Hermeneutical analysis of sacrifice, sacred violence and scapegoat motifs in Turkish Mythology

People have turned their efforts to make sense of the disasters befalling them into narratives, within which motifs of scapegoating and violence often emerge as explanations for the calamity. The story of a scapegoat, who shoulders the sins of an individual or a community, being cast into chaos or subjected to violence, has become a commonly used concept in various fields of study from anthropology to economics, from folklore to politics. However, the concept has its origins in mythical and symbolic backgrounds. This background manifests in myths and epic narratives, reinforced by the rituals of daily life and state. Sometimes it appears hidden, while other times it is overtly visible. In this study, the motif of the scapegoat, whether concealed in narratives, veiled through rituals, or openly practiced, will be sought within the Turkish cultural domain. Additionally, the place of sacred violence and the concept of sacrifice in Turkish culture will be examined. In doing so, the theoretical framework will center on René Girard's theories of sacred violence and the scapegoat, drawing primarily from Girard's books "The Scapegoat" and "Violence and the Sacred." While examining the texts, the hermeneutic interpretation method will be used, and in the light of this method, the scapegoat motifs thought to be hidden in the texts will be interpreted. In Turkish culture, subjects such as sacrifice, scapegoat, sacred will be examined in depth; through these concepts, people such as kagan, shaman, the Altay Creation Myth, the sections of İbni Fadlan and Mesudi travel books related to Turks, the epics of Dede Korkut and Maaday Kara will be examined. The main problematic of the study has been determined as questioning whether there are people who have become scapegoats in Turkish culture.