Tepegoz
Encyclopedia
In Turkic mythology, Tepegoz is a legendary creature
who has only one eye on his forehead. He is an ogre
that appears in the Book of Dede Korkut
, a famous epic story of the Oghuz Turks
.
, tepe means high/hill, and goz means eye. The circular opening at the top of a yurt
/ger
is also called tepegoz.
lands (Azerbaijan and Turkish lands). When local Oghuz villagers retreat, the son of Aruz is left behind. A lion finds him and takes care of him. Aruz’s son becomes a wild man, attacks horses and sucks their blood. He is half man and half lion. One day hunters catch him and give him to Aruz (the father) in order to let him raise his son. After some time, his son comes to understand that he is human. Dede Korkut gives him an honourable name - Basat (Bas means to devour, to crush. At means horse.).
Years later a herdsman of the Oghuz saw a nymph who gave birth days later. The herdsman finds the monstrous infant, a fleshly thing. He is scared and runs away. Bayandur khan (one of the Oghuz Khan
s) finds the infant, and while gazing on it, a crack appeares in the pile of flesh. Inside of it appeares a one eyed boy. Aruz says to Bayandur khan, "Let me raise up this strange boy." Bayandur takes him in. Later it turns out to be the biggest mistake of his life.
When the one eyed boy grows up he bites off a neighborhood child’s nose and ear. His father scorns him, driving him away from the village. Tepegoz kills one more man and the khans of the Oghuz people decide to banish him forever. Years later Tepegoz grows stronger and destroys everything in his path. Nobody is able to kill him. The sword can not cut him. The arrow can not kill him. Tepegoz's skin is very hard. Half of all Oghuz heroes die trying to kill Tepegoz.
Just one man is able to kill him, his half blood brother Basat. He uses his brain more than his power. He killed horrible Tepegoz by striking his eye. Then he cut off Tepegoz's head with a magical sword and thus he saved not only himself but also his nation from the terror of Tepegoz.
. The story elements bear resemblance to the encounter with the Cyclops
in Homer
’s Odyssey
and is believed to have been influenced by the Greek epic or to have one common ancestral root. The book also describes in great detail the various sports activities of the ancient Turkic peoples: "Dede Korkut (A.D. 1000-1300) clearly referred to certain physical activities and games. In Dede Korkut's description, the athletic skills of Turks, men and women, were described to be "first-rate," especially in horse-riding, archery, javelin throw
, wrestling and polo which are considered Turkish national sports."
Legendary creature
A legendary creature is a mythological or folkloric creature.-Origin:Some mythical creatures have their origin in traditional mythology and have been believed to be real creatures, for example the dragon, the unicorn, and griffin...
who has only one eye on his forehead. He is an ogre
Ogre
An ogre is a large, cruel, monstrous, and hideous humanoid monster, featured in mythology, folklore, and fiction. Ogres are often depicted in fairy tales and folklore as feeding on human beings, and have appeared in many classic works of literature...
that appears in the Book of Dede Korkut
Book of Dede Korkut
The Book of Dede Korkut, also spelled as Dada Gorgud, Dede Qorqut or Korkut-ata , is the most famous epic stories of the Oghuz Turks The stories carry morals and values significant to the social lifestyle of the nomadic Turks and their pre-Islamic beliefs...
, a famous epic story of the Oghuz Turks
Oghuz Turks
The Turkomen also known as Oghuz Turks were a historical Turkic tribal confederation in Central Asia during the early medieval Turkic expansion....
.
Etymology
In Turkic languagesTurkic languages
The Turkic languages constitute a language family of at least thirty five languages, spoken by Turkic peoples across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to Siberia and Western China, and are considered to be part of the proposed Altaic language family.Turkic languages are spoken...
, tepe means high/hill, and goz means eye. The circular opening at the top of a yurt
Yurt
A yurt is a portable, bent wood-framed dwelling structure traditionally used by Turkic nomads in the steppes of Central Asia. The structure comprises a crown or compression wheel usually steam bent, supported by roof ribs which are bent down at the end where they meet the lattice wall...
