Evaluation of Kirghiz epics in terms of folk law

Human have arranged several rules to live together and adapted themselves to these rules. When they do not obey the rules, they are imposed with penal sanctions. These rules are basically called law. Law arranges and controls interpersonal, individual-state, state-individual and interstate relationships. Each society has rules specific to its own cultural structure. Social, cultural, geoghraphical, economic and psycological agents are principal factors diversifying these rules. The structures of folk law diversified by these agents are also available in addition to positive legislation systems, and these structures can vary according to societies. Many data of folk law are available in migrant tribes in Turkish cultural system. It is possible to see the data of folk law when the creations of folk literature are reviewed. Epics are texts reflecting cultural structures of nations. In this study, the data of folk law are evaluated reviewing epic texts. Kirghiz Turks, one of the Turkish tribes with greatest epic tradition, is selected as the domain of the study. Kirghiz Turks is among the oldest Turkish tribes in Central Asia. That's why, Kirghiz Turks has a strong and rich oeuvre of epics. In the study, it is aimed to investigate Kirghiz epics with structural-functional method, and determine Kirghiz folk law and its operational mechanism. The concept of folk law is formatted by social norms and it differs in practice in the reviewed epics. Therefore, the study is based on the social norms and the practices in epic texts formatting the concept folk law. The study's results show that folk law has the function of controlling and supporting social structure and it serves to protect social structure.