The Use of the Mythological Creature Dragon in Nef’î’s Divan

Munise Koç

Makale detayları

The Use of the Mythological Creature Dragon in Nef’î’s Divan

Yazarlar:

Munise Koç

Yayıncı:

Hacettepe University

Ana Başlıklar:

Edebi Çalışmalar (Diğer) | Osmanlı Sahası Klasik Türk Edebiyatı

Dergi:

Türkbilig Vol.2025 Issue 49, pp.163-183

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001352171

pISSN:

1302-6011

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 Dragon is called in Persian ejder, ejdha, and ejderha, and in Arabic tinnin and soban huge serpent. A dragon is a crocodile-like mythical creature that has a horse-like face and two wings, is capable of breathing fire and believed to be the guardian of underground treasures. The word dragon comes from Pahlavi word ajiaj snake or serpent and has the same origin as Aj-i Dahhak snake of Dahaka. This creature is called universe by Turks. In his work entitled Nuzhat al-Qulūb Pleasure of the Hearts, Hamdullâh Mustafa-i-Qazwinî tells that this creature was first a snake which turns into a dragon as it gets to the age of 100 years. He further states that the dragon keeps getting bigger until the animals on the land are terrified of it, whereupon the creator throws it into the sea. The dragon causes damage in the sea too and is thrown by God into the land of Yecuc and Mecuc referred to as Gog and Magog in the Hebrew Bible to feed them. The dragon motif is frequently used in architecture for its features such as fertility, protectionism, and power, while it is often used in literature for its frightening features. Nefî, one the sharp-tongued poets of classical poetry, often used this mythological creature in his ghazals odes due to its extraordinary and scary features and particularly the influence of its character. Nefî, who lived in the 17th century and is known as the poet of qaṣīdah, used the words ejder thirteen times, ejderha seven times, and ejdehâ once in his Turkish divan. Among these uses, sixteen were detected in the qasîdah section and five in the ghazal section. In these sections, Nefî touched on the features of dragons protecting treasures, breathing fire, flying, and being curled up. There are also analogies with reference to the dragon-shaped fountain faucets in architecture and to dragon-shaped field guns. The dragon metaphor is used to depict the beauty of the lover in ghazals. This study aims to explore the association between the representations of the mythological creature dragon in classical literature and Nefîs personality traits and poetry.

 Dragon is called in Persian ejder, ejdha, and ejderha, and in Arabic tinnin and soban huge serpent. A dragon is a crocodile-like mythical creature that has a horse-like face and two wings, is capable of breathing fire and believed to be the guardian of underground treasures. The word dragon comes from Pahlavi word ajiaj snake or serpent and has the same origin as Aj-i Dahhak snake of Dahaka. This creature is called universe by Turks. In his work entitled Nuzhat al-Qulūb Pleasure of the Hearts, Hamdullâh Mustafa-i-Qazwinî tells that this creature was first a snake which turns into a dragon as it gets to the age of 100 years. He further states that the dragon keeps getting bigger until the animals on the land are terrified of it, whereupon the creator throws it into the sea. The dragon causes damage in the sea too and is thrown by God into the land of Yecuc and Mecuc referred to as Gog and Magog in the Hebrew Bible to feed them. The dragon motif is frequently used in architecture for its features such as fertility, protectionism, and power, while it is often used in literature for its frightening features. Nefî, one the sharp-tongued poets of classical poetry, often used this mythological creature in his ghazals odes due to its extraordinary and scary features and particularly the influence of its character. Nefî, who lived in the 17th century and is known as the poet of qaṣīdah, used the words ejder thirteen times, ejderha seven times, and ejdehâ once in his Turkish divan. Among these uses, sixteen were detected in the qasîdah section and five in the ghazal section. In these sections, Nefî touched on the features of dragons protecting treasures, breathing fire, flying, and being curled up. There are also analogies with reference to the dragon-shaped fountain faucets in architecture and to dragon-shaped field guns. The dragon metaphor is used to depict the beauty of the lover in ghazals. This study aims to explore the association between the representations of the mythological creature dragon in classical literature and Nefîs personality traits and poetry.