/ger
Ger
Ger may refer to:*Ger , a Hasidic dynasty from Góra Kalwaria*Ger , the javelin of the Germanic tribe of the Teutons*Germany *German language *Granular endoplasmic reticulum *Gross Enrollment Ratio...
is also called tepegoz.
In literature
In the first chapter of the Book of Dede Korkut, enemy forces attack OghuzOghuz
Oghuz may refer to:*an early Turkic word for "tribe", see Oghuz * Oghuz languages, a major branch of the Turkic language family.* Oghuz Turks, the Turkic groups speaking Oghuz languages* Oghuz Khan, a legendary and semi-mythological Turkic khan....
lands (Azerbaijan and Turkish lands). When local Oghuz villagers retreat, the son of Aruz is left behind. A lion finds him and takes care of him. Aruz’s son becomes a wild man, attacks horses and sucks their blood. He is half man and half lion. One day hunters catch him and give him to Aruz (the father) in order to let him raise his son. After some time, his son comes to understand that he is human. Dede Korkut gives him an honourable name - Basat (Bas means to devour, to crush. At means horse.).
Years later a herdsman of the Oghuz saw a nymph who gave birth days later. The herdsman finds the monstrous infant, a fleshly thing. He is scared and runs away. Bayandur khan (one of the Oghuz Khan
Oghuz Khan
Oghuz Khan was a legendary and semi-mythological Khan of Turks. Some Turkic cultures use this legend to describe their ethnic origins and the origin of the system of political clans used by Turkmen, Ottoman, and other Oghuz Turks...
s) finds the infant, and while gazing on it, a crack appeares in the pile of flesh. Inside of it appeares a one eyed boy. Aruz says to Bayandur khan, "Let me raise up this strange boy." Bayandur takes him in. Later it turns out to be the biggest mistake of his life.
When the one eyed boy grows up he bites off a neighborhood child’s nose and ear. His father scorns him, driving him away from the village. Tepegoz kills one more man and the khans of the Oghuz people decide to banish him forever. Years later Tepegoz grows stronger and destroys everything in his path. Nobody is able to kill him. The sword can not cut him. The arrow can not kill him. Tepegoz's skin is very hard. Half of all Oghuz heroes die trying to kill Tepegoz.
Just one man is able to kill him, his half blood brother Basat. He uses his brain more than his power. He killed horrible Tepegoz by striking his eye. Then he cut off Tepegoz's head with a magical sword and thus he saved not only himself but also his nation from the terror of Tepegoz.
Tepegoz's ultimatum
Dede Korkut comes to the rescue of the Oghuz people who were not able to kill Tepegoz. Dede Korkut goes to Tepegoz's cave and says, "Please don't hurt my people." Tepegoz answers, "I will let your people live on one condition - give me 60 people every day." Dede Korkut doesn't agree and offers another idea, "We can give you 2 men and 500 sheep." Tepegoz agrees, but soon the Oghuz run out of sheep, so Tepegoz declares war again on the Oghuz people.Common themes
The warriors of the Oghuz and battles described are likely grounded in the conflicts between the Pechenegs and KipchaksKipchaks
Kipchaks were a Turkic tribal confederation...
. The story elements bear resemblance to the encounter with the Cyclops
Cyclops
A cyclops , in Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, was a member of a primordial race of giants, each with a single eye in the middle of his forehead...
in Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
’s Odyssey
Odyssey
The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and is the second—the Iliad being the first—extant work of Western literature...
and is believed to have been influenced by the Greek epic or to have one common ancestral root. The book also describes in great detail the various sports activities of the ancient Turkic peoples: "Dede Korkut (A.D. 1000-1300) clearly referred to certain physical activities and games. In Dede Korkut's description, the athletic skills of Turks, men and women, were described to be "first-rate," especially in horse-riding, archery, javelin throw
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
, wrestling and polo which are considered Turkish national sports."
Heroes that were killed and/or defeated by Tepegoz
- Qragune - defeated
- Ushun koja and his two brothers - killed
- Alp Rustem - killed
- Demir Donlu Mamaq - killed
- Bigiqanli Bukduz Emen - defeated
- Aruz qoja - defeated
- Qiyan Selcik - killed