Contemporany interpretation of demonic beings in Türkish Shamanist mythology in Mehmed Siyah Kalem miniatures

The cosmogony conceptions of societies express mythological and cosmological beliefs about the creation, order and functioning of the universe. The core cosmology of the Turks is dichotomy. According to the dichotomy, which is a binary system, the universe is composed of the sky and the earth, and these two elements are perceived as complementary elements, although they are opposite to each other. After the Turks adopted the shamanic belief system, the effects of shamanic mythology began to be seen in their worldview, cosmogony, and perception of deities. After the emergence of shamanism in Turkish societies, their perception of the universe changed from a dichotomy system to a ternary system, i.e. they envisioned the universe as three layers: the sky, the earth and the underworld. They believed that there were relationships between gods, spirits, demonic beings, and humans living in these layers. Demons, the hosts of the underworld, turned into evil spirits that harmed human beings when the benevolent guardians of the underworld were not respected and were angered, and over time, the black benevolent spirits acquired demonic characteristics. In this context, demonic beings are the oldest beings in the Turkish mythological system that has been subject to the least change and transformation. Demonological beings have always taken part in Turkish tradition and art, although they have sometimes undergone change and sometimes degeneration. The miniatures in the Fatih Album, which is preserved in the Treasury of Topkapı Palace and attributed to Muhammed Mehmed Siyah Kalem, depict both humans living in Middle Earth and demonic beings of the Underworld. Siyah Kalem depicted demons, half human and half animal, drinking, dancing and wrestling. Today, we do not know why Siyah Kalem illustrated demonic beings, nor do we have complete information about the artist's identity. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the demonic beings in Siyah Kalem's miniatures in order to see and analyze how the artist transformed metaphysical beings into visual form. In this context, the development of Turkish cosmogony is outlined, information about the Turkish perception of the universe is given, and the place of demons and malevolent beings, which are the beings of the Underworld, in Turkish Art is mentioned. An answer has been sought to the question to what extent the belief in Shamanism shapes or restricts the creativity of the artist. The Shamanist elements in Muhammad Mehmet Siyah Kalem's roll illustrations in which demons are depicted in miniatures are analyzed.