Motif index of epics "Kasım Oğlan" and "Gövher Kız ve Şiralı Bey"

The epics, which have an important place in the works of oral tradition, are the products that carry the memory of the society they belong to and transfer them from generation to generation. Thanks to the studies, these works are important in terms of determining the cultural heritage of a society and transferring it to future generations. Based on this thought, the epics of "Kasım Oğlan" and "Gövher Kız and Şiralı Bey", which are in the Turkmen epic tradition, have been examined, their motifs have been determined and a motif index has been created. In this context, the motif, which is described as the smallest indivisible unit of the narrative, is an element that ensures that the epics that have been told for many years in the oral tradition remain in the mental memory. In this thesis, the "Historical-Geographical Fin" method, which is included in the text-centered folklore theories, has been used. The most important work of this method is the catalog named "Motif Indeks of Folk Literature" of the world-famous folklorist Stith Thompson, which is accepted as a bedside source in studies in the fields of folklore and folk literature. In accordance with the motif index in the aforementioned work, the motifs of the "Kasım Oğlan" and "Gövher Kız and Şiralı Bey" epics have been classified and a general comparison has been made by determining the similarities and differences of the motifs frequently encountered in both epics. As a result of the study, the motifs of both epics have been arranged in accordance with the letter and number index. Due to the fact that the epics are included in the Turkmen field epic tradition, it has been determined that there are more similar motifs, but they also contain different motifs.