Characteristic features of the female heroes in the Nart epics and their traces in the Circassian society

ABSTRACT CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF THE FEMALE HEROES IN THE NART EPICS AND THEIR TRACES IN THE CIRCASSIAN SOCIETY Berrin GÜNDOĞDU Düzce University Graduate School, Department of the Adyghe Language and Literature Master's Thesis Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Mira Khachemizova May 2025, 125 pages The Circassians, who call themselves "Adyghe" and are one of the ancient peoples of the Caucasus, have been able to pass on their historical and cultural heritage to future generations through oral literature products since they did not have a written language for many years in the past. One of the greatest works of this cultural heritage, the Adyghe Nart Epics, was published in the Republic of Adygea, a part of the Russian Federation, as a seven-volume collection as a result of the compilation work initiated under the leadership of Hadeğal'e Asker. During the compilation work of the Epic, whose language is Circassian, the dialects of the narrators were preserved and put into writing. In this respect, it is different from other epics in terms of language and style. The number of studies on the Nart Epics has been on the rise; however, studies in Turkish are limited. No study has been found that looked at all the female heroes that can be identified in the Adyghe Nart Epics. Therefore, it was decided to conduct this study considering that it would contribute to the literature. Epics are works that reflect the traditions, lifestyle, worldview and values of a people. In this regard, the purpose of this research is to analyze the characteristic features of the female heroes in the Adyghe Nart Epics and to determine their social and cultural traces in the Circassian society. Systematic review model and document analysis were used in the study. The characteristic features of the female heroes were examined one by one. In addition, the cultural values such as traditions, proverbs, geographical place names, dishes, ballads, elements reflecting national identity in the Adyghe Nart Epics were evaluated together, and it was determined that many of these still exist in the cultural codes of today's Circassian society. Keywords: Adyghe, Circassian, Epic, Woman, Mythology, Nart