Mythological symbols and the formation of national consciousness: The cases of Turkestan, India and China

The secret of states that have succeeded in gaining a long-term place on the stage of history lies in they have laid their foundations by correctly managing the process from the individual to the society. The transition of human communities living together from society to nation is hidden in the strength of the material and spiritual ties between individuals. These material and spiritual ties are the accumulation that develops on the axis of culture. The effects of this accumulation can be seen even after hundreds of years. Among the spiritual elements that make up culture, mythology reflects the ways in which societies make sense of the world and through this means their expectations from the universe and society. In addition to its artistic value, mythology has a social integrity. Among the effects of culture and mythology seen today are state traditions and the sources of legitimacy of states. Mythology is one of the elements seen among the legitimacy bases of well-established states that are the heirs of ancient civilizations. Many nations have interacted with each other throughout the historical process. The fact that the geography of Turkistan, the first homeland of the Turks, is steppe-intensive has enabled the development of Turkish culture and Turkish mythology with harsh influences. However, two ancient civilizations with which the Turks lived together for centuries: China and India have been as influential in the development of Turkish culture as the climatic conditions. Nations living in close geographies have interacted for many years for many reasons such as wars, political marriages, migrations and trade. This interaction has spilled over into culture and thus into mythology. In our study, the importance of mythological elements in terms of the concept of nation, which constitutes the basis of the state, has been examined and the use of these elements in the process of nationalization has been tried to be explained. In addition, it is aimed to reveal the foundations of mythology in Chinese, Indian and Turkish history and the similarities and differences of mythological elements.