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  "Erasmus+ Nuits Blanches"
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C4 LECTURE by Seçkin Sarpkaya FIGHT FEAR WITH FEAR

OUTPUT 4:43 – TURKISH LESSONS AGAINTS FEAR

(SLAYT 1 Adile Naşit)

Greetings everyone. First of all i would like to start with some questions about my title. Why do humans fear. Of what do humans fear? What impact does fear leave on humans? What can be the amount, form or result of fear? Why do we tell about our fears or we want to do so? Why do symbols about monsters exist?

TO BE CONTINUED

(SLAYT 2 Jack Sparrow/Evde Tek Başına)

Fear is one of the basic emotions and thrills of humans. Humans, both as individuals and species, have been feeling fear due to various reasons and in different forms since it’s birth, both physically and historically. In it’s earlier ages, humanity felt fear during it’s struggle against nature. Growing world didn’t take away humanity’s fears, instead it brought new ones. Since the beginning of humanity, both individual and regional and universal horror elements emerged about the most basic horror element, death and what happens to people after death.

(SLAYT 3 H. P. Lovecarft)

One of our fears is fear from supernatural creatures and this fear is as old as humankind, keeping company since it’s birth. A statement of famous horror/gothic literature writer Howard Philips Lovecraft is important here. “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” Since it’s early days, humankind has been feeling terror against things that it doesn’t know or can’t identify, along with the power of nature. In mythic ages, people were afraid of things that they don’t understand in nature. These times are called childhood of humankind, because just like children, humankind were afraid of obscure things that it doesn’t understand in both mythic ages, and later on. Just think about it, what would you feel if you were alone in a forest at night with many creatures that you don’t know? Except of some people who can manage to stay unafraid in individual level, fear is the common answer. In this point, fear is not a weakness, but a defense mechanism. Humankind symbolized it’s fears with supernatural creatures since it’s earliest days and tried to explain and deal with them while relaxing itself.

We can see the traces and symbols of horror in many beliefs and narratives in oral culture and all of these are intended to be practical. Supernatural creatures had practical role in myths, epics, folk tales and legends, both intertextual and cultural.

(SLAYT 4 Gulyabani)

Horror occasionally takes part in folk tales and legends which are products of oral culture. Horror is practical in such texts. Fears in folk tales and legends are actually symbols of real and actual fears. Demonic beings occasionaly take place in folk tales and legends and this situation isn’t different for folk tales and legends in Turkish culture.

Among the most important features are the existance of supernatural and, of course, demonic creatures and having practical uses for imagination and education. Many of demonic beings exist in folk tales. Monsters, dragons and giants are among the main heroes of legends.

(SLAYT 5 Ejderha/Khaaleesi)

Famous fantasy literature writer G. K. Chesterton makes a good comment about this and says “Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.” With this, he tells that by practical uses of legends, it is possible to overcome fears which are symbolized as dragons here. Children can already imagine supernatural creatures, especially the scary ones. But defeating them starts with facing this fear and accepting the though of being able to defeat it.

(SLAYT 6 Yanan Okul)

As an example, in a Turkish folk tale called Tembel Ahmet (Ahmet the Lazy) the child leaves the safety of his home, goes to a forest which is a symbol of chaos. There, he encounters a giant who wants to kill him and eat him but he usually defeats it with using his intelligence. The texts shows an extraordinary characteristic in this form.

(SLAYT 7 Okuldan Nefret Eden Kız)

But let’s think about a child who has hard times for getting up from the bed and going to school. He can hardly get up from the bed, has to face many difficulties at the school due to his age, has an exam which he needs to pass and has to face with the exam and leave with success. If we read both texts comparing each other, the folk tale actually tells the child that he can win against the dragon-like difficulties that he faces in real life.

(SLAYT 8 Sadece Yazı)

Legends are narratives which carries strong belief. It is believed that everything told in legends are true and those creatures really exist. Legend texts are rich about demonic entities. Legends explain, warn, direct, determine and establish the law and order. In this point they sometimes exploit the emotion of fear. On the contrast, they tell and explain the emotion of fear, symbolize and take procaution against it.

(SLAYT 9 Halka)

As an example, some Turkish legends tell about an entitiy called Şubat Karisi (Old Woman of February). During cold nights of winter, especially in February nights, she climbs up from wells and steals children. The text is a fantastic, extraordinary horror narrative in this form. But here, it is told to people, especially the children about not to get close to wells during winter. As a simple explanation, well’s frozen premises are dangerous for children and they can fall into the well. To prevent this, extraordinary elements, a demonic creature and horror are called out. Of course, there are some points which should be questioned for practical uses in both legend and folk tale. Some topics like the amount and rate of fear can cause trauma in the listener. While this is a topic that must be discussed separately, their order and balance can be achieved in tradition.

Legends has specialities which explains nature, objects or generally “something” So in this form, legends also explain symbols of fear. They symbolize horror with specific demonic creatures. Furthermore, they do this by using faith, generally with mythic and religious elements.

(SLAYT 10 Stephen King)

Just like famous horror writer Stephen King said, “We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones.” This making up here should be considered as an artistic creating. This is the symbolization of humankind’s true horrors. For example, Alkarısı in Turkish legends is the fear of a woman who recently gave birth for the death of her child. Djinns are also a strong horror element because of their religious background since their mention in Quran.

(SLAYT 11 Pan’ın Labirenti)

From the oldest texts to present day, there are many demonic beings in Turkish culture.

(SLAYT 12 Dean Winchester)

In old Turkish or shamanic beliefs, the devil is a demonic entity named Erlik.

(SLAYT 13 Siyah Kalem)

Erlik lives in the Underground Realm, sends diseases and troubles to humans. Erlik is actually a personalization of existing evil in human life and scary creatures. Beside of his role in belief system, he’s also the symbol of true fears. There are many demonic creatures in Turkish folk tales and legends such us giant, witch, Al Karısı, Karabasan, Kara Koncolos, Yalmavuz and Kempir. All these creatures are artistic expressions and symbols of true fears.

(SLAYT 14)

Thanks for your patience. I wish you great “fear”

See also in "VIDEOS &SLIDES" / FEARS section