 Dragon is called in Persian ejder, ejdha, and ejderha, and in Arabic tinnin and soban huge serpent. A dragon is a crocodile-like mythical creature that has a horse-like face and two wings, is capable of breathing fire and believed to be the guardian of underground treasures. The word dragon comes from Pahlavi word ajiaj snake or serpent and has the same origin as Aj-i Dahhak snake of Dahaka. This creature is called universe by Turks. In his work entitled Nuzhat al-Qulūb Pleasure of the Hearts, Hamdullâh Mustafa-i-Qazwinî tells that this creature was first a snake which turns into a dragon as it gets to the age of 100 years. He further states that the dragon keeps getting bigger until the animals on the land are terrified of it, whereupon the creator throws it into the sea. The dragon causes damage in the sea too and is thrown by God into the land of Yecuc and Mecuc referred to as Gog and Magog in the Hebrew Bible to feed them. The dragon motif is frequently used in architecture for its features such as fertility, protectionism, and power, while it is often used in literature for its frightening features. Nefî, one the sharp-tongued poets of classical poetry, often used this mythological creature in his ghazals odes due to its extraordinary and scary features and particularly the influence of its character. Nefî, who lived in the 17th century and is known as the poet of qaṣīdah, used the words ejder thirteen times, ejderha seven times, and ejdehâ once in his Turkish divan. Among these uses, sixteen were detected in the qasîdah section and five in the ghazal section. In these sections, Nefî touched on the features of dragons protecting treasures, breathing fire, flying, and being curled up. There are also analogies with reference to the dragon-shaped fountain faucets in architecture and to dragon-shaped field guns. The dragon metaphor is used to depict the beauty of the lover in ghazals. This study aims to explore the association between the representations of the mythological creature dragon in classical literature and Nefîs personality traits and poetry.

 Farsçada ejder, ejdha, ejderha, Arapçada tinnin ve soban büyük yılan sözcükleriyle bilinen ejderha, büyük timsah görünümünde, yüzü ata benzeyen, iki kanatlı, ağzından ateş püskürten, yeraltı hazinelerinin koruyucusu olduğuna inanılan efsanevî bir yaratıktır. Pehlevîce ajiaj yılan sözcüğünden gelir ve Aj-i Dahhak Dahhak yılanı ile aynı köktendir. Bu yaratık Türkler tarafından evren adıyla anılır. Hamdullâh Mustafa Kazvinî Nüzhetül-Kulûb adlı eserinde bu hayvanın başlangıçta bir yılan olduğunu, yaşı yüze dayandığı zaman ejdere dönüştüğünü söyler. Ejderin, karadaki hayvanları dehşete düşürene kadar büyüdüğünü, bunun üzerine Allahın onu denize attığını belirtir. Denizde de hasara sebep olan ejderha Allah tarafından Yecüc ile Mecüce yem olmak üzere onların diyarına atılır. Mimarîde bereket getirişi, koruyuculuk ve güç gibi özelliklerinden dolayı sıkça kullanılan ejderha motifi edebiyatta genellikle korkutucu özellikleri ile anılmıştır. Klasik şiirin keskin dilli şairlerinden Nefî bu mitolojik hayvanın olağanüstü ve ürkütücü niteliklerini özellikle kasidelerinde sıkça kullanmıştır. 17. yüzyıl kaside şairi olarak bilinen Nefî, Türkçe divanında 13 defa ejder, 7 defa ejderha, 1 defa da ejdeha kelimesini kullanmıştır. Bu kullanımların 16 tanesi kasideler, 5 tanesi ise gazeller kısmında tespit edilmiştir. Nefî, kasidelerde ejderhaların hazineleri koruduğu, ateş saçtığı, kıvrım kıvrım oluşu ile uçması özelliklerine değinmiştir. Bu beyitlerde, çeşme lülelerinin ejder şekilli olmalarına ve savaş aletlerinden topun ejder şekilli olmasına atfen yapılan benzetmeler de mevcuttur. Gazellerde ise ejderha mazmunu, sevgilinin güzellik unsurlarını tasvir etmede kullanılmıştır. Bu çalışmayla mitolojik bir varlık olan ejderhanın klasik edebiyattaki yansımaları ve Nefînin karakter özellikleri ile şiirleri arasındaki bağlantı ortaya konulmaya çalışılmıştır.

Makale detayları

The Use of the Mythological Creature Dragon in Nef’î’s Divan

Yazarlar:

Munise Koç

Yayıncı:

Hacettepe University

Ana Başlıklar:

Edebi Çalışmalar (Diğer) | Osmanlı Sahası Klasik Türk Edebiyatı

Dergi:

Türkbilig Vol.2025 Issue 49, pp.163-183

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001352171

pISSN:

1302-6011

Classical Turkish literature

mythology

Nef

divan

dragon.Klasik Türk edebiyatı

mitoloji

Nef’î

divan

ejderha.

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Munise Koç

Yayıncı: Hacettepe University

Ana Başlıklar: Edebi Çalışmalar (Diğer) | Osmanlı Sahası Klasik Türk Edebiyatı

Dergi: Türkbilig Vol.2025 Issue 49, pp.163-183

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 6/2025

Belge Dili: Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.): 2001352171

pISSN: 1302-6011

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Munise Koç

Yayıncı:

Hacettepe University

Ana Başlıklar:

Edebi Çalışmalar (Diğer) | Osmanlı Sahası Klasik Türk Edebiyatı

Dergi:

Türkbilig Vol.2025 Issue 49, pp.163-183

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001352171

pISSN:

1302-6011