the process of rewriting folk narratives. In this study, the texts of the Oghuz Kagan Epic between 1923-2021 in the genres of novel, story, fairy tale, verse and theater will be examined.