UNRAVELLING THE EVOLUTIONARY TRAJECTORY OF EPIC HEROES: A THEORETICAL EXPLORATION

Year 2023, Volume: 63 Issue: 2, 1235 - 1255, 25.12.2023

Hüseyin Alhas

https://doi.org/10.33171/dtcfjournal.2023.63.2.14

Abstract

The scholarly investigation of epic heroes encompasses a complex and multifaceted realm, engaging researchers in grappling with the intricate task of defining and categorising these figures, while also endeavouring to comprehend their evolutionary trajectory. Academic discourse on epic heroes has yielded two distinctive approaches. The first group, denoted as the “ubiquitous fallacy group” within this article, employs anthropological, psychoanalytical, historical, and literary perspectives to argue for the temporal and spatial ubiquity of epic heroes at their core, accentuating shared patterns and recurring themes. This article provides a thorough critique of the first group, highlighting the inherent methodological and contextual problems in their analytical frameworks, and revealing their limitations, particularly in terms of selective data and potential oversimplification of complex phenomena. The second group, while acknowledging some generic influences over time, emphasises the impossibility of ascribing a single, stable, or universal form to the concept of epic hero. Although leaning towards favouring the latter approach, this article aims to identify the problems inherent in this group as well. This approach’s categorisation of epic heroes, creating heroic models or types to differentiate heroes, is also problematic, given the fluid boundaries between these categories and the potential inadequacy of models in capturing the full complexity and diversity of epic heroism they represent. This article further delves into two distinct analytical frameworks in this group, Doris Cecilia Werner’s socio-political reading and John Steadman’s “image and ideal” hypothesis, offering potential solutions to address gaps in their theoretical approaches. Accordingly, this article, while presenting fresh criticism on the theories of the evolution of epic heroes, argues that the ever-changing nature of epic heroes defies a uniform ubiquitous definition or categorizations, and offers solutions to fill the gaps in the latest scholarly analytical frameworks.

Keywords

Epic hero, Epic theory, Evolution of epic heroes, Ubiquitous fallacy

EPİK KAHRAMANLARIN EVRİM SÜREÇLERİNİ KEŞFETMEK: TEORİK BİR İNCELEME

Abstract

Epik kahramanlar üzerine yapılan akademik araştırmalar, karmaşık ve çok yönlü bir alanı kapsar. Araştırmacılar, kahraman figürlerini tanımlamaya ve sınıflandırmaya çalışırken aynı zamanda bu figürlerin evrimsel süreçlerine de odaklanırlar. Akademik alanda epik kahramanların analizi konusunda zamanla iki farklı yaklaşım gelişmiştir. Bu makalede, "evrensellik yanılgısı grubu" olarak adlandırılan ilk grup, antropolojik, psikanalitik, tarihsel ve edebi bakış açıları üzerinden, epik kahramanlardaki ortak kalıplara ve tekrarlayan temalara odaklanmış ve zamansal ve mekânsal açıdan evrenselliklerini vurgulamıştır. Bu makale, bu grubun analiz süreçlerindeki yöntemsel ve bağlamsal problemleri ele alır ve veri seçimlerindeki hataları ve karmaşık durumları basite indirgeyen yaklaşımlarını ortaya koyarak kapsamlı bir eleştiri sunar. İkinci grup ise zaman içinde bazı geleneksel etkileri kabul ederken, epik kahraman kavramına tek, sabit veya evrensel bir biçim atamanın imkânsızlığını vurgular. Bu makale, ikinci gruba daha yakın bir yaklaşıma sahip olsa da, bu gruptaki sorunları da ortaya koymayı hedefler. Örneğin, ikinci grubun kahramanları sınıflandırmak için modeller veya tipler oluşturması problemlidir zira bu sınıflandırmalar arasındaki sınırlar esnek ve geçirgen olabilir. Dolayısıyla, bu modeller, kahramanların çeşitliliği ve karmaşıklığını açıklamada yetersiz kalabilmektedir. Bu makale, ikinci grubun analitik çerçevesinde kullanılan iki önemli analiz yöntemi, Doris Cecilia Werner’ın sosyo-politik yaklaşımı ve John Steadman’ın “imaj ve ideal” hipotezi, üzerinden bu yaklaşımdaki hataları gösterir ve bu hatalara çözüm önerileri sunar. Dolayısıyla, bu makale, epik kahramanların evrimiyle ilgili kuramlara yönelik güncel eleştiriler sunarken, epik kahramanların sürekli değişen doğası nedeniyle tek bir evrensel tanımın veya sınıflandırmanın mümkün olmadığını savunur ve güncel akademik kuramlardaki açıklara öneriler sunar.

Keywords

Epik kahraman, Epik destan teorisi, Epik kahramanların evrimi, Evresenllik yanılgısı

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